BioForward Wisconsin’s 2023 Board Is Committed to Strengthening the Influence of the Biohealth Industry on Wisconsin’s Economy

BioForward Wisconsin, a biohealth membership association serving more than 230 member companies, displayed the strength of Wisconsin’s biohealth industry in a recent 2022 WI Biohealth Economic Impact Report. Building on the momentum of the report, the organization is thrilled to announce the election of seven new board members and a newly elected executive committee, to continue building upon this industry’s success.

“As demonstrated by our recent 2022 WI Biohealth Economic Impact Report with our strengths in biomanufacturing and statewide supply chain, the Wisconsin biohealth industry is uniquely poised at the frontier of the life sciences and medical breakthroughs. Our updated board of directors is ready to better position the industry for growth and promote the industry and region,” says CEO Lisa Johnson.

The Wisconsin biohealth region has a robust and comprehensive biohealth cluster of organizations including research institutions, biotech and biopharma, digital health, healthcare systems, medical device, and diagnostics. To reflect the broad range of needs and breadth of the biohealth ecosystem, the BioForward board must have a representative slate of regional industry leaders.

BioForward welcomes the election of seven new members to serve on the board of directors:

• Pam Gabris, Head, Alliance Management, Strategic Planning & Study Direction, Labcorp
• Zackary Taylor, Senior Director of Operations, Catalent Pharma Solutions
• Leslie Lemke-Boutcher, Vice President Nonclinical Toxicology, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals
• Adam Kujath, Executive Vice President & Site Head, Sterling Pharma Solutions
• Eric Ruedinger, General Manager, Global Anesthesia & Respiratory Care, GE Healthcare
• Jennifer Fitzsimmons, Senior Director, PPD/Thermo Fisher
• Justin Krause, Vice President, Operations, Coordination and Strategy, Exact Sciences

This year also marks a transition for the Board Executive Committee. The new Executive Committee includes:

• Board Chair, Nicolas Paris, CEO, Gilson
• Board Treasurer, Garrett Peterson, Principal/Chief Strategy Officer, Yahara Software

• Board Secretary, Sarah Duellman, Global Strategic Business Lead, Biotech, Promega
• BioForward CEO, Lisa Johnson

They will be joining:

• Joshua Carson, Venture Associate, Wisconsin Alumni Research Association
• Jessica Giffey, General Manager, SHINE Systems and Manufacturing Division
• Haiying Grunenwald, Director, Scientific Research, Illumina
• Cecilia Hillard, Associate Dean for Research, Medical College of Wisconsin
• Edward Ladwig, GM & VP of Chemistry Operations, Eurofins
• Tom Lynch, VP Client Services, Aldevron
• Anjon Audhya, Senior Associate Dean, Basic Research, Biotechnology, and Graduate Studies, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• Brad Pietz, Executive VP and Chief Laboratory Officer, Versiti

“With the addition of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals to our already dynamic board, we expand to represent the full slate of the Wisconsin biohealth industry. We enter 2023 with a strong plan in place for continuing to help strengthen our industry, its weight and impact in the Wisconsin economy and move our scope from awareness to influence at the state, the nation and international levels,” stated Board Chair Nicolas Paris.

BioForward is thankful for all our board members’ commitment, especially our departing members, who have played a prominent role in forming the organization we are today.

To learn more about the entire board of directors, go here.

About BioForward

BioForward Wisconsin is the collective voice of Wisconsin’s robust and comprehensive biohealth cluster, representing more than 230 member organizations across an integrated network of health solution leaders, including research institutions, biotech and biopharma, digital health, healthcare systems, and medical device, and diagnostics. It is an action-oriented association that focuses on initiatives to strengthen the state’s talent pipeline; collaborations to develop supply chain partnerships; educational and networking events to enhance professional development; and legislative advocacy to highlight the economic and social impact of the biohealth industry on the state, nation, and world. Learn more about BioForward Wisconsin at www.bioforward.org.

Tags: Medical Device, Clinical Research, Contract Research, Life Science Reagents, Life Science Instrumentation, Biologics Manufacturing, Technology Transfer, Health Research Institution, Health System, Biotechnology, Biomanufacturing, API, Digital Health, Diagnostics