College of Chemical & Life Sciences Board of Visitors

The distinguished members of the Board of Visitors assist the College in gaining recognition and support for its research and academic programs. They advise the dean and college leadership on a range of issues related to scientific education, corporate relations, technology transfer, fund raising initiatives, and other opportunities. As leaders in the fields of the chemical and life sciences and dedicated advocates of the college, members help serve as liaisons between the College, the private sector, government research entities, and other academic institutions.

John Alderete Dr. John F. Alderete

Professor of Molecular Biosciences and Associate Vice Provost of Research, Washington State University
Dr. Alderete is Professor of Molecular Biosciences and Associate Vice Provost of Research at Washington State University. He received his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, and did post-doctoral work at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  His research focuses on the most common non-viral sexually transmitted agent, Trichomonas vaginalis, and has been published widely in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Alderete serves as Chair of Academic Programs and Research Committee for the Board of Visitors.

Dr. Michael Cancro (B.S. '73, Ph.D. '76)

Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Dr. Cancro is Professor in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Currently, his laboratory is pursuing studies focused on mechanisms of B cell homeostasis and how these impact autoimmunity and aging. Dr. Cancro has received numerous teaching honors, including the Lindback, Berwick, and Nowell Awards. His executive credentials include service as associate dean for curriculum in the School of Medicine, chair of the Immunology Graduate program at Penn, and chair of NIH/NIAID and USAMRID grant review panels. He earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in Zoology/Genetics at the University of Maryland before moving to the University of Pennsylvania to complete a Postdoc in Immunology.

Constance CepkoDr. Constance Cepko (B.S. '76)

Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Cepko and her colleagues study the development of the central nervous system of vertebrates, with an emphasis on the development of the retina. They are also studying the mechanisms of photoreceptor degeneration, particularly as it can occur as a failure of development. She received her Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her B.S. in biochemistry and microbiology from the University of Maryland. 

Ms. Jennifer Foley (B.S. '82)

Ms. Foley received her B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Maryland and her Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University. Most recently she was Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at HeartWare, Inc., an early phase device company. Prior to HeartWare, she worked at Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC) as Vice President, Clinical Sciences, Clinical Program Management and Operations. 

Andrew GriffithDr. Andrew Griffith

Scientific Director and Chief, Molecular Biology and Genetics Section, and Otolaryngology Branch, NIDCD, NIH
Dr. Andrew Griffith is the Scientific Director of the Molecular Biology and Genetics Section and the Otolaryngology Branch at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Griffith also serves as the Chief of both the Otolaryngology Branch and the Molecular Biology and Genetics Section; is a Senior Investigator, Section Medical Staff at the NIH Clinical Center and serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Maryland. Among many other honors, Dr. Griffith has been awarded the M.D./Ph.D. Prize for Outstanding Graduate of the Medical Scientist Training Program at Yale in 1992, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2002. Dr. Griffith earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University, and went on to complete his residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Dr. Ann S. HobbsDr. Ann Hobbs (B.S. '68)

Partner, Venable, LLP
Dr. Hobbs is a partner in the Washington, DC based law firm Venable LLP. She focuses her practice on patent prosecution, opinions and client counseling in the areas of biochemistry, biotechnology, chemistry and pharmaceuticals. Dr. Hobbs is a member of the American Bar Association, the D.C. Bar Association, and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She earned a J.D., with honors, from the University of Maryland School of Law, 1991; her Ph.D. from University of Maryland, Baltimore, 1973; and her B.S. from the University of Maryland, College Park, 1968.

Mr. Evan Jones

jVen Capital
Mr. Jones manages jVen Capital, a private fund that invests in biotech companies developing specialty pharmaceutical drugs, surgical devices or genetic diagnostic tests for the pediatric patient group. Prior to jVen Capital, Mr. Jones was CEO and Chairman of Digene Corp. Mr. Jones is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Children's Research Institute at the Children's National Medical Center and the founding Chairman of the Campaign for Public Health, an organization dedicated to increasing funding for the Centers for Disease Control. He holds a B.A. in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Elizabeth Kerr

Vice President of Marketing, Artemis Health, Inc.
Dr. Kerr is Vice President of Marketing at Artemis Health, Inc., a company that develops non-invasive, genome-based prenatal diagnostic tests for use in early pregnancy. Prior to joining Artemis, Dr. Kerr was Director of Science and Medicine Marketing at Apple Inc. Dr. Kerr holds a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in Immunology from Stanford University.

Willie MayDr. Willie E. May

Director of the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Dr. May is Director of the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory (CSTL), one of seven technical Operational Units within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Dr. May received his Bachelor of Science degree from Knoxville College and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. In addition to his leadership responsibilities at NIST, Dr. May is Chair, Organic Analysis Working Group, Consultative Committee on the Quantity of Material (Chemistical Measurements), and International Committee for Weights and Measures.

wade MillerMr. G. Wade Miller (B.S. '71)

Executive Director of the WateReuse Association
Wade Miller is the Executive Director of the WateReuse Association – a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the beneficial and efficient use of water resources through education, sound science, and technology using reclamation, recycling, reuse, and desalination. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland (B.S., Chemistry, '71). 

 

Dr. Ralph QuatranoDr. Ralph Quatrano

Spencer T. Olin Professor and Interim Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis
Dr. Quatrano is internationally known for his work on model plant systems to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling seed development and how cells acquire polarity. He has used the moss Physcomitrella patens to study the mechanism of drought tolerance and took a leadership role in a consortium of more than 100 international researchers and the Joint Genome Institute of the Department of Energy to sequence and annotate the moss genome. Quatrano earned his bachelor's in botany with honors from Colgate University in 1962; his master's in botany from Ohio University, Athens, in 1964; and his doctorate in biology from Yale University in 1968.

Nick SimonMr. Nicholas Simon (B.S. ’76)

Managing Director, Clarus Ventures, LLC
Mr. Simon is a General Partner at MPM Capital. Mr. Simon joined MPM’s San Francisco office in October 2001. Prior to joining MPM, Mr. Simon was Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Collabra Pharma, Inc., a pharmaceutical development company. He is also on the Advisory Council of the Gladstone Institute, a private not-for-profit research institute affiliated with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Mr. Simon received a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Maryland and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Loyola College.

Dr. Thomas Snitch

President and Founder, Little Falls Associates
Dr. Snitch is President and Founder of Little Falls Associates, an international consulting firm working on scientific and technically complicated issues in Asia. He holds 30 years of experience in Asia dealing with senior government officials on national and homeland security issues. Previously he served as senior advisor for nuclear and weapons controls for the US Department of State. Dr. Snitch received a Ph.D. from American University in International Economics.

Henry WixonMr. Henry N. Wixon, J.D. (M.S. ’80, B.S. ’76)(Chair)

Office of the Chief Counsel, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Previously, Mr. Wixon was a Partner in the firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, L.L.P., in Washington, DC. He was Vice Chair of the firm's Intellectual Property Department and much of his practice involved counseling start-up and small-to-medium-size biotechnology companies on intellectual property and technology transfer issues crucial to their corporate strategy.  Mr. Wixon was awarded his J.D. degree from George Washington University, and he holds an M.S. degree in neuropharmacology from the University of Maryland, College Park.

John YoungDr. John L. Young, M.D. (B.S. '71)

Partner and Co-founder, Genetic Consultants of Maryland
Dr. Young is a partner and co-founder of Genetic Consultants, one of the first and oldest private, non-hospital based, prenatal genetic practices in the United States. Dr. Young received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Maryland, and completed his OB/GYN residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He was one of the first obstetricians to practice at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, and currently practices pre-natal genetics in Rockville.