BioNJ Elects Board Chair, Officers and Trustees

On Feb 9, 2023

BioNJ has announced the election of its 2023 Officers and Board Members.

Newly elected Officers include:

• Chair Amadou Diarra, Ph.D., senior vice president, global policy, advocacy & government affairs, Bristol Myers Squibb;
• Vice Chair Emer Leahy, Ph.D., MBA, president & CEO, PsychoGenics;
• Treasurer Jayne C. Gershkowitz, chief patient advocate, Amicus Therapeutics;
• Secretary Christopher Mortko, Ph.D., MBA, vice president & head, hq research and evaluation, Merck Business Development & Licensing.

Dr. Diarra was elected chair, succeeding Will H. Lewis, JD, MBA, chair & CEO, Insmed, who concluded a two-year term and moves into the immediate past chair’s role.

Those newly elected to the board include:

• Maya Bermingham, JD, senior vice president, public policy & government affairs, Regeneron;
• Samuele Butera, MPP, president, Janssen Pulmonary Hypertension and Retina;
• Christopher Cozic, executive vice president & chief people officer, Genmab;
• Leverne Marsh, chief product officer, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Innovative Medicines US;
• Christine Ann Miller, MBA, president & CEO, Melinta Therapeutics;
• Gregory Oakes, MBA, president & CEO, Landos Biopharma;
• Michael Schoen, chief of staff, BeiGene

The following Board Members were re-elected to another term:

• Sol J. Barer, Ph.D., former chair and CEO, Celgene Corporation & chair of the board, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries;
• Carrie Brown, head, U.S. communications, Sanofi;
• Michele Korfin, R.Ph., MBA, chief operating officer & chief commercial officer, Gamida Cell;
• Susan L. Levinson, Ph.D., CEO, BioAegis Therapeutics;
• John Maki, CEO, Bayesian Biotech;
• Anthony S. Marucci, MBA, founder, president, CEO and director, Celldex Therapeutics;
• Scott Megaffin, president & CEO, Adiso Pharmaceuticals;
• Stuart W. Peltz, Ph.D., CEO, PTC Therapeutics;
• Christopher J. Schaber, Ph.D., chair, president and CEO, Soligenix;
• Bob Smith, senior vice president, global gene therapy business and early commercial development, rare disease business unit, Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group, Pfizer.

“We have been blessed with tremendous leadership which has enabled BioNJ’s growth and success over the years,” said BioNJ President and CEO Debbie Hart. “With so many important opportunities and challenges facing the industry, we look forward to working with our new chair and all of our board officers and members as we forge ahead ensuring that New Jersey remains a robust life sciences ecosystem and that innovation and Patient access are empowered.”

“I am honored to serve as BioNJ’s chair as we build on the path that Will and our board have set,” said Dr. Diarra. “This is a critical time for our industry, and I’m looking forward to working with the board, our members and the BioNJ Team to improve access to medicines for patients in need, protect medical innovation and support New Jersey’s robust life sciences community, advancing in particular BioNJ’s health equity in clinical trials strategic initiative…because patients can’t wait.”

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