BIOCOM CALIFORNIA - Key Persons

Adie Rich

Job Titles:

Associate
Project Associate

Adie received a BA in Biology with a Chemistry minor from the University of San Diego.

Aileen Gipson

Job Titles:

Member of the Biocom California Leadership Team
Executive Director, People & Culture

Aileen is responsible for defining and implementing the HR strategy and direction and managing the daily HR operations. She partners with the executive team to plan and develop programs that foster organizational excellence and Biocom California's culture and values. Priorities include providing HR services that support a positive working environment where our employees thrive and are engaged so they may effectively support our members. Aileen holds a Bachelor's in Psychobiology from the University of California, Riverside. She brings over 20 years of human resources experience with companies ranging from healthcare organizations to most recently, Head of HR for a San Diego global technology company, Maxwell Technologies, Inc.

Alysha Christensen

Job Titles:

Associate
Member of the San Diego Team
Events Associate

As Events Associate for Biocom California, Alysha is responsible for planning and executing corporate events in our San Diego region. She works alongside her team to provide life science community-building programs that serve our members, ranging from networking events to large-scale conferences. She has worked in the event and program management space since 2010, with 7 years in the non-profit sector. Alysha obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from San Diego State University and a Certificate in Meeting and Event Planning from SDSU's College of Extended Studies. Alysha is working towards an Event DEI (Diversity Equity & Inclusion) Strategist Certificate from the Event Leadership Institute. Outside of Biocom California, she volunteers with Voices for Children as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in the foster care system.

Amy Butler

Job Titles:

President, Biosciences

Angela Rivera

Job Titles:

Member of the Greater Los Angeles Team
Manager, Business Development

Angela supports company-wide sponsorship growth through the pipeline management of prospective sponsors, from initial contact to formal sponsorship acceptance. Angela brings a background in sales and business development from the Chicago market. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Northern Illinois University.

Annie Warner

Job Titles:

Development Coordinator

As the Development Coordinator for Generation STEAM, Annie is responsible for grant applications, fundraising initiatives, and supporting community engagement. Annie graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in International Studies and minors in International Development, Humanitarian Assistance, and Dance. Her experience also includes teaching supplementary education programs, nonprofit management, and marketing. Her personal interests include: Traveling to new places Hiking, camping, and all outdoor activities All things arts, especially Dance!

Ashleigh Farver

Job Titles:

Member of the San Diego Team
Director, Events

As the Associate Director of Events, Ashleigh is responsible for managing and executing the logistical and programming needs of Biocom California's 75+ events and conferences throughout the year. Ashleigh ensures that each event holds valuable content, networking, and programming for our members, geared towards fostering the growth of the life sciences community. Ashleigh holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from San Diego State University. In 2015, she received her Events Management Certificate from the University of San Diego.

Bernard Parker

Job Titles:

Chief Business Officer

Bob Ramos

Job Titles:

Partner

Brandon Jenkins

Job Titles:

Program Manager

As the Program Manager for Biocom California, Brandon supports Bay Area regional programming, committees, and partnerships to help facilitate connections between members and the Bay Area life science community. Brandon has spent over ten years in nonprofit events serving the healthcare and life science industry. Before joining Biocom California as a Program Manager, he was with Salesforce managing their nonprofit community events spaces and was formerly a Biocom California Corporate Events team member.

Brandon Leck

Job Titles:

Member of the San Diego Team
Associate Director, Operations & Strategy

Brandon is responsible for grant writing, research and development for Generation STEAM's programs and outreach initiatives. His background is in corporate and foundation grant writing, fundraising and development. He obtained a degree in English Literature from The Ohio State University.

Brenda Buso

Job Titles:

Associate Manager, Administrative Office

Brenda ensures daily operations in Biocom California's corporate San Diego office are executed appropriately while providing administrative support to the entire team. She brings extensive experience in administration, customer service, and strong organizational skills. A native of San Diego, Brenda attended the University of San Diego High School and Mesa College.

Carin Canale-Theakston

Job Titles:

Vice Chair, Professional Services Executive Biotech Advisor

Casey O'Neill

Job Titles:

Member of the Greater Los Angeles Team
Policy & Workforce Development Manager

Casey is responsible for supporting programming, benefits, and awareness efforts for Los Angeles' expanding life science industry, primarily through regional events and collaboration with members and partners. She also represents Biocom California member interests in public policy, events, and our STEM outreach program. Casey brings a background in event planning, client services, community volunteer work and administrative support, specifically c-level executive assistance and office management. Previously, she worked in post-production entertainment and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from Pepperdine University.

Cheston Larson

Job Titles:

Partner & Co - Chair, Life Sciences Industry Group

Christophe Schilling

Job Titles:

CEO, Genomatica, Inc.

Christy Shirilla

Job Titles:

Policy Manager

Christy advocates for Biocom California's policy priorities in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Originally from Youngstown, Ohio, she moved to San Francisco in 2006 after finishing school at Ohio State University. Christy has worked as an educator and in nonprofits for the last 15 years, most recently as director of policy and voice at the Tenderloin Community Benefit District in San Francisco. She worked closely with city officials, property and small business owners, and other community partners to create policies and advocate for better living and working conditions in the Tenderloin neighborhood. Interests: Baseball (Go Cleveland Guardians!)

Chuck Dadswell - Chief Legal Officer

Job Titles:

General Counsel

Claire Conlon

Job Titles:

Member of the Sacramento Team
Director, State Government Affairs

Claire oversees Biocom California's Sacramento office, advancing the needs of our members at the state capital. She is responsible for managing and implementing Biocom California's state legislative policy agenda and proactively lobbying state officials. Claire is a state capitol veteran with over 17 years of experience. She brings industry knowledge, relevant legislative experience, and a unique vision for the future of Biocom California's presence in Sacramento, leveraging available resources to foster a better understanding of the industry as a whole.

Connor Bates

Job Titles:

Vice President / General Manager, Infusion Medication Management

Corinne Peek-Asa

Job Titles:

Vice Chancellor, Research

Damien McDevitt - CEO

Job Titles:

Dan Burgess

Job Titles:

Chairman, Nabriva Therapeutics, PLC

Dan Gober

Job Titles:

Executive Director
Member of the Biocom California Leadership Team
Member of the Greater Los Angeles Team

As Executive Director of Biocom California's Los Angeles office, Dan is responsible for building the framework for enabling the creation of a strong, well-connected life science community in Los Angeles and neighboring counties. He leads Biocom California's partnering, programming and benefits efforts and helps raise awareness of the region's resources, innovations and accomplishments. Dan is an industry leader with over 25 years of life science experience. Prior to joining Biocom California, he served as executive director of sales and business development at Corval, an organization specializing in streamlining the commercialization process for emerging biopharma companies. Previously, Dan held numerous senior positions leading cross-functional teams in the areas of commercial execution, data management, client services, as well as clinical and regulatory support. In addition, Dan has direct industry experience serving in senior roles at AstraZeneca as well as a startup pharmaceutical organization. Dan holds a B.A. in economics from California State University Long Beach.

Dan Kleeburg - Treasurer

Job Titles:

Treasurer

Danielle de Jong

Job Titles:

Marketing Manager
Member of the Greater Los Angeles Team

As Marketing Manager, Danielle is dedicated to educating members on the latest federal, state, and regional affairs. She also keeps members apprised of policy-related events and initiatives and helps to drive community through a variety of policy-related committees. She comes from Live Well San Diego where she led bi-national health campaigns, created award-winning marketing content, and spearheaded the expansion of multi-media outreach efforts. She received her Master of Public Health from San Diego State University with a concentration in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science.

David Amesse

Job Titles:

System Administrator

David's role as a System Administrator is an internal customer service role responsible for all IT support at Biocom including desktop, telephone, server and network support and administration for all Biocom California employees across 4 US locations to ensure they are capable to support all our members. David has a B.S. in Information Security Systems with over 13 years of IT experience combining background in mobility and computer support with experience in troubleshooting and resolving complex computer and network issues.

David Crean

Job Titles:

Managing General Partner, Coast Bioventures LLC

David Hale

Job Titles:

Chairman, Hale BioPharma Ventures

David Webb

Job Titles:

CEO, Synbal, Inc. Emeritus - Members / Emeritus Members

Deanne Calvert

Job Titles:

Vice President, State Government Affairs

Deborah Nguyen

Job Titles:

Site Head

DeeDee DeMan - CEO, Chairman, Founder

Job Titles:

CEO
Chairman
Founder

Deena Wagner

Job Titles:

Manager, Contracts

Dolores Flores

Job Titles:

Project Associate

Eduardo Lever

Job Titles:

Data Analyst

Emad Fareed

Job Titles:

Partner, KPMG, Inc

Emily Cassel

Job Titles:

Government Affairs Events & Projects Manager

Emily is responsible for managing public policy events, newsletter, web, and marketing content to give members streamlined access to all of Biocom California's public policy events and initiatives. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from San Diego State University and brings a background in education and event planning.