The Tennessee Biotechnology Association (TBA) Announces New Board Members

Richard Magid, PhD is Vice President at the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) at the UT Health Science Center (UTHSC), and manages the operations of the Memphis office. This office is responsible for all aspects of the commercialization of technologies developed at UTHSC. The Memphis UTRF office also assists UTHSC by negotiating confidentiality and material transfer agreements, offering educational programs on technology transfer and entrepreneurship, and connecting researchers with local economic development resources. Prior to joining UTRF in 2006, Richard worked as a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, where he entered the field of technology transfer via an internship at the Penn Center for Technology Transfer. Richard holds a PhD in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech and is also a registered patent agent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Bob Morris is an AV-rated Martindale-Hubbell attorney and a partner with the Butler Snow law firm. He serves as outside general counsel to a number of enterprises, including many biotechnology companies. Morris regularly advises clients on issues ranging from capital formation and traditional corporate matters to intellectual property acquisition and protection. Currently, Morris serves as the Chairman of Lifeblood of Memphis. He is the past Chair of the Tennessee Governor's Task Force on Biotechnology, the Tennessee Governor's Board for Economic Growth, Lifeblood Biological Services, LLC and a past Board member of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation. "Bob's appointment to the Tennessee Biotechnology Association's Board of Directors serves as recognition for the significant contributions he has made to the biotech industry. For years, Bob has been considered a thought leader in this field, and this will be a great opportunity to achieve even more significant progress in the industry," said Don Clark, Chairman, Butler Snow. "As a firm, we look forward to continued support of the TBA and the expansion of the biotechnology industry throughout our region."

Kenneth "Pete" Moss is the President and managing partner of Frazier, Barnes & Associates, LLC (FBA) in Memphis, Tennessee. Pete has 20 years of experience in the Renewable Fuel and Bioenergy Industries, the last 13 of which have been with FBA. While with FBA, Pete has consulted on hundreds of bioenergy projects. The scope of these projects includes feasibility studies, business plans, independent engineering, technical troubleshooting, energy audits and project development services. Additionally, he has been instrumental in the development of oilseed processing projects, the commercialization of corn fractionation for the ethanol industry and biomass to energy project assessment. Mr. Moss frequently speaks at national bioenergy conferences and publishes macroeconomic studies and trade articles. Pete holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and has a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Memphis Executive MBA program. Prior to joining FBA, Pete was the Marketing Director for an oilseed processing firm in Arkansas and served as Vice President for First National Bank, also in Arkansas.

Jeff Smith, CPA is a partner in Ernst & Young's Nashville office with over 16 years of experience. Jeff has extensive experience coordinating services for SEC registrants and multinational clients. He has coordinated services related to major transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and public and private securities offerings. Prior to relocating to Nashville, Jeff was a member of Ernst & Young's National Department of Professional Practice - Accounting Standards in New York where he consulted with engagement teams on a variety of technical issues. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University and a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Tennessee, Florida and Georgia, and a member of the Tennessee Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Jeff also serves on the Board of Directors of the Nashville Opera and the Public Health Foundation for the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ken Woody has enjoyed great success as an Army Officer, an entrepreneur and a Fortune 500 Executive. He has successfully owned and operated his own businesses and managed multi-billion dollar global enterprises. Ken worked for GE for more than 16 years, serving as a VP and General Manager in their Healthcare and Capital businesses. He served as VP of Sales for DePuy Spine in Boston, before moving his family to the Memphis area. Ken was Senior Vice-President for Global Sales with Smith and Nephew Orthopedics. He has worked extensively in the Mergers and Acquisitions side of BioTech, Medical Device and IT businesses. Ken owned a consulting company helping leaders of large and small companies dramatically improve their business. He has a passion for helping start-up businesses achieve success. As President of Innova, a venture capital firm in Memphis, Ken leads a dedicated staff focused on finding, funding and growing start-up technology businesses in Tennessee to help them achieve commercial success.

Continuing board members are Bob Acuff, PhD, TBA Chairman, East Tennessee State University; Caroline Young, TBA Secretary, Nashville Health Care Council; Steve Bares, PhD, TBA Treasurer, Memphis Bioworks; Mark Manner, Harwell Howard, Hyne, Gabbert & Manner; Glenn Perdue, Kraft Analytics; Jeff Bedard, Crown Labs; Kim Denton, Oak Ridge Economic Partnership; Leigh Anne Downes, Greater Memphis Chamber; Jim Frierson, Advanced Automobile Technology Institute; A.J. Kazimi, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals; Pam Knox, PhD, Tennessee Board of Regents; Russ Miller, Oak Ridge National Laboratories; Lisa Morrissey, Sarah Cannon Research Institute; Gary Sayler, PhD, UT Center of Environmental Biotechnology; McDavid Stilwell, GTx, Inc.; Tom Whitaker, Atom Sciences; and ex officio members Eric Cromwell, TTDC, and Tod Fetherling, Nashville Technology Council.