30 Jan Biotech association open to director candidates beyond Wisconsin
Madison, Wis. – The board president of the Wisconsin Biotechnology and Medical Device Association, which is looking for a successor to outgoing director Jim Leonhart, said this week the association is open to candidates outside Wisconsin.
Laura E. Strong, board president and an executive with Madison’s Quintessence Biosciences, said WBMDA would consider all possibilities.
“We’re looking for talented people,” Strong said. “You never know where they will come from.”
The search for a new director officially began earlier this week when Leonhart stepped down after eight years.
The WBMDA, formed in 1987, provides its member companies with entrepreneurial education services and legislative advocacy.
Replacing Leonhart isn’t the only forthcoming change. Strong said the association will announce its new name at its Feb. 11 breakfast event at the MGE Innovation Center in Madison.
WBMDA also plans to launch a new and interactive website in late February that will have significantly more features for members and the general public, including a searchable member database, a career center designed to assist both job seekers and recruiting employers, and special promotions from purchasing members.
With the economy slumping badly and with the state’s jobless rate up to 5.8 percent, the association also plans a Biotech Career Fair on Friday, Feb. 27, at the MGE Innovation Center. Life science companies that are still hiring will be on hand to discuss job opportunities, and workers will have access to careers services such as mock interviews, resume reviews, job counseling, and career seminars.
The Career Fair, which also will include a networking session, will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Thus far, 10 companies have expressed an interest in presenting.
Related story