Biocom Appoints New Directors to its Board

SAN DIEGO, June 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocom, the association representing the Southern California life science community, today announced the appointment of 13 new directors to its board, including the appointment of Charles Dadswell, senior vice president and general counsel for Illumina, and Rich Pascoe, chief executive officer of Apricus Biosciences, to the executive committee of Biocom's board. In addition, Biocom announced that Magda Marquet, Ph.D., co-founder of Ajinomoto Althea and AltheaDx, and Brent D. Jacobs, executive director in the global life sciences practice group at Cushman & Wakefield, were named as life directors, a prestigious and special class of director.

"Magda and Brent have been leaders in the San Diego life science community for years, and it is the grassroots leadership of people like them that accelerates our success," said Joe Panetta, president and CEO of Biocom. "In that spirit, Biocom welcomes the executive board level participation of Chuck Dadswell and Rich Pascoe – I am confident that their expertise will be instrumental to Biocom as we drive our agenda."

At Illumina, Mr. Dadswell is SVP, general counsel & secretary. He has worldwide responsibility for all legal, government affairs, and intellectual property matters. Before joining Illumina, Mr. Dadswell was vice president, general counsel for North and Latin America and corporate director of global intellectual property at bioMerieux. He was previously general counsel of BioDelivery Sciences International, a specialty pharmaceutical company, and oversaw US intellectual property in a variety of positions with Glaxo, GlaxoWellcome and GlaxoSmithKline. Mr. Dadswell received an LL.M. in patent law and trade regulation from The National Law Center at The George Washington University Law School, a J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, and a B.S. in Pharmacy from Ferris State University.

Mr. Pascoe joined Apricus as CEO in March of 2013 following the merger of Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, where he had served as chief executive officer since August 2008, with Pernix. At Somaxon, Mr. Pascoe was responsible for the FDA approval of Somaxon's lead drug Silenor. Previously, Mr. Pascoe was with ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company where he was most recently senior vice president and chief operating officer. Mr. Pascoe is a member of the board of directors of KemPharm, Inc. and the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund.  He is also a member of the Biocom Veteran's Initiative. Mr. Pascoe graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point where he received a B.S degree in Leadership.  Following graduation from West Point, he served on active duty as a commissioned officer with the U.S. Army 24th Infantry Division to include combat service in Iraq.

"Our board of directors has enormous influence over the initiatives that we pursue on behalf of the life science community in San Diego, and now Los Angeles," continued Mr. Panetta. "The diversity of voices on our board, including leaders from life sciences companies, local non-profits, educational institutions and service providers, ensures that we have a deep understanding of the needs of our members and can create programs that allow the community to flourish."

The additional new members of the board are:

• Bruno Buisson, Ph.D., founder, general manager and chief scientist, Neuroservice
• Peter Callstrom, president and CEO, San Diego Workforce Partnership
• Sunita "Sunny" Cooke, Ph.D., superintendent/president, Mira Costa College
• Carol Cox, executive vice president, strategy, corporate development and external affairs, NuVasive
• J. David Enloe, Jr., president and CEO, Althea
• James Mackay, Ph.D., president and chief operating officer, Ardea Biosciences/AstraZeneca
• Steven R. Pacelli, executive vice president, strategy and corporate development, Dexcom
• Dean Samsvick, partner in charge, Southern California life science practice, KPMG
• Stephen Welter, Ph.D., vice president for research and dean of graduate affairs, San Diego State University
• Kenneth Weixel, managing partner, San Diego, Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Matthew Williams, vice president, state government affairs, AbbVie

About Biocom
Biocom is the largest, most experienced advocate for California's life science sector, working on behalf of more than 750 members to drive public policy, accelerate the innovation ecosystem and introduce inventive purchasing programs that expedite day-to-day business activities. Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom provides a strong public voice to the companies and research institutions that fuel local economies and produce novel solutions that improve the human condition. In addition to its San Diego headquarters, Biocom operates a core office serving the Los Angeles market, satellite offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, and a continuous staff presence in Sacramento. Its broad membership benefits apply to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics and diagnostics companies of all sizes, as well as to research universities and institutes, CROs, investors and service providers.    

For more information on Biocom or the Southern California biotechnology and medical device community, please visit the organization's Web site at www.biocom.org. Connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter (@BIOCOMCA).

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