Akermin Welcomes New Board Members
Mark Wrighton, David Danforth, and Alex Zaks join the technology leader in biocatalyst approaches for removal of carbon dioxide in industrial applications
ST. LOUIS, March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Akermin, Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of three pivotal members to its Board of Directors: Mark S. Wrighton Ph.D., Chancellor of Washington University in St Louis; David Danforth, private investor; and Alex Zaks Ph.D., President and Chief Technology Officer at Akermin.
"We are thrilled to welcome these three accomplished and insightful individuals to our board," said Barry Blackwell, CEO of Akermin. "They are remarkable leaders in the St. Louis community and invaluable supporters of our technology. This expanded leadership will guide Akermin forward in commercializing its biocatalyst approaches for scrubbing carbon dioxide in industrial applications."
As the Chancellor of Washington University in St Louis, Mark Wrighton is actively engaged in public and professional affairs, has served on numerous governmental panels, and has been a consultant to industry. Dr. Wrighton was a presidential appointee to the National Science Board, and a past chair of the Association of American Universities and the Business-Higher Education Forum. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is a member of the American Philosophical Society. Chancellor Wrighton serves as a director on the boards of several national companies, including Cabot and Corning, and numerous St. Louis organizations.
David Danforth is an active private investor in business and real estate with an emphasis on strategic development of early stage companies. Mr. Danforth has a degree in engineering from Vanderbilt University with experience advising businesses as well as launching new companies. Danforth is also involved in several philanthropic ventures with a focus on youth development, education, social justice and sustainability issues.
An internationally recognized expert in the area of biological catalysis and enzyme technology, Alex Zaks Ph.D., currently serves as President and Chief Technology Officer at Akermin. Previously, he held the position of Head of Chiral Technology at Schering-Plough Research Institute and Merck & Co. Dr. Zaks has lectured and published extensively on the subject of synthetic applications of biological catalysis and drug development and holds numerous patents in this area. Zaks served on the NSF Review Panels for the Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Programs, and is an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Molecular Catalysis. Dr. Zaks received his Doctorate in Biotechnology from MIT.
These three individuals join the current members of the board: Greg Johnson Ph.D., Managing Director of Prolog Ventures; Randall Ledford, Ph.D., former Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Emerson Corporation; and Barry Blackwell, CEO of Akermin.
About Akermin, Inc.
Akermin is a CleanTech development company located at BRDG Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO. Utilizing its proprietary enzyme delivery technology Akermin is developing industrial biocatalyst approaches that yield lower-cost, energy-efficient, environmentally-benign CO2 management solutions. Additional information is available at: www.akermin.com.
CONTACT:
Barry Blackwell
(314) 669-2611
[email protected]
SOURCE Akermin, Inc.
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