Triad BioNight Gala – Nominate a Biotechnology Leader

Posted on April 07, 2014

Triad BioNight final logoTriad BioNight, a premier event for our region’s biotechnology community, takes place Wednesday, May 21, 2014, at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons. The biannual gathering of hundreds of leaders from academia, industry, and government celebrates the success and impact of life sciences in our area. The gala honors leaders in the community with Piedmont Triad Biotechnology Excellence Awards.

BioNight co-chair Dr. Lisa Goble, licensing and research policy officer for the UNCG Office of Innovation Commercialization, encourages local researchers and entrepreneurs to nominate deserving colleagues for the Excellence Awards. Says Goble, “Nominations allow peers and community members to recognize outstanding performance in biotechnology development and professionalism in the Piedmont Triad region. Anyone can nominate individuals and organizations for these awards by submitting a simple 50- to 150-word statement by April 18.”

E. J. Holland, Jr.

E.J. Holland, Jr., of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will present the keynote address at the gala. Holland manages approximately 3,800 federal employees and contractors, operating 12 separate budgets totaling almost $1.4 billion and providing a wide range of HHS services. Bill Dean, who leads the Executive Council for the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in the Piedmont Triad, said the committee was “extremely pleased” with the choice of Holland, whose selection reflects a focus on “why innovation matters in healthcare’s future.”

The Advisory Committee, along with the Piedmont Triad Office of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, hosts the BioNight event. The North Carolina Biotechnology Center established the Advisory Committee in 2003, shortly after opening the Piedmont Triad Office as its first location outside its Research Triangle Park headquarters. This year, BioNight attendees celebrate the Piedmont Triad Office’s tenth anniversary.

Before his retirement in 2013, UNCG’s Associate Vice Chancellor for Economic Development Jerry McGuire served as vice chair of the Advisory Committee. This year, UNCG’s Dr. Terri Shelton, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development joins the committee. “The partnership between UNCG and NC Biotech has been a long and fruitful one, supporting the creation of new knowledge, innovation, and economic development in our community and state,” said Shelton. “I am honored to be asked to serve on the advisory board to continue to expand this successful partnership and the work of both entities.”


The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business, education and strategic policy statewide.

To learn more about or nominate a colleague for the Piedmont Triad Biotechnology Excellence Award, go to: http://www.ncbiotech.org/content/triad-bionight-2014-nomination-form

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