Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization Names Barbara Goodman Executive Director...

Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization Names Barbara Goodman Executive Director of iBIO

CHICAGO--(Business Wire)--
The Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO) today
announced that Barbara Goodman has joined the association as its
Executive Director. Reporting directly to iBIO's CEO, Barbara will
lead iBIO's entrepreneurial and international programs.

Her immediate responsibilities include supervision of PROPEL
(http://www.ibiopropel.org), a joint initiative of iBIO and the iBIO
Institute aimed at increasing the number of life sciences start-ups in
Illinois and boosting the success rates of existing companies. Barbara
will also serve as General Manager of the new iBIO Entrepreneurship
Center, which provides technical assistance and seed-stage grants to
startups. The iBIO Entrepreneurship Center is supported through a
grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity. Barbara will also supervise the development of iBIO's
rapidly growing international activities.

Previously, Barbara worked at the Rehabilitation Institute of
Chicago as its Director, Corporate Business Development, where she was
responsible for its diversification strategy, developing strategic
alliances and partnerships with acute care hospitals beyond Illinois,
business planning, consulting services and due diligence. She joined
Cardinal Health in 2001 with its Medical Products & Services Division
(Allegiance Healthcare) in Business Development, assessing acquisition
and licensing opportunities, developing strategic and market entry
plans and managing product commercialization projects.

"Recruiting Barbara to serve as iBIO's first Executive Director is
a significant milestone in our organization's growth," said iBIO
President and CEO David Miller. "Barbara's wealth of business
experience makes her ideally suited to provide the technical expertise
PROPEL and the iBIO Entrepreneurship Center clients need."

Miller added that some PROPEL educational programs will continue
to be managed by the iBIO Institute. "Another benefit of bringing a
seasoned executive such as Barbara on board is that the iBIO
Institute's Senior Director, Ann Reed, can now dramatically gear up
the Institute's educational programs. Expanding entrepreneurship and
Illinois' development of a talented workforce are the two top
priorities of our preparations for the 2010 BIO International
Convention in Chicago. Both efforts now have outstanding leadership."

Earlier in her career, Barbara was a member of Chesapeake
Corporation's Corporate Strategy & Business Development team, where
she helped transform this pharmaceutical and specialty packaging
company through six acquisitions, five divestitures and two joint
ventures. She also worked for Bayer AG's Consumer Care Division in
Leverkusen, Germany in Strategic Marketing and served as an advisor to
Bridge to Success (a Chicago not-for-profit) and Vida Marina
Foundation (a Costa Rican not-for-profit).

Barbara earned her bachelor of arts degree in international
relations from the University of Minnesota and a master's of business
administration from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

About iBIO

The Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO) champions
biotechnology in Illinois and the surrounding Midwest region.
Headquartered in Chicago, iBIO's mission is to strengthen the
leadership position of Illinois and the Midwest as a globally
recognized center of medical, agricultural, industrial and
environmental applications of biotechnology. With leaders from
business, academia, and government, iBIO promotes the development and
retention of new companies as well as corporate expansions. We also
advocate sensible public policy at the local, state, and federal
levels. To learn more about iBIO and its programs, visit www.ibio.org.

iBIO's Leadership Sponsors are Abbott, Astellas Pharma US, Baxter
International Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, and TAP
Pharmaceutical Products Inc.

Upcoming iBIO and Affiliated Events

Fifth Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and
Bioprocessing

April 27 - 30, 2008 Chicago Hilton & Towers

The Fifth Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and
Bioprocessing will provide a forum for interdisciplinary interaction
and networking. The conference program features sessions on a diverse
set of topics involving Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing.

SBIR/STTR Workshop

May 1 - 2, 2008, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago

This two-day intensive workshop will cover all aspects of writing
SBIR/STTR grants focused on life science technologies. The workshop
will cover many agencies, including DoD and NSF with an emphasis on
NIH.

iBIO Breakfast Series: Quality by Design

May 20, 2008, TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. Lake Forest,
Illinois

Quality by Design (QbD) consists of an approach and toolset that
are used during all stages of the development cycle. It provides new,
accelerated submission pathways for both new drug applications and
changes to marketed products to encourage innovation.

2008 BIO International Convention

June 17 - 20, 2008 San Diego

The world's largest annual global event for biotechnology is a
blend of international and domestic executives and management from
research, business, academic, governmental, and investment
communities.

iBIO
Nathan Carris
312.422.1111
ncarris@ibio.org
or
White Oak Communications, Inc.
Jed Weiner
847.392.4186
jed.weiner@comcast.net

Copyright Business Wire 2008