Bill Gimson Named Executive Director of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Public Health Leader Brings Vast Expertise to Cancer Institute of Texas
AUSTIN, Texas--(Business Wire)--
William "Bill" Gimson has been named executive director of the Cancer Prevention
and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) by its Oversight Committee.

CPRIT was created by the 80th Texas Legislature through House Bill 14, which
merged the Texas Cancer Council (TCC) into CPRIT. TCC was created in 1985 as a
grantmaking agency focused on the prevention of cancer. All duties, powers,
obligations, and appropriations were transferred to CPRIT from TCC. In 2007,
Texas voters approved Proposition 15, the constitutional amendment that allows
the State of Texas to issue $3 billion in general obligations bonds over ten
years to fund grants for cancer research and prevention. CPRIT is governed by an
11-member Oversight Committee which consists of three appointments each by the
Governor, the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor. In addition, the
Attorney General and the Comptroller or their designees are members of this
committee.

Following a national search, Gimson emerged as the Oversight Committee`s top
choice for executive director with 35 years of administrative experience from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. Gimson
recently retired as the chief operating officer of the CDC, where he had
oversight for more than 15,000 employees and an annual budget in excess of $10
billion.

"Bill`s extensive experience managing a large, multibillion dollar scientific
organization made him the perfect choice to steward CPRIT through the challenges
of building a new grant organization focused on fighting cancer," said Jimmy
Mansour, CPRIT Oversight Committee chairman. "He has the ability to work with
scientific and medical leaders to make the strategic vision for CPRIT a
reality."

CPRIT`s executive director is responsible for working with the Oversight
Committee to create and implement a strategic vision for CPRIT as well as
develop and manage a new team of executive and operational staff. Recruiting
scientific and medical leaders for the CPRIT working groups and advisory
committees and developing processes for awarding and monitoring prevention and
research grants are also key charges of the executive director.

"Bill has a proven track record of exceptional management skills that yield
pioneering results," said Texas Governor Rick Perry. "His leadership will no
doubt lead the institute to global renown as it contributes to the development
of groundbreaking research that saves lives."

Gimson began his career with the CDC in 1974 in public health management and
subsequently held a variety of positions in program and financial management. As
chief operating officer, he worked in partnership with the CDC director to
implement a number of strategic initiatives, including re-engineering CDC`s
administrative and organizational structure, developing performance measurement
of business indicators, executing a $1.6 billion capital improvement master
plan, improving agency security and continuity of operations following 9/11, and
preparing for an outbreak of pandemic influenza. As chief operating officer, his
work with the CDC director created and implemented one of the most aggressive
research and scientific agendas in US history.

Gimson holds a master`s degree in business administration from Duke University
and a bachelor`s degree from the University of Wisconsin.

"It is very much a privilege for me to join the Cancer Prevention and Research
Institute of Texas," said Gimson. "I am thrilled at the opportunity to have a
leadership role in the historic part Texas will play in finding a cure for
cancer."

Gimson assumes his duties on Monday, March 30th.

CPRIT
Sandra Balderrama, 512-305-8417
sbalderrama@cprit.state.tx.us

Copyright Business Wire 2009