DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April Giles, Executive Vice President of the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) for the past two and a half years, has been named President & CEO following an extensive national executive search conducted by an ad hoc committee of the CBSA Board of Directors. The announcement is made by Steve Orndorff, CBSA Board Chairperson and President/CEO of Ariel Pharmaceuticals.
"Our search committee worked very hard to find the best qualified person to lead the CBSA into its next phase of growth. In testament to April's tremendous talent and extensive experience in the association management and bioscience industry, we learned the best person for the job was already part of the CBSA leadership team," Orndorff explains.
Giles replaces Holli Riebel, who resigned in June to accept the Chief Operations Officer position at the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce. In the interim, Giles had been responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association.
"I am simply thrilled to accept the presidency of the CBSA, as I'm passionate about what the Bioscience Industry has to offer our state. I value and look forward to growing and strengthening the longstanding relationships I've already developed with our bioscience companies, research institutions, economic development agencies, and other local, regional and national associations in my new and expanded role," Giles says.
Giles joined the CBSA as Director of Operations in 2006 and moved to Vice President, Administration & Operations in 2009 and was promoted to Executive Vice President in 2010. During her tenure at the Association, the organization has grown from a small startup enterprise to a mature and successful organization. Previously Giles had worked in the Board of Regents Office at the University of Colorado.
Most notably at CBSA, Giles led the strategic initiative to launch the first-ever Rocky Mountain Life Science Investor & Partnering Conference (RMLIPC) in 2009, developing regional partnerships to continue the conference as the only one of its type for the region during a second successful foray in 2011. The CBSA driven RMLIPC will return for a third session during Fall 2013.
Giles is an experienced writer and public speaker. Throughout her career she has managed diverse staff groups, contractors and consultants and organized complex materials for elected officials, academic leaders, and business executives. Giles graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Kansas and practiced in the profession for three years.
About Colorado BioScience Association
The CBSA is a not-for-profit organization providing services and support for Colorado's bioscience industry. With more than 350 members, CBSA actively works to promote the growth of the industry by advocating for a better business environment, growing the state's biotech workforce, fighting for policies that support a strong bioscience industry in the state, and speaking with a single voice on behalf of the industry. For more information, visit http://www.cobioscience.com.
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