Ontario Genomics is delighted to announce the appointments of Anne Woods and Derek Newton to our Board of Directors. To further expand the board’s perspective, we created a voting student representative role and are thrilled that Jehoshua Sharma, PhD Candidate at the University of Guelph, has transitioned from observer to a full voting member. These three individuals bring a wealth of insight, experience, and expertise in areas crucial to our organization and will contribute to achieving the strategic vision of Ontario Genomics.
Ontario Genomics is also excited to announce Ann Marie Vaughan will take on the role of Chair of the Board, and Colin Kelleher the role of vice-chair. We thank Deb Stark for her service in the role of Chair over the last four years. Her contributions were vital in advancing Ontario Genomics’ board governance and leading the board’s oversight and input in the development of Ontario Genomics’ 5-year strategic vision and plan. We appreciate her ongoing commitment to the board in the role of Past Chair.
Ontario Genomics is also thankful to retiring board members for their years of deep commitment to our board. Stephen Cummings served on our board for nine years and played an invaluable role in chairing Ontario Genomics’ Audit Committee and ensuring good governance of Ontario Genomics’ finances. Charmaine Dean served on our board for three years and provided important insights into the perspectives of Ontario’s researchers and entrepreneurs. Alison Sunstrum’s astute private sector outlook sharpened our vision for company support over the past year. Thank you for your contributions to OG!
To learn more about the new members and additional changes to our Board please visit our Governance page.
Anne Woods is the Managing Director of Life Sciences & Healthcare at RBCx where she leads the banks efforts in the sector across Canada. Born and raised in Toronto, Anne brings over 25 years of experience in life sciences and capital markets, with 15 years of experience within pharma and biotech. Prior to RBCx, Anne launched and led the Life Sciences and Healthcare practice in Canada for Silicon Valley Bank. Read more about Anne Woods
Derek Newton is the Assistant Vice-President, Innovation, Partnerships, and Entrepreneurship at The University of Toronto (U of T). He supports the university’s bold innovation agenda towards fostering the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs, developing successful corporate research partnerships, and managing the IP portfolio of the university. Read more about Derek Newton
Jehoshua Sharma is a PhD student from Trinidad and Tobago, currently at the University of Guelph in Ontario. He is studying the fungal pathogen Candida albicans in the lab of Dr. Rebecca Shapiro. He is also developing novel CRISPR-Cas variants to expand the current genetic manipulation toolbox for fungal pathogens to study the functional genomics of drug resistant isolates. For his work in the Shapiro lab he has won the ‘CBS, Best Paper’ award for his CRISPRi system, the International Doctoral Scholarship and multiple grants. Read more about Jehoshua Sharma
