Newswise — PHILADELPHIA—(November 15, 2012) – The Wistar Institute recently welcomed Van Billet, Joseph Goldblum and Art Pappas to its board of trustees.
Van Billet retired in 2012 as executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Berwind Company LLC, a privately held diversified holding company which he joined in 2002 after working as a corporate consultant in private equity financing. Previously, he had served as senior vice president and CFO at Hercules, Inc., a specialty chemical company, and as vice president and CFO of PJM Interconnection LLC, an electric power pooling company.
Prior to joining PJM, Billet served in various capacities at Lyondell Chemical Company (formerly ARCO Chemical Company), most recently as vice president of finance. He also served in numerous roles at Performance Chemicals and Business Development, including manager of planning and analysis, associate general tax officer, and manager of European tax operations.
Billet served on the board of directors at Caliper Life Sciences Inc., until November 2011.
Billet earned a B.S. in accounting and business administration from LaSalle University, a juris doctorate from Suffolk University Law School and a master's degree in tax law from Temple University School of Law.
Joseph Goldblum is president at G-II Equity Investors, Inc., a venture capital and private equity investment firm. Through G-II investments, Goldblum served as chair of the board of ophthalmology company Accutome, Inc. (recently sold), and chair of Express Point Technology Inc., and acts as an advisor to the web development firm Bluecadet Interactive. Goldblum also serves on the board of directors of Destination Maternity, a nationwide retailer of maternity fashions, and is the CEO and owner of Budge Industries LLC., and EmpireCover.com.
Prior to starting G-II, Goldblum was the co-president for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of McKesson Drug Corporation, the largest U.S. and multi-national distributor of pharmaceuticals and health and beauty aids. He also served in operational and general counsel roles for Spectro Industries, Inc., and practiced law at the firm of Whitman and Ransom.
Goldblum serves as the chair of the board of Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates, and is a member of the Dean’s counsel for the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the National Executive Committee and was chair of National Information Technology for the Anti-Defamation League. Prior to his election to Wistar’s board of trustees, he had served on the Institute’s Leadership Council since 2009.
Goldblum received a bachelor’s degree in economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a juris doctorate from New York University Law School where he was editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Law and recipient of the Vanderbilt Medal.
Art Pappas has over 30 years of operating experience as a pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry executive and venture capital investor in life science companies. Currently, he serves as managing partner at Pappas Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm with more than $300 million in capital under management. The firm has invested in over 50 biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical, drug delivery and medical device companies throughout the U.S.
Prior to founding Pappas Ventures in 1994, Pappas held a number of senior level leadership positions at several multinational pharmaceutical companies. He served as chief executive for international operations and as an executive member of the board of directors of Glaxo Holdings PLC, and served as vice president of commercial operations for Abbott International Ltd. He also held various executive and general management positions with Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals and the Dow Chemical Company, in the United States and internationally.
Pappas currently serves on the board of directors for Afferent Pharmaceuticals, CardioDx, Chimerix and TyRx Pharma. He was the founding CEO and is current chairman of CoLucid Pharmaceuticals.
Pappas serves on the North Carolina Biotechnology Center's Board of Directors and is a member of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) Medical Industry Group Advisory Board. A decorated Vietnam veteran, Pappas served as an officer in the US Army 101st Airborne Division and the Special Forces.
The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, Wistar has long held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. The Wistar Institute: Today’s Discoveries – Tomorrow’s Cures. On the Web at www.wistar.org.
###
RSS