RALEIGH -- The last two NCCCS BioNetwork Center managers have joined the world-class team of the statewide biotech initiative. They complete the staffing for all six of the BioNetwork Centers.

Philip King is the manager of the BioNetwork Pharmaceutical Center. King brings 22 of years experience in large international chemical companies to the table. Among his many titles, he has been vice president of business operations for North America; division head for South Africa; vice president of marketing and sales for North America; site director for production; division quality director; product manager, and senior scientist. King plans to leverage his diverse experience and business understanding and that of his team at the BioNetwork Pharmaceutical Center to develop an educational and training infrastructure in North Carolina supporting pharmaceutical manufacturing. "It’s time for me to use my experience to give something back to North Carolina. It’s why I want to be involved in workforce development and preparation and why I became part of the community college system," he said.

North Carolina is home to one of the largest pharmaceutical clusters in the world including such companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Eisai, DSM, Leiner, Merck, Purdue, Eon Labs and a host of others. The Pharmaceutical Center will develop and enhance pharmaceutical curricula including clean room skills and sterile techniques, fill and finish operations, solid dose manufacturing and packaging processes. The solid dose manufacturing will include drug delivery, statistics, raw materials and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The Pharmaceutical Center is based in Winston-Salem and is jointly run by Forsyth Technical Community College and Guilford Technical Community College. King has a BS in Chemistry from Birmingham Southern College and an MBA from Wake Forest University. He lives in High Point, North Carolina, and has just returned from Indonesia, where he was a humanitarian volunteer assisting with rebuilding efforts following the tsunami disaster.

J.D. Brooks will lead The BioNetwork BioAg Center.

Brooks brings 26 years of experience in domestic and international biotechnology to BioNetwork. Most recently he was a global sales and marketing manager for an international agricultural seed company. Brooks’ previous experience includes the development of biopharmaceuticals using tobacco plants and commercializing the first genetically engineered bioinsecticide product. He was instrumental in helping to introduce a coccidiosis detection instrument in the poultry business. Coccidiosis is a fatal disease in poultry, but with early detection, antibiotics can be effective. "My goal is to help build a bridge between the biotechnology industry and education, so we have a fully trained work force ready when needed," Brooks said.

Brooks received his MBA in Economics at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee and a BS degree from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Brooks and his wife are planning their move from Williamsburg, Virginia. to Lumberton, North Carolina, where Robeson Community College, the host community college for the center is located.

Like the other BioNetwork Centers, the BioAg Center is part of BioNetwork’s statewide footprint, connecting all of North Carolina’s community colleges involved with the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. With North Carolina having one of the most developed agriculture-based economies in the United States, being among the top producers in the country of tobacco, sweet potatoes, processed chickens and pigs, herbs and natural products, agricultural biotechnology is a natural fit for this state. North Carolina is already a worldwide leader in agricultural biotechnology and second only nationally to California. The BioAg Center will develop and enhance curricula involving animal, plant and marine biotechnologies for this industry sector.

BioNetwork Director Susan Seymour said that the addition of these two managers further enhances the already world-class group of center managers who head these areas of specialization. "Any organization would be thrilled to have people of this calibre on their team. I believe their experience and expertise will further enhance the specialized community college training that BioNetwork is able to provide for companies already in North Carolina as well as play an important role in attracting new facilities to locate in this state," she said.

The other Centers Managers are:

- Dr. Lin Wu * Dean of the BioNetwork Capstone Center, which will be based at the Biomanufacturing Education Center (BTEC) at North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus. This Center is led by Wake Technical Community College and a consortium of six RTR community colleges: Central Carolina Community College, Durham Technical Community College, Johnston Community College, Piedmont Community College, Sandhills Community College, and Vance-Granville Community College.

- Bill Cooper * Manager of the BioNetwork Bioprocessing Center at the Technology Enterprise Center in Greenville, North Carolina. Pitt Community College hosts this center.

- Dr. David Brigham * Manager of the BioNetwork BioEd Center at Gaston Community College.

- Cheryl McMurry Shenaut * Manager of the BioNetwork BioBusiness Center. This center is based at the Enka Campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

For biographies of these other center managers, please find them in MEDIA at the BioNetwork website * www.ncbionetwork.org

Golden LEAF (Long-term Economic Advancement Foundation) has provided the $8.7 million startup funding for BioNetwork. This funding ends in mid 2005. The legislature is being asked to provide continued funding for the initiative. BioNetwork forms part of the BPTC (North Carolina Biomanufacturing and Pharmaceutical Training Consortium) * an organization charged with educating and training for this industry. It is comprised of NCCCS BioNetwork, the BTEC at UNC State’ s Centennial Campus, and BRITE at UNC Central.

Photos are available of Philip King and JD Brooks and can be emailed on request.

For further information about BioNetwork, visit www.ncbionetwork.org or contact:

For more information about the BioNetwork Pharmaceutical Center, contact:

Philip King
kingp@gtcc.cc.nc.us
(336) 334-4822 ext 2228

For more information about the BioNetwork BioAg Center, contact:
JD Brooks
brooks@robeson.cc.nc.us
(910) 735-0665

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