Board of Directors

The Memphis Bioworks Business Association falls under the direction of the Memphis Bioworks Foundation. The Foundation has brought together an outstanding group of community leaders to direct the efforts in developing Memphis as an international center for bioscience excellence.

The following community leaders are influential in supporting the development of the Memphis Bioworks Business Association through the Memphis Bioworks Foundation:

Steve Bares

President & Executive Director
Memphis Bioworks Foundation

Since 2001, Steven J. Bares has worked to position Memphis to capitalize on the growth of biomedical research and commercialization of life science technologies.

Dr. Bares previously served in a series of executive roles at International Paper, the world's largest forest products company. He specialized in growth business management, new product development and marketing, and led the development of more than 15 new technologies from concept through the development cycle to the penetration of consumer and commercial markets.

He holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), a B.S. in Chemistry, has authored nine patents, and has published numerous articles. He is also the co-founder of the Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering, Tennessee's first Charter School.
 

Johnnie Amonette

UT Board of Trustees

Ms. Amonette is the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation and the University of Tennessee Bowld Hospital Liaison Committee, and also a former member of the Board of Directors of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
 

Calvin Anderson

Vice President, Federal and Community Relations
Executive Director, Tennessee Health Foundation
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

Mr. Anderson monitors insurance and healthcare legislation and regulations, public relations, and administers his company's corporate contributions program. He serves on the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the State Election Commission.
 

Dr. Neal Beckford

Otolaryngology Associates of the Midsouth

A specialist in head and neck surgery, Dr. Beckford serves on the Board of Directors for the Memphis and Shelby County Medical Society. He also is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the Association of Otolaryngology Administrators and several other professional societies and organizations.
 

Dr. Terry Canale

President
Campbell Foundation

Past president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Canale chairs the UT Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He also contributes as an editor of orthopaedic textbooks.
 

Dr. Nathan L. Essex

President
Southwest Tennessee Community College

Dr. Essex has been highly involved in education reform at institutions of higher learning both in Alabama and Tennessee. He also has written extensively on education law. He was recently selected as Educator Of The Year by the University of Memphis Society.
 

Kathy Buckman Gibson

Chairman of the Board
Buckman Laboratories

A lawyer and MBA, Ms. Gibson wears many hats as chairman of the board at Bulab Holdings, Inc. In addition, she is professionally active as a board member of the Paper Industry Management Association and Buckeye Technologies, plus a number of civic associations.
 

J. R. "Pitt" Hyde, III

Chair
CEO Hyde Family Foundations
Former AutoZone CEO
 

Mr. Hyde founded Memphis-based AutoZone, the retail auto parts chain. He also led efforts to attract the National Basketball Association's Grizzlies to Memphis, realizing the city's long-held dream of having a professional sports team. He is general partner of the Memphis ownership group. He also serves on the board of directors for FedEx and as the Chairman of GTx, Inc., a public biotechnology company focused on oncology and gene therapy.
 

Larry Jensen

President
Commercial Advisors

Mr. Jensen represents corporations, institutions and individuals with strategies, planning, and implementation related to business and commercial real estate. Clients include FedEx and Smith + Nephew. Presently he is President of Memphis Tomorrow and Past Chairman of the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce.
 

Larry Papasan

Chairman, BioMimetic Therapeutics
Former Smith & Nephew President

Currently a director of Smith & Nephew, Mr. Papasan remains active in the Memphis community as chairman of the board of LeBonheur Hospital Foundation. He serves on the board of several financial organizations, as well as dental startup Cagenix Inc.
 

Jim Phillips

Vice Chairman
Luminetx Ventures

One of Information Week's 2004 Innovators of the Year, Mr. Phillips has enjoyed an outstanding career starting and guiding companies through successful IPO's and pioneering new technologies into major industry leading positions. Before joining Luminetx, Mr. Phillips was founding Chairman and CEO of the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis, and CEO in Residence and special advisor to the Private Equity Groups at Morgan Keegan & Company.
 

Dr. Shirley C. Raines

President
The University of Memphis

Dr. Shirley C. Raines, the 11th president of the University of Memphis, is the first woman to hold that office. She is widely regarded as an expert in early childhood and teacher education and has received honors for her leadership in teacher education, including the Distinguished Faculty Award at George Mason University and two distinguished research awards from the Eastern Education Research Association. She focuses her attention on interdisciplinary research; improving teaching, retention, and graduation rates; and building partnerships on and off the campus.
 

Steve Reynolds

President & CEO
Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp.

Mr. Reynolds has spent his entire managerial career with Baptist Hospital. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Board member of Healthcare Research and Development Institute. He also is an Adjunct Professor in Health Administration, Washington University School of Medicine.
 

Dr. Kenneth Robinson

CEO & Sr. Pastor-St. Andrew AME Church
 
With both a medical degree from Harvard and a divinity degree from Vanderbilt, Dr. Robinson brings unique leadership to the parish and the public sector. Named one of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's ten outstanding community health leaders in America, he is an innovative leader of a progressive church with many outreach programs. He also chairs the Church Health Center Board and serves in an academic position with the University of Tennessee College of Medicine.
 

Richard C. Shadyac, Jr.

Chief Executive Officer
ALSAC
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

An attorney by profession, Richard C. Shadyac, Jr. is Chief Executive Officer of ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - the world's premier pediatric cancer research center. He becomes only the sixth person to lead ALSAC/St. Jude as CEO since the institution was founded in 1957.   Prior to becoming CEO, Rick served as the chairman and president of the ALSAC Board of Directors.  Rick joined the Board in 2000, and in addition to leading the Board, he has served as the vice chair and has been active on a number of Board committees.

Gary Shorb

President & CEO
Methodist Healthcare

Mr. Shorb is CEO of a healthcare system comprised of six adult hospitals and Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center. Methodist employs more than 10,000 associates, with over $1.0 billion in net revenue. He serves on the boards of the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce, University of Memphis Board of Visitors and Memphis Tomorrow.
 

Dr. Jan Simek

President
University of Tennessee 

Dr. Jan Simek became interim president of the University of Tennessee on July 1, 2009. In his current role, Dr. Simek serves as the chief executive officer of a statewide university system that includes the flagship campus in Knoxville, campuses in Chattanooga and Martin, and the Health Science Center in Memphis. As president, Dr. Simek serves as chairman of the UT-Battelle Board of Governors and as a member of the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees.

Robert L.J. Spence, Jr.

Founder and Attorney
SpenceWalk, PLLC

Serving as City Attorney for Memphis, the largest municipality in the State of Tennessee, presented Mr. Spence with the varied knowledge base necessary to successfully manage complex legal issues. He is a former director of the Memphis Bar Association, a member of the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the Tennessee Bar Association.