New Power 100 List Highlights the City’s Most Influential Leadership
The Kansas City Business Journal recently announced its first top 100 list of the city’s most influential leaders entitledThe Power 100. The ranking, composed internally by the magazine, examines how local leaders use their power in the Kansas City business community. “The Power 100 are people who get things done, people who can call anyone in the business community and get that call returned,” writes the magazine’s editor Brian Kaberline.
We are very proud that this list includes several of KCALSI’s board members, our president, Dr. Wayne Carter, and representatives from our stakeholder institutions.
KCALSI Board Members
- Wayne O. Carter, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, President and CEO, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute
- Dave W. Frantze, Partner, Stinson Leonard Street LLP
- Robert D. Regnier, Chairman and CEO, Blue Valley Ban Corp. and Bank of Blue Valley
- Anne D. St. Peter, Founder, Global Prairie
- Deborah Wilkerson, CEO, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
Representatives of KCALSI Stakeholders
- John W. Bluford, CEO, Truman Medical Centers
- Melinda L. Estes, MD, CEO, Saint Luke’s Health System
- Roy A. Jensen, MD, Director, The University of Kansas Cancer Center
- Leo Morton, Chancellor, University of Missouri-Kansas City
- Randall L. O’Donnell, PhD, CEO, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
- Bob Page, CEO, The University of Kansas Hospital
KCALSI Strategic Partners
- William (Bill) Hall, President, Hall Family Foundation
- Jim Heeter, CEO, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
- David Gentile, CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
- Thomas A. McDonnell, CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
- Maria Meyers, CEO, U.S.SourceLink and KCSourceLink
- Mike Sanders, County Executive, Jackson County
- Jewel D. Scott, Executive Director, Civic Council of Greater Kansas City
The Kansas City Business Journal released the lists in increments over a one-week span.
Read more about The Power 100 and access the full list of leaders.
Aratana signs $37M licensing deal for pet cancer products
Aratana Therapeutics has acquired the licensing rights to four products from Advaxis, a company that develops cancer drugs for human use. This global licensing agreement gives Aratana the exclusive right to develop and commercialize four of its products for treatment of cancer in pets. Learn more »
Children’s Mercy Receives a $1.2M Donation for its Cleft and Craniofacial Programs
The Frederick and Mary McCoy Foundation pledged 1.2 million dollars to the hospital to support of the research and education in the areas of cleft and craniofacial plastic surgery. According to the article, the hospital treats more than 150 patients with these programs annually. Learn more »
Digital Sandbox KC Companies Raise $7 Million in Less Than One Year
Digital Sandbox KC has helped 19 start-up companies raise $7 million in investments since early 2013, surpassing its goal six months early. Initially funded by a $1 million federal i6 Challenge Grant, Digital Sandbox KC provides early-stage technology companies with resources to help them grow.
Since its inception in February, 2013, Digital Sandbox KC has worked with more than 160 companies and has funded projects for 37 area technology startups, 19 of which have received follow on funding and now provide 125 jobs to the metro area. These companies represent a range of industries, including health care IT, data security, creative mobile apps, big data, consumer products, technology platforms and more. Learn more »
Health Outcomes Sciences Completes First Close of Series A Preferred Financing
Outcomes Sciences Inc. (HOS), a leading health care IT company based in Overland Park, Kan., completed the first close of its Series A Preferred financing round. The company has raised $5 million in the first closing and expects to raise up to an additional $2 million of capital, bringing the round to $7 million. HOS partnered with the Kansas Bioscience Authority to accelerate their sales growth and improve patient outcomes. Learn more »
UM System selects top academic leader from one of the nation’s most prominent universities, renowned researcher, as chancellor at the University of Missouri-Columbia
University of Missouri Chancellor Dr. R. Bowen Loftin, former president of Texas A&M University, began his appointment as the 22nd chancellor of the University of Missouri–Columbia on February 1, 2014. Learn more »
The University of Missouri Veterinary School receives $2.5 M donation
Gary Savill and Barbara Stampfli-Savill, a St. Louis couple, donated $2.5 million to the University of Missouri School of Veterinary Medicine. The funding will be focused on aiding students through a scholarship program, and is aimed at further diversifying the veterinary profession. The couple has no prior affiliation with the university or the veterinary school. The couple was inspired to give after reading about the philanthropy of other donors to the veterinary school. Learn more »
NEW HIRES
Henry (Hank) C. Foley, PhD, has been named Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Missouri (MU). In this role Dr. Foley will provide leadership for MU’s research operation, overseeing the Division of Sponsored Programs, nine research centers, the MU Technology Management and Industry Relations Program, and the Office of Animal Research. He will continue serving in his current position of executive vice president for academic affairs, research and economic development with the UM System. Learn more »
Leona Rubin, PhD has been named Associate Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies at the University of Missouri and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Graduate Education for the University of Missouri System. Learn more »
KU Medical Center will create a new multiple sclerosis center
The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) will use an $800,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to create a new center to help patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) improve their emotional health, physical function and lifestyle habits. It will be one of only a handful of programs in the United States that addresses the varied symptoms throughout the continuum of MS. KUMC will renovate a building north of its campus that previously housed a day care facility at 3503 Rainbow Blvd. as the home for the new multiple sclerosis center. Learn more »
MRIGlobal Adds Recognized Expert in Biosurveillance and Diagnostics
Eric Van Gieson, Ph.D., has joined MRIGlobal as Senior Director of Biosurveillance Programs. He previously served as the Chief of the Diagnostics, Disease Surveillance, and Threat Detection Division within the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). He has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia. He has worked in industry and government settings and has publications on topics ranging from genomic analysis to unmanned systems autonomy. He led several technology survey efforts for the Department of Defense in diagnostics and has supported several major diagnostics acquisition and science and technology programs. Most recently, Dr. Van Gieson served as a reviewer on the Nokia Sensing XChallenge on behalf of the XPrize Foundation. Learn more »
$300 million to advance NBAF construction included in President Obama’s 2015 budget
The Kansas Congressional Delegation announced on March 4 that President Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2015 designates $300 million to advance construction on the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. The move by the administration signals clear support for completion of the project as a national security priority. Learn more »
Ron Trewyn is transitioning from his role as vice president for research at Kansas State University to a full-time position as the university’s liaison for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.
David Donnelly has been named the named the new dean of the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Learn more »
Kansas Alumni Donate $1.25 million for New Business School Building
University of Kansas alumni Kent and Missy McCarthy have made a gift of $1.25 million for the construction of a new School of Business building at the University of Kansas. Learn more »
Federal funding of KU research reaches new record in 2013
More than 85 percent of research dollars come into Kansas from federal agencies, leading to the University of Kansas’ ranking 38th in annual research funding among national public research universities. In 2013, federal funding of research at KU increased for the fifth straight year, climbing from $171 million in 2012 to a record $174 million at the Lawrence and Medical Center campuses combined. Learn more »