Georgia Research Alliance Names Vice President of Commercialization

June 26, 2008

The Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) announced today that H. Lee Herron, DVM, has joined GRA as vice president of commercialization.  In this role, Dr. Herron will oversee an array of strategic programs focused on launching new science and technology companies built around university research discoveries.  In particular, Herron will direct the activities of the GRA VentureLab program.
 
Since 2002, GRA, through VentureLab, has evaluated the commercial potential of more than 250 inventions or discoveries at universities.  The most promising of these were awarded VentureLab grants to help fund the further development of the invention or discovery that will become the basis of a new company.  This process has led to the formation of 70 early-stage companies that employ more than 430 people and have attracted $275 million in private equity investment to Georgia.
 
“We are excited to have Lee Herron as part of the GRA team,” said C. Michael Cassidy, president and CEO of GRA. “With his unique qualifications and demonstrated expertise, he will help us guide GRA’s commercialization programs to the next level, where we can bring even greater impact to Georgia’s businesses and citizens.
 
Prior to joining GRA, Herron served as general manager, Biosciences, for the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), where he helped guide advised start-up and early stage companies in their growth and development.  Through VentureLab, Herron also worked with Georgia Tech faculty to evaluate commercial opportunities and to pursue new venture formation or licensing opportunities.  In addition, he served as CEO EmTech Bio, a collaborative program of Georgia Tech and Emory.
 
With more than 20 years of experience translating university research into commercial products, Herron exemplifies GRA’s approach to fostering the development of Georgia’s most promising start-ups. Herron has also worked with BRAHMS Diagnostica, a German manufacturer of in-vitro diagnostic products, to establish the company’s North American presence.  Earlier, he was the founder, president and CEO of SeaLite Sciences, Inc., and a founding team member for three other bioscience companies: Biopool International, Inc., CytRx Corporation and Theragenics Corporation. 
 
Herron earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from The University of Georgia.  In January, he received a 2008 Georgia Bio Industry Growth Award.  An Atlanta native, Herron currently resides in Norcross, Ga.
 
About the Georgia Research Alliance
A model public-private partnership between Georgia universities, business and state government, the Georgia Research Alliance helps build Georgia’s technology-rich economy in three major ways: through attracting Eminent Scholars to Georgia’s research universities; through improving laboratories and equipment at these research universities; and through converting research into products, services and jobs that drive the economy.  To learn more about GRA, visit www.gra.org.