Featured Speakers
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Dr. Michinari Hamaguchi
President, Nagoya University
Dr. Michinari Hamaguchi became president of Nagoya University on April 1, 2009. With 13 graduate schools and nine undergraduate schools, Nagoya University’s flagship departments are in the fields of Natural Science, Engineering, Medicine and Agriculture. Nagoya University was proud to celebrate its 70th anniversary this year. Nagoya University is also home to four Nobel Laureates, all of whom received their prizes in Chemistry and Physics. As Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Hamaguchi oversees all aspects of education, research and services at Nagoya University.
Dr. Hamaguchi earned a PhD in Medicine from Nagoya University after graduating from the Nagoya University School of Medicine and serving as a resident physician at Ogaki Municipal Hospital. He was appointed Research Associate at the Nagoya University School of Medicine in 1980. Since then, with the exception of the years from 1985-1988, when he was working on his research at the Rockefeller University in the U.S., Dr. Hamaguchi has been working at Nagoya University.
His scholarly interest is Pathological Medical Chemistry, especially tumor biology. His research group has focused on signaling pathways in cell growth, transformation, and tumor invasion. His research also involves the analysis of the signaling critical for tumor invasion and metastasis, including the production and activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), in order to clarify the mechanisms that contribute to the invasion and metastasis of human cancer cells. He also is involved in developing molecular tools that can inhibit tumor progression. He has published a number of reviewed original papers in the field of Pathological Medical Chemistry. He currently serves as a Board Member of the journal Cancer Biology & Therapy, and is a board member of leading academic societies including the Japanese Cancer Association and Japanese Biochemical Society. His most recent accomplishment is the development of a medical treatment for bile duct cancer, which is recognized as one of the most difficult cancers to cure among digestive organ cancers.
Before being elected as President, he served as Dean of the School of Medicine and Director of the Support Center for Medical Research and Education. During his term as Dean, Dr. Hamaguchi oversaw the construction of a second research building for the School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Hamaguchi made a great effort to found the “project research system,” which enables the hiring of young researchers to pursue research for new fields by using external funds.
Regarding financial management of the various departments with which he has been associated, President Hamaguchi actively promoted the introduction of external funds, attracting big projects and establishing avenues for donations. All of these accomplishments took place amid the trend of subsidy reduction by the Japanese government.
Furthermore, cooperating with the director of Nagoya University hospital, Dr. Hamaguchi promoted the flexible management of hospital funds, and worked to promote the idea of increasing the number of clinical nurses. As a chair of the Prefectural Medical Council, Dr. Hamaguchi worked together with prefectural agencies with the intention of reinforcing the medical systems of local areas. At the same time, while concluding international exchange agreements, Dr. Hamaguchi promoted international collaborative research projects with a number of leading universities in the world.
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J. Keith Crisco
Secretary of N.C. Department of Commerce
J. Keith Crisco was appointed Secretary of Commerce by Gov. Bev Perdue in January 2009. He brings 38 years of experience in business and commerce to the position.
For more than 20 years, Crisco served as president and chairman of Asheboro Elastics Corp, a company he formed with partners in 1986. This highly successful company has offices in seven countries, manufacturing facilities in Central America and the United States, and sales around the world. Prior to that, he worked for eight years as the president of Stedman Elastics in Asheboro.
Crisco earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University. After graduate school, the Stanly County native worked as assistant to the executive vice president for Burlington Industries. He worked for the company for 10 years, including stints in Chicago and New York City. From 1970-1971 Crisco served as a White House fellow in Washington, D.C., as assistant to the U.S. Secretary for Commerce during the Nixon administration.
Born and raised on a farm near Aquadale, N.C., Crisco has served on the Asheboro City Council, as chairman of the Pfeiffer University board of trustees, as chairman of the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research and as chairman of the National Elastic Manufacturer’s Association. He also served as chairman of Globio, a children’s educational Web site based in Portland, Ore., that uses wildlife photos to create a dialogue to connect children around the world.
Crisco also served on Randolph Community College’s board for 16 years and as an active member of the UNC School of Public Health Advisory Council. He has been active with the N.C. Community Foundation, Action for Children North Carolina, and various land trust and environmental organizations. He and his wife, Jane, have three children and six grandchildren. They live in Asheboro and the Town of Oriental in Pamlico County.
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Dr. Ray W. Wood
Vice President, Eisai Inc.
Dr. Ray W. Wood serves as Vice President, Pharmaceutical & Analytical R&D, Eisai Inc. at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. He is responsible for providing formulation research, analytical research, microbiology expertise and clinical supply manufacturing in support of new drug development at Eisai’s Research Triangle Park site. Dr. Wood’s group is also engaged in research aimed at applying drug delivery technology to create Life Cycle Management opportunities for existing products and to enable development of compounds in our pipeline.
Dr. Wood has been involved in pharmaceutical research for the past 30 years. Prior to joining Eisai, he was Director of Technology Development at Nanosystems™ and a Research Scientist and Manager, Pharmaceutical Research and Development at Baxter Healthcare Corporation. He has published more than 60 scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters and is the holder of seven patents.
Dr. Wood received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of New Brunswick, his M.S. in Pharmacy from Dalhousie University and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Wood is an Adjunct Professor of Biopharmaceutical Science at the University of Illinois. He is also a member of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the Parenteral Drug Association, and the Controlled Release Society. He has served on the Pharmaceutical Development Steering Committee of PhRMA, and the Pharmaceutical Sciences Grants Committee for the Medical Research Council of Canada.
Dr. Wood is also a member of Duke University Fuqua School of Business’ Innovation Group and is on the Advisory Board of the Chamber of Commerce of Raleigh, NC.
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Masao Ando
Director, Aisin AW Co., Ltd and President, EQUOS Research Co., Ltd.
Equos Research, Co., Ltd. is an advanced research and development arm of Aisin AW Co., Ltd located in Tokyo. “Equos” is an older form of the Latin for “horse” (“equus”), and our company name “Equos Research” incorporates both our desire to develop a “dream vehicle”, and our development philosophy. Equos Research’s activities began as a way to seek out the ideal automobile, an as yet unrealized “dream vehicle”, by emulating the way of a horse, and its flexible yet highly sophisticated drive system. The company successfully developed voice navigation systems and hybrid motor system long before they came to the market. Mr. Ando has been leading Equos Research Co., Ltd. since 2006. He was assigned to Equos Research Co., Ltd. from 1993 to 1999, then as General Manager of Patent Management Dept. and R&D planning Dept. successively at Aisin AW. Mr. Ando majored in precision engineering and graduated from Tohoku University.
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E. Norris Tolson
President and CEO, North Carolina Biotechnology Center
An Edgecombe County native with a distinguished career of leadership in industry and public service, E. Norris Tolson took the helm as president and CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center on July 2, 2007.
Tolson had served on the Biotechnology Center's Board of Directors since 1997, and as a member of the Executive Committee since 2001.
He was one of five co-conveners leading development of North Carolina's Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership, and serves as chairman of the board of the subsequently established Biofuels Center of North Carolina, in Oxford.
Tolson has served the state as secretary of commerce and as secretary of transportation, charged by Gov. Jim Hunt with reorganizing both departments.
In 1999, Tolson served as chairman of the North Carolina Hurricane Floyd Relief Fund, established to help victims recover from that disaster.
In 2001, Gov. Mike Easley appointed Tolson secretary of revenue, where he remained until taking the leadership post at the Biotechnology Center in 2007.
He also served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1994 until 1997, representing parts of Nash, Edgecombe, Pitt and Wilson counties.
In March 2009, Tolson was honored with the Watauga Medal, the highest non-academic award bestowed by North Carolina State University. Three months later Gov. Bev Perdue appointed him to the university's Board of Trustees.
The N.C. State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) presented Tolson one of its 2009-2010 Distinguished Alumnus awards, in recognition of his “outstanding career achievements, which have brought honor and recognition to the College,” and for his “commitment to the land-grant principle of service to community, state and nation.”
Tolson graduated from N.C. State with a bachelor's degree in crop science and agribusiness in 1962. He also served in the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps from 1963 to 1965.
Prior to his election to the General Assembly, Tolson held various domestic and international research, marketing and sales responsibilities with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. From 1965 until his retirement in 1993 he served in the company's agricultural products and electronics divisions, and lived in Europe for several years.
Tolson and his wife, Betsy, live in Pinetops. They have three children and five grandchildren.
He is a member of the N.C. State Board of Visitors, Alumni Association Board of Directors, and CALS Alumni and Friends Society advisory boards. Tolson serves on boards for NCBIO and the Academy for Leadership Excellence within the United Methodist Church, and as an active member of the N.C. AgBiotech Steering Committee.
