Christine Shapard To Leave Governor's Office In January To Join Colorado BioScience Association

    /24-7PressRelease/ - DENVER, CO, December 11, 2005 - Christine Shapard, Director of Biosciences and Emerging Technologies for the Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) for the past two years, will join the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) in January as the association's Director of Marketing and Communications. The announcement is made by Denise Brown, CBSA executive director, who says Shapard will maintain a 25% appointment with OEDIT during 2006 tracking and completing major efforts currently in progress, such as creation of the new Colorado Nanotech organization and the statewide photonics association, as well as overseeing production of the statewide eNewsletter for biosciences and emerging technologies.

"We are simply delighted that we were able to attract an executive of Chris' caliber to our newly created marketing and communications position at CBSA," Brown explains, "Plus, effectively work out a smooth and amicable transition from her important work currently underway at the Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade."

Shapard's major duties at CBSA will include the annual BioWest Conference and the Bioscience Colorado magazine. In addition, she will coordinate with local economic development activities and represent the Colorado bioscience industry at national conferences and trade shows.

"Our relationship with CBSA which began with the formation of the Advance Colorado Center now takes on a new dimension that further illustrates the partnership between the public and private sector working together to create a bright future for emerging industries in Colorado," said Brian Vogt, OEDIT Director.

In 2004, Shapard became the Director of Biosciences and Emerging Technologies, a business development position focusing on the biotech, medical device, nanotechnology and photonics sectors. Her biotechnology involvement has included helping to draft and implement the statewide biotechnology plan, leading the Colorado delegation at BIO, leading the BioWest 2005 effort and helping to conceptualize the Bioscience Colorado magazine. Other responsibilities include producing the Colorado bioscience and emerging technology eNewsletter, helping to organize the Colorado Nanotech group, assisting the Colorado Photonics Industry Association to advance the organization, helping to draft legislation to support Colorado's emerging industries.

Prior to this role within OEDIT, Shapard was the Deputy Director for international inward investment as part of the International Trade Office. In that capacity, she promoted Colorado for foreign investment and helped to organize overseas trade missions and trade shows. She successfully helped arrange Governor Owens' trade missions to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Mexico and Germany.

Shapard graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Political Science from Grove City College in Western Pennsylvania and during her junior year spent a semester of study in Madrid, Spain. In early 2002 she received the Certificate in International Trade from the World Trade Center Denver and Metro State College. Shapard lives in Denver with her husband Evander.

About The Colorado BioScience Association

The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) is a not-for-profit corporation providing services and support for Colorado's growing biosciences industry. With more than 300 members, CBSA actively works to promote the growth of the industry by working for a better business environment, grow the state's biotech workforce, fight for policies that support a strong bioscience industry in the state and speak with a single voice on behalf of the industry.  For more information, please visit http://www.cobioscience.com.

About The Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade

The Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade offers a host of programs and services tailored to support business development at every level. They include business retention and relocations services, a bioscience and emerging industries program, business finance programs like the Venture Capital Authority and CAPCO, the Colorado Tourism Office, the Colorado Office of International Trade, the Colorado Small Business Development Centers, minority- and women-owned business services and economic research. For more information or to sign up for OEDIT's free eNewsletter, visit http://www.AdvanceColorado.com.


Contacts:

Denise Brown, Executive Director, Colorado BioScience Association, 303.592.4072, http://www.cobioscience.com

Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR, Absolutely Public Relations, 303-984-9801, http://www.absolutelypr.com

Absolutely Public Relations specializes in media relations, the strategies and tactics necessary to achieve impactful editorial placements in the national, trade press and local media. Maggie Chamberlin Holben, owner, is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America and is a member of its Counselors Academy.  In addition, Holben is now certified as an industry analyst relations practitioner. Holben brings more than 25 years experience to her clients and is frequently interviewed by the media as a Public Relations Expert.  The ideal client for Absolutely PR has an interesting story to tell, executive commitment to and understanding of PR, and plenty of news hooks.  You can learn about news hooks at the website http://www.AbsolutelyPR.com. Absolutely PR also offers http://www.PublicRelationsNewsroom.com, http://www.DenverPRNewsroom.com, http://www.Expert411.com and http://www.Online-Presskit.com to help clients achieve media awareness success.  

For further information about Maggie Chamberlin Holben go to http://www.maggieholben.com. Holben's Expert Information For Journalists profile is found at: http://expert411.com/_wsn/page2.html.

# # #