The Healthcare Bioscience Development Corporation, d/b/a BioMed SA, was formed by San Antonio community and industry leaders during 2005 to build upon the city's impressive base of biomedical assets and raise its visibility nationally and beyond. This initiative was based on the realization that, despite the significant size of the local healthcare and bioscience industry and its importance to the local economy, San Antonio is not well recognized for its unique biomedical assets. The City of San Antonio, Bexar County and CPS Energy provided grants totaling $250,000 to launch BioMed SA as a non-profit corporation and public/private partnership. This was done at the request of Henry Cisneros and Joe Krier, representing The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. BioMed SA subsequently received tax-exempt status from the IRS as a 501(c)(6) organization. Following a nationwide search and selection process, Ann Stevens was hired from San Antonio's bioscience community as President, effective November 1, 2005. She and Director of Membership and Administrative Services, Donna Miller, constitute the initial staff.

BioMed SA is a non-profit, membership-based organization, supported in part by Bexar County and the City of San Antonio.

A longtime public servant dedicated to building community and fostering economic growth, Henry Cisneros is the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Clinton administration. Today, Mr. Cisneros serves in the private sector as Chairman of CityView, a national housing investor focused on creating the highest quality housing for America's working families. As the former Mayor of San Antonio, where he served four terms as the first Hispanic-American mayor of a major U.S. city, Mr. Cisneros helped rebuild the city's economic base and spurred the creation of jobs through massive infrastructure and downtown improvements, marking San Antonio as one of the nation's most progressive cities.

A visionary who years ago foresaw the impact of biotechnology as an economic generator, Mr. Cisneros currently chairs BioMed SA, a non-profit community organization he helped found in 2005 to promote San Antonio's extensive healthcare and bioscience industry. Mr. Cisneros holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Texas A&M University, as well as a Master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Public Administration from George Washington University. He has been awarded over 20 honorary doctorates from leading universities, and has been the author, editor or collaborator on several publications. He serves on the boards of Live Nation and Avanzar Interior Technologies and is active in numerous non-profit organizations at both the national and local levels.

As President of the newly formed non-profit corporation, BioMed SA, Ann Stevens brings a unique combination of experience in the biomedical field, investment community and media industry - along with a collaborative leadership style and a passion for community service - to her new role of organizing and promoting San Antonio's network of healthcare and bioscience assets. Previously, Stevens spent eight years as Director of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations for ILEX Oncology, Inc., San Antonio's first public biopharmaceutical company. She was a key member of the leadership team that raised the market capitalization of this homegrown, startup company from under $100 million to its final acquisition price by Genzyme Corporation of $1 billion in December 2004.

While at ILEX, Stevens participated in getting two new anti-cancer drugs approved by the FDA, representing new hope for patients with leukemia, and experienced first-hand the difference this industry can make in people's lives. She also developed a strong working knowledge of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, partnering with other drug companies and interfacing regularly with peer companies, investors and physicians at national medical meetings and investment banking conferences. Community relations has been an integral component of Stevens' career experience. At ILEX, she served as the company's primary representative within The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, the SATAI Network, the San Antonio-Austin Life Sciences Association and other business and industry groups. She was a member of Leadership San Antonio Class XXIX and for two years chaired publication of the Healthcare & Bioscience Economic Impact Study published by The Greater Chamber.

Prior to joining ILEX, Stevens spent 17 years on the corporate staff of global media firm, Harte-Hanks, Inc., where she served as Director of Corporate Communications. She began her career as a reporter for two Harte-Hanks daily newspapers in West Texas. She holds a B.A. degree in journalism from Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University), graduating with highest honors. A native Texan and 25-year resident of San Antonio, Stevens is a co-founder and past president of the San Antonio chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute. She was also a two-term president and former Communicator of the Year of the San Antonio chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.

Donna is a former State Department macro-economic forecaster and trade policy analyst. Donna has worked with nine U.S. Ambassadors and is an accomplished writer and analyst of economic and trade policy reports and briefing papers. Donna earned several awards during her 27-year career with the Department of State for accurate economic forecasting, improved U.S. Embassy reporting on economic and financial issues, for the facilitation of trade dispute resolutions, and for promoting the United States Government as a good neighbor, which earned an article in the State Department Magazine, circulated worldwide. Donna also earned community service awards, including Volunteer of the Year, for her work with youth and sports.

Donna was born into a U.S. Air Force family at Lackland Air Force Base and spent much of her youth in England, Germany and other parts of the United States before moving back to San Antonio as a teenager and graduating from St. Gerard High School. Donna studied economics in Canada. After being away from San Antonio for over 30 years, Donna returned in 2004, soon joining a number of community-minded organizations because of her steadfast belief that people are only as good as those they help. Donna was hired by BioMed SA in December 2005 as the Executive Assistant to the President and two years later promoted to Director of Membership and Administrative Services.

OFFICERS

Chair Henry Cisneros
Executive Chairman, City View
(Community at Large)

Vice Chair Ron Tefteller       
Vice President and San Antonio Operations Manager
Genzyme Oncology
(Medical Manufacturers)

Secretary/Treasurer Richard Perez
President, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce
(Ex officio with vote)

Dr. Delbert Chumley             
Gastroenterology Consultants of SA, P.A.      
(Physicians & Physician Groups)

Don Beeler     
President and CEO                  
Christus Santa Rosa Health Care                     
(Hospitals & Specialty Providers)

John Kerr
President, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research
(Research Organizations)

Dr. Ricardo Romo
President, University of Texas at San Antonio
(Public Universities & Colleges)

Dr. Louis Agnese
President, University of the Incarnate Word   
(Private Universities & Colleges)

Dr. Francisco Cigarroa
President, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
(Health Science Centers)

Dr. Bruce Leslie
Chancellor, Alamo Community Colleges                    
(Community Colleges)

Kevin Moriarty         
President and CEO
Methodist Healthcare Ministries          
(Associations & Foundations)

Ron Mercer
Regional Manager, Wells Fargo          
(Community at Large)

Mayor Phil Hardberger
City of San Antonio
(Ex officio with vote)
           
Judge Nelson Wolff
Bexar County
(Ex officio with vote)

Col. Carlos Angueira, M.D.
Deputy Commander for Clinical Services
Brooke Army Medical Center (non-voting representative of
U.S. Military Hospitals & Healthcare Organizations)