Developer Bios

Dr. Bill Farland
Senior Vice President for Research and Engagement
Farland, the highest ranking career scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, joined Colorado State in October 2006 as the vice president for Research. At the EPA, he was deputy assistant administrator for science in the Office of Research and Development. He also directed the EPA’s Office of the Science Advisor, which serves as the authority on integrating sound science into regulatory decisions. Farland’s 27-year federal career was characterized by a commitment to developing national and international approaches to interdisciplinary research, testing and assessment of the fate and effects of environmental agents. Farland received his doctorate in cell biology and biochemistry from UCLA.

Dr. Tony Frank
President
Frank joined Colorado State in 1993, as chairman of the Department of Pathology and associate dean for Research in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Frank was appointed vice president for Research and Information Technology in 2000. After his appointment as provost and senior vice president in July 2005, he embraced the responsibility of coordinating the academic core of the university. Frank received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois. He completed his doctorate and residencies in pathology and toxicology at Purdue University.

Dr. Joe Guiles
Chief Operating Officer of MicroRx
Joe Guiles, Ph.D., has worked within the Pharma/Biotech sector for 18 years holding both research and director of research positions. His past employers include Aventis, Johnson & Johnson, Sterling Winthrop and most recently Replidyne Inc. He has numerous publications and presentations and has been a member of both scientific advisory boards and editorial boards. Joe’s current research interests center on chemical biology and medicinal chemistry in the areas of infectious disease and cancer.

Kathleen Henry
President, Colorado State University Research Foundation
As president/CEO of CSURF, Henry provides leadership and vision for the foundation as it aids and supports the university’s strategic goals.  As a graduate of Colorado State, Henry spent 11 years as a commercial banker with United Banks of Colorado. Following several years as an investment banker with Boettcher and Company, Henry returned to her alma mater in 1983 as vice president of CSURF. She became president/CEO in 1988. Henry was asked to fill the additional position of president/CEO of the Colorado State University Foundation in 1990, and continues to serve in both capacities.

Dr. Terry Opgenorth
Chief Operating Officer of NeoTREX
Terry Opgenorth, Ph.D., is a former executive at Abbott Laboratories, and is widely regarded as an accomplished drug discovery scientist and leader. He was instrumental in identifying a number of clinical candidates for treatment of type 2 diabetes, obesity, hepatitis C, and cancer – most notably, atrasentan, a drug with promise for treating advanced prostate cancer that achieved a NDA filing with FDA. He also was a driving force behind several of the company’s important collaborations with biotechnology companies around the world.

Mr. Tim Reeser
Chief Operating Officer of Cenergy
Tim Reeser, an entrepreneur and former technology company executive, has been named the Chief Operating Officer of Cenergy, the business commercialization are of Colorado State University's Clean Energy Supercluster. Reeser, a CSU mechanical engineering alumnus, will be responsible for working with faculty and industry partners to develop commercialization, research partnerships, new startups, and other business opportunities for clean energy-related technological innovations developed through university research.

Dr. Ron Sega
Vice president for Energy, the Environment and Applied Research, Colorado State University Research Foundation
As Under Secretary of the Air Force, Sega led a team responsible for $100 million in energy-related savings and cost avoidance in 2006, providing leadership on a comprehensive strategy for improving conservation and reducing energy use.

Sega’s team was honored by President Bush in November for promoting and improving federal energy management. The team won the overall Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management for such achievements as savings of 3.3 trillion Btu in fiscal year 2006 – enough for the annual household energy needs of a city the size of Boulder, Colo..

A former astronaut, Sega flew two missions into space on Space Shuttle Discovery in 1994 and as payload commander for the third shuttle/Mir docking mission aboard Atlantis in 1996.

Dr. Ralph Smith
Interim Director, Infectious Disease Supercluster
Ralph E. Smith, Ph.D., the Interim Director of the Infectious Disease Supercluster at Colorado State University for MicroRx, the development arm of the Infectious Disease Supercluster. Dr. Smith has been a Professor at Colorado State University since 1982, serving as Head of the Department of Microbiology and Environmental Health, Associate Vice President for Research, Interim Head of the Department of Microbiology, and in his current positions. Dr. Smith holds a BS in Bacteriology from Colorado State University, a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Colorado. He was a faculty member at Duke University Medical Center for 12 years before coming to Colorado State University.

Dr. Bryan Willson
Chief Scientific Officer of Cenergy
Director, Clean Energy Supercluster
Dr. Bryan Willson is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University and is founder of the CSU Engines & Energy Conversion Laboratory. All three of his degrees are in Mechanical Engineering; a B.S. degree from Texas A & M University and M.S. and PhD degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Willson received his PhD in 1988, the same year he joined the CSU faculty.

He has founded 4 major programs at CSU and is the Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on over $25 million in funded research. Dr. Willson serves as consultant and/or adviser to numerous US government agencies, international development and environmental agencies, industrial organizations, and private industries. In recent years, he has traveled for professional activities to 26 countries: India, China, Nepal, Benin (West Africa), Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Honduras, El Salvador, Peru, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.

Dr. Stephen Withrow
Chief Scientific Officer of NeoTREX
Director, Cancer Supercluster
Withrow is a surgical oncologist and director of the Animal Cancer Center.  He holds the Stuart Chair in Oncology and is a University Distinguished Professor.  The Animal Cancer Center at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital has almost 90 faculty and staff members involved in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in pet animals in the areas of clinical services, teaching future veterinarians and veterinary oncology specialists, translational research and outreach and consultations. Spontaneously occurring cancer in pet animals is the basis of his research and collaborations with the National Cancer Institute and the Children's Oncology Group to develop new treatments.  He was recently appointed director for the new Colorado State University academic Cancer Supercluster and chief scientific officer of NeoTREX, the enterprise arm of the Supercluster.