A widely respected and tireless civic leader, Rick Myers is a visionary and a strong advocate for promoting the biosciences in Arizona. Rick serves as the Governor-appointed Chair for the Arizona Board of Regents and advocates for growing the research enterprise and promoting biosciences.
Arizona, September 10, 2012
For Immediate Release
Rick Myers, Chair of the Arizona Board of Regents and Member of the Board of Directors at the Critical Path Institute, is the 2012 recipient of the AZBio Public Service Award. Myers will be honored October 23, 2012 at the AZBio Awards in Phoenix. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Board of Regents.
The Arizona Bioindustry Association today announced that Rick Myers, Chair of the Arizona Board of Regents will receive the 2012 AZBio Public Service Award on October 23, 2012 at the 7th Annual AZBio Awards. Regent Myers was nominiated by members of the Arizona Bioscience Community and selected by an independent, statewide panel of leaders for this recognition of his tireless efforts and advocacy for research, innovation, and education in Arizona.
Past Recipients of the AZBio Pubic Service Award include: Mayor Greg Stanton (2011) , Mayor Phil Gordon (2010), Rep. Nancy K. Barto, District 7 (2009), Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (2008),and Senator Carolyn Allen, District 8 (2007). To view the list of all past AZBio Award Honorees, please click here.
Gov. Jan Brewer appointed Rick Myers to an eight-year term on the Arizona Board of Regents in January 2010. He currently serves as chair of the Board, chair of the Regents’ Executive Committee and as an ex-officio member of all standing ABOR committees.
Regent Myers serves on the board of directors for Critical Path Institute and was that organization’s chief operating officer for more than three years. Critical Path is a non-profit organization that works with the pharmaceutical industry, patient groups, academia and the Food and Drug Administration to tackle significant issues in drug development. Prior to joining the Critical Path Institute, Myers was the vice president and general manager of IBM Tucson. He retired from IBM in 2003 after a 25-year career with the company.
“Rick Myers is a leader who seems to have missed learning what it means to be ‘retired’,” shared AZBio president and CEO Joan Koerber-Walker. “Active in community affairs during his time as a leader at IBM, post -retirement he has immersed himself in our community and shared his vision, experience and skill as part of a team of leaders across Arizona who are committed to and executing on principles that are making Arizona a model for innovation. collaboration and excellence in higher education in the biosciences and overall.”
Myers is a civic leader in Tucson and across the state and is a member of the Tucson Airport Authority and co-chaired the Citizens Committee of the Regional Transportation Authority in 2006. He is a current member and past chairman of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council; he chaired the Tucson community-wide United Way campaign in 2001, and is a past board member of the Science Foundation Arizona. In addition, Myers co-developed and taught a graduate course on the management of technology in combined Business, Science and Engineering Colleges at the University of Arizona.
Previously he was vice chair of a governor’s committee to refocus the UA medical school and hospital. Rick served as C.O.O. of Critical Path Institute, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve human health by accelerating development and review of medical products. While there he formed and directed the Coalition Against Major Diseases, a consortium working to advance treatments in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Myers was IBM/Tucson’s general manager and VP of Enterprise Storage Development where he led 1,600 scientists in developing innovations in mass data storage and retrieval.
He is sought out by regional leaders to address key issues including:
- Chair to re-engineer Pima County’s procurement process resulting in significant changes (recognized nationally).
- Past Chairman, Southern Arizona Leadership Council – Tucson CEOs focused on improving the area’s business climate; current member.
- Co-chair, citizens committee of Regional Transportation Authority to develop 20-year plan. Chaired committee resulting in passage of funding sales tax (1st successful transportation election in Pima County history).
- Developed and taught UA graduate management of technology course, a cross-college program among engineering, science, business, and management of information systems students.
- Member, Tucson Airport Authority.
- Past president, Tucson Breakfast Club.
- Chairman, Tucson’s 2001 United Way campaign.
- Former board member, Science Foundation Arizona.
- Awarded Greater Tucson Leadership “Community Leadership Award” in 2004.
- Past board member, Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona.
Myers received a bachelor of science in engineering from the University of Alabama-Huntsville in 1978. He has been married to his wife Judy for 33 years and has two daughters, Julie Charters and Karen Stine, as well as three grandchildren, Kaylie, Thomas and Sienna.
#
Acknowledgements:
AZBio would like to thank the team at the Critcal Path Institute for their contribution in collecting the materials for both Regent Myer’s nomination and for researching and cataloging his many contributions to our community. We also acknowledge and thank our independent panel of judges for their support in the evaluation of the wonderful candidates that were nominated this year.
To learn more about the 2012 AZBio Awards, visit www.azbioawards.com
Information Links:
AZBio: www.azbio.org
Arizona Board of Regents: www.azregents.edu/
Critical Path Institute: www.c-path.org