The Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation has tapped noted fundraising executive Carol Dreher as its next president and CEO. Dreher has more than two decades of experience—including as director of two medical research awards foundation—and most recently served as vice president for business development and strategic relations for QioMed, a biotech startup with operations in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.
“Carol’s impressive and proven experience in philanthropy drew us to her, but it was her passion for health research and for advancing our scientists’ work that convinced us we’d found our next president and CEO,” says Jerry Jolly, chairman of the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, in a prepared statement issued this afternoon. “Pennington Biomedical has devoted and deep-rooted support in our region for its amazing work. We want to build on that success and, with Carol at the foundation’s helm, broaden our base to cultivate new teams of support nationally and internationally.”
Dreher’s career has included posts with a host of well-respected organizations, including UCLA, the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, and the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition.
“Philanthropic support is vital to sustaining Pennington Biomedical’s scientific progress and it is the true lifeblood of our research, so I’m thrilled to welcome Carol to the foundation and to LSU,” says Dr. William Cefalu, executive director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
The Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation provides LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center with vital funding for nutrition-based research focused on chronic diseases.
“Academic research is an incubator for new ideas, innovative technologies and new business opportunities—and in Pennington Biomedical’s case, these new innovations are helping each of us live healthier lives,” Dreher says in a press release. “I will work to broaden the scope of national and international support for this amazing research, expanding connections that could be good for the Pennington Biomedical and the community—it’s an exciting prospect and a great place to be.”
