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Past President Bios
Rivka Sherman-Gold 1985-1987
Founder and First President of Palo Alto Chapter
EDUCATION
B.Sc. cum laude in Chemistry Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
M.Sc. in Physiology & Biophysics Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Ph.D. in Life Sciences - The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
M.B.A. - SJSU (California State University in San Jose), San Jose, California
WORK EXPERIENCE
Rivka Sherman-Gold has now her own biotech advisory and investment company, Yodan Ventures. Her expertise is in general management, business development, strategic planning and product planning.
In 2001-2004 Rivka was Chief Business Officer at Diatos, a French biotech company, and prior to that she was CEO of Alydar Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli biotech start up. From 1996 to 2000, Rivka was Director of Business Development at Abgenix, Inc. (Fremont, CA), a biotechnology company focused on the development of monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics. Abgenix was later acquired by Amgen. From 1993 until 1996 Prior to joining Abgenix Rivka was Associate Director of Business Development at Athena Neurosciences (South San Francisco, CA), which was acquired by Elan Pharmaceuticals. Previous positions included Director of Marketing and Scientific Applications at Axon Instruments, Inc. (Foster City, CA), Senior Scientist at Biogrowth, Inc. (Richmond, CA), and Senior Research Chemist at Syva - Syntex Corporation (Palo Alto, CA). Prior to joining the industry Rivka was a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Founder and First President (1985-1987) of AWIS Palo Alto, the Bay Area chapter of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS). Serves as a career mentor for science students and scientists.
AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS
Recipient of The Graduate Honors Award of The Feinberg Graduate School The Weizmann Institute of Science); The Chaim Weizmann Postdoctoral Fellowship.
The National Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (NALS) Postdoctoral Fellowship (fellowship was awarded but not activated due to taking a position at Syntex).
The Syntex Community Service Award for founding the Bay Area chapter of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS Palo Alto).
Finalist in the best comprehensive strategic project (business plan) at the College of Business, SJSU.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
In October 1999, Rivka published the book "The Ohs and Ahs of Torah Reading: A Guide to the Kamatz Katan in the Torah, the Haftarot, and the Megillot" (YODAN Publishing). The book, which is a language analysis focusing on certain vowels in the Hebrew language, was purchased by the libraries of Stanford University, UCLA, Columbia University, Cornell University, Brandeis University, Yeshiva University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Toronto, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Hebrew Union College, and other academic and religious institutions in the USA, Canada, Israel, and European and South American countries.
Ruth Moser 1987-1988
Beth Hutchins 1988-1990
Beth Hutchins was an active member of the Palo Alto Chapter of AWIS, joining the chapter at its inception and actively serving on the board in positions ranging from Chapter President to Newsletter Editor over an eight year period. "Originally I got involved by attending meetings, and then volunteering to write a few articles for the newsletter (meeting summaries, etc.). I eventually became Newsletter Editor, and then, with a few other key women, swapped board chairs until I was President of the chapter. During my tenure in the chapter, the chapter size grew tremendously, an active monthly chapter program was established along with semi-annual conferences focusing on career development, the newsletter matured as a communication tool, and the mentoring program was born." Since leaving the bay area, Dr. Hutchins has focused on her career and family. She is a member of AWIS-San Diego and continues to promote AWIS to others.
Dr. Hutchins received her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology/Protein Biochemistry from Washington University in St. Louis and was a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University. She spent five years at Syva Company developing medical diagnostic assays, followed by five years at Genentech, Inc. as a Group Leader/Scientist. Beth is currently Director for Process Sciences at Canji, Inc. of San Diego.
Dr.Hutchins has responsibility for process and assay development to support clinical development of gene therapy product candidates, and provision of research materials and analytical support for gene therapy research. Her current focus is on obtaining a California state license for Canji's virus production facility. She is also a member of the U.S. Pharmacopeia Subcommittee on Cell and Gene Therapy, involved in writing a chapter introducing pharmacists to these new fields of medicine.
Martha Murari 1991-1993
Sherrie Fasola Wilkins 1993-1995
On Christmas 2010, Sherrie Wilkins passed away after a long fight against breast cancer. Sherrie was a great supporter of AWIS, and of the Palo Alto chapter in particular, although current members may not be familiar with her name. Sherrie was AWIS Palo Alto Chapter’s 5th President and she was instrumental in establishing many of our organization's signature events. Sherrie helped envision NCC-AWIS, and she initiated the Annual Awards and Recognition Banquet tradition that we gather to enjoy every spring. In honor of her many contributions to AWIS, Sherrie was also awarded the Distinguished Professional Award in 2009. Sherrie was an executive recruiter and Human Resources professional in the biotech industry. She helped many AWIS colleagues in transition with informational interviews and referrals. She was a kind and thoughtful counselor who always took the time to help women in science develop their careers. Sherrie is survived by her husband Sidney and daughter Amy.
Cynthia Soumoff 1995-1997
Susan Bernhard 1997-1999
Currently, Susan is a technical writer for Elan Pharmaceuticals. She has more than 15 years experience in the biotech industry, in protein purification, characterization and development of therapeutic protein products.
Susan joined AWIS Palo Alto in 1995, has held several Board positions including co-Chair of Programs ('95-'97), President ('97-'99) and co-chaired mentoring from 2000-2010.
Lisa Wang 1999-2000
Lisa Wang is a synthetic organic chemist who is presently involved in a career transition out of laboratory research. Ironically, her chemical interests over the years have gravitated towards transition metal-mediated catalysis. Her formal scientific training includes graduate and postdoctoral studies in chemistry at MIT and Caltech, respectively. Outside of the sciences, her interests include foreign films, hiking, photography, and stock market investing.
Lisa first became involved with AWIS Palo Alto in 1996 when she was recruited to the mentoring committee (Mentoring Committee Chair, 1997-1999). Most recently (1999-2000), Lisa has served as President of the Palo Alto chapter during a phase of new growth. "I joined AWIS out of a simple desire to become acquainted with other women Ph.D scientists and to learn how each successfully managed her own scientific career. The AWIS Palo Alto mentoring program, which pairs working professionals with women graduate students at Stanford University, seemed like an ideal place to start. In my four years of involvement with AWIS, it has been inspiring to see how the concerted efforts of a few committed individuals towards a common vision can positively impact individual lives."
Annette Lewis 2000-2002
Annette Lewis was a post-doc at Stanford in developmental neurobiology 4 years ago when she joined AWIS Palo Alto. Annette said, "I realized the importance of being involved in a dynamic, empowering group like AWIS". Annette is now at Entelos, working with a team of life scientists and engineers doing biological systems modeling of asthma and other diseases. She enjoys hiking, skiing, cycling, travel,
and music. Annette has worked on the Programs Committee for two years. She was responsible for two wildly successful programs: on Bioinformatics and on 'Happy Bench Scientists'.
Michelle Boytim 2002-2004
Michelle Boytim got involved with the Palo Alto Chapter of AWIS while working on her Ph.D. in immunology at Stanford University. In addition to serving as president, she served as webmistress for 5 years. She is currently working in clinical trials in the biotechnology industry.
Mirella Bucci 2004-2006
Rachel Harte 2006-2008
Neesha Survari 2008-2009
Martina Blank 2009-2010
Ashley Fouts 2010-Present
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