Stem cell agency hunts for new leader

California’s $3 billion stem cell research program is looking for a new president to carry the state agency through what may be the last three years of its life.

The search committee of the agency’s 29-member governing board meets July 17 to discuss the matter behind closed doors. But members of the public will have a chance to comment during an open portion of the meeting. Or they can email comments directly to the board at info@cirm.ca.gov ahead of the meeting.

So far, no comments have been received from the public concerning the selection of a new president, according to an agency spokesman.

Currently Maria Millan is the interim president and CEO of the 12-year-old program, replacing Randy Mills, who is taking a job in Minneapolis. Mills has said that Millan is his choice as a successor. Millan joined the agency in December 2012 and was vice president for therapeutics before her interim appointment.

Last month, directors of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), as the agency is formally known, ratified her as interim president, voicing no reservations in public about the action.

The current salary for the position ranges from $311,000 to $575,000 annually.

The main location for next week’s session is the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley. Teleconference locations where the public make direct audio comments to the board are available in Sacramento and at UCLA in Los Angeles. Details are available on the agenda.

The agency has projected that it will run out of funds for new awards in June 2020. However, the end of funding could come sooner or later depending on the agency’s rate of spending for awards. The agency relies on money borrowed by the state (bonds), which roughly doubles the cost of the research to about $6 billion because of  interest costs.

Earlier, there was talk about a possible $5 billion bond election in 2018 to continue funding the agency. However, that possibility appears to have been delayed until November 2020, which would be beyond the date when the agency is currently expected to run out of cash.

Bob Klein, the Palo Alto real estatement investment banker who led the 2004 ballot campaign that created the stem cell agency, is the chief voice behind the idea of another bond issue. He has not responded to inquiries from the California Stem Cell Report about his latest bond plans. This blog will carry the full text of his comments if he does respond.

Here is a list of the members of the CIRM search group: Deborah Deas, Judy Gasson, David Higgins, Steve Juelsgaard, Al Rowlett, Jeff Sheehy, Jonathan Thomas, Art Torres and Kristiina Vuori. Biographical sketches can be found here.
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Ed’s Note: David Jensen is a retired newsman who has followed the affairs of the $3 billion California stem cell agency since 2005 via his blog, the California Stem Cell Report, where this story first appeared.  He has published more than 4,000 items on California stem cell matters in the past 11 years.