Keypoint Newsletter: Welcoming Our New CEO!

We have some big news to share, with the announcement of our new President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. James Baumgartner!  James (Jamie) Baumgartner, PhD, has spent the majority of his career in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development with a focus on accelerating timelines and success probability for moving drug candidates into human clinical trials. Working for Zymogenetics, a Novo Nordisk company, and Amgen, Jamie’s work resulted in several clinical candidates and 9 patents regarding target discovery and drug development. Most recently, he served as President and Chief Scientific Officer of Panacea Life Sciences, where he fostered a company culture that embraces operational excellence and continuous improvement, and led the company to over one billion dollars in annual product value. Bringing this mindset to Keystone Symposia, he is poised to lead the organization to new heights.  See his message to the community below.

>> See the Press Release <<

Jamie joined the Keystone Symposia team at the end of July, overlapping briefly with former President and CEO Dr. Debbie Johnson, who retired at the end of August after six years of leadership at KS. During her tenure Debbie heroically navigated the organization through the pandemic, while also achieving significant strides in advancing diversity initiatives and supporting next-generation scientists. Her passion, tenacity and kindness defined her leadership, and she will be greatly missed.  See her farewell message below.

Message from Dr. Walter Moos

Chair of the Board of Directors & CEO Search Committee

As those familiar with Keystone Symposia may recall, Debbie was a relatively new leader of the organization when the pandemic changed our world forever. She guided Keystone Symposia well during those challenging times and leaves the organization in an even stronger position for the future. When Debbie let us know that she planned to retire, we launched a broad search for Keystone Symposia’s next leader, and reviewed candidates across the U.S. and beyond. I am pleased to say that Jamie Baumgartner Ph.D. has now taken the reins as Keystone Symposia’s new President and CEO. Jamie brings to the organization more than 20 years of experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors, including academic and other partnerships. He has a strong scientific background in diverse therapeutic areas and a noteworthy reputation as a leader and a strategic thinker, with considerable business development and financial experience. Please join me in welcoming Jamie to Keystone Symposia.

Comments from Dr. James Baumgartner

New President & CEO

It is a privilege and an honor to be selected as the next President and CEO of Keystone Symposia. One of the questions I am most commonly asked is what drew me to this position? The answer is Keystone Symposia’s mission to bring scientists together to accelerate discoveries that benefit society. I have seen for myself over the course of my career how scientific breakthroughs, or "aha" moments, are driven by connecting, communicating and collaborating across silos. Keystone Symposia has been a leader in facilitating these moments for decades, and I am passionate about becoming not only a part of this mission, but the team that makes it happen. Having met with every staff member and many on the Board of Directors during the interview process, their level of dedication to the organization and its mission impressed and inspired me. I look forward to working with this passionate team to envision new directions for the organization to fulfill this common mission.

The Board conveyed the need for the next CEO to serve as both a business and scientific leader, which provided a great fit between the current needs of Keystone Symposia and my personal skills and experience. As a community there are several issues that we need to face in this next chapter together to address the changing interests and needs of the scientific community.

As the next generation of scientists takes the reigns, there is a shift in the perceived value of scientific meetings. With the retirement of many influential scientific leaders, who value scientific conferences for their ability to catalyze communication that accelerates discovery, we will lose a strong segment of our following. The new generation of scientists are attending fewer meetings, due in part to lower funding levels than in years past, so it is critical that we provide value to trainees and early-career scientists to create a new generation of Keystone Symposia enthusiasts. In addition, the minds of diverse researchers including women, persons of color, and the LBGTQ+ community, need an inclusive and safe environment to discuss their research and career goals. As an organization that has thrived on bringing communities together across boundaries from the very beginning, we can provide that home for these groups and for the betterment of science.

Keystone Symposia is well positioned to address the changing scientific meeting landscape and promote inclusion, while upholding scientific excellence and fostering the next generation of researchers as top priorities. I commend Debbie, the outgoing CEO, for a fantastic job guiding the organization through extremely tough times leaving Keystone Symposia strong and poised to adapt and achieve these goals. I truly have large shoes to fill.

I am sincerely excited about the potential of Keystone Symposia to embark on new endeavors in pursuit of our mission, and envision new ways to serve our constituents around the globe. I am eager to engage with the many voices that comprise this organization, from symposia attendees to current and future Scientific Advisory Board members, to hear your thoughts on how Keystone Symposia can meet the evolving needs of the scientific community.

Farewell from Dr. Debbie Johnson

Former President & CEO

It has truly been a tremendous honor for me to serve this wonderful organization over these past six years. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the exceptional and highly dedicated groups of people that make Keystone Symposia so special, from the staff, Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and Board to our conference organizers, speakers and attendees.

Our small but mighty staff are truly the engine that makes the magic happen. Every day I am inspired by their passion and dedication to delivering an exceptional experience that defines our brand and unites the biomedical research community towards new discoveries. I have been impressed with the strong commitment of our SAB and Board members, who have provided extraordinary and selfless support, some over the course of many decades. They are a testament to the lasting impact that this organization has on its constituents. And finally, thank you to the scientific community, without which we would not exist, for their unwavering support and for bringing the vibrance and emerging science to our conferences.

While my tenure at Keystone Symposia was certainly not easy, spanning the challenging years of the pandemic, I was committed to these groups who looked to me for leadership during this unprecedented time. Together we were able to rise to the occasion, adjust course and successfully navigate through this difficult time by launching new virtual and hybrid events to keep the scientific community engaged and science moving forward. Within months of the onset of the pandemic, we held our first virtual conference on Vaccinology. This democratized access to the science in an unprecedented way, which we continue to offer post pandemic through our On Demand Access.

The pandemic also posed lasting financial hardships to the organization that it had never faced before. To ensure its longevity we made many changes internally to mitigate lasting financial losses and risks, importantly without affecting the quality of our venues, programs or the support we offer our organizers, speakers, and attendees.

Throughout this tumultuous time, we did not lose sight of our dedication to diversity. Through various concerted efforts, we markedly increased diversity among our SAB members as well as meeting speakers and attendees, particularly those from underrepresented communities. In addition, our unique Fellows Program was reestablished and redesigned to serve both early-career and postdoctoral scientists. Creating a diverse biomedical workforce remains a key mission of Keystone Symposia, and these strides have helped to establish us as a leader in these efforts.

As we celebrated our 50^th anniversary in 2022, and look towards the future, I believe that the organization is in an exceedingly strong position as it enters a new chapter with Jamie at the helm. There is much to look forward to and I am confident that Jamie will lead Keystone Symposia to new heights. While I look forward to retiring and spending more time with my family and traveling, I will greatly miss the wonderful people I have had the pleasure of working with through my time at the Keystone Symposia. I could not have asked for better colleagues!

Return to the September 2024 Keypoint Newsletter