We are pleased to present an engaging panel discussion moderated by Kristiina Hiukka, with woman innovators Carol Sanford, Pamela Contag, and Jill Bamburg. Their biographies are included below the video.
Pamela R. Contag, Ph.D., is currently the CEO of Cygnet Biofuels and the CSO of Origen Therapeutics. Dr. Contag founded four venture-backed start-up companies; Xenogen Corp. completed a public offering in 2004 and was subsequently acquired; Cobalt Technologies, now in product demonstration; Cygnet Biofuels, developing low cost enzymes; and ConcentRx, a novel therapeutic for oncology indications. Dr. Contag was named one of the “Top 25 Women in Small Business” by Fortune magazine.
Contag has held various consulting and board positions, public, private and not-for-profit. Those positions include a consulting Professorship at Stanford School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics (1999-present), the Dean’s Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (1999-2005). Dr. Contag was a Director of Xenogen Corporation (Nasdaq) (1995-2005) and was CEO and Chairman of Cobalt Technologies (2005-2008) and a Delcath (Nasdaq) Board Member (2008-2011). She also joined in 2009 the DOE Biomass technology Advisory Committee and two nonprofit boards, Springboard Enterprises, an accelerator of women entrepreneurs and the Molecular Sciences Institute. In 2010 Dr. Contag joined the Merrick Engineering Consultancy specializing in the energy field.
With more than 25 years of microbiology research experience, Dr. Contag is widely published in the field of Microbiology and Optical imaging and has over 36 patents and patent applications. Dr. Contag received her Ph.D. in Microbiology at the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1989 and completed her Postdoctoral Training at Stanford University School of Medicine in 1993 specializing in “Host/Pathogen Interactions”.
Jill Bamburg, M.B.A. is a well-respected core faculty with Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Seattle. Her courses include Foundations of Sustainable Business, Social Justice in Business and Strategy and Implementation. She is the author of Getting to Scale: Growing Your Business without Selling Out (Berrett-Koehler, 2006).
Jill Bamburg was one of the co-founders of BGI and has served in both faculty and administrative capacities since 2002, most recently as Dean of Academic Affairs during the 2010-11 school year. She is an avid student and practitioner of instructional design and has led the development of both the first and second iterations of the BGI curriculum.
Prior to joining BGI, she worked in adult education (Antioch University/Seattle), high tech marketing (Aldus Corporation), and community and environmental journalism (High Country News, Jackson Hole News and Guide). She currently serves as vice-chair of the board of the Positive Futures Network, publishers of YES! Magazine.
Carol Sanford (carolsanford.com) is on a mission to create a better world, and she believes that business can and will play a major role in accomplishing that. “It will be more than just a responsibility program, “she says. “Responsibility will be in the DNA of the business and everyone will participate to make a real difference.”
To that end, Carol has been leading major consulting change efforts in both Fortune 500 and new economy businesses for more than 30 years. Her client list includes long-term relationships with Colgate Europe and Africa; DuPont Canada, US, Asia and Europe. She also works with new economy companies like Intel, Agilent and leaders of corporate responsibility such as Seventh Generation. In addition, Carol is judge and mentor for University of Washington Global Business Center Social Entrepreneur Competition, Seattle.
She combines her economic development experience with her extensive business education and background when working with Responsible Governance in Community, Provincial and Regional Policy and Education. Carol has published dozens of works in 10 languages, including a series of articles in Executive Excellence, Stephen Covey’s newsletter and At Work, a Berrett-Koehler Journal. Jossey Bass will release her highly anticipated book The Responsible Business: Re-imagining Sustainability and Success in February 2011.
Central to Carol’s philosophy and approach is a fresh look at what makes an organization truly responsible. “It’s important to find out what differentiates your business from the crowd,” she says, “and then thinking about HOW to do business so that communities, societies, and ecology as a whole are improved. These are not separate but interwoven pursuits. It’s completely doable, and a conversation worth having.”
Carol continues to invent radically new and profound strategy approaches and work systems for business that ensure innovation and responsibility are imbedded in every act and choice. Her expertise in innovation, change management and responsibility has been acknowledged by some of the most respected entrepreneur on the planet. They have engaged her design and coaching skills to deliver serial highly successful ventures while working to ensure a working democracy, social justice, ecological health, community and economic development that is based in responsible behavior. Examples are the Mandela’s township governing councils in So Africa, Jeffrey Hollender of Seventh Generation, and Herban Feast here in Seattle.