President & CEO
Joseph Panetta is President and CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Biocom California, the state’s leader and advocate for the life science industry. Biocom California works on behalf of over 1,700 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital development, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs, and create robust value-driven purchasing programs. Mr. Panetta works with an experienced professional staff of 75, with offices located in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Washington, D.C, and Tokyo. Together with a very engaged Board of Directors and Board of Governors, he leads initiatives that help members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition.
Mr. Panetta is co-founder of the Biocom California Political Action Committee; the Biocom California Institute for workforce development; Generation STEAM for education; and the California Biotechnology Foundation, a joint initiative to inform legislators and the media about the life science industry in the state, of which he is Chairman. Since 2014, Mr. Panetta has been a member of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which serves as the governing and oversight board for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and is responsible for providing grant funding under the $5.5 billion California Stem Cell Initiative.
Mr. Panetta holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from LeMoyne College, and a Master of Public Health degree in industrial and environmental health from the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Panetta brings a depth of experience to his role, having worked in the life science industry at companies including Dow AgroSciences, Mycogen, Shearing AG, and Pennwalt Corp. He also served as a senior policy analyst at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. Mr. Panetta joined Biocom California in 1999.