Mark Lawrence Joins Carilion Biomedical Institute

As Vice President of Governmental & External Affairs, Lawrence becomes CBI’s link to elected leaders.

ROANOKE, Va. (September 26, 2001)--The Carilion Biomedical Institute has named Mark Lawrence as Vice President of Governmental & External Affairs. Lawrence, formerly Governmental Affairs Manager for American Electric Power, brings more than a decade of experience in planning, development and implementation of governmental and external affairs programs at the regional, state and federal level.

"Mark’s experience as a liaison to the Virginia General Assembly and executive branch officials will help us establish our identity as a leader in biomedical research and open more avenues of communication with entities that can assist us in moving our university research from the drawing board to the production line," said Dennis Fisher, Ph.D., President & CEO of Carilion Biomedical Institute. "We intend to accelerate the transformation of research into products that improve healthcare worldwide, and create economic development opportunities for our region. Mark is the person who can launch our efforts to the next level." Lawrence graduated from Virginia Tech in 1980 with a degree in business administration. He has also completed executive and management programs at Virginia Tech, The Ohio State University and the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. As one of the state’s leading government relations professionals, his experience extends beyond the General Assembly to include the executive branch, the attorney general’s office, regulatory agencies and local governments as well as activities at the federal level in Washington, D.C.

"I welcome the opportunity to work with our policymakers on issues and initiatives that will assist the Institute in identifying and taking to the market new products that will improve the lives of our citizens and create economic development opportunities and jobs in our area," said Lawrence. "Clearly, the field of biomedicine is evolving rapidly and the unique partners that comprise the Carilion Biomedical Institute will help establish our region and the state as a leader in biomedical research."

A native of southwest Virginia, Lawrence is active in numerous business, community, charitable and civic organizations. His current memberships include the Board of Directors for the Roanoke Symphony (current president), Science Museum of Western Virginia Board of Trustees, the Art Museum of Western Virginia Board of Trustees, the American Cancer Society Board of Directors, Board of Directors of United Way of Roanoke Valley, Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

The Carilion Biomedical Institute is a private, nonprofit organization. CBI’s core partners are the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Carilion Health System. The Institute exists to accelerate research in life sciences, biomedical science and engineering, to create economic development opportunities in western and central Virginia and to improve the health of individuals worldwide.

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