Mountain View, California – Aug. 5, 2016 / SynBioBeta has announced today that they have appointed Kate Wildauer as Chief Executive Officer effective August 1st. Wildauer previously held the position of Director of Operations and Education of SynBioBeta.This change allows founder, John Cumbers, to focus on a number of new initiatives while still providing creative direction and guidance in content development.“I’m excited that Kate has agreed to take on the role of CEO. As our community and industry grows, it’s important that we hire the best people to help the industry thrive and I’m confident that Kate will be able to add great value to not only our team but to all of the companies within our industry.”Kate has over 20 years experience including positions in management consulting, project management, clinical data coordination, oncology research, and training. Kate founded and ran a successful small business for 10 years, served as adjunct faculty at Villanova University and has worked with a variety of non-profit organizations in strategic planning and growth. Kate received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Villanova University and also was awarded a Master’s Degree from Thomas Jefferson University.Kate is passionate about education and curriculum development and enjoys teaching all ages. She has shared her time and talent as a volunteer for a number of community organizations and nurtures her creative side with a number of hobbies. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and four children.As CEO Kate’s focus will be on building and growing the community while expanding our efforts in advocacy and outreach. With SynBioBeta at a point of incredible opportunity for growth and in order to take advantage of the many opportunities, SynBioBeta also engaged Christopher Oakes as their Business Development Manager. Chris previously was the Business Development Executive for LabCorp’s West Division, Business Development Manager at Liquid Robotics and a Co-Founder of a therapeutics startup, Tacavax. Chris brings over a decade of experience in helping science start-ups and Fortune 50 companies develop and run sales and customer support programs. He has played pivotal roles in providing sales strategy expertise for startups globally. Chris is a former scientific diver, marine biologist, and a published author. Also, he is an experienced kite surfer and has a passion for sustainable aquaculture.He holds both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Biology with a Marine Emphasis from Occidental College in California. Kate and Chris, along with Brittney Norris, Director of Marketing and Jeff Wagenmann, Director of Events and Facilities as well as the rest of the SynBioBeta team will be expanding their events and opportunities for industry growth and development.About SynBioBetaSynBioBeta is a leading community of entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers and enthusiasts devoted to the responsible growth of the synthetic biology field. They host international synthetic biology conferences and events that bring the entire community together several times each year, giving anyone the opportunity to meet with the bright minds building and shaping the bio economy.SynBioBeta also offers a highly specialized weekly industry e-digest, news blog and educational courses in addition to providing companies in the industry with opportunities for advertising, exhibition and sponsorships for promotion.