Jennie Hunter-Cevera

Dr. Jennie Hunter-Cevera is the founder of Hunter and Associates, a consulting firm focusing on finding integrative solutions to complex problems in the life sciences arena that include sustainability issues.

Her 22 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries include work with E. R. Squibb and Sons, Cetus Corporation, GeoBiotics and Universal Foods. She founded both The Biotic Network and Blue Sky Laboratory and spent five years as the head of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In addition, she served for ten years as the president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. Most recently, she was executive vice president of discovery and analytical sciences, government relations, public relations and corporate development at RTI International.

Dr. Hunter-Cevera holds 15 patents and specializes in screen design for the discovery of natural compounds in the areas of human therapeutics, nutraceticals, biodefense, sustainable agriculture, bioremediation and biocatalysis for industrial processes in the food and clothing industries.

She is currently on the board of directors for Entremed, an oncology discovery and clinical research company. She has previously served as president of the Society for Industrial Microbiology (SIM), the International Marine Biotechnology Association and the United States Federation of Culture Collections. Most recently, she was chair of the National Research Council’s committee on large-scale production of biofuels from algae. She has chaired two other NRC committees and served as senior editor of the Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology for ten years.

Dr. Hunter-Cevera served on the Maryland Industrial Partnerships advisory board, MDBio’s board of directors, MDBio Foundation and BioIT Coalition. In addition, she sat on the executive committee of Governor Erhlich’s transition team and his committee on science, technology, engineering and math. She was the technology representative for Governor Glendenning to the Southern Governor’s Association and served and chaired the Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation board of directors. She currently is the chair of the board of directors for the Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies.

She is the recipient of several awards and honors, including Maryland’s Top 50 Influential People and Top 100 Women. She received the Porter Award from the American Society for Micriobiology (ASM) for distinguished research in microbial systematics and taxonomy. She was also elected as a SIM fellow, a member of theASM Academy of Microbiology and an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow.

Dr. Hunter-Cevera completed a bachelor’s in biology and a master’s in microbial ecology from West Virginia University. She received her doctorate in microbial physiology and biochemistry from Rutgers University. Because of her outstanding academic and professional achievements, she has been named a WVU Distinguished Alumni and Nath Lecturer.