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Former COO and CLO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide strategic and operational leadership as member of foundation's board and finance committee

SEATTLE, Sept. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Connie R. Collingsworth has joined the (WRF) board of directors. She will provide additional guidance as a member of the foundation's finance committee, which oversees its fiscal strategy, budgets and accounting.

Collingsworth has deep experience in governance and investing, serving as an independent director of the —one of the largest grantmaking organizations in the United States—and on the boards of Banner Corporation and Axxes Capital. She is a board advisor to private equity fund Planet First Partners, a business advisory board member of publicly traded biotechnology company , and a strategic advisor to healthcare venture fund .

As an adjunct professor at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business, Collingsworth teaches the MBA course "CEO and Board Leadership: Insiders' View of Corporate Governance" to current and future business leaders.

Collingsworth's former roles include chief operating officer and chief legal officer of the , serving the world's largest private family foundation for more than 20 years. She was previously a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates), where her specialties included private equity investments.

Collingsworth holds an LL.M. in international business studies from the University of Exeter in England, a J.D. from the University of Nebraska, and a B.A. in English from Andrews University.

"I am excited to apply my expertise in both private equity and philanthropy to contribute to the mission of WRF to advance innovative life sciences research and further strengthen the biotech ecosystem in Washington state," said Collingsworth.

"Connie will be a tremendous asset to our team, bringing valuable insights from her extensive experience as an executive and dedicated board member," Brooks Simpson, WRF board chair, said. "We are delighted to welcome her to our board of directors and finance committee."

About Washington Research Foundation:

Washington Research Foundation (WRF) supports research and scholarship in Washing-ton state, with a focus on life sciences and enabling technologies.

WRF was founded in 1981 to assist universities and other nonprofit research institutions in Washington with the commercialization and licensing of their technologies. WRF is one of the foremost technology transfer and grantmaking organizations in the nation, having earned more than $445 million in licensing revenue for the University of Wash-ington and providing over $158 million in grants to the state's research institutions to date.

WRF Capital, the investment vehicle for Washington Research Foundation, has backed 132 local startups since 1996. Returns support the Foundation's investment and grant-making programs.

For additional information, please visit .

Media Contact

Dale Wadman, Washington Research Foundation, 206.336.5600, [email protected],

SOURCE Washington Research Foundation