In the role of CEO, Joe will manage MassBio’s federal affairs, state and municipal government relations, and will take the lead on initiatives to sustain Massachusetts’ economic competitiveness focusing on issues around infrastructure, workforce, and digital health. Prior to joining MassBio in September 2021, Joe served as the State Senator for the First Suffolk and Middlesex districts, representing his hometown of Winthrop; the Boston communities of East Boston, North End, Chinatown, Beacon Hill, Bay Village, and South End; the Cambridge neighborhoods of Cambridgeport, Riverside and MIT; and the City of Revere. While in the State Senate, Joe was the Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Personnel and Administration, Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, Vice Chair of Rules, and member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Senate Ethics Committee, Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, and the Committee on Financial Services. Before being elected to the state legislature in 2016, Joe practiced law specializing in criminal law in his private practice and as a public defender with Suffolk Lawyers for Justice. Since his early life, Boncore has been an active member in the Order Sons of Italy in America, he is currently the National Second Vice President. Boncore earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Providence College in 2004 and received his juris doctorate from the Massachusetts School of Law. Joe resides in Winthrop with his wife Christine and twin sons John and Philip.

As President and CEO of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, Bob’s mission is to advance Massachusetts' leadership in the life sciences to grow the industry, add value to the healthcare system and improve patient lives. Over the last decade, Bob has truly become a champion for patients by ensuring innovative companies have the best environment possible to research, develop, and commercialize breakthrough therapies and cures for people around the world who need and deserve them. Bob has spent his career in both the public and private sectors. Before joining MassBio, he served as the Undersecretary of Economic Development within Governor Deval Patrick's administration, where he prioritized both healthcare and economic development issues and was a strong advocate for the life sciences industry in Massachusetts. Prior to that, he was elected as State Representative to the 11th Norfolk district for three terms. Bob has also held senior executive positions in the environmental services, capital management and venture capital industries. He brings passion and energy to all of his endeavors.

Dr. Francois is a co-founder of our company and has served as a member of our board of directors and as our President and Chief Executive Officer since September 2009. Prior to co-founding our company, Dr. Francois co-founded Potentia Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Potentia, a private biotechnology company. Dr. Francois has served as president and chief executive officer at Potentia since 2001. Dr. Francois received his MD degree from the University of Leuven in Belgium and his PhD degree in physiology from the University of Louisville. Following postgraduate training in pediatric and transplant surgery, Dr. Francois was a member of the research team that performed the first successful hand transplantation and of the Louisville Face Transplant Team, whose work supported hand transplantation in Lyon, France in 2005.

Sharad Joshi is a global entrepreneurial medical devices CEO with a strong track record driving rapid global growth and laying the strategic foundations for sustained success through strategic and product innovation, proven sales/marketing and distribution channel building, and M&A/partnership/alliance leadership. He is a leader who fosters a mission-focused, fun and collaborative environment. Builds and leads makeovers of scalable management teams and organizations, while drawing future-critical next generation talent.

As Head of the U.S. Plasma Derived Therapies Business Unit at Takeda, Brandon is responsible for ensuring that the company’s critical, life-saving plasma derived medicines are available for the thousands of people with rare and complex diseases who rely on them. In his role, he oversees the business performance, marketing and strategy for the business unit’s multiple brands while leading and coaching his team. Brandon was previously the Head of the U.S. Immunology/Albumin Franchise at Takeda before assuming his current position. Prior to Takeda’s acquisition of Shire in January 2019, Brandon served as Vice President of Sales for U.S. Immunology and later as Vice President of U.S. Immunology Institutional Sales & Marketing at Shire. During this time, he played an integral role leading the sales and marketing teams through organizational, market and leadership changes, while navigating a complex supply shortage environment. Prior to his experience with Shire and Takeda, Brandon held a number of positions with some of the leading pharmaceutical companies, including Baxalta, Baxter, and Eli Lilly and Company. He holds a BA in Business Administration from Hanover College and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.

Margaret Ruesch is a Vice President in Worldwide Research and Development at Pfizer. She is a leader in Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, a multi-site organization of scientists and engineers who develop the complex manufacturing and testing strategies for Pfizer’s portfolio of biotherapeutics, gene therapies, and vaccines. Margaret is also the R&D site leader for Pfizer’s Andover, MA location. Andover is a joint R&D and commercial manufacturing site and plays a critical role in the development and manufacturing of new biotherapeutics, gene therapies, and vaccines. Margaret received a B.S. in Biology from The University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Northwestern University. She has 20 years of experience in biopharmaceutical and vaccine development and has held previous scientific and leadership roles at Abbott Laboratories in Chicago; Pharmacia & Upjohn in Kalamazoo, MI; and Pfizer in St. Louis, MO. Margaret currently resides in Lexington, MA.

State Representative Joseph F. Wagner was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1991 and has been a member of House leadership since 2001. During that time, he has served as House Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, the Joint Committee on Election Laws, and the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Among his many legislative accomplishments are authoring four omnibus job creation bills, passing the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act, incorporating a ban on texting while driving into the 2010 Safe Driving Law, and authoring legislation establishing MassDOT which created efficiencies by streamlining and unifying transportation agencies. His ongoing commitment to workforce development has resulted in establishing a dedicated funding mechanism for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund and continued support for job training initiatives through his advocacy in the state budget process. Additionally, he was a key player in reauthorizing the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, focusing on job creation, workforce pipeline training, and directing state dollars to universities, high schools, and middle schools across the commonwealth. He has also helped secure substantial state investment in the City of Chicopee, including state support for road and bridge improvements, a new public library, and two new high schools.