Gil van Bokkelen | Chairman & CEO
Athersys

Dr. Gil Van Bokkelen is the Chairman and CEO of Athersys, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHX), a biopharmaceutical company based in Cleveland, Ohio that was established in 1995. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Athersys since August, 2000, and as CEO since the company was formed. Since the company was founded, he has overseen the growth and development of the primary business operations at the company, and the transition from a venture backed start-up to a public company. Dr. Van Bokkelen received his Ph.D. in Genetics from Stanford University Medical School, and earned degrees in both Economics and Molecular Biology at the University of California at Berkeley. In addition to his duties at Athersys, Dr. Van Bokkelen serves as the Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM), a multi-institutional collaboration established in 2003 by the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, the Ohio State University, and Athersys, Inc. Since 2008 he has served as a member of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Emerging Companies Section Board, and also served previously on the ECS Board from 2001 - 2004. In 2006 he was appointed by the Governor to serve as a member of the Ohio Mathematics and Science Education Policy Advisory Council, and was the Chairman of the Recommendations Committee. Dr. Van Bokkelen was a member of the Kent State University Board of Trustees from 2001 - 2004, and also was an investment advisor to Early Stage Partners, a venture capital fund based in Ohio. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and SBN Visionary in Business Award. He is a co-developer of the Synthetic Human Chromosome technology, and has been awarded several patents.