Joe Panetta is President & CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Biocom, the southern California association that advocates for 620 companies, service sector firms, universities and research institutes working in the biotechnology and biomedical device arena. As President and CEO since 1999, Mr. Panetta has been responsible for leading Biocom's efforts to position the regional life science community to achieve global success. Working with an experienced professional staff of 25 and a 60 member Board of Directors, he leads programs in capital formation, public policy, workforce education, and member-to-member services. He also oversees several subsidiaries of Biocom, including a Purchasing Group which provides more than $40 million in products and services to members, and is a co-founder of the Biocom Political Action Committee, the Biocom Institute for education and workforce development, and the California Biotechnology Foundation, a joint initiative to inform legislators and the media about the life science industry in the state, of which he is Chairman.