BIO's personnel shifts

With some of its most important legislative goals achieved or nearing enactment, the Biotechnology Industry Organization is expanding its focus to include more international issues, particularly those related to agriculture, according to BIO President Carl Feldbaum. Feldbaum is using openings created by staff turnover - the retirement of Richard Godown as senior vice president for food and agriculture, and the resignations of Eric Christianson as director of publications and Dominique Khan as director of federal government relations - to reorient the organization.

Val Giddings, a molecular biologist, this month began work as BIO's vice president for food and agriculture. Prior to joining BIO, he was branch chief for science and policy coordination for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and had worked on biosafety and biodiversity issues at the State Department...