Joseph Panetta, MPH
President and CEO, Biocom
Joseph Panetta, MPH, is President and CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Biocom, California’s largest and most-experienced leader and advocate for the life science industry. Biocom works on behalf of more than 1300 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital development, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs, and create robust value-driven purchasing programs. As President and CEO, he works with an experienced professional staff of 70 with offices located in San Diego, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Together with a 60-member Board of Governors, he leads initiatives that help members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition.
Mr. Panetta oversees several subsidiaries of Biocom, including a Purchasing Group that provides more than $250 million in products and services savings to members. He is co-founder of the Biocom Political Action Committee, the Biocom Institute for education and workforce development, and chairman of the California Biotechnology Foundation, a joint initiative to inform legislators and the media about the state’s life science sector. In 2014, Mr. Panetta was appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown to the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee and was reappointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020. This committee serves as the governing and oversight board for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and is responsible for providing grant funding under the $3 billion California Stem Cell Initiative. He is past chairman of the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) and founding chairman of the State Medical Technology Alliance (SMTA)
Mr. Panetta holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from LeMoyne College, and a Master of Public Health degree in industrial and environmental health from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a graduate of the Brookings Institution Program for Executives and the Harvard Program on Negotiation. Mr. Panetta brings a depth of experience to his role, having worked in policy in Washington, D.C. and in regulatory affairs in the life science industry before joining Biocom in 1999.
Mr. Panetta serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and CONNECT. He is a past Chairman of the Board of the San Diego Workforce Partnership. Mr. Panetta is a member of advisory boards of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at UC San Diego, the College of Engineering at San Diego State University, the College of Science and Mathematics at Cal State University San Marcos, and the National University School of Business and Management. He has received the following awards: the American Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians Special Recognition Award; the CONNECT Distinguished Contribution Award for Life Science Innovation; and the Association of Pan Asian Communities Annual Leadership award, among others.