BioKansas CEO Stepping Down After Nearly Four Years

BioKansas today announced that Dennis Ridenour, President & CEO, will be
stepping down, effective February 8th. Ridenour has accepted the
President & CEO position at BioNexus KC, another Kansas City non-profit
organization working within the life sciences.

Ridenour joined BioKansas in May 2015, after spending nearly 13 years
working as a scientific researcher at organizations such as Harvard
Medical School, Merck Research Labs and the Stowers Institute for
Medical Research. During his time at BioKansas, Ridenour was responsible
for leading a resurgence of the organization, including growing the
organization’s membership by more than 40% and launching industry-guided
workforce development programs.

“Dennis has been an integral part of the organization’s resurgence, and
we are heartbroken to lose him,” said Dr. Alfred Botchway, Board Chair
at BioKansas. “The continued success of BioKansas is a testament to the
culture and resilience that he instilled into the organization during
his tenure.”

“The decision to leave BioKansas was not an easy one,” said Ridenour,
“and I’m very appreciative of having had the opportunity to lead the
organization over the past four years. I feel a very strong bond with
the organization, its mission and our members, and I will greatly miss
the team and the Board, all of whom were incredibly supportive during my
time here.”

BioKansas will immediately begin its search for Ridenour’s replacement,
and continue its work to develop dynamic, industry-guided programs
around connectivity and professional development for its members as well
as the region. “Given the important role BioKansas plays in promoting
connectivity within the regional life sciences community and the recent
launch of several impactful workforce initiatives, I am confident that
BioKansas will continue to grow and thrive,” Ridenour said.

“BioKansas is on a strong footing, and I’m excited to see the
organization’s continued growth through the recent launch of our
initiatives around leadership development, technical and soft skills
trainings for industry professionals, and the career center,” said Dr.
Karthik Ramachandran, Vice Chair at BioKansas.

About BioKansas: BioKansas serves as the voice of the bioscience
community in Kansas, connecting, educating and advocating to grow
bioscience jobs in human, animal and plant science technologies across
the state. BioKansas is a member- and donor-funded 501(c)(3) public
charity. BioKansas programs include BioBreak networking receptions,
professional development courses and events open to people involved with
and interested in the biosciences, health care and medical device space.
BioKansas also runs awards programs for students in high school through
post-doc studies, including the BioGENEius Challenge. If you would like
more information about BioKansas, visit http://www.BioKansas.org

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