Washington, D.C., March 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the leading international advocacy organization representing the engineered cell therapy and genetic medicines sector, announced the appointment of Rita Johnson-Greene as Chief Operating Officer, effective April 7.
Ms. Johnson-Greene will be responsible for ARM’s strategic initiatives to build the organization’s membership, events business, and ongoing geographic expansion. She will oversee several functions -- including membership, events, finance, and people and culture -- and guide the execution of the organization’s major priorities. Ms. Johnson-Greene will also be responsible for ARM’s GROW Internship Program, which introduces Black students to the cell and gene therapy sector.
“Rita’s experience and deep understanding of our field are uniquely suited to help drive the next stage of ARM’s growth and leadership within the cell and gene therapy sector,” said ARM Chief Executive Officer Tim Hunt. “She has played a role in launching three of the first five rare genetic disease gene therapies on the US market, built high-performing teams focused on the patient journey, driven financial results, and successfully engaged with important stakeholders, including key opinion leaders and major treatment center executive leadership. Rita’s combination of sector knowledge, leadership, and operational expertise make her a tremendous asset to ARM, our members, and many of our major external stakeholders.”
Ms. Johnson-Greene comes to ARM with more than 20 years of healthcare experience. She most recently served as the Vice President of Sales and Qualified Treatment Centers (QTC) at bluebird bio, where she built and scaled bluebird’s pre-commercial US sales and QTC operations teams to support the launch of the ZYNTEGLO® and SKYSONA® gene therapy brands and the establishment of bluebird’s QTC hospital network. Prior to that, Ms. Johnson-Greene built the pre-commercial commercial operations functional team to support the successful launch of LUXTURNA® while at Spark Therapeutics. Previously, she held roles in finance, commercial operations, and sales in both North and South America for AstraZeneca. Ms. Johnson-Greene began her career in strategic consulting with Accenture’s pharmaceuticals practice.
Ms. Johnson-Greene earned her MBA in Finance and Management from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University.
“I am honored to serve as ARM’s Chief Operating Officer at such a momentous time for the cell and gene therapy sector,” said Ms. Johnson-Greene. “As a community focused on building the future of medicine, ARM is poised for significant growth in the years ahead. I’m excited to engage ARM’s multi-stakeholder membership, explore new sources of growth, and maximize the impact of important initiatives like the GROW Internship Program. The story of how cell and gene therapy can transform patients’ lives is just beginning.”
About the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine
The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is the leading international advocacy organization championing the benefits of engineered cell therapies and genetic medicines for patients, healthcare systems, and society. As a community, ARM builds the future of medicine by convening the sector, facilitating influential exchanges on policies and practices, and advancing the narrative with data and analysis. We actively engage key stakeholders to enable the development of advanced therapies and to modernize healthcare systems so that patients benefit from durable, potentially curative treatments. As the global voice of the sector, we represent more than 475 members across 25 countries, including emerging and established biotechnology companies, academic and medical research institutions, and patient organizations.
