Business Advisory Board

Mr. Rick Vollertsen Attorney, Managing Partner, Atkinson, Conway & Gagnon, Inc.

Mr. Vollertsen received his undergraduate degree from Brown University in 1975, and went on to complete his law degree at the University of San Francisco in 1981. While at the University of San Francisco Law School, he received a Moot Court Oral Advocacy Award, and was selected as Editor-in-Chief of the University of San Francisco Law Review. In addition to publication of The NEPA and Energy Legislation: The Preemption of Judicial Review, he also edited a 10-year index of the Review's past volumes. Upon graduation, he was invited to serve as law clerk for Chief Justice Edmond Burke of the Alaska Supreme Court. At the close of that clerkship, he joined the firm of Atkinson, Conway & Gagnon, Inc., in 1982 and was quickly made a partner in 1985. He currently serves as a managing partner of the firm, and has served in that capacity since 2000. Mr. Vollertsen has received the highest possible rankings for legal ability ("A" for high to preeminent) and ethical standards ("V" for very high) from Martindale-Hubbell, a national peer-review organization.

Ms. Georgia Baker Director of Marketing and Communications, Microbion BioSciences

Ms. Georgia Baker has over twenty-eight years experience in the marketing field, having played a significant role in the marketing successes of Starbucks Coffee Company and Whistler Mountain Corporation. She has produced virtually every type of marketing material, and has managed large advertising teams in completing major campaigns published in Time and Newsweek Magazines. She has also managed large-scale interpretive projects for Alaska State Parks.

She has expertise in the development of corporate and market identities, international market positioning, advertising, product launching, and package design. Ms. Baker is responsible for the management and leadership of Microbion's Marketing and Communications Department, where she oversees all corporate marketing, advertising and communications, and serves to guide our market presence and position.

Mr. Bob Vasquez M&A Attorney, formerly with Alaska Communications Systems, Anchorage, AK

In 1999 Mr. Vasquez was the General Counsel for ATU Telecommunications, 22nd largest telephone company in the U.S. From 1992-1999, he was responsible for managing all legal and regulatory affairs. He oversaw the transition of ATU to independent management by Board of Directors. He has created holding company structures and created numerous subsidiaries. He has experience in negotiating and implementing joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions. He has also taught courses on Business Ethics.

Dr. Ed Levy Adjunct Professor, Ethics and Science, W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia, formerly VP of Corporate Development, QLT, Inc., Vancouver, BC

Dr. Levy is highly experienced in regulatory affairs and project management – primarily in the field of cancer. Prior to becoming Vice President, Corporate Development at QLT, he had major responsibility for establishing, developing, and managing QLT's strategic alliances, led strategic planning, and oversaw the intellectual property area. Of special note was the alliance with CIBA Vision Ophthalmics, now Novartis Ophthalmics (NVO). As a senior manager of QLT, he played an active role in building QLT into one North America's leading biotechnology companies.