Mary Maxon to Lead Science Philanthropy Alliance
Mary Maxon, Ph.D., a seasoned science and technology policy expert with 25 years of leadership and academic experience in the private and public sectors, has been named to lead the Science Philanthropy Alliance (SPA).
A group of six private philanthropies dedicated to basic science, SPA works to increase funding for the discovery-driven research that is critical to long-term U.S. economic growth and societal well-being. By promoting collaboration among those who are interested in this vital stage of scientific discovery, SPA aims to increase philanthropic funding for basic science by $1 billion within five years and to maximize the impact of every dollar invested.
“We are extremely pleased that Mary will be playing this pivotal role as the Alliance launches its efforts,” said Jim Simons, chairman of the Simons Foundation and a SPA member. “Mary has both a strong scientific background and outstanding organizational skills—the perfect combination for this position.”
Prior to joining the Alliance, Maxon developed four 10-year national-scale programs to drive significant advances in energy, environment, health and manufacturing through large team-science approaches at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Her experience also includes work on policy issues related to education and research and the development of the National Bioeconomy Blueprint at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she worked on loan from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. While at the Moore Foundation, she ran a multi-million-dollar marine microbiology program and co-founded the Science and Technology Fellows Program for the California Legislature. She has also worked on a variety of discovery-driven research initiatives, ranging from stem cell research to bioengineering.
