As president, Wiltsey will oversee and direct initiatives to enhance the operation and expand the membership of the Caltech Associates. She will also serve on the Board of Trustees' Institute and Alumni Relations and Campaign committees, as well as on the Board of Governors for the Athenaeum.
Wiltsey earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical and petroleum refining engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in 1977, and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University, with honors, in 1984.
Wiltsey was hired by Procter & Gamble in 1977 as a process development engineer in product development, and was promoted to section head in 1982.
In 1984, Wiltsey joined Amgen Inc. as business development manager. She became product development co-team leader and marketing director for Amgen's first product, EPOGEN, a breakthrough biotechnology therapeutic that stimulates red blood-cell production. EPOGEN became the first multibillion dollar biotech drug.
Wiltsey participated in launching Amgen's $84 million R&D limited partnership financing of NEUPOGEN, Amgen's second product, which stimulates white blood-cell production, and in the European licensing of NEUPOGEN. In 1991, Wiltsey was promoted to vice president, developing and managing the product licensing function and the Amgen Venture Fund until she retired in 1998.
In 2006 Wiltsey joined the X PRIZE Foundation as executive director for the development and launch of the Archon X PRIZE for Genomics, a global- technology competition to dramatically reduce the cost of sequencing human genomes and to accelerate personalized medicine.
She also serves on the boards of Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sequenom, Inc. Additionally, Wiltsey has served as a member of the boards of the Los Angeles Opera and of a discovery science center in development.
In 1989, Wiltsey was featured in the centennial edition of the Wall Street Journal as one of 28 "People to Watch" in business. She also received a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Medal from the Colorado School of Mines in 2003.
Wiltsey resides in Westlake Village, California, with her husband, John La Valle, and their two daughters, Alexandra and Whitney.
Founded in 1926, the Associates of the California Institute of Technology is a philanthropic organization for Caltech with over 1,400 memberships throughout the United States and abroad-a diverse cross section of entrepreneurs, community leaders, alumni, philanthropists, and faculty.
The Associates provides unrestricted support to Caltech through membership contributions. Additionally, individual members have contributed funds for over 37 campus buildings and 52 endowed professorships, and literally millions of dollars in support of fellowships and scholarships. The Associates play a vital role in fostering connections between academia, science, engineering, business, and philanthropy.
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Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges (626) 395-3227 debwms@caltech.edu
Visit the Caltech Media Relations website at: http://pr.caltech.edu/media
Written by Deborah Williams-Hedges