Elona Baum Joins CIRM as General Counsel

Elona Baum, who served for the past two years as director of regulatory policy and strategy for Genentech, joined CIRM April 21 as General Counsel. The prior 10 years she served as associate general counsel for the biotech firm.

“As CIRM moves to phases of its programming that are more translational and as we seek stronger ties with industry, I am thrilled to have someone with Elona’s background and expertise join my senior staff,” said Alan Trounson, CIRM President. “Her knowledge base fits neatly with where CIRM is heading.”

Baum holds a JD from University of San Francisco School of Law and a BA in economics from UCLA. She completed an externship with the California Supreme Court and had seven years of law firm experience prior to joining Genetech.

Ian Sweedler, who has served as interim general counsel since August, 2008, will continue at CIRM while the organization analyzes its on-going legal staffing needs. During his first eight months at CIRM Sweedler completed many key projects for the agency including drafting the Loan Administration Policy, which will be critical to CIRM’s efforts to involve industry more broadly in its programs.