Biotechnology and Venture Capital Leaders Join Whitehead Institute Board of Directors

The Whitehead Institute Board of Directors has elected two new, accomplished members for six-year terms: Michael Chambers, who founded and led a major biotechnology production company; and Terrance (Terry) McGuire, a leader of early stage investing in medical and information technology companies. They were recruited to the board by a nominating committee chaired by MIT president emerita Susan Hockfield and currently comprising Boston Children's Hospital president and CEO Kevin Churchwell, long-term Institute board members and philanthropists Brit d'Arbeloff and Susan E. Whitehead, and MITIMCo president Seth Alexander.

“We are thrilled to welcome Michael and Terry to our governance team,” says board chair Sarah Keohane Williamson. “They bring extraordinary knowledge of, and experience in, the leadership and financing of biomedicine-focused organizations. And they are enthusiastic about the Institute’s mission: forging new frontiers in science, uncovering insights today that unlock the potential of tomorrow.”

Michael Chambers is the founding CEO of Aldevron, a company that specializes in nucleic acid, protein, and enzyme production and that has developed novel quality systems and technologies to accelerate the genetic medicine sector. The company was acquired by Danaher for $9.6 billion in 2021, and Chambers now advises Aldevron on opportunities including automating and miniaturizing biomanufacturing. He also leads an investment group seeking to make genomic medicines, AI, and other transformative technologies broadly accessible; and he serves on the boards of Sarepta Therapeutics, Lykan Biosciences, Agathos, Calviri, and the Centurian Foundation.

A graduate of North Dakota State University — where he earned degrees in chemistry, microbiology, and biotechnology — Chambers founded Aldevron in 1998 and served as its chief executive officer and chairman for 21 years.

Terry McGuire, a widely respected venture capital leader and founding partner of Polaris Partners, earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MS in engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, and a BS in physics and economics from Hobart College. In the course of his venture capital career, he has invested in more than 80 companies and co-founded three others: collectively, these companies raised more than $7 billion in equity and corporate capital and achieved a peak value of more than $70 billion.

Among many recognitions, McGuire has been chosen as one of Scientific American’s Worldview 100 and of Forbes’ Top Life Sciences Investors. He is former chairman of the National Venture Capital Association; chaired the board of the Thayer School; and has served on the boards of more than a dozen public and private organizations.