Fast Forward Initiative Brings Professional Grant Writer to Memphis Bioworks Foundation

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 27, 2007 – Pat Meeks has been named executive director of grants and compliance for the Memphis Bioworks Foundation. Meeks joins the organization with more than 25 years of experience in grant writing and grant management.

Meeks’ position has been made possible by the MemphisED component of the Memphis Fast Forward initiative, the region’s 5-year economic development plan. As the driver of bioscience initiatives in the city and county, Memphis Bioworks Foundation is accountable for several areas of focus. Meeks will play a key role in exploring new funding sources to execute action items from the initiative.

“The Memphis Bioworks Foundation is at a point where we need to develop and strengthen our funding sources so the bioscience industry here can continue to grow,” said Steven J. Bares, executive director, Memphis Bioworks Foundation. “With her vast grant experience, Pat will help both Memphis Bioworks Foundation and the MemphisED plan leverage support from a variety of existing and new funding sources, most of which will mean money from outside Memphis being invested here, enabling us to achieve our goals.”

Bares added that the Foundation’s efforts on behalf of Fast Forward will be developed through promoting entrepreneurship, education, infrastructure and investment in the bioscience industry.

For the last 12 years, Meeks has been the executive director of grants for Southwest Tennessee Community College. She helped identify funding gaps for the college and external resources that could serve as potential partners. Once funding was secured, Meeks continued to provide periodic review of the various projects in order to ensure good working relationships with funders.

Meeks is looking forward to the challenge of her new role.

“I like the variety of work that this role involves,” said Meeks. “It will be very challenging in the beginning because I am establishing a cursory understanding of the science and technology involved in various Bioworks initiatives. It is fascinating and I am very excited to be working on projects which will ultimately lead to a stronger local economy and better quality of life in Memphis.”

Meeks holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from Rhodes College. She also holds a master of arts in English from Indiana University. She has spent the last 25 years working in the funding arena as both a distributor and a securer of federal funds.

The Memphis Bioworks Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, was formed in early 2001 to establish the Memphis region as an internationally recognized center for biomedical technology through education, research, job training, and commercialization. Baptist Memorial Health Care donated its property in the Memphis Medical Center to the Foundation for the site of the UT-Baptist Research Park, which serves as the focal point of the city’s biomedical economic development. For more information, please visit www.memphisbioworks.org