Board of Directors

Harry N. Hoffman

Emeritus – Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer Mayo Clinic Treasury Services

During Harry Hoffman’s 25 years of service as Mayo’s Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer which ended December 2020, Mayo Clinic achieved top decile investment performance among a universe of major tax-exempt institutions and grew its investment assets by over ten-fold. Outside of Mayo, Harry has served on the boards of several large family offices and is a former trustee of the Endowment Board of the American Red Cross, The Investment Fund for Foundations (TIFF) and the Ronald McDonald House of Rochester. He is also a founding member and vice chair of the Southeast Minnesota Capital Fund. Harry earned his B.A. degree from University of Minnesota and his M.B.A. from Yale School of Management.

Stephen J. Russell, MD, PhD

President and Chief Executive Officer
Vyriad, Inc.

Dr. Russell is a world-renowned researcher in the field of gene and virus therapy.  He combines more than three decades of leadership as a clinician and researcher with extensive experience in all aspects of drug discovery and development.  A board-certified hematologist, Dr. Russell is a co-founder of Vyriad, the Richard O. Jacobson Professor of Molecular Medicine at Mayo Clinic and President of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy.  Early in his career, Dr. Russell pioneered novel methods for engineering viral cancer immunotherapies.  He was a founder of Cambridge Genetics, a biotechnology company, and the European Society of Gene Therapy.  At the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Russell founded the Department of Molecular Medicine and built a comprehensive oncolytic virotherapy program.  He has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed research papers and is a frequent speaker at scientific and medical conferences.  Dr. Russell received his MD from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD from the University of London.

Edwin Kania

Chairman of the Board, Vyriad, Inc.
Managing Partner, FarField Partners

Mr. Kania has taken an active role in the launch and development of numerous biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies during his 35 years in the venture capital industry.  He is the managing partner of FarField Partners, a personal investment and advisory firm, and the co-founder and former Chairman of Flagship Ventures (now Flagship Pioneering), one of the largest venture capital firms launching and investing in U.S. biotechnology companies.  He continues as co-managing partner for several Flagship Funds and as an advisory partner to the firm.  Mr. Kania has served on the boards of dozens of public and private companies including Acceleron Pharma, Adolor Corp., Anesta Corp., ChemGenics Pharmaceuticals, Cytyc Corp., EXACT Sciences, IDEXX Laboratories, PerSeptive Biosystems, Somatogen, and Visterra. He is currently a director for Health Data Analytics Institute, Korrus/EcoSense, DataCore and TransMedics.  Mr. Kania received a master’s degree from Harvard Business School and bachelor’s degree in Physics from Dartmouth College.

Dr. James Hampton

Dr. James Hampton is a Professor of Biology who graduated from Cornell University with a Ph.D. in genetics and development.  In 1994 he joined the faculty of Buena Vista University’s School of Science in Storm Lake, Iowa where he taught Genetics, Cell Biology, and Molecular Biology and held several institutional leadership positions. His research interests include aging, the evolution of adaptive behavior and the manipulation of plant cell DNA as used for the creation of genetically modified corn and soybeans. During his time at BVU he collaborated closely with agribusiness entrepreneur Harry Stine (CEO of Stine Seed Company, Adel, Iowa) to develop a variety of agriculturally oriented educational programs and a Stine Endowed Professorship.  He also previously served as the Chair of the Finance Committee of the Iowa Academy of Science.