VACAVILLE, Calif., Dec. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Vacaville City Council honored Jim DeKloe Professor and Director of the Solano Community College Biotechnology Program. He has advanced the industry creating opportunity for local students and is a key partner in Vacaville’s biotech strategy.
When it first opened 25 years ago, Solano Community College was the first college, two-year or four-year, to offer a biotechnology program, thanks to the efforts of Professor DeKloe. In partnership with Genentech Vacaville, a program was established that emphasized the skills and knowledge required for the manufacturing sector of the biotech industry, rather than just research. Early graduates from the program have since moved up and into leadership roles in the industry.
“The 21st century is going to be the century of biotechnology,” said Professor DeKloe. “Most everything that you do will be affected by this field. We are focused on making new medicines to treat diseases for which there are no treatments. We have to continue to grow, continue to move and continue to learn new things.”
Professor DeKloe has since added high school articulations, two new certificates in Cell and Gene Therapy and a Bachelor of Science degree in biomanufacturing, one of only 15 community colleges in California to do so. In 2017, the college opened the $34 million California Biomanufacturing Education Center, equipped with state-of-the-art technology to further new education opportunities.
“The City is happy to honor Professor DeKloe for his dedication to our students and community,” said Mayor Ron Rowlett. “Solano Community College has been a great partner with the City and its efforts to grow our biomanufacturing hub.”
As a well-known and respected leader in the field of biotechnology, Professor DeKloe serves much more than his own program and students. He has presented innumerable presentations, and panel discussions and serves on numerous boards. He is affiliated with prestigious organizations including the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIMBL) and BioMADE, a U.S. Department of Defense organization focused on securing America’s future through bioindustrial manufacturing innovation, education, and collaboration.
Despite all of his work with the college and professional organizations, he still found the time to partner with the City to assist in the development of the Biotechnology and Advanced Manufacturing Strategy to attract more biomanufacturers. The Industrial biomanufacturing program at the College is critical to the industry’s talent pipeline, and to expansion of the City’s existing biomanufacturing hub. Due to Professor DeKloe’s contributions the City is quickly becoming the core of California's Biomanufacturing industry. View the proclamation.
The City of Vacaville is located 50 miles northeast of San Francisco along Interstate 80 between the University of California Berkeley and Davis campuses. Vacaville is a vibrant community in one of the fastest growing areas of the nation and has become home to some of the largest and most successful life-science companies in the world, including Genentech, Polaris, Alza, and Chiron. Its location makes it one of California's most attractive family communities. Vacaville has been a center for biomanufacturing since the 1980s. It gained recognition as a world-class biotechnology center in 1994 when Genentech acquired land for its biologics manufacturing facility, touted as one of the largest biotech drug manufacturing complexes in the world.
Contact:
Joanna Leal
Public Relations Manager
(707) 449-5106
Joanna.Leal@CityofVacaville.com
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