William Evans

ST. JUDE Children's Research Hospital CEO William Evans, PharmD, is returning to full-time pharmacogenetic research, and is to be succeeded in the role of director and CEO by his former deputy, James Downing, M.D., effective July 15, the institution announced today.

In addition to leading St. Jude for a decade, Evans was chairman of LaunchTN (formally, Tennessee Technology Development Corp.), for several years, during its transition from the Administration of then-Gov. Phil Bredesen to that of current Gov. Bill Haslam, a period also characterized by political strains and budget difficulties. Evans remains on the LaunchTN board of directors, the LaunchTN website shows today.

Evans was succeeded in his LaunchTN Chairman's role by Governor Haslam's Commissioner of Economic Development, Bill Hagerty, who became the first full-time government official to chair the board of the public-private partnership. (Haslam and Hagerty then recruited investor and entrepreneur Charlie Brock of Chattanooga to serve as CEO of Nashville-based LaunchTN/TTDC.)

The St. Jude press release is here, Downing's bio is here, and Evans' profile is here. VNC