Director of The Year Awards

Corporate Governance

Enoch K. Kariuki, Pharm.D.

President, Endeavor BioMedicines
Board Director, Pheon Therapeutics, Zentalis Pharmaceuticals
Former Board Director, Endeavor BioMedicines, Imago BioSciences, ProfoundBio
Strategic Board Advisor, OnCusp Therapeutics

Dr. Enoch Kariuki is President of Endeavor BioMedicines. He is an accomplished life sciences executive with extensive strategic, operational, and financial experience. Dr. Kariuki has completed strategic financings and acquisitions for life sciences companies with an aggregate transaction value of over $10 billion. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Lengo Therapeutics (acquired by Blueprint Medicines). Previously, Dr. Kariuki served as the Chief Financial Officer of VelosBio (acquired by Merck), where he led all finance-related and investor relations functions. Prior to joining VelosBio, he served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, at Synthorx, where he led the company’s IPO, managed relationships with bankers, sell-side equity analysts and investors, and headed the business development process that concluded with the acquisition of Synthorx by Sanofi.

Dr. Kariuki currently serves as Board Director and Chairman of the Audit Committees of Pheon Therapeutics and Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL). He is also a Strategic Advisor to the Board of OnCusp Therapeutics. He previously served as a Board Director of Endeavor BioMedicines, Board Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Imago Biosciences until it was acquired by Merck, and Board Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of ProfoundBio until its acquisition by Genmab.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Kariuki was Vice President at H.I.G. Capital, a $60 billion+ private equity firm, where he invested in and served on the boards of multiple life sciences companies. Dr. Kariuki earned his PharmD from Texas Southern University, his MBA from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in R&D Strategy and Analytics at Bristol Myers Squibb.

Enhancement of Culture & Inclusion

Lara L. Lee

Independent Director, WD-40 Company, Rather Outdoors, Liberty Safe and Advisor, The Regenerative Capital Group

Lara Lee is an experienced independent director, board and committee chair, chief executive, and Fortune 50 public company officer with extensive international experience across Europe and Asia-Pacific, and a focus on culture and sustainability as drivers of growth. She is a recognized expert in strategic marketing and innovation and an operator who has delivered P&L impact from strategy through execution in high-growth, restructuring, and turnaround situations.

Lara has served on the boards of innovators, sustainability leaders and beloved brands including WD-40 Company, Marrone Bio Innovations, Organically Grown Company, The Sill, Liberty Safe, and Rather Outdoors. She has chaired boards and compensation and governance committees, served on public company audit committees, and led board-level ESG oversight. A former division head and president with Harley-Davidson and Lowe’s Home Improvement, Lara’s multi-industry experience dealing with channel, market, and digital disruption and driving growth through innovation, international expansion, and new market entry delivers value to private and public company boards at all life stages.

Lara has been recognized as a “Director to Watch” by Directors & Boards, “Businesswoman of the Year” by The Silicon Valley Organization and “Master of Innovation” by Businessweek, and her Harvard Business Review article “Getting Brand Communities Right” is featured in HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Strategic Marketing. She serves as a mentor for the Black Corporate Board Readiness Program at Santa Clara University and is on the board of BizStarts, an entrepreneurship accelerator aimed at building wealth, economic vitality and flourishing communities within underserved populations.

Lara is NACD Directorship Certified and holds a B.A. in Chinese Language from Brown University, a Master’s in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from The Wharton School. She is a frequent speaker on branding and customer experience, intrapreneurship, value-adding governance and ESG as a catalyst for growth.

Companies in Transition

Wendell Wierenga, Ph.D.

Chairman of the Board, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals
Board Member, Cytokinetic, Inc. and Dermata Therapeutics
Former Board Member, Onyx Pharmaceuticals

Dr. Wierenga has more than four decades of experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D, spanning drug discovery, clinical research, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, and medical affairs. His distinguished career includes diverse executive leadership roles ranging from Director to CEO and head of R&D to Laboratory Director, from Biotech start-ups to big Pharma for both public and private companies. He has directed over 70 investigational new drugs, 15 new drug applications, and 16 marketed products including atorvastatin, gabapentin, and pregabalin.

Dr. Wierenga served as Executive Vice President, R&D at Santarus, Inc., from 2011 until its acquisition by Salix Pharmaceuticals in 2014, where he oversaw approvals for Uceris (NDA) and Ruconest (BLA), and led multiple IND filings. Prior to that, he was EVP, R&D at Ambit Biosciences, advancing quizartinib to pivotal trials and co-leading a strategic partnership with Astellas. He held similar roles at Neurocrine Biosciences and previously served as CEO of Syrrx, Inc., guiding its growth from early-stage startup to acquisition by Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Wierenga held senior executive positions at Parke-Davis/Warner-Lambert (now Pfizer), including SVP of Worldwide Pharmaceutical Sciences, and spent 16 years at Upjohn Pharmaceuticals in various discovery and development roles.

His extensive board experience includes serving on the boards of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Patara Pharma LLC and Dermata Therapeutics, Apricus Biosciences, Cytokinetics, and Concert Pharmaceuticals, Onyx, Anacor, XenoPort, Ocera, Stanford Research Institute, among others. He also contributes to several scientific advisory boards, including Ferring Pharmaceuticals, aTyr Pharma, and Concert.

Dr. Wierenga earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University and a B.A. in Chemistry from Hope College.

Emerging Board Leader

Vickie E. Turner

Independent Director, Endeavor Bank
Board Director, National Bar Institute, UCSD Foundation Board of Trustees
Emeritus Partner, Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP

Vickie Turner is a dynamic professional with over 35 years of experience as a transformational leader, advising and representing manufacturers including automotive, pharmaceutical, healthcare and industrial products on risk and related product issues. Leveraging her combined accounting and legal experience, she serves as an Independent Director for Endeavor Bank on the Compensation, Audit and Nominations/Governance Committees.  She also chairs the Audit and Risk Committee of the National Bar Institute and serves on the Audit Committee of the University of California San Diego Foundation Trustee Board.

Ms. Turner played a key role in Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP’s growth and strategy, one of California’s largest women-owned law firms. With over 20 years on the Compensation and Management Committees and as Chair of the Product Liability group, she helped build an award-winning culture. She is now an Emeritus Partner with a legacy of excellence.

With a passion for developing future STEM leaders, Ms. Turner is co-founder of the Links to STEM program which has positively impacted hundreds of students over its 12-year history and enhanced the pipeline of students prepared to succeed in STEM majors and careers. Her engagement on multiple non-profit boards underscores her commitment to governance and diversity.  Ms. Turner has held positions on the Executive Committees of the University of San Diego School of Law Board of Visitors, Gilliam Bar Association, Lawyers Club and is a past Chair of the Commercial Law Section of the National Bar Association.

In 2025 Ms. Turner was selected a Black Leader of Influence by the San Diego Business Journal, received the coveted Cora T. Walker Outstanding Attorney Award and was inducted into the Fred Grey National Bar Association Hall of Fame.  She was also inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame as a 2024 Lifetime Laureate.  Ms. Turner has been recognized as a Woman of Dedication by the Salvation Army, Woman of the Year for the 79^th California State Assembly, and recipient of the Local Heroes award for her community service. She received the University of San Diego School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award and the Arthur C. Hughes Career Achievement Award for her ongoing pursuit of excellence.

Not-for-Profit Board Governance

Martha Gilmer

CEO & President, San Diego Symphony
Board Director, San Diego Symphony Foundation

Martha A. Gilmer has been at the forefront of artistic innovation, civic engagement, and institutional progress in U.S. orchestral life for more than four decades, most recently at the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, where she has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2014. Through her strategic vision, artistic ambition, and unwavering commitment to the communities of San Diego, she has guided the San Diego Symphony into an exciting new era, transforming the Orchestra’s trajectory by engaging Rafael Payare as Music Director, opening the acclaimed Rady Shell on the San Diego waterfront as a superb outdoor venue, and revitalizing the Orchestra’s historic downtown venue, Jacobs Music Center.

With the collaboration of a strong Board, outstanding staff, and with dedicated philanthropic support, Gilmer created SDSO’s strategic plan in 2018 and has overseen its ongoing implementation, leading music critic Mark Swed to proclaim that “The San Diego Symphony has joined the California orchestra vanguard” alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony.

Gilmer partnered with the Port of San Diego to develop and open the Symphony’s permanent outdoor venue, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, while spearheading a fundraising campaign that secured 99 percent of the project cost through private sources. Highly praised as both an artistic venue and a major civic project, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park has won record-breaking concert attendance for SDSO while cementing the Orchestra’s place in the San Diego community and on the city’s skyline.

While completing The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, Gilmer worked with the Board of Directors to undertake the long-desired renovation and restoration of Jacobs Music Center. This ambitious project was born of a commitment to confirm the Orchestra as a cultural and economic anchor in the downtown district and encourage the growth of a younger and more diverse urban audience.

Known for collaborating with many of today’s most talented performing artists and composers and for her commitment in contemporary music, Gilmer has engaged leading guest artists for their San Diego premieres, commissioned new works by a wide range of international composers, and assisted in creating the California Festival, with its unprecedented state-wide collaborations and programming focused on global issues including climate change and migration.

Recognizing San Diego Symphony’s unique position adjacent to the US/Mexico border, Gilmer has developed programs which prove music bridges cultures. Under Gilmer’s leadership, the Symphony has participated in a 2018 binational chamber performance at Friendship Park, located where San Diego meets Tijuana; offered a series of cross-border master classes; and

performed a free concert in 2023 to open the annual Día de los Muertos celebration at CECUT, Mexico’s national cultural center in Tijuana.

Martha Gilmer came to the San Diego Symphony from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), where in the course of a three-decade career she served as Vice President for Artistic Planning and Audience Development. At the CSO, she developed long-term relationships with many of the most outstanding artists and composers of our time and developed a host of innovative programs connecting the orchestra with new audiences in Chicago and around the world.

Her capacity for leading innovative and complicated projects and her collegial support of all San Diego cultural institutions has been acknowledged by the San Diego civic and business community. The Girl Scouts of San Diego recently recognized Gilmer as one of their Cool Women honorees in 2024. The Greater San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce awarded her the Moving San Diego Forward Award in 2022, and The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park was selected to receive the Cultural Vitality Award by the Downtown San Diego Partnership. In 2022, the San Diego Business Journal named Gilmer one of San Diego’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders. Gilmer was also named one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of the Year in 2021.

Martha Gilmer serves on the boards of The Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce, The San Diego Tourism Authority, the Solti Foundation, and the Mayor’s Civic Revitalization Committee.

She is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Music and has been an active alumna, serving on the School of Music Dean Search Committee, delivering the 2000 commencement address, and receiving the Alumni Award for the School of Music. She frequently writes and lectures about music.

Impact Award

Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell

Senior Vice President, Chief Legislative Officer, Southern California Gas Company
Board Chair, San Diego Housing Commission
Past Board Chair, San Diego Food Bank, Sharp Hospital
Board Director, Lucky Duck Foundation
Board of Trustees, University of Redlands, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell is senior vice president, chief legislative officer of the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). He oversees state legislative activities and helps advance the California utilities’ strategic policy objectives. Mitchell has held various senior executive roles, including Sempra’s senior vice president, diversity, and community partnerships where he advanced the company’s high-performance culture by leading a collective effort to enhance diversity and inclusion within Sempra, its operating companies and in the communities it serves. He also served as vice president of state governmental and external affairs for SoCalGas and SDG&E.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Richard Sulpizio

Board Director, ResMed
Former Board Director, Qualcomm

Rich Sulpizio has served as a ResMed director since August 2005. He is chair of the nominating and governance committee, and a member of the audit and compensation and leadership development committees.

Mr. Sulpizio retired as president and chief operating officer of Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) in 2001. He served on Qualcomm’s board of directors from 2000 until 2007. Mr. Sulpizio joined Qualcomm in 1991 and in 1994, was appointed president of Qualcomm Wireless Business Solutions. Four years later, he became Qualcomm’s president and chief operating officer. In 2002, he rejoined Qualcomm to serve as interim president of Qualcomm China and then took the helm of Qualcomm Europe in 2004. He was appointed as president in 2005 of MediaFLO USA, Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, and was chartered with overseeing the development and deployment of MediaFLO technology and bringing multimedia services to the wireless industry. His last assignment, from December 2009 to November 2013, was president and chief executive officer of Qualcomm Enterprise Services (QES), which was sold to a private equity firm.

Before joining Qualcomm, Mr. Sulpizio worked at Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) and Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR).

From 2009 through 2018, Mr. Sulpizio served as a director of CA, Inc. (NASDAQ: CA), an information technology management software company. He currently serves as an honorary board member of the advisory board of the University of California San Diego’s Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Master of Science in systems management from the University of Southern California.