Duane J. Roth

In Memoriam: Our friend and Xconomist Duane Roth passed away on August 3, 2013, after a bicycle accident. We at Xconomy are deeply saddened by his loss.

Duane J. Roth was Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of CONNECT. CONNECT is the globally recognized public benefits organization fostering entrepreneurship in the San Diego region by catalyzing, accelerating, and supporting the growth of the most promising technology and life sciences innovation. Focused on assisting start-up companies in the San Diego region, CONNECT has been directly involved with over 1,500 companies since its inception in 1985.

Prior to joining CONNECT, Mr. Roth founded Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp., where he served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Prior to Alliance, Mr. Roth held senior management positions at Johnson & Johnson and Wyeth operating companies. He served as a member of the Board of Directors and executive committees of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the California Healthcare Institute (CHI), BIOCOM (past Chair), Deep Sky Software Inc., and SAIC-Frederick, Inc. National Cancer Institute. Mr. Roth served on a number of advisory committees and boards of the University of California, including the President’s Board on Science and Innovation, the UCSD Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center (past Chair), the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Preuss Charter School (Chair), California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), the UC San Diego Foundation Board (past Chair), and UCSD Health Sciences Advisory Board. Mr. Roth was active in the San Diego community, serving on the board of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (past Chair), the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Lincoln Club of San Diego (past Chair), the San Diego State University College of Business (past Chair), San Diego State University Sciences & Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board, as co-Chair of the Regional Housing Working Group, and a member of the Advisory Council for Math for America. Mr. Roth also served as a member of the Executive Board for the California State University (CSU) Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Programs. Mr. Roth was appointed to the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and he also served as a member on the Governor’s Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth. Mr. Roth was a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan College, where he served as a trustee.