— Allen Institute for Immunology hired Ananda Goldrath as executive vice president.
The University of California San Diego professor of molecular biology is an expert in the field of immune memory, the immune system’s ability to remember previously encountered pathogens. It helps to prevent reinfection and forms the basis of vaccine protection.
“Emerging research, technology, and tools — some pioneered at the Allen Institute — are opening new windows into the immune system,” Allen Institute for Immunology president and CEO Rui Costa said in a statement. “With Dr. Goldrath’s expertise and leadership, we have an opportunity to catalyze discoveries that move the field of immunology forward and provide a foundation for understanding human health and disease.”
Goldrath started her lab at UCSD in 2004. She is the former chair of the Molecular Biology Section at the university.
Goldrath will join the Allen Institute later this year and succeed Thomas Bumol, who announced last year that he was stepping down from his executive position after more than four years at the institute. Bumol previously worked for more than 35 years at Eli Lilly Research Laboratories.
— Microsoft corporate VP Gurdeep Pall is set to retire after more than 33 years as a tech leader at the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant. Pall helped develop products including Windows, Skype and Bing, and served as an executive under Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella. The news was first reported by The Information.
— Portland, Ore.-based nuclear technology company NuScale Power named Carl Fisher as COO. He previously served as a vice president at Framatome, as well as a commercial development leader at Duke Energy International in Hong Kong, among other nuclear-related roles.
— Seattle-based pet insurance company Trupanion appointed Aflac CFO Max Brodén to its board of directors. Brodén has served in various leadership roles at the Columbus, Ga.-based insurance giant, and is a graduate of the Stockholm School of Economics graduate.
— Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) appointed Venu Nemani as the first-ever chief transportation safety officer. Nemani will gather data on transportation-related injuries and fatalities and develop strategies to reduce harm. He has worked for SDOT for more than five years, previously serving as city’s traffic engineer.
— Washington state’s Department of Commerce said Kyla Shkerich Blair will join the agency as chief of staff. She previously served as deputy state director under Sen. Patty Murray and as director of external affairs and outreach for the Seattle mayor’s office.
— Bellevue, Wash.-based workflow automation company Nintex appointed Niranjan Vijayaragavan as chief product officer. He previously served as a SVP product manager at Seattle tax compliance company Avalara.
