Daily Business Report-May 3, 2021
Francisco Escobedo to lead SDSU’s
efforts to transform urban schools
Francisco Escobedo, a former San Diego police officer who left the job to pursue a career in education, has been named the new executive director of San Diego State University’s National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST), which uses a research approach to improve the nation’s schools.
Escobedo, currently superintendent of Chula Vista Elementary School District, a position he’s held for the past 10 years, will succeed Joseph F. Johnson Jr., the center’s founding executive director, on Sept. 1.
Each year, NCUST identifies urban schools without selective admissions that serve low-income communities, yet achieve tangible, positive results for all the demographic groups they serve. The center also partners with schools and school districts to offer insight and support to help them achieve similar outcomes.
A 2019 study by the Learning Policy Institute named Chula Vista Elementary School Districta “Positive Outlier” — a district where students were beating the odds in the face of socioeconomic conditions in their community.
“We made Chula Vista a place where students love to come,” Escobedo said. “However, we also have very rigorous standards for our students to meet.”
He did so by creating systemic communication and collaboration within the district between administrators, unions, principals, parents and the district office. He notes that he personally visits every school twice a year and drops in on every classroom.
PHOTO: Francisco Escobedo (Photo courtesy of Chula Vista Elementary School District)
Pfizer acquires fungus-fighting San Diego biotech
American pharma giant Pfizer announced that it has acquired Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego biotech developing treatments against microbes that wreak havoc on people with compromised immune systems.
Pfizer announced in a press release that it will continue to test Amplyx’s leading experimental drug, fosmanogepix, an antifungal drug currently in a phase 2 clinical trial, as well as other earlier-stage therapies. The company did not disclose the financial details of the deal.
Illumina files action for annulment
of European Commission decision
Illumina Inc. has filed an action in the General Court of the European Union asking for annulment of the European Commission’s decision asserting jurisdiction to review Illumina’s acquisition of GRAIL. The Commission asserted jurisdiction to review the acquisition under Article 22 of the EU Merger Regulation on April 19, 2021, seven months after the deal was announced.
“The European Commission’s unprecedented and untimely decision to review this procompetitive acquisition without proper engagement with the parties leaves businesses uncertain as to how the EU Merger Regulation will be applied,” said Charles Dadswell, senior vice president and general counsel for Illumina. “The Commission’s actions will stifle innovation, fail patients and increase health care costs by needlessly delaying this transaction.
Educators at High Tech High’s schools form
union affiliated with California Teachers Association
This week, a supermajority of teachers and certificated staff at San Diego’s High Tech High filed a petition with the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) for union recognition. With 16 schools spread over four campuses and an enrollment of more than 6,000 students in grades K-12, the high school is the largest operator of charter schools in San Diego County.
More than 60 percent of HTH’s approximately 400 teachers have signed the petition.
In a letter to the HTH community, the union-organizing committee stressed its support for “the mission” of HTH and explained that the primary reason for forming a union is to improve teachers’ ability to “collaborate and advocate” on issues of equity.
Once the HTEC petition filed this week is certified, The PERB will call on both the new union and HTH managers to sit down to discuss issues and begin bargaining a first contract. Representatives from the California Teachers Association will assist HTEC at the bargaining table.
Laura H. Handzel selected as new executive
director of the San Diego Lawyers Club
A lawyer who has pursued a non-traditional legal career has been selected as the new executive director of the Lawyers Club of San Diego. Laura H. Handzel, who assumed the position on May 1, has focused much of her career in the nonprofit and government sectors.
She has worked in academia, served as a nonpartisan judiciary committee adviser, and directed a nonpartisan state law reform body, and she is also a staunch animal protection advocate.
Handzel succeeds executive director Elaine Lawrence, who retired April 30 after leading Lawyers Club for 10 years.
Handzel comes to Lawyers Club with extensive expertise in management, communications, and advocacy. She has helped fashion the mission, brand, and vision of numerous cutting-edge programs and organizations. She has worked at the federal, state, and local levels to implement sound law and policy, and she has conducted grassroots advocacy in at-risk communities across the United States.
“Laura’s deep commitment to our mission is exceptionally complemented by her extensive experience successfully leading organizations with innovation and purpose,”
said Lawyers Club president Yahairah Aristy.
Navy veteran Christian Wallis named
CEO of Grossmont Healthcare District
A 50-year-old Illinois health care executive with experience ranging from medical groups to the Navy has been chosen to succeed Barry Jantz as CEO of the Grossmont Healthcare District, the East County agency revealed Thursday.
Christian Wallis of the northern Chicago suburb of Grayslake won the job after a nationwide search, according to agenda information for a board vote on his contract.
An employment agreement set his contract for a two-year term beginning May 17 and ending May 16, 2023, with an annual salary of $215,000.
Wallis has over 27 years of leadership experience in the health care field in the private sector, the federal government and international healthcare settings, the district said.
Wallis most recently served as regional/state vice president of Health Information Technology Support Services for Advocate Aurora Health in Illinois. He also served as the VP of operations for Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Illinois.
First Gen Scholars participants earn full-ride scholarships
Two local students from San Diego are receiving full-ride scholarships to Harvard University. They are participants of a new non-profit organization called First Gen Scholars, which provides comprehensive support to high school students who will become first-generation college students. These are students who would be the first generation in their family to attend college in the United States.
Scholarship winner Azul Marmolejo, an aspiring cardiologist, is valedictorian at Southwest High School. Her parents are immigrants from Mexico, and she spends weekends helping them at the swap meet where they earn their living. Azul was also one of only 300 students selected for the Gates Scholar Program.
The second First Gen Scholars participant and full-ride scholarship recipient to Harvard University is Thang Ho, who is valedictorian at Crawford High School. Immigrating to the United States from Vietnam and raised by a single mom, Thang is the first student from Crawford to be accepted to Harvard since 2011. He is also a Dell Scholarship recipient.
Illumina to donate $60 million sequencing capabilities
to establish global pathogen genomics initiative
Illumina Inc. has committed $60 million in sequencing capabilities to a global pathogen genomics initiative, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other public and private entities. The initiative expands on the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) announced in October 2020, and will help create a comprehensive pathogen genomic network around the world, building critical public health capabilities in areas of need.
Illumina will donate next-generation sequencing platforms, reagents, and training support worth approximately $60 million over five years. The expanded scope will begin with a focus on South Asia, equipping national public health institutions with better public health tools, bringing us closer to the vision of an early warning system for global pathogens.
Illumina named to Time’s 100 Most Influentil Companies
Time recently named San Diego-based Illumina to its “2021 Time 100 Most Influential Companies” list for its genetic sequencing technology, which helped scientists fight the pandemic in real time. Ther genomicd powerhoudr joins a number of top global companies on the list with San Diego offices, including Pfizer, Sony, and Amazon.
SDG&E to go to net-zero emissions by 2045
San Diego Gas & Electric has pledged to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The utility is developing two hydrogen pilot projects, three battey storage projects, and clean transportation project in El Cajon, and ultimately plans to capture and store carbon to help it reach the net-zero target.
Apple capitalizing on San Diego engineering hub;
adding thousands of jobs
Apple plans to vastly increase its engineering footprint within San Diego’s thriving tech scene, pledging to grow its local workforce to more than 5,000 employees over the next five years. Apple joins Google, Amazon, and other major tech brands aiming to take advantage of the region’s well-established entrepreneurial ecosystem.
