Elaine W. Snowhill

Elaine W. Snowhill, Ph.D. is vice president of clinical operations for Verndari, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company based in Napa, California, that aims to transform vaccines through next-generation science.

Prior to joining Verndari, Dr. Snowhill was a vice president at Life Technologies Corporation (previously Invitrogen Corp. / Molecular Probes, Inc.) in Eugene, Oregon. Dr. Snowhill established project and portfolio management processes and led the creation of new products and improvements to existing platforms. She served as chief of staff for the Cellular Analysis Business Unit and led the integration of several corporate acquisitions, developing cultural integration principles and practices in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.

At Diosynth RTP, Inc. (previously Covance Biotechnology Services) based in Cary, North Carolina, Dr. Snowhill created and led the Program Management team and facilitated collaboration across biomanufacturing project teams, executive leadership, and customers to deliver quality active pharmaceutical ingredients at the development and commercial scale.

Dr. Snowhill held various roles at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (previously CIBA-Geigy Corp.), in Summit/East Hanover, New Jersey. She served as vice president in the areas of Project and Portfolio Management, U.S. Strategic Planning, and Global Portfolio Management. Dr. Snowhill directed change initiatives across global drug development processes, reducing the average cycle time to bring a new drug to the market by as much as 50 percent. Dr. Snowhill also led Central Nervous System (CNS) Clinical Research, conducting Phase II clinical trials for new drug candidates in epilepsy, and CNS Regulatory Affairs, with responsibility for submissions to and collaboration with the FDA to obtain new drug approvals.

Dr. Snowhill has volunteered in her community as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and as a mediator for the State of Oregon Circuit Court as well as Lane County Family Mediation Services. She advised on the creation of the South Willamette Valley Technology Business Accelerator and the implementation of the Coordinated Care Organization healthcare model for the State of Oregon. Dr. Snowhill also coached direct care nursing staff in utilizing collaborative problem solving with patients at the Oregon State Psychiatric Hospital.

Dr. Snowhill received a B.A. in Psychology from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Utah. She attended the Stanford Executive Program and received an M.S. in Conflict and Dispute Resolution from the Knight School of Law, University of Oregon.