Connect Appoints James Zanewicz as Chief Executive Officer to Shape the Next Chapter of Innovation Growth

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connect, the premier nonprofit organization in the San Diego innovation ecosystem established 40 years ago to cultivate life science and tech innovation communities, today announced the appointment of James Zanewicz, JD, LLM, RTTP, as Chief Executive Officer.

“As we considered candidates to lead Connect into its next chapter, James stood out as a forward-thinking leader with a proven ability to bring people together and solve complex challenges,” said James Mackay, Ph.D., Connect board chair. “We’re confident he’ll unite the team and board around a clear vision and follow through to make it into a reality. We’re excited to see his leadership guide Connect’s next phase of growth.”

Zanewicz most recently spent the past decade as chief strategy officer at Tulane University School of Medicine, following his role in establishing the open science functions at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus. His work has spanned biotech business development, industry and investor engagement, marketing and communications, and crisis management. At Tulane, he played a key role in rebranding academic medicine and guiding a major hospital partnership transition to help establish a premier academic medical center. Earlier in his career, he served as a chemist for Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, founded the “new media” division at the syndicated news show “Extra,” and held leadership roles at the University of Illinois and the University of Louisville, where he helped build their innovation and external engagement programs.

Zanewicz currently co-hosts the “BIO from the BAYOU” podcast, is board treasurer and executive committee member for the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, and serves as executive vice president of medicine and research for MAYKR, an investment fund focused on AI and robotics in science and medicine, sustainable energy and data infrastructure. He also co-chairs the Academic-Industry Network for BIO. He has held board positions with AUTM, NACRO and the BioJudiciary Project, and is a former chair of the board of ATTP - the international organization for knowledge transfer professional accreditation.

“Connect helped shape me as a young professional by showing me the power of an organization that bridges academia and industry to spark life science and tech entrepreneurship,” Zanewicz said. “I’m proud that my journey has brought me back to lead Connect’s next chapter - one that is rooted in inclusion, driven by data, powered by capital access, and built on real San Diego stories that resonate far beyond our borders. We’ll bring the world to San Diego and take San Diego to the world.”

Zanewicz assumes the position from Rick Valencia, who has served as Interim CEO of Connect since February 2025.

“On behalf of the board of directors and Connect community, I would like to thank Rick for all of his contributions over the recent months. We appreciate everything he did to support Connect as our interim CEO,” said Mackay. “I would also like to acknowledge the work of Mike Krenn, Connect’s CEO from 2019 to 2025. Mike led us through an incredible period of change and evolution, including our merger with the San Diego Venture Group.”

About Connect
Connect is a mission-driven nonprofit that catalyzes San Diego’s life science and technology companies throughout their entire growth journey with expertly curated programs and events. The organization equips startups with education, advising, and access to capital - with no fees or equity taken. Founded in 1985 as one of the nation’s first startup accelerators, Connect has been instrumental in shaping the region’s innovation ecosystem and positioning San Diego as a leading innovation hub.

Media Contacts
Kylie Hovey
Connect
khovey@connect.org

Cammy Duong
LifeSci Communications
cduong@lifescicomms.com