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MAVA Press Contact: Stacey Sweeney
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Mid-Atlantic Venture Association Elects New Leadership
Kevin Burns Named President, Two Directors Added to Board
(January 4, 2005, Timonium, MD) – Today the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) announced the election of a new President and two members to its Board of Directors. Kevin Burns, Founder and Managing Principal of Lazard Technology Partners of Washington, DC, has been elected to serve as President of MAVA for a three-year term, succeeding Patrick Kerins of Grotech Capital. Additionally, Bruce Robertson, Managing Director of Toucan Capital, and Mike Lincoln, Partner of Cooley Godward LLP, were both elected to serve three-year terms on the association's Board of Directors.
"We are thrilled to have someone with Kevin's experience lead MAVA into the organization's next phase of growth and excellence. Kevin has been a strong voice on behalf of our industry and brings a unique perspective to this leadership role with his prior operational experience," said Patrick Kerins, Managing Partner of Grotech Capital. Having completed his three-year term as President of MAVA at the end of 2004, Mr. Kerins will now assume the position of Chairman of the Board, as is the customary governance practice of the association.
Mr. Burns founded Lazard Technology Partners in 1997 with a focus on early-stage technology investing. Prior to joining Lazard, Mr. Burns spent twenty-five years in the software industry in a variety of senior executive positions, including fifteen years as the President/CEO of Intersolv, Inc (NASDAQ). Mr. Burns founded Intersolv (then Sage Software) in the Washington, DC area in 1982 and served as President/CEO through 1996. He has been a member of the MAVA Board of Directors since 2000.
The MAVA Board of Directors also elected two additional Directors, Bruce Robertson, Managing Director of Toucan Capital, and Mike Lincoln, Partner of Cooley Godward LLP. Bruce Robertson brings to the Board needed input and knowledge of the life sciences industry as a Managing Director of Toucan Capital and from his previous position with GIV Venture Partners and IGEN International. Mike Lincoln has long been an instrumental figure in the venture and technology communities in this region for many years as a Partner and co-founder of Cooley Godward's northern Virginia office.
"MAVA will truly be enriched with the addition of Bruce Robertson and Mike Lincoln on our Board," said Julia Spicer, Executive Director of MAVA. "Having benefited from the many hours both have dedicated to the organization for several years, MAVA welcomes these two deserving individuals to their new positions on the Board."
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About MAVA
MAVA represents the collective interests and leverages the success of venture capitalists with investment interests in DC, Maryland and Virginia. Founded in 1986, MAVA provides a wide range of programs, information and forums designed to facilitate quality deal flow, encourage collaboration, and foster solid relationships with key service providers in order to promote private equity investment. Membership includes 375 venture capital professionals at 120 firms with over $10 billion in capital under management. In addition, more than 265 key service providers from the legal, financial, executive search and consulting fields are also MAVA members. For more information on MAVA please visit www.mava.org.
