HOLLISTER, Calif., Aug. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alpha Teknova, Inc. (“Teknova”) (Nasdaq: TKNO), a leading producer of critical reagents for the research, development, and commercialization of novel therapies, vaccines, and molecular diagnostics, today announced the appointment of Martha J. Demski to its Board of Directors, bringing to the Board more than 35 years of experience in corporate leadership and life sciences business and financial strategies. She will replace Robert McNamara, who has served on the Board since Teknova’s IPO in 2021 and has announced his intention to step down to pursue other opportunities. Both Ms. Demski’s appointment and Mr. McNamara’s resignation will be effective on August 31, 2023.

“Martha has been a true partner and leader over the course of her long-standing career in life sciences, and we’re thrilled to welcome her to our Board at an important time in the maturation of our company and as we continue to execute against our established growth strategy,” said Stephen Gunstream, Teknova’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We’d also like to thank Bob for his contributions to Teknova since our IPO. He consistently provided expert guidance, especially in the areas of fiscal management and corporate development. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

“I’m honored to join the Teknova team and am excited to contribute my extensive experience and insights to their vision of making solutions possible,” said Martha Demski. “Their well-earned reputation in the life sciences reagents industry – along with their strong execution on key growth initiatives over the past few years – positions them well as they develop the business to better support bioprocessing and gene therapy companies.”

Ms. Demski was elected to serve on the Company’s Board as an independent Director at its recent quarterly meeting on August 8, 2023. In addition to her role as Director, she will serve as chair of the Board’s Audit Committee and will join its Compensation Committee as a member.

In addition to her over 35 years of experience in life sciences companies, Ms. Demski currently serves as the Lead Independent Director on the board of Chimerix, Inc. (CMRX), and as an independent Director on the Equillium, Inc. (EQ) Board of Directors. She was also recognized as Director of the Year in Corporate Governance by the Corporate Directors Forum.

ABOUT TEKNOVA  

Teknova makes solutions possible. Since 1996, Teknova has been innovating the manufacture of critical reagents for the life sciences industry to accelerate the discovery and development of novel therapies that will help people live longer, healthier lives. We offer fully customizable solutions for every stage of the workflow, supporting industry leaders in cell and gene therapy, molecular diagnostics, and synthetic biology. Our fast turnaround of high-quality agar plates, microbial culture media, buffers and reagents, and water helps our customers scale seamlessly from RUO to GMP. Headquartered in Hollister, California, with over 200,000 square feet of state-of-the-art facilities, Teknova’s modular manufacturing platform was designed by our team of scientists, engineers, and quality control experts to efficiently produce the foundational ingredients for the discovery and commercialization of novel therapies.