J. Donald deBethizy

Who is J. Donald deBethizy?

J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D.President and CEODr.

deBethizy is a co-founder of Targacept, Inc. and has served as

President and Chief Executive Officer, since its spinout from R. J.

Reynolds Tobacco Company in August 2000, and has served as Targacept's

President since its inception in 1997. Previously, Dr. deBethizy held

positions of increasing responsibility at RJR, including Vice President

of Product Evaluation, Research and Development, where he was

responsible for development, regulatory affairs and market introduction

of reduced risk products. At Targacept, Dr. deBethizy played a key

role in development of a portfolio of clinical stage novel small

molecules targeting central nervous system diseases, and in developing

business relationships with AstraZeneca, Aventis, and Dr. Falk Pharma.

Dr. deBethizy led Targacept’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) in April,

2006, raising $45 million; during Targacept's years as a private

company, he was instrumental in raising $123 million in venture capital.Dr. deBethizy co-authored Innovation That Fits: Moving Beyond the Fads to Choose the Right Innovation Strategy for Your Business

published by Prentice Hall. Dr. deBethizy was recognized by Ernst

Young as Emerging Company Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 for

his leadership in founding Targacept, andin June of that year,

Targacept was also thesubject of a Best Practice case study article in

the Harvard Business Review entitled Spinning Out a Star.Within

the Winston-Salem community, he has served on the board of directors of

the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, Idealliance!, Forsyth Technical

Community College Foundation, United Way of Forsyth County, Piedmont

Triad Partnership, and the Board of Visitors of Winston-Salem State

University. He is currently on the advisory board of Piedmont Triad

Entrepreneurs Network (PTEN) and was recently elected to the Emerging

Companies Section Governing Body of the Biotechnology Industry

Organization (BIO). In December, 2006, he joined the Board of Directors

of LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals.In July, 2002, Dr. deBethizy was

recognized as the "Carolinas Entrepreneur of the Year" by the

professional services firm Ernst and Young.