The Washington Research Foundation (WRF) has appointed Dr. Orin Levine as its new president and chief executive officer, with his tenure set to begin October 6th. A veteran in public health and philanthropy with over three decades of experience, Levine joins WRF following a ten-year stint at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he most recently served as director of global delivery programs overseeing immunization and primary healthcare initiatives.

Levine succeeds Tom Daniel, the former University of Washington Biology Department chair who has led WRF for the past three years. Since its establishment in 1981, WRF has played a crucial role in helping state universities and nonprofits commercialize their technologies, distributing more than $182 million in grants. In its most recent fiscal year alone, the foundation provided nearly $16 million to nonprofit research institutions.

The organization’s venture arm, WRF Capital, has supported 132 local startups over 30 years, with investment returns being channeled back into the foundation’s mission. This appointment comes at a critical juncture, as noted by WRF Board Chair Brooks Simpson, with both state and federal research budgets facing significant challenges, including revenue shortfalls at the state level and potential funding cuts to key federal research agencies under the Trump administration.

Simpson praised Levine’s global healthcare leadership experience as valuable for navigating these challenges, while also acknowledging Daniel’s successful tenure during which WRF enhanced its reputation as a prominent philanthropic organization in the region’s life sciences sector.

Before joining the Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private philanthropy, Levine spent over a decade as executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His career began at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he worked as an epidemiologist.

Expressing enthusiasm about his new role, Levine highlighted WRF’s legacy of supporting researchers in transforming innovative ideas into life-improving solutions. “I’m excited by the organization’s ambition and for the opportunity to work with the team and our partners to help Washington’s life sciences ecosystem reach even greater heights,” he stated.

The appointment represents a strategic move to maintain WRF’s momentum in supporting scientific innovation and commercialization within Washington state, particularly as the research and development landscape faces increasing funding pressures at multiple levels.