The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) announced today that as of July 1, 2018, S. Catherine (Katy) Longley, J.D. will be promoted to executive vice president (EVP) and chief operating officer (COO) of the non-profit biomedical research institute. In this capacity as EVP and COO of JAX, she will provide strategic leadership, direction and management for all operational functions, and procedures for the institution.
Charles (Chuck) Hewett, Ph.D., who has served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at JAX will be retiring after fifteen years of remarkable service. He will continue in his capacity as EVP as well as serve as a strategic advisor for the Laboratory through the end of the year and will also continue on the Laboratory’s Board of Trustees.
"Katy is an accomplished and dedicated executive with both deep financial leadership and broad operational experience. Her expertise will ensure the financial strength and operating efficiency of The Jackson Laboratory as well as help us advance our mission and accelerate the growth of our organization to new levels,” said
Edison Liu, M.D.Conducts research focused on the functional genomics of breast cancer through an exploration of the entire genomic space. Edison T. Liu, M.D.
, President and CEO, The Jackson Laboratory. “Chuck Hewett has been a pivotal figure in the history of JAX, establishing a strong financial and organization foundation for the institution. He will always be a close friend and trusted advisor.”
Katy Longley has been the vice president and chief financial officer of the Laboratory since August 2016. She also serves as the institutional official for animal welfare and chairs JAX’s 403(b) Retirement Plan Committee. A search is now underway for a new chief financial officer. Prior to joining JAX, Longley served for 14 years as the senior vice president for finance and administration and treasurer at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine where she was the chief business officer.
Longley spent several years practicing corporate law with Verrill & Dana, LLP in Portland, Maine, including six as a partner, and also served as the Commissioner of professional & financial regulation for the State of Maine in the administration of former Governor Angus S. King, Jr. She currently serves as a director and chair of the audit committee of Camden National Corporation in Camden, Maine. Previous board positions include directorships at United Educators, a reciprocal risk retention group in Bethesda, Maryland; Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts; and Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC) in Portland, Maine. She holds a Bachelor’s of Art Degree from Bowdoin College as well as a Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. She was conferred Treasurer emeritus status by Bowdoin College in 2016.
The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution and National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a facility in Sacramento, California, and a genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Connecticut. It employs 2,100 staff, and its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health. To learn more, please visit www.jax.org.