Wendy Commins Holman

Wendy Commins Holman is the CEO and founder of Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on developing treatments and diagnostics for underserved patient populations primarily in pediatric orphan and emerging infectious diseases. Ridgeback is partnered with NIAID's Vaccine Research Center to develop mAb114 - a late stage experimental treatment for Ebola Zaire.

Prior to founding Ridgeback in 2015, Ms. Holman was a principal at Ziff Brothers Investments and director of research at ZBI Equities, a multi-billion dollar public equity investment fund. She spent 15 years guiding investments in healthcare and novel technologies, holding various positions during her tenure, including healthcare sector head.

Ms. Holman is a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). PACHA provides advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding programs, policies, and research to promote effective treatment, prevention and cure of HIV disease and AIDS. Ms. Holman is a Trustee for the Sabin Vaccine Institute and serves on its Research and Development Committee. Sabin’s mission is to make vaccines more accessible, enable innovation and expand immunization across the globe. Ms. Holman serves on the Penn Libraries Board of Overseers and is the campaign chair for the University of Pennsylvania’s new Biotech Commons. In addition, Ms. Holman is a Trustee for the Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Florida and serves on the Endowment Oversight committee for St. Stephens Episcopal Day School in Coconut Grove, Fl.

Ms. Holman earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She lives in Miami, FL with her husband, four children and pound puppy “Happy.”