Tim Block announced his July 2022 plans to step down as president of the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center in Doylestown. John George covered the professional move for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Block’s replacement is Lou Kassa, present executive vice president and chief operating officer.

The announcement of the shift for Block also covered his role as president of the Hepatitis B Foundation, from which he will also withdraw on the same 2022 timeline. He will remain with the organization as executive chairman.

Block was the driving force behind the creation of the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center of Bucks County, which is part incubator for early-stage companies, part office complex for young life-sciences startups, and part classroom where high school and college students get real-world industry experience.

The center is overseen by the Hepatitis B Foundation and managed by the foundation’s research arm, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. The three interconnected entities have a combined annual operating budget of about $12 million.

“The Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center will be in excellent hands with Lou Kassa at the helm,” Block said. “His hands are steady, and his vision is far-sighted. With Lou as executive vice president, the PABC has nearly doubled in programmatic size and economic impact over the past seven years.”

More on Tim Block and his impact at the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center is at the Philadelphia Business Journal.