For Immediate Release

Institute of Biological Engineering selects Symbiotix Management Strategies to oversee daily operations for the society

LEXINGTON (November 15, 2007) – The Board of Directors of the Institute of Biological Engineering (IBE) has selected Symbiotix Management Strategies (SMS) to serve as the organization’s association management company. SMS will oversee daily operations for IBE and provide comprehensive services to its 300 members.

“We chose SMS because of the passion and expertise of its staff” said IBE President Tom Richard, PhD. “They not only understand our commitment to provide IBE members with opportunities for education and networking, but they also have the resources to assist us in growing our organization and advancing our mission to encourage inquiry and interest in biological engineering in the broadest and most liberal manner.”

SMS was founded in 2007 by a team of professionals with a combined century of association management experience and industry-specific expertise to help clients achieve their goals. SMS delivers real-time, authoritative insight and industry-focused association management solutions that are innovative and actionable.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to serve IBE and its members,” said Jo Ann Rice, PharmD, SMS Principal. “Like IBE, our firm was founded on science and fueled by passion. We believe in IBE’s mission and we are committed to providing above-and-beyond services that will advance IBE’s goals.”

Sarah Clements has been appointed to serve as the association director for IBE. In this role, she will be responsible for overall staff supervision, financial management, committee support, project coordination, member communications, creative services and website management.

Prior to joining SMS, Clements was employed by its affiliate, Symbiotix. There she was responsible for project management for 15 annual webinars and 12 annual meetings, which involved participation from physicians, advanced practitioners, clients and vendors. Her previous experience also includes serving as a meeting planner for an association management company where she was responsible for planning eight annual conferences for three national associations serving 10-500 attendees.

About SMS
Symbiotix Management Strategies, LLC (SMS) is a specialized association management company that provides innovative solutions for professional associations and societies. Through its collaborative network, SMS delivers enhanced operational performance for professional membership organizations so that their members can enjoy the freedom to associate.

SMS is owned and operated by Jo Ann and Tim Rice, recognized leaders in education, management and marketing. For more information about SMS and its services, visit www.symstrategies.com.

About IBE
The Institute of Biological Engineering (IBE), was established in 1995 to encourage inquiry and interest in biological engineering in the broadest and most liberal manner and to promote the professional development of its members.
The emerging discipline of biological engineering lies at the interfaces of biological sciences, engineering sciences, mathematics and computational sciences. It applies biological systems to enhance of the quality and diversity of life. For more information about IBE, visit www.ibe.org.

About Association Management Companies
Association management companies (AMCs) are for-profit businesses that provide professional management services to associations and societies including: financial services, member recruitment, administration, meetings management and marketing.

There are more than 670 AMCs across the U.S. and beyond. AMCs collectively manage annual budgets exceeding $3.4 billion and represent more than 7,600 clients. For more information about the AMC model visit www.amcinstitute.org.