Today, ACRO announced that its Board of Directors elected Cassandra “Sandy” Kennedy, Chief Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Sustainability Officer at Fortrea, as Chair of the Association, effective January 1, 2026. Gadi Saarony, Chief Executive Officer at Advarra, was elected Vice-Chair. In addition, the Board of Directors elected Marco Capasso, Chief Legal and Risk Officer, Secretary to the Board at Advarra as Secretary of the Association, and Ari Feldman, Senior Vice President, Global Compliance and Strategy at Medidata Solutions, as Treasurer.

Ms. Kennedy was a founding member of Fortrea in 2023 and is responsible for regulatory compliance and quality units across all phases (I-IV) and functions. She brings more than three decades of biopharmaceutical industry experience, with a long track record of success in leadership positions within the pharmaceutical and clinical research organization (CRO) environments. Prior to Fortrea, she was a senior leader at Labcorp Drug Development from 2018 to 2023, responsible for global regulatory compliance and quality assurance preceding Fortrea’s spinoff from Labcorp. She has also held several leadership positions with Quintiles, now part of IQVIA, where she was employed for 20 years. Ms. Kennedy was a founding member of the Quintiles Data Privacy Board and served as Vice-Chairman of the Ethics Board. Ms. Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology from Lipscomb University and is certified in Regulatory Affairs and Healthcare Compliance. She has been a member of the ACRO board since 2022 before being elected as Chair.

“Amid the geopolitical, economic, and regulatory uncertainties of 2025, ACRO member companies demonstrated resilience and innovation, sustaining their focus on high-quality clinical research. From enhancing data sharing to deepening engagement with global regulators and legislators to providing recommendations on regulatory frameworks for artificial intelligence and data security, they continued to advance the standards of clinical research worldwide,” said Ms. Kennedy. “I’m honored to lead the association in the coming year and to continue driving progress as we deepen partnerships and collaboration across the clinical research ecosystem, accelerating the development of new treatments for patients worldwide.”

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