Marshall Criser III and James LaBelle Join Board of Trustees

Marshall M. Criser III, president of AT&T Florida, and James E. LaBelle, chief medical officer and corporate senior vice president of Scripps Health in San Diego, have been elected to The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) Board of Trustees.

“We would like to extend a warm welcome to Marshall and Jim,” said Dick Gephardt, President/CEO of Gephardt Government Affairs and lead trustee of the TSRI Board of Trustees. "We are confident their contributions as board members will enhance TSRI’s preeminence in biomedical research and graduate education."

“We are delighted to have Marshall and Jim join our board,” said TSRI President and CEO Michael A. Marletta. “Marshall brings a wealth of business experience and will help us build even stronger ties to our community in Florida. Jim's experience in medicine and research will serve us very well and in addition he brings a sincere interest, which I share, in forging new relationship to the Clinic and Scripps Health. We enthusiastically look forward to working with both of them.”

Marshall M. Criser III

As president of AT&T Florida, Criser is responsible for leading AT&T’s operations throughout the state. Prior to the merger of AT&T and BellSouth in December 2006, he held the same position with BellSouth.

Criser has held various senior management positions with the company, including vice president of regulatory and external affairs, vice president of regulatory and strategic planning for BellSouth International, and director of state and agency relations in Washington, D.C. He began his career at Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, where he held positions in regulatory, internal audits and comptrollers divisions.

A Florida native, Criser earned a BA in business administration at the University of Florida. He also completed the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.

Criser’s business, public sector and community involvement is extensive. He is chair of the Florida Council of 100, co-chair of the Florida Higher Education Coordinating Council, and a member of the Executive Committee and chair of the Audit Committee of Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership devoted to statewide economic development. In 2010, he was appointed by the Florida Board of Governors to serve on the Board of Trustees of the University of Florida. He served previously on the Florida Transportation Commission under appointments by Governor Jeb Bush and Governor Charlie Crist. In addition, he serves on the board of the Miami Dade College Foundation.

"It is a privilege to serve with the trustees of The Scripps Research Institute,” said Criser. “Scripps's exploration and investment in research and education have made a significant impact from coast to coast. More importantly, Scripps researchers are solving problems and developing the problem-solvers of the future."

James E. LaBelle

LaBelle was appointed chief medical officer and corporate senior vice president of Scripps Health in January 2013. Prior to this appointment, he was corporate vice president of quality, physician co-management and medical management with Scripps Health. He also served as medical director of emergency services at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and served two terms as the hospital’s chief of staff.

A physician in the field of emergency medicine for more than 25 years, LaBelle is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American College of Physician Executives.

LaBelle earned a BS degree in electrical engineering and an MD from the University of Washington, completing an internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He also holds a Healthcare Executive MBA from the University of California, Irvine.

LaBelle is co-founder and past president and CEO of Connect the Docs Multi-Specialty Network, Inc., as well as a co-founder and past chairman of Connect the Docs Medical Management, LLC.

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