November 14, 2007

Extra! Leeza Gibbons' next step -- stem-cell oversight

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reached into his Hollywood past Wednesday to fill a seat on California’s panel overseeing stem-cell research, appointing long-time TV personality Leeza Gibbons.

Gibbons, 50, most recently was in the public eye as a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars.” She was the third star to be eliminated on the popular reality program this spring. Before that, she spent two decades as a TV reporter and host, from a stint on "Entertainment Tonight" in the 1980s to her own daytime show, "Leeza," in the 1990s to hosting "EXTRA" beginning in 2000.

She even appeared in one movie with Schwarzenegger – 1993’s “Last Action Hero” – in which she made a cameo as herself.

Gibbons will now join the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which is charged with overseeing California’s stem-cell institute, created in 2004 when voters approved $3 billion in stem cell bonds.

Each seat on the 29-member oversight panel is assigned to represent a particular advocacy group or organization.

“The ICOC members are public officials, appointed on the basis of their experience earned in California's leading public universities, non-profit academic and research institutions, patient advocacy groups and the biotechnology industry,” the organization’s Web site says.

Gibbons will be filling the post of Alzheimer’s advocate, which was vacated earlier this year following the death of Dr. Leon Thal, who was the chair of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

In 2002, Gibbons, whose mother and grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s, co-founded the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation and Leeza’s Place, organizations formed “in response to the growing needs of both those who suffer from memory disorders and their caregivers,” according to the foundation’s Web site.

The governor, through a spokeswoman, welcomed his fellow former Hollywood celebrity to her new job.

"Gov. Schwarzenegger has spoken a lot about the promise stem cell research has for cures and therapies for diseases like Alzheimer's disease, and Leeza's personal experience as a caregiver and advocate makes her uniquely qualified for this position," said Gena Grebitus, a Schwarzenegger spokeswoman.

Posted by Shane Goldmacher on November 14, 2007 4:44 PM