Former Georgia Life Sciences Chair Selected for CEO Spotlight and Private Global Health Policy Roundtable With U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick
ATLANTA, GA - August 20, 2026 (NEWMEDIAWIRE) - GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing vaccines and immunotherapies for infectious diseases and cancer, today announced that Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer David Dodd will participate in two leadership and policy events associated with the 2026 Georgia Life Sciences Summit, August 25–26, at the Performing Arts Center in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Dodd, a former Chair of Georgia Life Sciences, has been selected as one of four biotechnology CEOs participating in “CEO Spotlights: Decisions That Define a Company,” presented by BioSpark Labs, on August 26. The CEO Spotlights feature 10-minute, TED-style presentations focused on pivotal decisions, challenges and inflection points that have shaped the trajectory of each participating company.
Dodd will draw upon GeoVax’s evolution to discuss the leadership and strategic decisions involved in building and advancing a biotechnology company through changing scientific, financial, regulatory and public-health environments. The presentation will offer a candid perspective on navigating uncertainty, allocating resources, advancing innovative technologies and maintaining a long-term strategic vision while confronting the realities inherent in building a clinical-stage biotechnology company.
GeoVax today is advancing a diversified portfolio built around its Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccine platform and novel oncology technologies. Its programs include GEO-MVA, the Company’s vaccine candidate for mpox and smallpox; MVA-based vaccine candidates targeting Ebola, Sudan Ebola and Marburg viruses; and Gedeptin®, a novel gene-directed therapy for solid tumors.
“Building a biotechnology company is rarely a straight line,” said Dodd. “It requires making consequential decisions with incomplete information, adapting to changing circumstances and remaining focused on the scientific and strategic opportunities that can ultimately create meaningful value. I look forward to sharing some of the decisions and lessons that have shaped GeoVax’s journey with Georgia’s life sciences community.”
Dodd will be joined in the CEO Spotlight program by Samir Patel, President and CEO of Moonlight Therapeutics; Dr. Nikhil L. Shah, CEO and Co-Founder of Nephrodite; and Gareth Sheridan, Founder and CEO of Nutriband.
Private Roundtable with Congressman Rich McCormick
On August 25, Dodd will also participate in a private roundtable discussion with U.S. Representative Rich McCormick (GA-07), convened by Georgia Life Sciences, the Global Health Technologies Coalition and The Kyle House Group.
The roundtable will bring together leaders from Georgia’s global health, biotechnology, nonprofit and private sectors to discuss the state’s leadership in advancing global health and development through innovation, research and public-private partnerships. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss key policy priorities and issues before Congress directly with Congressman McCormick.
For GeoVax, the discussion provides an opportunity to contribute perspectives informed by the Company’s work in infectious disease vaccines, medical countermeasures and global health preparedness, as well as the challenges faced by emerging biotechnology companies working to translate scientific innovation into products addressing significant public-health needs.
“Georgia has developed an increasingly important life sciences and global health ecosystem that brings together scientific innovation, entrepreneurship, academic expertise, public policy and investment,” Dodd said. “Having previously served as Chair of Georgia Life Sciences, I am especially pleased to participate in this year’s Summit and to engage with Congressman McCormick and other leaders on how we can further strengthen Georgia’s - and America’s - capacity for biotechnology innovation, health security and global health leadership.”
The Georgia Life Sciences Summit is the organization’s flagship annual gathering, bringing together leaders from industry, academia, government and the investment community to address major issues affecting scientific research, product development, financing, business development and public policy while showcasing innovation across Georgia’s life sciences sector.
About GeoVax
GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of vaccines and immunotherapies addressing high-consequence infectious diseases and solid tumor cancers. GeoVax’s priority program is GEO-MVA, a Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA)–based vaccine targeting mpox and smallpox. The program is advancing under an expedited regulatory pathway, with plans to initiate a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in the second half of 2026, to address critical global needs for expanded orthopoxvirus vaccine supply and biodefense preparedness. In oncology, GeoVax is developing Gedeptin®, a gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) designed to enhance immune checkpoint inhibitor activity. Gedeptin has completed a multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial in advanced head and neck cancer and is being advanced into combination strategies, including planned neoadjuvant and first-line settings. GeoVax maintains a global intellectual property portfolio supporting its infectious disease and oncology programs and continues to evaluate strategic partnerships and funding opportunities aligned with its development priorities. For more information, visit www.geovax.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding GeoVax’s business plans. The words “believe,” “look forward to,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “will,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: GeoVax is able to obtain acceptable results from ongoing or future clinical trials of its investigational products, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines can provoke the desired responses, and those products or vaccines can be used effectively, GeoVax’s viral vector technology adequately amplifies immune responses to cancer antigens, GeoVax can develop and manufacture its immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines with the desired characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will be safe for human use, GeoVax’s vaccines will effectively prevent targeted infections in humans, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will receive regulatory approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises required capital to complete development, there is development of competitive products that may be more effective or easier to use than GeoVax’s products, GeoVax will be able to enter into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, and other factors, over which GeoVax has no control.
Further information on our risk factors is contained in our periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K that we have filed and will file with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
Company Contact:
info@geovax.com
678-384-7220
Media Contact:
Jessica Starman
media@geovax.com
