AGNES VARIS

 

Agnes Varis is the founder and President of Agvar Chemicals, Inc. of Little Falls, New Jersey, which provides FDA-approved bulk pharmaceutical active substances for generic dosage form drugs manufactured in the United States. She represents a number of major foreign bulk pharmaceutical chemical manufacturing companies. Ms. Varis was also one of the three founders of Marsam Pharmaceuticals Inc., which, until its acquisition, was one of the largest manufacturers of generic, sterile, injectable dosage forms in the United States. She is also the founder and President of Aegis Pharmaceuticals Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of generic dosage form pharmaceuticals for the United States.

Ms. Varis holds a B.A. from Brooklyn College and has pursued graduate study at the New York University School of Business. A strong supporter of women's issues, Ms. Varis broke the "male-only" member's policy of the Chemist Club, the Drug Chemical Allied Trade Association and the Sales Association of the Chemical Industry. Ms. Varis is an ardent advocate of animal welfare, in particular, companion animals. She spearheaded a public service campaign in New York City to encourage companion animal adoption.

Ms. Varis serves on the board of directors of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), which recognized her in 1999 with their Industry Leadership Award. Ms. Varis is a member of the Lincoln Center's Consolidated Corporate Fund. Ms. Varis serves on the Board of Directors of the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee and is a Managing Director of The Metropolitan Opera. As president and trustee of the MAKK Foundation, she supports a number of arts, education, and social service organizations.

At Tufts University, she is a member of the Board of Overseers for the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and one of the school's greatest benefactors. In 2000, she donated the Agnes Varis Lecture Hall and in 2003, donated the Cat Ward in the Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals. Ms. Varis established the Agnes Varis University Chair in Science and Society at Tufts, an endowed chair that will rotate among the seven schools of the University. In 2003, she received an honorary Doctor of Public Service Degree from Tufts University. She was elected to the Tufts Board of Trustees in 2004 and currently serves on the Compensation Committee.

Last updated: December 7, 2007