Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick
Maria Gonzalez Bonneville has made it her mission to help the people of California live better, healthier lives. In her roles as vice-chair of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s (CIRM) governing board and as chair of CIRM’s Accessibility and Affordability Working Group (AAWG), she does exactly that.
Bonneville joined CIRM around the time her father received a diagnosis for Parkinson’s disease in 2011. She built a successful career in state politics over 15 years and was not planning a change, but learning about CIRM and her father’s diagnosis drove home the importance of helping people in a way that suddenly had new meaning for her, by improving human health.
“I wanted to be part of an organization whose mission and commitment to the people of California was just so clear, it’s unwavering,” said Bonneville. “The programs CIRM funds could lead to discoveries that save people from being subject to an awful disease for the rest of their lives. How can you not want to be a part of something like that?”
CIRM funds research to develop therapies for many diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. About 10 to 15 percent of Parkinson’s cases have a genetic basis, and her dad’s sister, brother, and mother were all diagnosed with the disease.
Work with CIRM was very personal from that perspective,” said Bonneville.
From political science to science
Bonneville’s lifelong interest in mission-driven work began as a student at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After graduating, she worked in several roles in California’s state government, where she honed her skills in policy, finance, marketing, public relations, and fundraising.
Bonneville quickly ascended through the ranks of politics. Soon, she was working as a Special Assistant to California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer while also serving as the Northern California Finance Director for the Lockyer Committee. In these roles, she represented the Treasurer in matters involving state and local governments and managed major fundraising programs.
Around this time, she first learned of CIRM. Her talent and expertise in policy, finance, communication, and many other areas were a perfect fit for a new position that would interface with CIRM’s governing board. Lockyer encouraged her to apply.
“I didn’t have long to prepare, so I got the book, Stem Cells for Dummies, which was coauthored by a former CIRM board member, Larry Goldstein, PhD. I read it, and I was fascinated by all of it, and intrigued by the organization,” said Bonneville.
Curiosity and service
Bonneville’s curiosity and willingness to learn about science helped forge a successful career that now spans the fields of political science and science.
“I was not a science person in the least bit,” said Bonneville. But “what I have really discovered over the last 15 years is just how transformative science can be.”
Informing more communities in California about how the science CIRM supports benefits them, is part of the job too.
“If more people knew about us and the work that was being done, I think they’d be more excited about the role California is playing in advancing therapies,” Bonneville said. “I think they would feel more invested in science. (Especially) if they knew that they’re playing a part in it by just having voted for one of the propositions that funded CIRM.”
Vice Chair of the ICOC
Since joining CIRM in 2011, Bonneville held numerous leadership positions at CIRM, including Vice President of Board Governance and Public Outreach. She also served as Vice President of Administration. Along with that Bonneville volunteers for the Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day event in San Francisco and as a reviewer for their Community Grants program.
In 2022, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Treasurer, and the Controller nominated Bonneville. She became the position of Vice Chair of CIRM’s Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC). The ICOC is the governing board of CIRM. The governing board includes up to 35 California-based research and biotechnology industry leaders. It also includes patient advocates, nurses, university officials, and institution executives. Bonneville was unanimously elected to the role. She’s held since January 2023.
In her roles as vice-chair of CIRM’s governing board and chair, her work focuses on government relations and access and affordability.
“I’m responsible for government relations,” said Bonneville. “If a policy area comes up, I help our internal team get to the right people. It is my responsibility to ensure government officials in California and in DC understand who we are, what we’re doing, and why it’s so important. That matters because if we have policy changes we want adopted in legislation, or things we want to influence, it’s important to have well established relationships in government.”
Bringing new therapies within reach for all Californians
Bonneville’s second focus is CIRM’s mandate to make cell and gene therapies more accessible and affordable for Californians. As chair of the AAWG, she helps shape and guide recommendations to CIRM’s governing board. The goal is to expand access to CIRM-funded treatments, and clinical trials. Doing all that while also improving affordability is also the focus.
“This is top of mind for us now across the organization,” said Bonneville. Our goal “isn’t just to fund the science, it is to fund the science because it needs to get to people.”
Defining what affordability and accessibility mean and look like is an essential. It’s the first step toward ensuring that Californians can get and benefit from CIRM-funded therapies.
“Affordability, for us, does not mean the price of a drug,” said Bonneville. “We can’t dictate that; they’re not our products. Affordability means working to help ensure the cost is covered or reimbursed. We’re not going to change the fact that the sickle cell therapy is $3 million, but can we affect policy so that Medi-Cal reimburses a lot of the cost and quickly.”
Access and affordability
Accessibility is similarly nuanced.
“Accessibility means providing infrastructure where people can get access to the clinical trial or the therapy,” said Bonneville. “That we’ve set up things like patient navigation, a patient assistance fund, (for) access to the drug or therapy.”
Helping to deliver new cell and gene therapies to the people of California is an important part of CIRM’s mission.
“CIRM has been important part of stem cell research for over 20 years,” said Bonneville.” “It helped create an ecosystem in California that otherwise would not have existed.” California is amazing. We have the economy and the infrastructure to be able to support something like this. So, if it was going to happen anywhere, it was going to happen here.
The next Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day event will take place on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in San Francisco.
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