Sangamo Therapeutics Incorporated (Nasdaq: SGMO), a company focused on translating science into genomic therapies using the company's platform technologies in genome editing, gene therapy, gene regulation and cell therapy, announced yesterday that it has named Heather D. Turner as senior vice president and general counsel, effective immediately.

Turner will manage all legal matters for the firm and will report to the company's chief executive officer.

Turner has more than 18 years of experience advising public and private life science companies on various matters, including corporate governance, compliance, reporting, public reporting, public offering, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial, manufacturing and development contracts. She joins Sangamo from Atara Biotherapeutics Inc., which she joined in 2015 and where she served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, and also, most recently, as head of portfolio strategy. From 2007 to 2015, she served as General Counsel and Secretary at Orexigen Therapeutics Inc, where she led various general and administrative functions including compliance, risk management, legal, human resources and facilities. Earlier in her career, she worked as an associate in the corporate securities group at Cooley LLP.

She holds a JD from the University of California Los Angeles School of Law and is a member of the State Bar of California.