Cristin L. Rothfuss, JD

Cris Rothfuss joined Sarepta in October 2018 as executive director, corporate transactions. From the beginning, Cris distinguished herself as an intelligent and discerning leader inside and outside of Sarepta’s legal department. A seasoned transactions counsel with experience in litigation and mediation, Cris was instrumental in leading critical negotiations for Sarepta as the company grew, forging numerous partnerships across industry and academia. She was promoted to vice president, corporate transactions in April 2020 and to sr. vice president, deputy general counsel in February 2021. In November 2024, Sarepta appointed Cris as the company’s executive vice president, chief general counsel. She is responsible for leading Sarepta’s global legal and compliance functions.

Early on in her education, Cris developed a passion for law and giving back. The depth of her career and her work outside of her job has been rooted in four core principles: kindness, resilience, grit and teamwork. Whether leading a 5,000-mile cycling trek across the country to raise money for a worthy organization, participating in competitive athletics, or facilitating complex, billion-dollar plus deals, Cris remained true to these principles and continues to do so to this day.

“If we’re not working together, we’re not moving forward.”

The arc of Cris’ career and experience spans industry and academia where she developed a particular specialty in the ability to bring numerous competing points of view into alignment. Her tenure at Harvard included facilitating highly valuable partnerships between the University and the life sciences industry toward their mutual goal of translating promising science into life-enhancing therapies. Also, in separate executive director roles at Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science and its Office of Technology Development, Cris was instrumental in enhancing Harvard’s internal and external strategic relationships.

Her passion for the biotechnology industry grew and she found like-minded colleagues at Sarepta.

“In Sarepta, I found a dynamic, energetic group of people and I knew immediately I wanted to be a part of the team. My goal as general counsel, a member of the executive committee, a leader of my team, and a colleague, is to foster what is already inherently here and which permeates our company culture – a mission-driven, team-oriented mentality where ideas of every kind can be heard, appreciated and discussed.”

Cris earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Yale University and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is the recipient of awards at both Harvard and Sarepta that honor excellence in leadership and performance. She serves as co-executive sponsor of Sarepta’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group, Pride.