Kevin Sharer, chairman and chief executive of Thousand Oaks-based biotech giant Amgen Inc., was elected to the USC Board of Trustees this week, the university announced Friday.

Sharer “leads a cutting-edge human therapeutics firm that uses advancing science to improve people’s lives, (and) these interests dovetail with much of the research being done on our campuses,” said USC President Steven Sample in a statement. “We look forward to benefiting from Kevin’s keen insights and knowledge of the global business environment.”

Sharer also serves on the board of directors of Northrop Grumman Corporation, 3M and the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation. He is chairman of the board of trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and a member of The Business Council.

Sharer received a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1970 and a master’s degree in the same discipline from the U.S. Naval postgraduate school. In 1982, Sharer received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Also at the Oct. 4 board meeting, USC trustees elected to the board John Mork, chief executive officer of the Denver-based Energy Corporation of America. A 1970 USC graduate in petroleum engineering, Mork was named a member of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Board of Councilors in 2002. In 2005, Mork and his family contributed a $15 million gift to the USC Viterbi School of Engineering that resulted in the naming of the department after the Mork family.