BioArbor Steering Committe Members:

Julia Owens, PhD, Senior Director, Business Development, QuatRx Pharmaceuticals

Steering Committee Chair

Julia joined QuatRx Pharmaceuticals in March 2004 and has been responsible for business development and corporate communications. She has more than 10 years of licensing and business development experience, including positions at Tularik Inc (now Amgen SF) and the UCSF Office of Technology Management. Dr. Owens has a B.S. in chemistry and B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from UCSF. 

Jack Ball, Chief Commercial Officer, Accuri Cytometers

Prior to joining Accuri Cytometers, Jack was CEO of Amnis Corporation, a venture-backed technology start-up developing high-end imaging flow cytometers. He led the launch of the first commercial product and development of consumable kits for recurring revenues. He has also served as CCO for Molecular Probes, Inc., the world leader in reagents for cell analysis, including flow cytometry consumables; he established professional management and systems in preparation for an IPO or a sale; the business was sold to Invitrogen in July 2003. Prior to that he was with Orchid Biosciences as Sr. VP and General Manager with Amersham Pharmacia Biotech Inc., where he rose to President, Region North America and was responsible for sales, marketing, and customer support for all products sold in North America.

Jeff Brinza, Secretary and General Counsel, RGIS, LLC

Jeff is currently Secretary and General Counsel to RGIS, LLC, a retail and supply chain service provider located in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  Prior to joining RGIS, Jeff served as General Counsel for QuatRx Pharmaceuticals from June 2005 to July, 2009.  Jeff remains a consultant to QuatRx. His life science experience began in 1993, when he joined Warner-Lambert Company as Associate Counsel, Research and Development, Parke-Davis. He served as vice president and assistant general counsel at Warner-Lambert, Parke-Davis from 1998 to 2000 where he was responsible for all commercial matters for the Parke-Davis Research and Development Division in Ann Arbor, including handling all technology acquisitions and divestitures. From September 2001 to June 2005, he served as president of Brinza & Associates, providing legal representation for various pharmaceutical, life science and technology companies. Jeff received his B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from the University of Michigan in 1983 and his J.D. from the University of Michigan in 1986.

Connie Chang, Director of Corporate Business Development and Communications, U of M Medical School

Connie Chang is the Director of Corporate Business Development and Communications for the University of Michigan, Medical School Office of Research.  In this role Connie leads efforts in business development between the medical school research enterprise and external partners.  A native Michigander, Connie joined the University of Michigan in the summer of 2009 after a 15-year career in business in Boston and New York.  She comes to UM Medical School with nearly 12 years of experience in the pharmaceuticals industry where she worked in the commercial and marketing business functions, most recently at Sepracor as Senior Director and brand team leader for the prescription pharmaceutical product Lunesta, leading its business and marketing strategies.  Prior to Sepracor, Connie was with Pfizer’s marketing organization in New York working on brands such as Zyrtec, Lipitor, Zoloft and Caduet, as well as serving as Director of Regional Marketing for the New England region.  Previously, she also worked as a consultant at Mercer Management Consulting in New York on projects such as business strategies for consumer products, process reengineering for integrated healthcare delivery systems, and performance management for healthcare companies.  Connie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychobiology from Harvard University and a Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Wes Huffstutter, New Business Development Specialist, U of M Technology Transfer

Mr. Huffstutter is the Program Manager for Student Entrepreneurship and the Catalyst Resource Network at the University of Michigan's Office of Technology Transfer. Prior to his role as Program Manager, Wesley was a member of the business formation group, helping create startups based on technology developed at the University of Michigan. Before joining the University of Michigan, Wesley was an independent consultant, focusing on startups and small growth companies needing assistance with strategy, marketing, and operations. He has also performed due diligence for early-stage investors. Before consulting, he spent several years in Austin, TX working for Intelligent Reasoning Systems (purchased by Photon Dynamics [NASDAQ:PHTN] in 2001) as a Researcher, Applications Engineer before finally managing the company's marketing. Wesley has a Bachelor´s degree in computer science from DePauw University. He is also a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis where he received a Master of Engineering Management from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and an MBA from the Olin Business School where he was designated a Charles F. Knight Scholar, graduating in the top 10 in his class. Wesley holds a U.S. Patent on software design and has published an article on cost reduction and process improvement in "Circuit Assembly" Magazine. He is involved with many local organizations including Ann Arbor SPARK, BioArbor, and the Ann Arbor Angels.

Lisa Kurek, Managing Partner, Biotechnology Business Consultants

Ms. Kurek is Managing Partner of Biotechnology Business Consultants (BBC). BBC works with universities, economic developers, large and small companies to facilitate the establishment and growth of new life science companies. In addition to overseeing all aspects of client relations at BBC, Ms. Kurek is nationally recognized as a trainer in grant-writing and commercialization for entrepreneurs. Ms Kurek has spent her entire career in the life sciences. Her experience includes R&D and product development, sales and marketing, and business development and executive management. Trained in bioengineering, Ms. Kurek began her career at Baxter developing medical devices. During twelve years at Millipore Corporation she made the transition from the laboratory into marketing, then worldwide product management, and finally into sales and sales management. Ms. Kurek has been involved with several early-stage entrepreneurial companies. She was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at BioImage, a biotechnology tools company, and held interim management positions at both Accumed Systems, a medical device company, and Thromgen, a developer of biopharmaceuticals. Ms. Kurek earned two degrees in Biomedical Engineering, a Bachelor’s from Brown University and a Masters degree from the University of Michigan.

Heather Kusiak, Administrative Specialist, MichBio

Heather joins MichBio with experience in management in the retail and private sales industries as well as property management. She also has experience working in the nonprofit sector, specifically marketing and fund development, where she created newsletters and annual reports, as well as marketing and advertising plans. During that time she also worked closely with educational institutions to develop interest in scholarship programs. An interesting fact to note: Heather carried the Olympic Torch during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Torch Relay. She is a graduate of Northwood University and joined the MichBio staff in 2008.

Jim O’Connell, Coulter Project Director – New Business Development
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering

Jim concentrates on business development within the College of Engineering, especially Biomedical Engineering. He has large company medical device experience from Stryker Instruments, as well as local Ann Arbor startup experience from Xoran Technologies and Sensicore. In his more than 12 years of industry experience, Jim’s roles have focused on commercialization of new medical devices and manufacturing, with both operations and engineering responsibilities. As Coulter Project Director, Jim promotes translational research within the university to get cutting edge research out of the lab and into doctor’s hands. Jim has a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer and an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Maryland. Prior to industry, Jim was a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

David Olson, PhD, Managing Partner, Agile BioVentures

David has more than 14 years experience in life science research and commercializing cutting-edge technology. Prior to co-Founding Agile BioVentures, David has been an executive in early stage biotech companies in San Francisco, San Diego and Michigan, including co-founding 3 start-ups. He has led pre-clinical research and product development, managed patent portfolios, and been responsible for various aspects of fund raising and business development. David received his doctorate in Molecular Biology from Princeton University.

Mahendra Ramsinghani, Mentor-In-Residence, U of M Technology Transfer

Mr. Ramsinghani is a Mentor-In-Residence. In this role he provides assistance in technology disclosure assessments, business formation and mentoring staff, inventors and entrepreneurs. Most recently, Mahendra was with Plymouth Venture Partners, a technology and life science venture firm. Prior to Plymouth, he served as Director of Venture Capital Initiatives at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), where he participated in the design of two fund of fund programs, managed four LP investments and supported the development of angel networks in Michigan. Before joining MEDC, he was Product Manager for iSoftel in Singapore. Mahendra has an MBA and Bachelor’s in Electronics Engineering from Pune University, India.

Stephen Rapundalo, PhD, President and CEO, MichBio

As a former Pfizer and Park Davis employee, Dr. Rapundalo has worked as a senior scientist and is a pre-clinical drug discovery professional with global experience in the life sciences industry. He draws upon his professional experience and background in strategic planning and project management as executive director or MichBio. Stephen is an active member of the Ann Arbor community, currently serving the City of Ann Arbor as a council member for the 2nd ward where he has worked on a broad range of development, zoning, and core services issues.

Greg Fronizer, Ann Arbor SPARK