Building Congress Event
Healthcare and Life Sciences Week
Moderators
NANCY J. KELLEY
PRESIDENT AND CEO
NANCY J KELLEY + ASSOCIATES
Nancy J. Kelley, President and CEO of Nancy J Kelley + Associates, is a nationally recognized executive who has driven key strategic initiatives in science and medicine for over twenty years.
Nancy J Kelley + Associates builds things that matter for science and medicine. The firm focuses in five major areas:
• Creation of Game Changing Projects/Institutions,
• Design, Development and Construction of Life Science Environments,
• Evaluation of Cutting Edge Technologies,
• Ground-Breaking Research, and
• Community Engagement through Major Meetings and Workshops.
Ms. Kelley’s prior leadership history includes work in scientific institutions, life science companies, and life science real estate development. She was the Founding Executive Director of the New York Genome Center. She chaired the redevelopment process for Harvard’s McLean Hospital on behalf of the Town of Belmont, MA, was a leader in the development of the East River Science Park in Manhattan, NYC and has overseen major development projects for clients such as the National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University/ Boston Medical Center. Ms. Kelley has served on Boards for the New York Genome Center, The Jackson Laboratory, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Whitehead Institute. She holds a BA from Yale College, a JD from Harvard Law School and an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School.
MITCHEL W. SIMPLER, PE, FACEC
PARTNER, MANAGING PARTNER EMERITUS
JAROS, BAUM & BOLLES
Mitch Simpler joined JB&B, one of New York’s premier consulting engineering firms, in 1977 and currently serves as Partner, after having served as Managing Partner from 2012 - 2018. He has acted as Project Manager and Partner-in-Charge on life/health science institutions, healthcare facilities, high-rise office buildings, museums, residential and mixed-use buildings as well as hotels.
Mr. Simpler’s list of notable projects in the life science sector spans the past 35 years, including premier laboratory facilities and research centers in New York City, such as the New York Genome Center; the Mount Sinai Hess Center for Science and Medicine; Weill Cornell Medical College’s Belfer Research Building; MSK’s David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care and Rockefeller Research Laboratories; Cornell University’s Biotechnology Building; Columbia University’s Center for Disease Prevention and the Manhattanville campus’s Jerome L. Greene Science Center; and NYU Langone Health’s Smilow Research Building, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, and the Alexandria Center for Life Science. His experience extends around the world to China, with the Innovation Center at Duke Kunshan University in Kunshan and the Rohm & Haas Research Center in Shanghai.
Mr. Simpler is the Chair of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and a founding member of the Life Sciences Symposium Steering Committee.
Panelists
ROBERT ALBRO
MANAGING DIRECTOR
KING STREET
As Managing Director at King Street, Robert Albro has a broad range of responsibilities including acquisitions, dispositions, development, and asset management. Prior to King Street, Mr. Albro most recently served as a Senior Vice President at Beacon Capital Partners, with responsibility for acquisitions and dispositions as well as asset management of the Boston region.
ANTHONY JOHNSON
PRESIDENT AND CEO, KODIKAZ
FOUNDING PARTNER, BUFFALO BIOSCIENCES
Anthony Johnson is an experienced executive with a strong track record of leadership across the healthcare sector.
Currently, he is the President and CEO of Kodikaz Therapeutic Solutions, Inc. Kodikaz is an early stage cancer gene therapy company that is exploiting its patented cancer cell targeting technology to deliver cures to numerous cancers including pancreatic, lung and myelomas to name a few. Mr. Johnson is the former President/CEO of Empire Genomics, a pre-eminent oncology genomic molecular diagnostic company. As the founding CEO of Empire he led the business through multiple funding rounds, acquisitions, and setting business strategy. He also founded Buffalo Biosciences, (BBS) a technology investment and management services firm. At BBS Mr. Johnson worked with clients including tech transfer offices, and numerous startups, in addition to state and local governments, to guide them in their focus on healthcare endeavors. A major accomplishment that they led on behalf of BBS was the firm’s participation in the creation and launch of the New York Genome Center. Prior to Buffalo Biosciences he led the stem cell and cell therapy division for Invitrogen corporation (Life Technologies). In this role Mr. Johnson was responsible for the company's participation in the creation of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a $3 billion dollar bond issuance to support stem cell research in the state.
Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Fisk University located in Nashville, TN and an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, Manchester England. He is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Health Innovators Fellowship and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
BRANDON MORRISON, LEED AP BD+C
PROJECT EXECUTIVE, VICE PRESIDENT, CONSTRUCTION
LENDLEASE (US) CONSTRUCTION LMB, INC.
Brandon Morrison has over 14 years of experience within the construction management industry with a specialty in complex specialty Healthcare and Life Science construction. As the Project Executive, Vice President leading the operational delivery of Life Science projects here in New York for Lendlease, he is responsible for the long term planning and day-to-day management of construction operations to ensure maximal performance in the areas of contracting, scheduling, estimating, insurance, bidding and negotiations, contract administration, and all other aspects of project delivery. He is well versed in management of preconstruction, community affairs, NY city and state permitting requirements, landmark preservation, environmental mitigation clean construction practices and serves as the key liaison to clients and architects on new building, building conversion and fit-out projects throughout the NY Tristate area and Long Island.
MICHELE O’CONNOR
PRINCIPAL/VICE PRESIDENT
LANGAN
Michele O’Connor is a Principal at Langan and co-director of the firm’s civil engineering practice in New York City. Her expertise includes site assessment and feasibility studies, resiliency consultation and design, detailed engineering designs for land use permitting and construction, infrastructure design, hydraulic analyses, stormwater management design, and construction phase coordination and administration. Throughout her career, Ms. O’Connor has managed numerous groundbreaking projects in the New York Metropolitan area, including the award-winning Hudson Park and Boulevard, a four-acre public park within Hudson Yards.
Her leadership ability is visible through her work as 2017 President of CREW New York, Board Member of Women Builders Council, and Co-Founder of Women@Langan, a program created to mentor, support, and empower women in the industry.
Ms. O’Connor earned a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University College of Engineering. She is a licensed professional engineer in New York and New Jersey and a LEED certified professional.
DON WEINREICH, FAIA, LEED AP
PARTNER
ENNEAD ARCHITECTS LLP
Don Weinreich is a Management Partner in Ennead Architects. He graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts and earned his Master of Architecture from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. In addition to his project-related responsibilities, Mr. Weinreich is responsible for the office’s technology development, leading the implementation of new ways in which architectural computing can be incorporated into and advance the firm’s practice. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
