Speakers Biographies
Nat Alston is the President & Founder of The Horizons Group, LLC, a human capital consulting firm specializing in human resources strategic planning, recruitment/search, management training, employee relations, compensation/benefits analysis, customer service, and wellness programs. Nat has over 28 years of executive & mid level human resources experience in a variety of positions covering such industries as financial services, health care, hospitality, food service & distribution, local & state government. Prior to the founding of The Horizons Group, Nat was the Vice President of Human Resources for State Employees Credit Union in that capacity he directed the overall human resource function for the largest credit union in the State of Maryland. With over 450 employees and one billion dollars in assets, Nat was part of the senior management team that set the strategic direction for the credit union. He was also involved in setting the corporate sales culture for the credit union as it approached the 21st century. He is a member of the Executive Board for the University of Maryland University College Alumni, and a member of the Executive Board of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources. He has twice served as Chapter President for the Baltimore Chapter of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources. Nat is a graduate of the University of Maryland University College and has done some graduate study at Bowie Sate University and the University of Phoenix.
Terry Chase is the President of Chesapeake Perl Inc. She
holds an MS in Biotechnology Management and BS in Microbiology from the University of Maryland. Formerly Manager of the Bioprocess Scale-up Facility at the University of Maryland, and Manager of Process Development and Technology Transfer at Bio Science Contract Production Corp., she has experience in managing processes from development through manufacturing. Ms. Chase has led C-PERL through financing, IP development, a merger, factory commissioning and first revenues.
Mr. Max Donley was named senior director, human resources in October 2003. In this role, he is responsible for managing the delivery arm of the company's human resources function across all sites. Mr. Donley works to build and maintain human resources business partnerships across the entire organization in order to further organizational strategic objectives. He joined MedImmune as senior manager, human resources in 2000. Prior to joining MedImmune, Mr. Donley was responsible for field human resources and development for Bed Bath & Beyond where he enjoyed a successful 7-year career building a scalable international human resources infrastructure. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a master’s degree in business administration from George Mason University. Mr. Donley is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources through the HR Certification Institute at the Society for Human Resources Management.
Claire Driscoll is the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)’s Technology Transfer Office (Bethesda, MD). At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NHGRI (www.genome.gov) is the focal point for research into the genetics of human disease. In 2005 NHGRI’s intramural research program received approximately $100 million dollars in research funding. Ms. Driscoll is responsible for the overall oversight of the Institute’s intramural patent and licensing portfolio and she advises staff on technology transfer policy and related matters. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology from the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana).
Ms. Driscoll has participated on panels and given presentations, primarily on biomedical technology transfer and related intellectual property and licensing topics, at various national and international conferences including Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)-, Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)- and Licensing Executive Society (LES)-sponsored events. Claire has been an invited guest lecturer and presented seminars at several U.S., Egyptian, Chinese and U.K. universities and in 2003 she did a short secondment at the University of Edinburgh’s technology transfer office. Ms. Driscoll is the former Co-Chair of the Technology Council of Maryland’s bioalliance program planning committee and the NIH technology development coordinators group. She is also an active member of AUTM’s annual meeting program committee. Previously she was an advisory board member of National Capital, LLC, a Maryland-based investment bank and currently Claire serves on the advisory boards of PXE International, a lay patient research advocacy organization, and the Genetic Alliance’s Biobank, a centralized blood and tissue repository.
Robert Eaton is currently the President of MdBio, having joined the organization as Executive Director in 1997. MdBio is a trade association serving the needs of its member companies and Maryland’s broader bioscience community. MdBio is a division of the Tech Council of Maryland. He also serves as President of the MdBio Foundation, a private, not-for-profit organization supporting the charitable, educational and scientific goals of MdBio. The Foundation provides project funding and business development assistance to individual companies, offers a variety of programs supporting bioscience education and workforce development, and serves as a resource for information about bioscience in Maryland. Previously, Eaton served as Director of Programs for the Technology Council of Maryland (TCM) and Director of the Maryland Bioscience Alliance, an industry group within TCM, from 1994-96. From 1988-94, he worked in the Science & Technology Division of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (now PhRMA), an industry association representing the research-based pharmaceutical industry, becoming Director, R&D Programs in 1993. Prior to that, he held laboratory and/or sales positions at Lofstrand Labs Limited (1985-88), Beckman Instruments, Inc. (1981-85) and the National Institutes of Health (1977-81). At NIH, he worked in the Laboratory of Molecular Cardiology/NHLBI on the regulation of myosin light chain kinase in smooth muscle and non-muscle cells. He holds an M.A. in Science, Technology & Public Policy from George Washington University (1988) and a B.S. in Applied & Engineering Physics from Cornell University (1977).
Director of Environmental Risk Analysis Division, joined Biotechnology Regulatory Services in August, 2003. BRS is the unit of the USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that regulates the field releases of genetically modified organisms. In this capacity, Neil provides leadership in the areas of risk assessment, permitting, and regulatory policy. Prior to joining USDA, Neil spent a year as a program director in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Division at the National Science Foundation where he administered the Metabolic Biochemistry program and was the Biology representative for programs in Nanotechnology and Quantitative Systems Biology. From 1999-2002, Neil was a research manager at Paradigm Genetics where he directed the research and development activities for the establishment of high through put platforms for discovery of stress genes, new herbicide targets, and the mode of action of herbicides. From 1988-1999 Neil was a faculty member of the Department of Plant Biology in the Carnegie Institution of Washington where he worked in the area of chloroplast protein targeting. He has written 55 publications and is listed as a highly cited scientist by the Institute for Scientific Information. Neil received his B.S degree in Biology from Cornell University and a Ph.D in Plant Physiology from the University of California, Davis.
Robbie Melton is one of the co-founders of Women in Bio. Ms. Melton and the four co-founders felt the Washington Baltimore region needed an organization dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs and executives in life sciences build successful companies. Ms Melton has a 20 years experience in managing technology development and commercialization projects. Ms. Melton is the Senior Program Manager for Entrepreneurial Development for the Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO). Her primary responsibility is identifying State resources to facilitate the commercialization of technology developed at university and Federal Laboratories with start-up companies. Prior to her appointment, she served as Assistant Director of the Investment Financing Group of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, where she was involved in funding early stage technology start up companies. Her career includes positions at the Center for Cancer & Transplantation Biology, Children’s National Medical Center, the University of Hawaii, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ms. Melton holds a master’s degree in Science, Technology and Public Policy from The George Washington University; and a bachelor’s degree in economics. She volunteers at the Capital Interfaith Hospitality Network, a homeless shelter for women with children.
Assistant VP at Science Applications International corporation (SAIC), he heads a diverse team of technologists who conduct contract biomedical research, scientific analyses, and technical support. Dr. Schaudies is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of biological and chemical warfare defense. He served as a primary Science and Technology Consultant to the Incident Commander, Sergeants-at-Arms for the House and Senate, and EPA On-Scene Coordinator in response to the October 2001 anthrax incident in Washington D.C. He has served on five National Academy committees in the areas of biological defense and nanotechnology. He has served on numerous national level advisory panels for the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Department of Energy. Dr. Schaudies served 12 years as a U.S. Army officer. On active duty, Dr. Schaudies served as Chief of the General Support Laboratory in the Department of Clinical Investigation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, as a Senior Researcher at the Walter Reed Army Institute for Research and as a Program Manager for Biological and Chemical Defense Research at the Central Measurement and Signature Intelligence Office at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Dr. Schaudies received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Wake Forest University and his doctoral degree in Biochemistry from Temple University School of Medicine.