Executive Committee
Lee McGuire, Chair
Chief Communications Officer, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Lee McGuire, Chief Communications Officer at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, oversees external and internal communications, including science writing, media relations, web development, events, video, social media, and graphic design. Before joining the Broad Institute in 2015 as Director of Communications, McGuire served on the Superintendent’s executive leadership team as Chief Communications Officer for the Boston Public Schools. McGuire is a reporter by training and spent ten years as a broadcast journalist covering government and health care policy for television stations in Boise, Austin and Houston. He earned a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University and a Masters Degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Sarah Gallop, Vice-Chair
Co-Director, Office of Government and Community Relations, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sarah serves as a liaison with the Cambridge government and community, working with citizens, public officials, businesses, regulatory bodies, and advocacy organizations on projects and issues of mutual interest. In representing MIT, she tries to bring a collaborative problem-solving approach to her interactions with Cambridge stakeholders. She thinks Kendall Square is on fire and feels privileged to be working on its behalf. Before joining MIT, Sarah worked for the City of Boston in various planning and development roles. Sarah received her BA in Political Science from Bates College and her MBA in Organizational Behavior from Boston University.
Chris Leary, Treasurer
Principal, Jacobs
Chris is the Managing Director of Projects for the Cambridge Jacobs Global Building Design Office, where he leads an office of just under a hundred architects, engineers, and interior designers. The design work of the Jacobs Cambridge office focuses on technically complex projects such as urban high-rise office and laboratory buildings and inspiring workplaces for established leading global as well as groundbreaking new and local companies.
Chris is a registered architect, a LEED Accredited Professional, and received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University.
Margaret O’Toole, Vice Chair
Chief Operating Officer, LabCentral
Maggie O’Toole is the executive vice president and chief operating officer at LabCentral. She provides overall direction and guidance to the operational activities of the company and oversees six sites including the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab, a branch of the Harvard Innovation Labs and the Blavatnik Harvard Life Lab, a branch of the Harvard Medical School. Additionally, Maggie directs all expansion projects and major buildouts. Recent and ongoing projects include the Bayer Co.Lab, the Enterprise Research Campus in Allston and P3 in Roxbury. Maggie has more than 25 years of experience in business start-ups working with the founders to establish a company’s infrastructure and ultimately is responsible for business management and daily operations. Prior to LabCentral, she served as director of operations for Pervasis Therapeutics, an early-stage biotech acquired by Shire.
She has held management positions with Reputation Technologies; acquired by Security Source, Inc., Synetics, Inc.; acquired by ACS, and Elephant Engineering; acquired by Syntronics, LLC. Maggie earned her bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
Michael Owu, Secretary
Managing Director, Real Estate, MIT Investment Management Company
Michael Owu is the Managing Director of Real Estate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Investment Management Company where he manages the planning and development of the Institute’s commercial real estate portfolio in Cambridge. Mike graduated from MIT in 1986.
Michal Preminger, Vice-Chair
Regional Head, East North America, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Michal is Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, East North America, located at the Innovation Centre in Boston. In this role she leads the Innovation Center team to build, advance, and manage the External R&D portfolio of co-investments spanning across pharmaceutical, consumer health and medical devices.
Until recently, Michal served as the Executive Director of Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development (OTD) Harvard Medical School site, where she was responsible for development and commercialization of technologies emerging from research at HMS laboratories and for the strategy and execution of all industry collaborations. She negotiated agreements with major biopharma, life sciences, food and cosmetics companies to advance the translation of discoveries into products and create a revenue-generating product pipeline, and worked with scientific founders and investors to create new startup companies.
Prior to joining Harvard University’s OTD in 2005, Michal held a number of business development and technology development positions at Compugen, most recently as VP of Protein Therapeutics, responsible for the business management of the company’s emerging drug discovery pipeline. Previously, she worked in the technology industry in marketing and business development roles, and co-founded a biotechnology startup.
Michal serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards FutuRx Accelerator, and was, until recently, a member of the SAB of Prize4Life and a Member of the Board of Directors of a number of companies, including Compugen and Alma Lasers.
She holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the Weizmann Institute of Science, an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, and a BA in Medicine from Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Board of Directors
Jesse Baerkahn
President and Founder, Graffito SP
Jesse Baerkahn is the President and Founder of Graffito SP, a Boston-based commercial real estate company best described as part retail brokerage, part creative agency, and part urban design firm. Jesse’s multidisciplinary work at GSP utilizes his transactional training as an attorney and lessons learned through other entrepreneurial endeavors within the real estate, arts and entertainment fields. Jesse was previously a Director and Board Member at the Artisan’s Asylum, a non-profit makerspace in Somerville, MA, and Adjunct Faculty Member at CUNY School of Law. Jesse lives in Cambridge, MA and works out of GSP offices in Kendall Square and Boston’s Leather District.
Tony Clark
Co-Founder & Co-President, My Brother’s Keeper Cambridge
Tony Clark is the Co-Founder and Co-President of The My Brother’s Keeper, Cambridge Taskforce. He holds degrees from Morehouse College, New York University, and The City University of New York and a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. Tony is a seasoned educator and moderator, who previously held posts at New York University, The City University of New York, Columbia University, and Johns Hopkins University. He currently serves on the English faculty of Bunker Hill Community College, as a tenured professor. His work for the United States Department of Education along with other appointments has allowed him to work closely with over 25 school districts across the United States, focusing on education reform.
Tony is an avid reader, a podcaster, and is currently working on his debut book to be released in 2022.
Jennifer Crotty
Director, Human Resources, Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard
Jennifer Crotty joined The Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard in November 2022 as Director of Human Resources, overseeing the full range of people functions at the Institute. Prior to joining the Ragon, she served as Director of People Relations & Resources at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, so she’s been in Kendall Square for a while. She also previously held roles at PanAgora Asset Management and Putnam Investments, as well as been an independent HR consultant.
She holds an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership from Northeastern University, an M.A. in Organizational Leadership and a certificate in Servant Leadership from Gonzaga University, and a B.S. in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is also a Society of Human Resource Management certified professional.
Michael Dawson
Co-Founder & CEO of Innovators for Purpose (iFp)
Michael is Co-Founder and CEO of Innovators for Purpose (iFp) a Cambridge based non-profit that’s reimagining the learning experience to build an inclusive, future ready workforce.
Michael’s leadership sparked the formation of iFp Studios – a teen-powered design and innovation studio that uncovers fresh youth-inspired solutions to student-initiated and client-sponsored projects. Projects include Kendall Square’s Looking Glass sculpture and Cambridge Public Library’s augmented reality exhibition, “This Should Not Be.”
Michael’s 30+ year career has spanned engineering, marketing, and sales in high-tech as well as entrepreneurial endeavors. Each transition has moved him closer to his personal mission of being a catalyst for a more equitable society.
Michael has a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida and an MBA from Babson College.
Eileen Elliott
Kendall Square Site Lead – Site Affairs and External Partnership, Pfizer
Eileen Elliottis site lead for site affairs and external partnership at Pfizer Kendall Square. In this role she leads the strategy for external outreach, communications, colleague engagement, and site affairs related to Pfizer’s Cambridge R&D campus. In 1995, Elliott joined Pfizer as a research scientist in immunology and held positions of increasing responsibility. She has made pivotal contributions to drug discovery and the company’s business operations, including leading discovery and development of both small and large molecules for a range of therapeutic targets. A lead contributor to Xeljanz, Pfizer’s JAK3 modulator, and Alexion’s Solaris product, Elliott has more than twenty five peer reviewed publications and numerous scientific presentations.
She received her B.S. in biology from St. Bonaventure University, a Ph.D. in immunology from Albany Medical College, Union University, and completed a fellowship in Dr. Richard Favell’s laboratory at Yale University as a Howard Hughes Fellow.
Tom Evans
Executive Director and Records Access Officer, Cambridge Redevelopment Authority
Tom has led the CRA through an organizational restructuring and strategic planning process, launching new development initiatives in Kendall Square. Before coming to the CRA, Tom worked in MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning where he wrote sustainable transportation policies including the state’s GreenDOT Implementation Plan and the Healthy Transportation Policy Directive. Previously, Tom served as the Planning Division Manager of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, facilitating the planning, adoption, and implementation of signature revitalization plans along the southeast waterfront of San Francisco. He holds a Masters of City Planning from University of California and a bachelors in environmental biology.
Lisa Girard
Director of Strategic Communications, Whitehead Institute
Lisa Girard has been the Director of Strategic Communications at Whitehead Institute since 2017. A former bench scientist, Girard has nearly two decades’ communications leadership and content-development experience including previous roles at California Institute of Technology (CalTech), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard as their Director of Scientific Communication. Earlier in her career, she was HSCI’s Associate Director of Strategic Alliances, as well as creator and editor of HSCI’s StemBook and CalTech’s WormBook. She earned her undergraduate degree from University of California, San Diego, a PhD from University of California, Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral work at CalTech.
Keane Johnson
Managing Director & Senior HR Leader for Engineering and Research for the North American – East at Microsoft
Keane Johnson is the Managing Director & Senior HR Leader for Microsoft Engineering and Research for the North American – East. In this role, he is responsible for aligning, establishing, and driving Microsoft’s people priorities in the region.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Keane worked at Liberty Mutual for almost ten years in various HR leadership roles. He started his career working in higher education, managing student support services programs.
Keane holds a BA in Political Science, BS in Consumer Economics, and a Masters in Education, all from the University of Georgia (UGA). He also serves on the Board of Visitors for the School of Public and International Affairs at the UGA. Keane is passionate about volunteering and giving back, particularly to those organizations that enhance the availability and access to education.
Kent Kunkel
Vice President & General Manager, Turner Construction
Kent began his career with Turner Construction Company in 1993 in the Boston office. He has held many roles within Turner including: Field Engineer, Assistant Superintendent, Superintendent, Project Manager, Purchasing Agent, Operations Manager for the SPD Division, Turner Logistics Manager, Development Manager, and finally General Manager of the Boston Office, his role today. Kent became an officer of Turner in 2017. He is on the Advisory Committee for the Aspire Works organization which focuses on providing work experiences for individuals on the Autism spectrum. Kent resides in Milton, MA with his wife of 20 years and 3 children, Jack, Breanna, and Matthew. He is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Architectural Engineering.
Aisha Losche
Chief Diversity Officer, Draper
Aisha Losche is the chief diversity officer at Draper Laboratory in Cambridge MA. Aisha is responsible for working with Draper leaders to develop policies, practices and programs that advance DE&I at the company, along with initiatives with external partners, including suppliers and employee learning providers. Losche provides the strategic leadership for diversity, equity and inclusion programming, and coordinate and advise on initiatives, establishing and integrating efforts that support a vision of inclusive excellence across the company.
Losche has more than 15 years of progressive leadership in positions with a strong emphasis on inclusive excellence and systemic, collaborative approaches to management and problem-solving. Prior to her new role of CDO, she served as vice president of Talent Engagement and Inclusion for Publicis Groupe. Losche graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Sacred Heart University and received her MBA in Business Administration and Management from Curry College. She then completed a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate at Cornell University to further her education in 2018.
She is also a Certified Executive & Leadership coach, Mental Health First Aider as well as a Qualified Administration for the Intercultural Development Inventory. Born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts, Losche is a dedicated mother to three wonderful children and is not one to let a busy schedule hold her back, she was an elected Town Councilor in her hometown for six years. She is an avid Peloton enthusiast and outside of work enjoys Broadway Musicals, cooking with her husband and spending time with family and friends.
Rose McCarthy
Senior Director of Site Operations, AstraZeneca
In her current role as Senior Director of Site Operations at AstraZeneca’s Waltham R&D facility, Rose McCarthy is responsible for the oversight of the Site Operations team including Laboratory Operations, Facilities Operations, Site Services, Logistics, Engineering, Security and Safety Health & Environmental programs. Rose is also responsible for the Operational Readiness team, actively preparing and planning for the smooth transition to AstraZeneca’s new strategic R&D site in Kendall Square, due for completion in 2026.
Prior to joining AZ, she held key various leadership positions at organizations such as Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, WuXi Biologics, NIBRT, and SK biotek Ireland Limited, where she gained wide-ranging experience across operations, supply chain, quality, science and technology. She has a proven record of delivering results through people while adapting to business and strategic challenges in the biopharmaceutical arena. She has extensive international leadership experience and has demonstrated the ability to build successful business partnerships.
Rose earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from University College Dublin, however her passion for lifelong learning has seen her complement her primary qualification by specialized training in lean systems and health and safety from the University of Limerick. In addition, she pursued a Diploma in Lean Systems and a Higher National Diploma in Health and Safety. Beyond professional
accomplishments, Rose is driven by a desire to contribute to collaborative endeavors aimed at enhancing patient outcomes, particularly in the realm of cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Ultimately, she aspires to leave behind a legacy of meaningful impact, enabling individuals and families to cherish more moments together.
Denyse Medlenka
Chief Operating Officer, CIC
Denyse Medlenka is a versatile executive with leadership experience across multiple disciplines spanning audit and finance to human capital management and customer service in organizations of all sizes – from fast-growing startups to global enterprises – guiding teams through critical transitions. Denyse is a graduate of KPMG’s Executive Leadership Institute for Women and is a DiversityFIRST award winner from the National Diversity Council of Texas.
Michael O’Hearn
Property Manager, BXP
Mike O’Hearn is Senior Property Manager at BXP in Cambridge and oversees the management of a 3.5 million SF portfolio consisting of computer and life sciences and a 3 -acre public realm. Mike has been employed by Boston Properties for over 20 years with the past 10 years spent managing the Kendall portfolio. Mike is the current President of the Charles River Transportation Management Association, serving in this capacity for several years. Mike has served as an alternate on the Kendall Square Association board and is looking forward to serving on the board in a full-time capacity.
Mike is a graduate of Northeastern University with a degree in Business Management. In his free time, Mike enjoys cycling, hiking, playing hockey and spending time with family, friends and his Golden Retriever, Duke!
Geeta Pradhan
President, Cambridge Community Foundation
Geeta brings a deep background in government and philanthropy to the Cambridge Community Foundation, as well as expertise in community development, urban design and nonprofit research to her role as the Foundation’s first president.
She served as a foundation leader overseeing strategic initiatives at the Boston Foundation. As part of that work, she led the development of the Fairmount Corridor, organized the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, co-founded the Boston Indicators Project and directed the New Economy Initiative using technology and data to drive social change.
Geeta serves on the Family Policy Council for Cambridge, is a member of the Birth to Third Grade Partnership Steering Committee, district planning committees for the Cambridge Superintendent of Schools, and the Mayor’s Women’s Pay Equity Committee.She studied architecture in India and received her masters from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Eric Quadrino
Owner, Sulmona Restaurant
Eric Quadrino has owned and operated various restaurants across Kendall Square since 2008. He is currently an owner and financial controller in Sulmona Restaurant Group, Mex Taqueria & Bar, and Mexcito Restaurant. Eric began his career in financial services with Citigroup Asset Management before pursuing his true passions of food and hospitality. He enjoys spending time with his family, food, wine, and Michigan Athletics. Go Blue!
Mark Roopenian
Managing Director, DivcoWest Real Estate Investments
As Managing Director of DivcoWest Real Estate Investments, Mark Roopenian leads all leasing and marketing initiatives of the Company’s Cambridge Crossing development, a 45 acre, 4.5 million square foot mixed-use project located in the cities of Cambridge, Somerville and Boston, MA. Mark joined DivcoWest in 2015 bringing over 30 years of ground-up development and leasing experience having played significant roles in projects such as One International Place, John Hancock Tower, and Trip Advisor’s world headquarters. Mark has been deeply involved in all aspects of planning and permitting of Cambridge Crossing, the largest development in Cambridge’s history, and is focused on attracting world-class tenants to this one-of-a-kind project and city.
Prior to joining DivcoWest, Mark was a Principal with Normandy Real Estate Partners, a leading real estate operator and investment manager, overseeing all leasing and development activities for the Greater Boston and Los Angeles markets. Prior to that Mark oversaw all leasing and suburban development activities for the Chiofaro Company, a Boston area real estate development firm.
Mark graduated from Boston College with a degree in Marketing and was a defensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League prior to starting his real estate career. A Boston native, Mark is active in numerous local community and charitable organizations including CASPAR, Cambridge Family & Children Services, East End House, CYO and others. He currently lives in Sudbury, MA with his wife and has 3 grown children.
Tali Sason
Engineering Lead, Firebase, Google
Tali Sason is a software engineering leader at Google, where she coaches the talented teams of engineers building Firebase. This includes Crashlytics, the #1 crash reporting solution in the world, running on over 3 billion devices. She also serves as the Google Cambridge site lead, helping ensure the office is a respectful and inclusive place where all employees can do their best work to make a positive impact on Google and our community.
Before joining Google via acquisition, Tali worked on Crashlytics at Twitter. During her tenure at the social media giant, she helped create Twitter Women in an effort to make the workplace more inclusive and diverse. Prior to that, Tali was a senior engineering manager at Wayfair where she founded Wayfair Labs. Tali has a BS in Computer Engineering from Bucknell University.
When she’s not working with and for developers, you might find Tali spending time with her family, playing with her two dogs or eating way too much candy.
Alexander Schnip
Vice President, Property Management East Coast & U.K., BioMed Realty
Alexander Schnip is Vice President, Property Management, East Coast & UK Markets, at BioMed Realty, a leading provider of real estate solutions to the life science and technology industries. With more than 18 years of experience, Alex leads the property management team for assets totaling more than 9 million square feet across the East Coast and UK markets.
Alex has extensive experience working with a range of asset types, including office, tech, lab, residential and senior housing. Before joining BioMed Realty, Alex was the Vice President, Portfolio Asset Operations, at Benchmark Senior Living, and Vice President at Nordblom Company prior to that. Alex received a Bachelor of Science in Management and Economics from Bryant University.
Shay Sims
Senior Vice President, Asset Services, Alexandria Real Estate Equities
Shay Sims joined Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. in October 2020, bringing over 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. As Senior Vice President of Asset Services for the Greater Boston region, he has been intimately involved in the rapid growth of owned assets and leads a team of professionals responsible for the management and operations of over 11 million square feet of laboratory and office space. Prior to joining Alexandria, Mr. Sims held senior- level positions with Rockhill Management and Hines Interests and was a partner at CB Richard Ellis New England.
Shay resides in Wellesley with his spouse, Cynthia, with whom he has two grown kids, one of which lives and works in East Cambridge.
Arun Skaria
Senior Director, Corporate Responsibility and ESG at Alnylam
Arun Skaria joined Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in 2021 as the Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility/ESG. Prior to joining Alnylam, Arun spent over 7 years working across government affairs, policy, and corporate responsibility functions at Gilead Sciences. Arun also has over a decade of experience in various senior public health roles at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he was a nationally recognized expert on HIV and HCV program integration and policy.
Arun received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
Uli Stilz
Head, Novo Nordisk Bio Innovation Hub
Uli Stilz is Head of Novo Nordisk’s Bio Innovation Hub in Boston. In this role, he is leading a cross functional R&D team developing innovative partnership models with biotech, venture capital, and academia to co-create novel therapies and technologies to provide life changing treatments for people living with cardiometabolic and rare diseases. Uli Stilz graduated with a Master degree in Organic Chemistry from ETH Zürich. He then moved to the Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, where he received his Ph.D. in 1990. After postdoctoral studies at the California Institute of Technology he joined Hoechst AG were he held various positions before he was appointed Associate Vice President of the newly established Innovation unit within the Diabetes Division at Sanofi in 2010.
Over a period of 20 years, he contributed to more than 60 preclinical and clinical drug candidates across cardiometabolic, immunology, and oncology therapy areas. Between 2012 and 2014 he was President of the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry.
In 2014, Uli joined Novo Nordisk A/S in Copenhagen and in 2019 relocated to Boston to create and lead the Novo Nordisk Bio Innovation Hub which was established in 2021.
Uli Stilz was appointed adjunct professor at the University of Frankfurt in 2012 and serves on Editorial Boards for international peer-reviewed journals. He is a member of several Scientific Advisory Boards in North America and Europe, and has represented Novo Nordisk A/S at trade organizations (EFPIA).
Meredith Tierney
Director of US Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Relations, Sanofi
Meredith oversees operations for Sanofi’s US community relations program in the Massachusetts region, a portfolio dedicated to health equity, STEM education access, and harnessing employees’ passion and purpose in the community. Prior to joining Sanofi, Meredith held a similar role at Alexion Pharmaceuticals (now the Rare Disease Unit at AstraZeneca) at the global level, directing the Alexion Charitable Foundation grant-making initiatives.
For over 12 years, her career has been dedicated to developing and cultivating strategic partnerships across sectors, serving on both the corporate and non-profit side of the table. Prior to moving into CSR, she led Boston Ballet’s corporate relations department spearheading collaborations with over 80 institutions from Boston’s business sector and directed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ 20 consulting programs for 700 cultural non-profit organizations worldwide.
Sandra Yi-Fuller
Head of Corporate Responsibility & Reporting, Biogen
Sandra drives Biogen’s corporate responsibility and reporting work, helping steer the company’s environmental, social and governance focus areas and priorities. She loves finding the stories that showcase how employees live the company’s purpose, and partnering with leaders on how Biogen is advancing a healthier and more equitable world.
Her career has spanned industries and cities. In Anchorage, Alaska she worked for KTUU-TV, the NBC affiliate; and a boutique PR/marketing agency. In The Netherlands and Houston, Texas, she worked for Shell in a variety of roles. Highlights of her career includes delivering Biogen’s first DE&I report, responding to incidents with Greenpeace protestors and helping U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski win a write-in campaign. Sandra graduated from Pacific University in Oregon, majoring in literature and art. Since then, she has also learned how to escape from a sinking helicopter.