Grace Rappe leads the Chicago studio for HDR architecture. Her portfolio spans architecture and landscape architecture projects across retail, mixed-use, education, and civic sectors in both public and private contexts, including the Wrigley Field improvements—projects that reflect hometown pride and have helped shape Chicago and the surrounding region. She has a particular interest in how public-private partnership and interdisciplinary collaboration can help create meaningful spaces and experiences that often defy traditional building or landscape typologies. A long-time Chicago resident, Grace is active with both the local industry and the greater community. She has previously served on the board of directors for the Magnificent Mile Association, Chicago Gateway Green Association, and the Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation.

Jason is senior project manager at Skender, one of Chicago’s top building contractors with significant experience and expertise in life sciences construction. Skender frequently collaborates with developers, brokers, architects, universities, hospitals and corporations to deliver state-of-the-art, highly specialized lab workspaces. For example, Skender recently completed construction of the two-story, 54,000-SF lab and office space for Hazel Technologies, a USDA-funded food technology company. Located at 320 N. Sangamon in Fulton Market, the project was one of the first completed conversions of office space into lab space for a life sciences firm in Chicago.

Norbert Riedel, Ph.D., is president and chief executive officer of Aptinyx Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, where he also serves as a member of the board of directors.

Dr. Riedel was formerly president and chief executive officer of Naurex Inc., the predecessor company acquired by Allergan and from which Aptinyx and its technology were spun out. Prior to Naurex, he served in various roles at Baxter International Inc., most recently as corporate vice president and chief science and innovation officer. Previously, he was head of worldwide biotechnology and held a number of scientific management positions at Hoechst-Marion Roussel (now Sanofi). He is an adjunct professor at Boston University School of Medicine and Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Dr. Riedel serves on the board of directors of Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc, Eton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization. He served on the board of directors of Ariad Pharmaceuticals until the company was acquired. He is a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and served on Governor Pat Quinn’s Illinois Innovation Council.

Dr. Riedel holds a diploma in biochemistry and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Frankfurt.

Michael S. Rosen is chair of the Center for Healthcare Innovation, a not-for-profit organization focused on healthcare equity. He is also managing director of Rosen Biosciences Strategies LLC, a life science economic development consultancy focusing on the development of science parks and clusters, and enabling international life science companies to enter the U.S. market.

Dan Seals is the Chief Executive Officer of Intersect Illinois, a public private partnership focused on global business development for the State of Illinois. He oversees all aspects of the organization, including marketing, sales, financing, and personnel.

Dan has spent his career in both the public and private sector. He previously served as a Director at the American Medical Association, where he led both domestic and international marketing for a large portfolio of business services. He has also led business marketing for a division of GE Capital, where he helped achieve double digit growth in the specialized real estate sector. Prior to that Dan led a marketing team at T-Mobile, where he marketed telecommunications products nationwide.

Dan also served as the Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, where he oversaw programs for business attraction, small business support, workforce development, tourism, and international trade. During that time he led the development of the first Illinois Economic Development Plan in years. Dan has previously served as an adjunct professor of public policy at Northwestern University. He also won the Presidential Management Fellowship—serving as an aide to the Assistant Secretary of U.S. Department of Commerce and as an economic aide in the U.S. Senate.

Dan holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and a MIPP in International Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University. He was born and raised in Illinois where he resides with his wife and three daughters.

John Conrad, President and CEO, Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO), the

association representing the nearly 88,000 life sciences jobs in Illinois

As President and CEO of iBIO, John’s mission is to promote, connect and engage the members of

the Illinois Life Sciences community to drive discovery, transform lives through groundbreaking

research and grow the Illinois economy.

John started at iBIO shortly after its formation in December of 2001, and has helped build the

organization into one of the top state BIO associations. He has been a constant champion for the

community helping to host 3 BIO International Conventions in Chicago, developed and released

the first economic study on the life sciences industry in Illinois, served on Governor Pritzker’s

Transition Committee, City of Chicago’s economic plan committee, launched the COVID PPE

Response Fund for Illinois and was part of the founding committee for MATTER Chicago, a

health-tech incubator. In 2020 iBIO was recognized as “One of the 100 Organizations that will

Save the World” by ASAE.

John is passionate about ensuring innovative companies have the best environment possible to

research, develop, and commercialize breakthrough therapies, products and cures for people

around the world.

John has an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, and an B.A. from Indiana University.

As an Intrepid learner, Michael is well read on a broad range of subjects, and even reads science for fun. Michael loves organizational structures and an ability to describe complicated things in simple ways. His ability to collaborate and find common ground with many different types of people is driven by his self-described “extroverted introvert” personality.

Having been in charge of an architecture firm for 26+ years, starting with Cornerstone Architects when he was just 30 years old to MRSA Architects to Racer/MRSA, Michael brings years of knowledge and experience. Michael is a member of BOMA’s Codes and Education committees and has created and

taught classes in both Construction Documents and Life Science Design for BOMA, as well as BOMA measurement. Michael would say he has at least one of everything he could ever want – a wife, a son, a dog, a cat and a single digit handicap.

Kurt’s professional engineering career spans over 40 years. His expertise includes structural engineering design for Mission Critical Facilities such as Data Centers, Health Care Facilities such as Hospitals and Clinics and Life Sciences Facilities such as Biopharmaceutical Pilot Plants and Production Facilities around the United States and the World. His area of expertise is in designing buildings to be occupable after natural disasters including Tornados, Hurricanes and Earthquakes. He has been the structural engineer of record for conventional “fixed Base Buildings” ranging from 1-23 stories, “Base Isolated Buildings” ranging from 1-5 stories, and the retrofit and new construction of buildings incorporating Fluid Viscous Dampers ranging from 1-22 stories. He has published numerous papers on passive energy dissipation and presented the findings at various conventions in Boston, San Francisco and Milan.

For over 23 years as the Founding Principal at PARADIGM Structural Engineers, Kurt spends most of his time developing new leaders at PARADIGM and mentoring staff in Chicago and San Francisco.

Max Zwolan is a Vice President within JLL’s Life Sciences Practice Group in Chicago, and focuses his efforts in advising groups with lab, R&D, and specialty manufacturing real estate needs. Max represents both tenants and owners in their real estate strategy, bringing a unique perspective within the Chicago market, and his experience ranges from working with local university spin-outs to institutional owners.