Elyse Blazevich leads CBSA’s work to create co-opportunity for Colorado’s life sciences community. Together with the CBSA Board of Directors, team, partners, sponsors, and members, she strategically advances CBSA’s efforts to build a collaborative environment for health innovation.

Elyse brings deep knowledge of life sciences company needs, CBSA as an organization, and Colorado’s business community to offer continuity, connections, and a clear vision for the future of CBSA and the ecosystem it represents. Before joining CBSA, she co-founded Securisyn Medical and led the organization as COO and CFO, transitioning the company from a

founder-led startup to a professionally led, commercial-stage medical device company. She remains a member of the Securisyn Medical Board of Directors.

Paul C. Johnson is the 17th President of Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. MINES is world-renowned for producing highly sought-after scientists and engineers, innovations and objective analyses, especially in fields relevant to earth, energy and the environment.

Dr. Johnson’s career reflects his strong passion for innovation, education and student success. He began his career at Shell Development in Houston, developing novel approaches for managing and restoring contaminated soil and groundwater sites. He then joined the faculty at Arizona State University to continue this work and share his experiences with students. He was attracted to the presidency at Colorado School of Mines because of its focused mission, long history of rich industry partnerships, use-inspired research programs, reputation for producing outstanding graduates and strong alumni affinity.

He has received awards recognizing his contributions to education and research, including the Fair Distinguished Engineering Educator Award from the Water Environment Federation, the Brown and Caldwell Lifetime Achievement Award in Remediation, and the National Ground Water Association’s Keith E. Anderson Award. A chemical engineer, Dr. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Davis and master’s and doctoral degrees from Princeton University.

Vuna Fa is a leader in oncology diagnostics with over 15 years of experience spanning assay development, clinical laboratory integration, and manufacturing scale-up. He has held senior leadership roles at Exact Sciences in Boston and Personal Genome Diagnostics (PGDx) in Baltimore and started his career at Roche Tissue Diagnostics (Tucson, AZ and Penzberg, Germany sites). Vuna has led large, multi-site teams, advanced multi-cancer early detection technologies, and successfully delivered FDA-approved diagnostic products while achieving significant cost reductions and operational efficiencies.

Vuna is recognized as an innovative people & technical leader who has built highly effective teams and specialized in building out new labs and in-house capabilities.

Matt is an Associate and project manager for Martin/Martin, Inc. with 20 years of industry experience delivering complex facilities across Colorado. He has led projects for higher education, healthcare, recreation, and cultural clients, with particular experience in technically demanding environments that require specialized infrastructure, careful coordination, and long-term planning. His representative project experience includes DU STEM Horizons, the UCCS Anschutz Engineering Center, the CSU SPUR Terra Building, and the Colorado School of Mines U.S. Geological Survey Energy and Minerals Research Facility, along with cleanroom and renovation projects that support advanced research and innovation. With a background in facilities that serve education, research, and emerging technologies, Matt brings valuable perspective to conversations about how life sciences, biotech, and quantum growth are influencing facility demand in the Denver Metro area.

Enthusiastic construction project manager with 10 years of experience overseeing all phases of multi-million dollar construction projects for private sector clients. Proven ability to deliver projects on time, within budget, and to the highest standard of quality and safety. Notable projects include a confidential client cleanroom modification, VF Corp dry lab, UCH chemistry and pathology labs, and Particle Measuring Systems labs and office.

Dr. Afshin Safavi is a founder, councilman, consultant, board member, entrepreneur, and investor in

biotechnology, pharmaceutical, animal health, technology, and real-estate sectors with multi-billion-

dollar turnovers in biological products and is responsible for multiple drug products in the market today.

He is the founder of Colorado Health and Tech Centers (CHTC). Prior to that, he founded BioAgilytix

Labs, one of the most successful multi-billion-dollar Contract Research Organizations known

internationally. He has extensive experience establishing and leading teams in start-ups, as well as

Fortune 500 biotech and pharmaceutical companies. He has worked with clients and companies in more

than 30 countries. Dr. Safavi obtained his B.S. in Biochemistry from UCLA and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry

from the University of Kentucky Medical School. He completed a two-year postdoctoral assignment at

the Emory University, Department of Pathology.

Mike Freeman serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Innosphere Ventures, which is a science and technology-focused incubator organization. The organization has a specialized R&D facility for startup ventures and venture capital, and it has been in operation for 25 years. Mr. Freeman is responsible for managing all aspects of Innosphere’s operations, finances, strategy, and execution. He is also the General Partner in charge of Innosphere Ventures Fund I and Fund II and has led several investment rounds in science and technology companies located in Colorado and other surrounding states.

Innosphere Ventures is committed to driving significant economic growth in Colorado and the surrounding areas. In the past, Innosphere played a leading role in the Colorado Coalition, which made it to the final round of the US EDA Build Back Better grant program.

Innosphere also led a joint proposal between Colorado and Wyoming to the National Science Foundation Engines program, which is now in the final round of review. In addition to these accomplishments, Innosphere is actively pursuing other transformative funding opportunities. Our goal is to position the Colorado region as one of the top-performing economic regions in the US within five years. With over 100,000 technology professionals working in the front range of Colorado, the region can achieve elite status with a concerted effort.

As a Project Manager specializing in science and technology projects, Jessica is known for her collaborative approach and commitment to turning client visions into reality. She works closely with clients and stakeholders, ensuring that guiding design principles and project goals are seamlessly integrated into every phase of the project.

Jessica’s passion lies in creating design solutions that harmonize aesthetics with functionality, resulting in spaces that elevate form, enhance function, and improve the occupant experience. Her expertise in managing complex projects allows her to navigate challenges with clarity, offering thoughtful solutions that keep teams aligned and focused.

A skilled communicator, Jessica fosters continuous collaboration throughout all project phases, ensuring design continuity and consistency from concept to completion. Her ability to bring clarity to intricate design challenges makes her an invaluable partner for clients and project teams alike, particularly in the highly specialized realm of science and technology.

Jessica has led multiple award winning projects, including: USC’s Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall, USC Michelson Hall, Caltech Linde Hall of Mathematics and Physics, and currently under construction: Caltech’s New Quantum Measurement Research Facility in Pasadena

Zach Leger is a Vice President within JLL Houston’s leading Healthcare and Life Sciences practice group. With more than 10 years of experience as a commercial real estate broker, Zach has a wide variety of real estate experience with a particular passion for working with companies on their therapeutics manufacturing facilities and R&D labs. Zach has also worked with multiple healthcare providers and specialty hospital companies. Specific asset types include cGMP Manufacturing facilities, research/development laboratories, hospitals. class A medical office buildings, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, emergency centers, urgent care centers, and dental clinics

Experience

Zach represents CDMOs, API producers, therapeutics developers, both large public and not-for-profit institutional systems, small- to medium-size private companies, and small private practice providers throughout the country, Texas and the Houston metro area.