Ritish Patnaik is CEO and Co-Founder of Curve Biosciences ("Curve"). Curve uses Whole-Body Intelligence to monitor chronic diseases. Curve has created the first molecular blueprint of the human body by manually curating the world’s largest collection of comprehensively-characterized tissue samples into our Whole-Body Atlas. Trained on the clarity of this atlas, the company's Whole-Body Intelligence models identify chronic disease states through its Whole-Body Blood tests earlier and more accurately than other methods. Curve's mission is to provide doctors the best intelligence for their patients and to alleviate the pain of chronic diseases by anchoring medicine in biological truth. Before Curve, Ritish was in business development at Roche/Genentech focusing on pharma partnering opportunities that leveraged multi-omics and AI. He grew up in Dallas and lived on both coasts, earning a PhD in Bioengineering and MS in Management Science from Stanford University and a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University.

Gina Ford, PharmD, MBA, is the Chief Executive Officer of BioNorth Texas (BioNTX),

where she is focused on positioning North Texas as one of the nation’s leading hubs for

life sciences innovation. She brings a builder’s mindset to the role—connecting industry,

academia, healthcare systems, and investors to accelerate innovation, support

company growth, and deliver meaningful impact for patients.

With more than two decades of experience across biotech and pharmaceutical

industries, Gina has built her career at the intersection of strategy and execution. She

has led corporate strategy, business development, and commercialization efforts for

clinical-stage and growth companies, including IPSEN and Crinetics Pharmaceuticals.

She is also the founder of One Joule, LLC, where she has advised life science

companies on company formation, fundraising, licensing, and go-to-market strategy.

Prior to BioNTX, Gina served as CEO of Women In Bio, where she led a period of

significant transformation—expanding national reach, strengthening partnerships, and

building programs that advanced leadership and opportunity across the life sciences

sector.

Known for her ability to bring people together around a shared vision, Gina is

passionate about building ecosystems that move beyond connection to real

outcomes—fueling innovation, attracting investment, and ultimately improving patient

lives. Her work is grounded in a simple belief: scientific advancement only matters if it

reaches and changes the lives of patients.

Ese Aihie is an Entrepreneur and CRE industry expert with over 15 years in real estate. Serves as

President for Admiral Legacy Companies which includes Venture X Castle Hills, a premium flexible

office space provider and Founder/CEO for Work Innovators, a media production and marketing

company focused on amplifying the voice of businesses and communities. Current/Past experience

includes, office/collaborative work space, single –family development, mixed-use development, P3,

land procurement, community outreach, contract negotiations, business development.

Ese transitioned into real estate full-time after an 18 years career in Workforce Mgt. & Technology

Management in Fortune 100 organizations. My experience with real-estate, passion for people, and

community led me to the commercial real estate space pod i play in today. Enriching people’s lives

through communities; by creating environments and experiences is critical to how she approaches the

projects or investments she works on.

She is actively involved in and understands the value of communities, and the different neighborhood

dynamics. Her community involvement proves her to be not just a real estate professional, but also

trusted advisor and partner. She is known for her integrity and equanimity in difficult situations. She is

an active member of the nonprofit Urban Land Institute (ULI) as a Council & Facilitator of UrbanPlan for

Education Committee. An advocate for small businesses serves on several boards and Leadership

Councils including the Board of Directors at The Colony Chamber of Commerce, the National Small

Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council, The Scott Murray Scholarship Fund, and Texas Real

Estate Council.(TREC)

Master’s in public management from University of Texas Dallas and bachelor's degree in law (BL)

Faith, Family and Fun-Travel are key areas of her non-work life. Married to her life and business partner

Andrew and they have 3kids together.

Gabby is the Director of Business Operations & Strategy and Site Head for BioLabs Pegasus Park, the

premier network of shared lab and office facilities located in key innovation clusters. As Director, she is

responsible for recruiting member companies, fostering relationships, and building the biotech

community in North Texas. Prior to BioLabs, Gabby was the Lead Scientist in the Biotech group at NCH

Corporation. There she led the product development team for bioaugmentation and probiotic products,

from ideation to commercialization. She holds 8 US patents and has another 7 patents pending. Gabby

holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University where she was author on nearly 50 peer-

reviewed research publications.

Dr. Brenden Mesch serves as Provost at Collin College, supporting the Technical Campus in Allen. He has a passion for helping students pursue their future career goals. More than 25 years ago, he started teaching at Collin College as an adjunct faculty member. It was in this first role with Collin that he caught the teaching bug, which, over the years, expanded to include roles in administration. He has been a passionate advocate for helping students transform their lives through higher education, while advancing programs to ensure graduates are well-qualified for industry positions. Building new industry-aligned programs and developing the people who support students are what makes coming to work every day exciting for him!

His research focuses on how industry employment while attending college reinforces career goals and enhances career persistence has been integrated into many educational initiatives over the years. He is an Austin College (Biology) graduate with additional degrees from Argosy University, The Culinary Institute of America, and The University of North Texas. He has made Collin County home for most of his life, living in Allen, Plano, and Frisco over the years.

Brian Richard, AIA, is an Owner and Partner at Kirksey Architecture, where he serves as Managing Director of Kirksey’s Science and Technology Practice. Brian and the Science & Technology department oversee three practice areas under the S&T umbrella: 1) Laboratories and Research, 2) Mission Critical, and 3) Industrial and Special Projects. These practice areas represent a diverse range of institutional and commercial clients. Brian’s project portfolio is extraordinarily diverse; Kirksey's laboratory work ranges from landmark R&D and HQ campuses for Fortune 500 energy, chemical, and life science companies to cancer research facilities, vivaria, genetics research, therapy centers, healthcare, and pharmaceutical laboratories. He regularly contributes to strategic-level decision-making on high-investment projects, guiding clients toward advantageous development solutions. Brian is well known in the industry for both his architectural expertise and his ability to create unique project delivery options when a creative solution is required.

Since joining McGough in 2000, Tom has been a driving force in the successful management and delivery of specialized projects within the technology and life science sectors. He has led complex pharmaceutical, biotechnology, laboratory, and advanced manufacturing projects for clients including Takeda, Bio-Techne, WuXi AppTec, Beckman Coulter, Entegris, Surmodics, and Protein Design Labs, delivering biologics manufacturing facilities, GMP production spaces, research laboratories, cleanrooms, and process-intensive renovations. His expertise in design-build delivery and occupied, highly regulated environments enables him to successfully execute technically complex projects while fostering collaboration among owners, designers, and contractors. Beyond project execution, Tom is dedicated to mentoring and developing staff, cultivating lasting client relationships, and identifying new opportunities for McGough's growth. His commitment to excellence and innovation continues to drive McGough's success in the technology and life science market.

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.

Chad is a Design Principal and Gensler’s Global Health Sector Leader. He is one of a handful of design directors responsible for setting the standard of design excellence across the firm’s global organization. He believes that design is rooted in three simple ideas. First, design must be purposeful — it needs to work and work well. Second, places should be irresistible — drawing people in, making them smile, encouraging them to linger, and keeping them coming back. And third, design should tell a story — one that reflects the ambitions, values, and identity of the people for which it’s built. From future forward science buildings on fully amenitized mixed-use campuses to boutique hotels, wellness retreats, and creative offices, Chad’s work spans industries, scales, and continents. His portfolio ranges from 500-square-foot interventions to synergistic, multi-million-square-foot environments — all united by a belief that design isn’t just about form or function. It’s about impact.