New York Life Sciences & Biotech Conference

Matt oversees Taconic’s commercial property portfolio and is responsible for all aspects of asset management including marketing, leasing, development, contract negotiations, portfolio strategy, and dispositions. Since joining Taconic in 2006, Matt has been responsible for or directly involved in repositioning over 7 million square feet of commercial space. Matt earned his Master of Science in real estate with a concentration in development from New York University and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Travis McCready is the head of life sciences markets in the Americas for JLL, one of the largest commercial real estate advisories in the world. In this capacity, he leads a multi-country platform that includes brokerage, capital markets, project management, consulting & advisory, and valuation services for life sciences companies, developers and investors. He also co-leads the firms Innovation Districts Practice, helping plan, build and finance innovation districts all over North America. Travis has over 25 years of experience leading public, private, and non-profit ventures with a focus on technology and innovation based economic development. The former President & CEO of the $1.6 billion life sciences funding agency Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Travis is passionate about supporting tech-based entrepreneurship and is a frequent speaker on the evolving role of technology-based economic development at the community and regional level. He remains active in the life sciences community serving on the boards of the global business accelerator MassChallenge, the global life sciences business enabler Nucleate, and Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. He also serves in advisory capacities at Harvard University, MIT, and Johns Hopkins University. No stranger to public service, Travis has served on the Economic Development Planning Council under three Massachusetts governors, has been appointed to state and national initiatives ranging from the arts to advanced manufacturing. Travis received his B.A. in Philosophy from Yale University, and J.D. from the University of Iowa.

Melissa Strickland is a Principal, Senior Interior Designer, and Workplace Strategist in HLW’s Madison, New Jersey office. With more than twenty years of experience, Melissa has developed a strong portfolio of work across the Technology, Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical, Legal, and Financial industries throughout New Jersey. Key Projects include Kering, Eisai, Everest Re, Audible, Cognizant, Kyowa Kirin. Melissa is a stand-out leader of HLW’s Madison office, steering programming, planning, and design work with a special focus on large, complex projects. She brings drive and passion for design and discovery to all her projects and plays a key role in mentoring the office's younger designers. Melissa’s energy is a source of inspiration and a constant beacon of support to her team members. Her professionalism and compassion are displayed based on her interactions with clients, her colleagues, and the project’s end-users.

John Bilotta has 25 years of experience in the design and construction administration of MEP/FP systems for major projects throughout all market sectors. As site leader for the Syska Hennessy Group’s New Jersey office, John’s responsibilities have included supervision of project team members from all engineering disciplines, management of design and construction process and budget, overseeing design services and attending key meetings to stay updated on project direction and concerns. John has been with the Syska for over 15 years and has served in many roles, including project manager, quality assurance officer and lead mechanical engineer on many healthcare, laboratory, higher education and corporate interior projects. “There are always ways to think out of the box and engage the talented people that I am fortunate enough to work with to help a client solve a problem, whether it’s a big issue like planning for a new hospital campus or as incidental as a room that is too hot or cold.” His past project experience includes the new Wishard Hospital replacement facility, University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, University of Pennsylvania Health System Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Rutgers/UMDNJ Cancer Institute and many highly technical and complex renovation projects. John is a LEED Accredited Professional (AP) and is also a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE). He holds a BS in mechanical engineering from Drexel University.

R.P. Brennan, General Contractors/Construction Managers 2021-Present Executive Vice-President, Corporate Strategy & Business Development  Lead the design and execution of major business transformation initiatives to develop the company’s long and short-term objectives, elevate business performance, strengthen the company’s operational model, profit optimization, and growth opportunities.  Identify trends and opportunities in the various construction sectors which the company serves, and seek out new sectors which the company can enter and scale the company’s business.  Provide strategic thinking and execution in business development, sales and marketing, and operations management. Madison Advisory Group LLC 2005-Present Principal  Strategic consultant to real estate owners including the workout and restructuring of debt/equity structures of small and large scale office and multi-family residential projects, and the construction industry.  Built over 2,500 residential units in multiple rental and condominium development and conversion projects in New York City.  Lead coordinator of all aspects of the multi-family rental and condominium development process including acquisition and financing, preparation of condominium offering plans, architecture/design/engineering matters, construction of the property, and marketing and sales of the apartment units. Swig Equities, LLC / Helmsley Spear, LLC, New York, NY 2006-2018 Executive Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer  With Swig Equities, directed the day-to-day business of this real estate investment, development, and property management company, coordinating capital and operating expenditures in the development, ownership, management strategies of a 4+ million square foot portfolio of office buildings.  Led all aspects of the development of 1,000 apartments in 2 large-scale projects with End-to-End experience in the acquisition, financing, architecture/engineering, reconstruction/renovation, and marketing and sales of large-scale condominium conversion projects.  With Helmsley Spear, LLC, lead the day-to-day operations of a 30 broker team, human capital management, and tracking deal pipeline. Metro Loft Management, LLC, New York, NY 2003-2006 Chief Operating Officer; General Counsel  Metro Loft Management, LLC is a diversified real estate development company principally involved in the ownership, development, and conversion from office to residential use.  Led the end-to-end acquisition, financing, architectural, construction, marketing and leasing components of 3 multi-family development projects totaling over 1.5 million square feet of multi-the construction of over 1,300 apartments. EDUCATION: Legal: University of Toledo College of Law Brooklyn Law School Toledo, Ohio Brooklyn, New York Juris Doctor Visiting Student College: Syracuse University Syracuse, New York

Andrea Himmel serves as Principal and Chief Investment Officer at leading Manhattan-based commercial real estate owner/developer Himmel + Meringoff Properties. In this key role, Andrea is working to expand the company’s $2 billion NYC portfolio of Outer Borough industrial warehouses and secondary office buildings in Manhattan. Prior to joining Himmel + Meringoff in 2018, Andrea held a number of key positions with several well-known commercial real estate firms, including Brookfield Properties. As a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s esteemed Wharton School, Andrea earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Real Estate Finance. During her tenure at Wharton, she was also chosen to be part of the Joseph Wharton Scholar Honors Program. Himmel + Meringoff Properties is a privately held New York real estate investment company with a commitment to the long-term ownership and hands-on operation and management of one of the largest privately-owned portfolios of secondary office buildings in Manhattan and a growing portfolio of industrial warehouses located in the boroughs of New York City. The company acquires opportunistic commercial real estate properties with significant value-add potential.

Susan Rosenthal is the Senior Vice President, Life Sciences & Healthcare at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which announced in June 2021 a plan to double the City’s $500 million investment in life sciences to $1 billion to create jobs and establish New York City as a global leader in life sciences. Susan also led NYCEDC’s COVID-19 testing team, which in partnership with City Hall and NYC Health + Hospitals helped launch the Pandemic Response Lab, created a local supply chain for COVID test kits, and evaluated technologies for point of care and rapid tests to support the City’s response to COVID-19. Susan has over fifteen years of industry experience with a rich background in business development, corporate strategy, and portfolio management from her time at Pfizer and Deloitte Consulting. Her experience spans many therapeutic areas as well as across early and late stage R&D. Sue earned her MBA from NYU and her Bachelor's degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Alan Harmon is a Director with Linesight, a global construction consultancy firm. He has over 15 years of experience overseeing the successful delivery of large and intricate construction projects in the United States and Europe. His experience extends to the dynamic field of life sciences, where he plays a pivotal role in the delivery of cutting-edge facilities that support advancements in medical research, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Additionally, he has spearheaded notable projects in the data centers and corporate interiors sectors. Alan is proactive in exploring and implementing innovations in project controls and sustainability.

Patrick O’Sullivan is a partner in Herrick's Real Estate Department where he represents owners, developers, investors, governmental entities and not-for-profit institutions on a range of real estate matters with a focus on development issues, particularly those that arise in public-private transactions. He has represented clients on a range of complex transactions for properties across the U.S., including acquisitions and dispositions, large-scale developments, joint ventures, construction projects, ground leases, and public and private financings. Patrick also navigates clients through the multi-step process of applying for and utilizing tax incentive programs at the local and federal level. He advises clients on the tax incentives available for investors in Qualified Opportunity Zones and on how to structure those investments given the evolving regulatory framework. Patrick is a former Executive Vice President and Head of the Real Estate Transactions Group at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. While at NYCEDC, Patrick worked with leading real estate developers to successfully executing complex public-private transactions throughout the City.

Sally Lee, Associate Education & Science Principal, HDR An architect by training, Sally has a reputation for bringing great creativity, innovation and attention to detail to every project she works on, including some of HDR’s most high-profile education, science, workplace, and mixed-use projects around the globe. In her role as Education & Science leader, she directs and executes regional project leadership, strategic planning and business development efforts to help life science corporations and developers achieve their missions and goals.

Martin L. Togni is a partner in the San Diego office of Allen Matkins with a practice focusing primarily on Life Sciences, representing a variety of landlords and tenants in the development and leasing of Life Science and Biotech projects. He has successfully completed major leasing transactions totaling more than 40 million square feet in California, the Midwest, and East Coast over the past 25 years, representing some of the nation's leading real estate and end-user companies. Martin also represents a wide variety of clients in the acquisition, disposition, development, financing and ground leasing of shopping centers, industrial projects, office buildings and other commercial and mixed-use projects throughout the country

Ed Jaram joined King Street at the start of 2019 to manage project execution in New York and the surrounding markets, and has nearly 20 years’ experience in construction and real estate, both in the US and the UK. Before joining King Street, he ran the in-house construction company for a Manhattan-based developer performing both ground-up and renovation projects, delivering over 1,000,000 sq ft of construction in a three-year period. Before that, he worked for 10 years for Gardiner & Theobald – one of the largest independently-held construction consultancies in the world – and delivered projects with a total value of over $1bn in London, Los Angeles and New York, for clients including the WPP Advertising group, BioMed Realty, and The Dorchester Collection hotel company.

Susan has over 20 years of experience and has become an exceptionally skilled technical architect, proficient in drawing set composition, coordination and preparation of specifications, value engineering evaluation, as well as integration of exterior enclosure, MEP/FP and other specialty systems. These skills complement her ability to listen carefully to clients, understand complex program requirements – especially in the sciences – and integrate technical requirements into design solutions. She often serves as direct client liaison, and is responsible for quality assurance and control measures on projects of all types . She is highly proficient in the administration of building, accessibility, MEP and life safety codes and has extensive experience with construction administration. Susan’s experience reflects her expansive capabilities and expertise on a variety of building types, with an emphasis on clinical and research laboratories.

As Chief MEP Estimator, Anthony oversees the entire MEP team and the estimation process from start to finish, ensuring the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and competitiveness of all estimates. He also acts as the client liaison during pre- construction, skillfully coordinating between owners, architects, engineers, and specialty contractors to create a seamless pre-construction process that lays the foundation for project success in the field. Anthony conducts cost analyses and evaluates contracts to identify potential risks and opportunities for cost savings. Additionally, he collaborates closely with the Operations team to incorporate schedules, logistics, and scopes of work into the estimate, considering operational costs as well. Anthony’s extensive industry knowledge has been honed through his involvement in numerous healthcare, life science, education, residential, commercial, and general MEP new construction projects.

Josh has over 37 years of experience in the industry. 35 years of it within the science & technology markets. This has provided him with a unique blend of experience including projects for life science, academic, micro-electronic, bio-medical, medical device, pharmaceutical, mission critical, R&D laboratories, and cleanrooms. These projects include: BSL-4, BSL-3 and BLSL-2 laboratories, vivarium, cGMP manufacturing spaces and cleanroom (class 10,000 to class 1) environments. With significant experience in strategic planning, business development, project leadership and management, budgeting, scheduling, construction administration and facilitation of life science/advanced technology projects, he has been able to skillfully integrate client and stakeholder needs and transform them into built solutions.