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Speakers and Panels

Gayle Blakeley Farris

Gayle Blakeley Farris

Regional Partner

Transwestern Development

Mark Sardegna

Mark Sardegna

Principal

Elkus Manfredi Architects

Ann Tanabe

Ann Tanabe

CEO

BioHouston

Justin Brasell
Moderator

Justin Brasell

Executive Managing Director

Transwestern

Kim Schell
EMCEE

Kim Schell

Houston Market Manager

Bisnow Media

Gayle Blakeley Farris

Regional Partner

Transwestern Development

Gayle is based in Houston and serves as Regional Partner for Life Science & Healthcare

development. She is responsible for the pursuit, conceptualization and execution of projects

focused around life sciences and healthcare asset class. This includes institutional and

corporate campuses, research buildings, and mixed-use placemaking projects in markets

where university and healthcare research are tech transfer real estate facilities and campus

placemaking demand drivers.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Gayle has directed and participated in some of the most innovative life science

developments in the country. Her work has been focused on translational research

campuses and urban revitalization projects involving some of the nation’s most respected

research universities, hospitals and bioscience companies. Her recent work as real estate

advisor to Harvard University focused on master planning its 375-acre Allston campus

including its Enterprise Research innovation campus.

Gayle also spent 25 years in Boston as CEO, Forest City Enterprises Science & Technology

Group where she directed the development of $2 billion of translational research and life

science facilities. Her work included:

 University Park @ MIT – 2.3 million square foot, 27-acre tech transfer campus

developed in partnership with MIT. The campus includes 1.5 million SF corporate

headquarters, research, R&D facilities for Novartis, Takada Oncology, and Mass

General/ Brigham & Women’s Hospital in addition to 700 residential units, a

hotel-conference center, and retail amenities.

 Science & Tech Park @ Johns Hopkins – Revitalization of an 88-acre Baltimore

neighborhood through a public private partnership anchored by Johns Hopkins.

The campus now includes a million SF of biomedical research facilities and a

hotel, mixed-income housing, and a new elementary school.

 University of Pennsylvania Translational Research Labs – Strategic partnership

with Penn to create biomedical research facility to foster collaboration and drug

commercialization between university and corporate research projects.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/RECOGNITION

Mass Biotech Council & International Board

MIT Center for Real Estate

Research affiliate MIT School of Architecture & Planning New Century Cities Initiative

ULI

Past President & Chairman of NAIOP Massachusetts chapter

Frequent industry speaker on university tech clusters and urban placemaking

EDUCATION

Gayle has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, International Relations and Urban

Planning from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.

Mark Sardegna

Principal

Elkus Manfredi Architects

Mark Sardegna joined Elkus Manfredi Architects in 2004 and has more than 30 years of experience in the design and management of highly complex urban projects from the East Coast to the Pacific Northwest. With a diverse portfolio of projects nationally and internationally that reflects his training as both an architect and a planner, his career has focused on the creation of new mixed-use and urban neighborhoods that reinvigorate underutilized districts into 21st-century mixed-use destinations. He also brings extensive experience in the planning and design of lively innovation districts that support the collaborative imperatives of today’s science and technology.

Mark has managed design teams for projects including New Balance headquarters, training facilities for the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics, the global headquarters campus for Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston’s Innovation District, and the four-million-square-foot life science master plan at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Osborn Triangle and subsequent Six Ten Main development. He is currently leading the planning and design team transforming the Landmark Center — a former Sear’s department store and distribution center in Boston’s historic Fenway neighborhood — into a vibrant social hub offering new retail and residential destinations. Mark has collaborated extensively with The Walt Disney Company on entertainment and retail precincts in Orlando, Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai and managed projects for numerous higher education institutions.

Mark graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Boston Society of Architects, and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Ann Tanabe

CEO

BioHouston

Ann Tanabe was appointed CEO of BioHouston in October 2015 after serving four years as the

company’s COO. Prior to joining BioHouston in 2011, Ann served as vice president of investor relations

at Synthesis Energy Systems, a publicly traded alternative energy company from May 2008 to December

2010.

Prior to this position, Ann served as vice president of corporate communications and investor relations

and investor relations director at Encysive Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded biotechnology company

from July 2003 to May 2008.

From October 2000 to July 2003, Ann served as investor relations manager and corporate

communications coordinator to Texas Biotechnology, the predecessor company to Encysive

Pharmaceuticals. Prior to 2000, Ann held a variety of positions at Rochem Separation Systems. Ann

earned a BA degree from Loyola Marymount University.

Ann is a member of the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Product Development

Advisory Committee. Additionally, Ann is a member of The University of Houston BME Industrial

Advisory Board, Rice University’s Professional Science Master’s Program Advisory Board and Houston

Community College’s Biotechnology Advisory Committee. Ann has been an active member of the

Houston Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) since 2000 and is a current Board

Member.

Justin Brasell

Moderator

Transwestern

Justin serves as Executive Managing Director of Transwestern’s Healthcare & Life Sciences Advisory Services Group and leads the Houston Healthcare & Life Sciences Brokerage Team. With 16 dedicated professionals, the Team leases over 8 million square feet of clinical & lab space, more than any other local firm, and has transacted over 2,000 lease and building sales in the last 5 years. The team specializes in agency leasing, tenant representation, investment services and strategic account management.

Justin has been with Transwestern since 2007 and specializes in providing real estate solutions within this niche space to investors, developers, end users and VC firms. His expertise in leasing, investment services, development, construction and asset management, allows him to apply a holistic lens to any real estate opportunity, resulting in optimal outcomes for Transwestern clients

Kim Schell

EMCEE

Bisnow Media

Kim was born in Flushing, New York and come from many generations of New Yorkers. It was a culture shock when she first moved to Houston, Texas in the late 70's but can now say Y'all with the best of them. Kim graduated from the University of Houston with a BBA in Marketing and has worked in media her entire life. Kim played and coached soccer for many years and even spent a summer in England playing in tournaments. The oldest of three girls, she now has two sons (the first born Texans in her family), a husband and three male rescue dogs.

Summary

  1. Texas is a growing life sciences hub. What impact has this pandemic had on the life sciences sector? Will these impacts last?

  2. How important will co-working life science labs be in the next phase of developments?

  3. Will coronavirus play a role in future life sciences development?

  4. With Houston's hurting economy, will there be a struggle between developers for tenants?