Atlanta Healthcare and Life Sciences Update

Amy Carenza is the chief commercial officer at ActivePure, where she has global responsibility for the development and implementation of commercial strategy for the company. Prior to joining ActivePure, Carenza enjoyed a distinguished career in financial services spanning the last 20 years. She has worked across a diverse range of industries and advised numerous mid and large-cap companies on the evaluation of strategic alternatives and optimal execution in debt and equity capital markets, domestic and international treasury, global trade and risk management. She previously worked for Bank of America and most recently PNC, where she was a Managing Director in Corporate & Institutional Banking. While at PNC, she also played an integral role in the creation and subsequent launch of PNC's Organizational Financial Wellness business, providing customized solutions, strategies and thought leadership to human resource executives for employee financial wellness. Her dedication to research and innovation in the financial space has garnered multiple patents. Amy is a member of The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and is active in the Dallas/Ft. Worth chapter of International Facility Management Association (IFMA).

Katie Leonard serves as Wellstar Health System Vice President of Real Estate and Facility Development Services. In her role, Katie provides strategic oversight and direction for construction, real estate, and overall facility operations and maintenance of Wellstar owned and managed properties. Katie is an established industry leader with over 20 years of experience in complex facility management, field operations, cost and risk analysis, and procurement. Throughout her career she has specialized in healthcare and higher education capital investments. Katie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia Tech. In addition to her degree, Katie is a LEED AP BD+C accredited professional. She served as the 2020 Board Chair for the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Georgia and continues to serve on ABC’s Executive Committee. Katie is a member of the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Construction & Infrastructure Systems Engineering (CISE) Advisory Board.  Katie is also a member of the Wellstar Foundation Giving Committee. In February 2020, the Atlanta Business Chronicle named her as one of their “People on the Move.”

Kris Miller, Ackerman & Co.’s President since 1998, sets the strategic direction for the firm’s investment, management and leasing initiatives. Under his leadership, the company has experienced consistent growth and diversified earnings, solidifying its standing as one of the leading full-service commercial real estate firms in the Southeast. To date, Ackerman & Co. has developed and acquired nearly 35 million square feet of office, medical, industrial, retail and mixed-use space; maintains an investment portfolio valued at $1 billion; and has 8 million square feet under management. Miller is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson in the State of Georgia. He serves on the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts Board, the Real Estate Investment Advisory Council (REIAC) and the Carter Center Board of Councilors. He is a Forum Leader of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), past Program Chair of the Harvard University Real Estate Academic Initiative and President of the Silver Lake Association, an 80-acre, old-growth urban forest dedicated to green space preservation. He is also an active member of NAIOP and ICSC. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University with an A.B. in Economics, he also attended the London School of Economics & Political Science and Citicorp’s Institute of Global Finance and Management Program for MBA’s focusing on corporate finance, capital structuring risk management, and public and private capital markets.

Mervyn Alphonso is Executive Vice President & Partner with Anchor Health Properties. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, he lends his acute understanding of the healthcare real estate sector across Anchor’s business platforms. With more than 20 years specializing in the healthcare real estate industry, he is involved in the firm's investments and development platforms, including leading acquisition transactions, as well as development projects and management engagements. Offering significant knowledge of the healthcare sector, Mervyn’s depth of experience as an accomplished professional, includes acquisitions, development, financial feasibility, site selection and evaluation, and asset management. His prior career experience includes six years as a Managing Director with NexCore Group as well as serving as a Director with Alvarez & Marsal and in addition, he spent time earlier in his career with Hammes Company. He currently serves on Industry Advisory Board of the Virginia Tech Program in Real Estate and is also a member of the Association of Medical Facility Professionals (AMFP). In addition, he has previously served on the organizing and leadership committee of the BOMA International Medical Office Buildings and Healthcare Facilities conference. Mervyn earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Ajay Kapoor is the CEO of TouchSource, the industry leader in smart digital displays and IoT-connected directory solutions that improve the experience of tenants, visitors and shoppers. Prior to leading TouchSource, Ajay was the VP of Global Customer Experience at Imagine Communications and a senior executive at Avaya Communications where he ran professional services, consulting and customer support. Ajay is a graduate of the University of Texas with a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Philosophy. Based in Denver, Colorado he can be found with his wife and daughter on a trail with his boots, bikes or skis.

Stacy Connell leads Technogym sales in the Southeast for health, corporate and performance. Stacy brings 20 years of experience in the fitness and wellness industry as a nationally recognized health, wellbeing, and recreation expert, speaker, and consultant from her work in the higher education and corporate wellness settings. Stacy’s holistic approach to health and wellbeing is as multifaceted as her experience. As a consultant, Stacy supported her clients through strategic planning, wellbeing strategy and framework development, built and natural environment design, benefits design and product development. She has had points of pride in her career such as authoring the NC State university-wide wellness strategy and leading a newly expanded health promotion department as Georgia Tech’s first Senior Director of Health Initiatives, with responsibility for leading and developing a holistic approach of health and well-being serving 32,000 students and 10,000 employees. Stacy has also served in campus recreation roles focused on fitness and wellness at the University of Georgia and Texas Christian University. Throughout her career, Stacy has harnessed her passion for biophilic design and the built and natural environments by serving as a key member of small- and large-scale facility and landscape projects. Projects range from fitness studio renovations to large scale construction projects including the Kandeda Building for Sustainable Design, Georgia Tech Campus Center Renovation and Expansion, and the Carmichael Wellness and Recreation Center Renovation and Expansion. Stacy proudly served as the co-chair for NIRSA’s inaugural Health and Wellbeing Task Force. She now serves on the Wellbeing Advisory Council for the American Cancer Society, Partnership for a Healthier America and the Jed Foundation. Stacy has held previous board roles with National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities and is involved in the American College Health Association, the Health Enhancement Research Organization, the National Wellness Institute and NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Stacy has been featured and contributed to various publications including NASPA Leadership Exchange, NIRSA Know, and Campus Rec Magazine. She has also been invited to share and contribute her best practices with others. Stacy has given over 30 conference presentations and speaking engagements related to population health, wellbeing, campus recreation and employee wellness. Stacy received Bachelors’ Degrees in Exercise Physiology- Fitness & Nutrition and Biological Science from Florida State University and a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Georgia. She also holds many fitness and wellness credentials including certified wellness practitioner, certified health coach, registered yoga teacher, certified strength and conditioning specialist, personal trainer and fitness instructor. Additionally, Stacy has continued to expand her knowledge through intensive leadership programs, diversity and inclusion trainings, and skill-based education in motivational interviewing, improvement science, and design thinking. ​ Stacy lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and their three children, Mason, Logan, and Piper. Stacy enjoys unwinding with family hikes, working out, and good wine with great company.

EJane Caraway, Director of Life Sciences, Georgia Department of Economic Development Director of the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Life Sciences team, EJane Caraway leads her division in supporting and strengthening the life sciences industry by providing assistance to companies considering establishing or expanding their presence in Georgia. Georgia provides global access, innovative talent, and resources for research and development, and is home to than 2,000 life sciences companies and organizations. Since joining GDEcD in 2009, and working closely with organizations across Georgia to grow the state’s Life Sciences community, EJane and has led more than 160 projects, which have generated over $5.9 billion in capital investment and created more than 17,500 jobs for Georgians. In 2021, EJane was recognized with a coveted Industry Growth Award from Georgia Bio (GaBio), the state’s Life Science trade association, for the incredible impact she has made in growing Georgia’s Life Sciences industry. In addition to Georgia Bio (GaBio), her membership affiliations include the Georgia HIMSS Board, Innovation Crescent Board, Georgia Economic Developers Association, Southeast Development Council, Korean Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and several others. She has also led Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society, and for many years served the Boy Scouts of America. Prior to joining the Georgia Department of Economic Development, EJane was Vice President of Business Development with Southern Creations Development. She also served as President of the Muscatine Development Corporation and was a Director both at MCI and Sprint for the Southeast Region. EJane has owned several businesses of her own and has been involved in commercial development in Georgia and other Southeastern states. EJane holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from East Tennessee State University and is a Certified Economic Development Finance Professional.

Maria Thacker Goethe is the founding CEO of The Center for Global Health Innovation (CGHI), an Atlanta-based organization formed in 2020 from the merger of Georgia’s major global health and life sciences organizations. CGHI was established as an impartial, leading organizer of the global health, life sciences and health technology community which embraces cross-sector collaboration and speaks with a collective voice. Maria is also the president and CEO of Georgia Bio, a role she has held since Feb. 2019, after spending more than 12 years actively building the organization into one of the state’s top bioscience and MedTech associations. Under her leadership, the Georgia Global Health Alliance, BioEd Institute and Global Health Crisis Coordination Center were established and now reside within CGHI. Prior to Georgia Bio, Maria participated in a fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in environmental investigations, working closely with the National Center of Environmental Health in Chemical Demilitarization. Maria serves on the board of the CJD Foundation, Southeast Life Sciences Association, and KSU Research Foundation, and as vice chair for the Council of State Bioscience Associations. Most recently, she was named to Georgia Trend magazine’s 2021 “100 Most Influential Georgians” list. Additionally, Maria has volunteered for 11 years with the Junior League of Atlanta. Maria holds a master’s in public health from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Sweet Briar College. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Patrick, and daughter Cecilia.

Tony has over 34 years experience in providing strategic real estate advisory services for corporate users and non-profit institutions. In particular, Tony has worked closely with clients to develop programs with real world, actionable strategies to align their real estate obligations with their ownership, cost, quality and location objectives. Tony has extensive experience in providing portfolio reviews and analysis, highest and best use studies, occupancy cost benchmarking, merger and acquistion services, development advisory, master planning, site slection, tenant representation, transaction management, financial analysis and ownership structures. His experience involves working across a wide range of asset classes including office, retail, data centers, and headquarters facilities and transaction types including acquisitions, dispositions, build-to-suits and sale-leaseback transactions. Some of Tony's distinguished list of clients include SunTrust, McKesson, Ernst and Young, Georgia Tech, Siemens, Microsoft, Sprint, Mellon Bank, Equifax, Wellpoint, Darden Restaurants and Woodruff Arts Center.

Katherine Lynch serves as a Senior Vice President within Trammell Crow Company Atlanta Business Unit. She is responsible for sourcing, shaping and executing all aspects of Trammell Crow Company development and investment activity in the Atlanta region. Her focus is directed on office and mixed-use development opportunities, supervising the design, capitalization, marketing and leasing, and overall asset management functions. A 15-year veteran of the commercial real estate industry, Lynch previously served as First Vice President for CBRE Atlanta, specializing in the marketing and leasing of office buildings for institutional owners. During her tenure, she completed more than 475 transactions, in excess of 5 million square feet, representing $875 million in total lease volume. Lynch has completed significant lease transactions including: IHG, State Farm, Regions Bank, Alere, GE, WeWork, Swift Currie McGhee & Heirs, Allstate, and Bluelinx. In 2009, Lynch was the recipient of the annual William H. McAdam Memorial Award for being the nation’s highest producing first-year sales person throughout the Company. Prior to CBRE, served as Development Associate at Pope & Land Enterprises.

Clark Dean helps directs Transwestern’s Occupier Solutions business and is the founder of the company’s Transaction Sciences platform, which operates across service lines. Clark is a member of Transwestern’s Board of Directors and its National Occupier Solutions Steering Committee. He also helps lead the company’s global partnerships with BNP Paribas Real Estate and Devencore. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS With a background in biomedical engineering, management consulting, and financial structuring, Clark is known for being a disruptive innovator in the brokerage industry. His Transaction Sciences practice combines robust brokerage capabilities with behavioral science, organizational science, and decision science to deliver real estate solutions that optimize culture, function, and economics for occupiers and investors. Prior to joining Transwestern, Clark was a founding principal of Studley’s Corporate Services Group where he spent over a decade working on some of the firm’s largest and most complex assignments. Before that, Clark was a management consultant and later chief operating officer for a management consulting firm specializing in strategic and operational consulting for insurance and financial service companies. He began his real estate career with Studley as a financial analyst in Washington, DC.

As chief economic development officer at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, David leads the team focused on the recruitment, retention, and expansion of existing companies, from start-ups to headquarters. The key clusters concentrating on are Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, FinTech, Creative Industries (Film, Music, eSports, AR/VR), Supply chain, Advanced Manufacturing, Life Science (Biotech, Digital Health, Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical). Before joining the Chamber, Hartnett served as the president and CEO of Maco Pharma® (formerly United Pharma), a privately held U.S. medical device company headquartered in Lille, France. Before Maco Pharma, Hartnett was CEO of SteriFx® Corp., a specialty chemical contracted by the Dept. of Defense (DARPA). Before SteriFx, he was the executive vice president, Given Imagin., an Israeli start-up with corporate H.Q. in Yokneam, Israel. Under his leadership, the company commercialized the “PillCam” video capsule. He helped raise $30M via PPM before the company going public in 2001 (GIVN-NASDAQ), now owned by Medtronic. Hartnett served as vice president of marketing at ERBE Electro-surgery N.A., the largest manufacturer of electrosurgical systems globally. He has also served in various other senior sales and marketing roles for the following companies: Karl Storz Lithotripsy, Genzyme (formerly Deknatel), STERIS (formerly AMSCO), and the XEROX. COMMUNITY SERVICE : - The Carter Center, Board of Councilors - Venture Atlanta™ Coalition Director/Co-Founder - Center of Global Health Innovation, Director - Global Health Crisis Coordination Center (GHC3™), Co-Creator/Special Advsior - Southest Lifescience Assoc. Board - Institute for Healthcare Information Technology, Director/Co-Founder - Leadership Atlanta Alumni 2013 EMERITUS ROLES: - ScienceATL™/ Atlanta Science Festival™, Founding Chairman - Innovation Crescent Regional Partnership, Chairman - Southeastern Medical Device Assoc. President Hartnett is married with four sons, and was raised on Coronado Island, California and is an active member of the Atlanta business community.