Boston Life Sciences Summit

Ms. Bicknell joined Tishman Speyer in 2021 to lead the development of the Enterprise Research Campus across from the Harvard Business School in Boston. Prior to joining Tishman Speyer, Ms. Bicknell was Vice President and Head of New York Development for Oxford Properties Group where she was responsible for the development of St. John’s Terminal, the anchor of Google’s new Hudson Square campus in NYC. Ms. Bicknell also spent 13 years at Forest City New York where she led the development of Cornell Tech, and played a leading role in the development of Pacific Park Brooklyn and Barclays Center where she was responsible for the negotiations with the City, State & MTA. She also worked as a Legislative Aide for the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and was the Federal Policy Director for Smart Growth America. Ms. Bicknell was a 2017 Rockefeller Fellow and is a member of WX and ULI, including the University Development & Innovation Council. She holds her BS in Urban Studies from Cornell University, where she is the Vice Chair of the Cornell Alumni Trustee Nominating Committee and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. Ms. Bicknell holds her MBA from the Wharton School.

Throughout his 30+year career, Joe has approached architecture as a means to explore new frontiers, provide environmental stewardship, and foster connections with communities. Life science, his current focus, is closely linked to these objectives. Joe joined SGA in October 2020 because he was impressed with the quality of the firm’s design innovation, its commitment to excellence, and the level of talent exhibited by the staff. In his new role, he oversees several projects for life science organizations in the Boston region. He establishes the design vision for these commissions, but also collaborates on their execution. Joe’s previous experience encompasses a variety of building types, including research, hospitality, healthcare, residential, corporate, and mixed-use. During his tenures at design firms HDR and TRO Jung|Brannen, he led many award-winning projects honored by such organizations as the American Institute of Architects, the Boston Society of Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Preservation Massachusetts. Early in his career, he won the Rotch Traveling Scholarship, an annual two-stage design competition that enabled him to travel overseas for a year to study architecture. Joe earned a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Minnesota. One of his favorite activities outside of the office is traveling internationally to learn about local ecosystems. He also sketches regularly, often exhibiting his work at events. Other hobbies include cycling, gardening, and beekeeping. He observes: “Pollinators are key to the ecosystem. Beekeeping and gardening allow me to engage in stewardship of the environment, and several of my hobbies allow me to explore and discover advances in the built world. I don’t leave my passion at work.”

With over 22 years of industry experience, Jason provides invaluable oversight of Suffolk’s projects as Chief Operating Officer. His expertise and in-depth understanding of clients’ objectives ensure project success, serving as a key resource for both clients and project teams. As Chief Operating Officer, and with a focus on Suffolk’s Northeast Life Sciences and Healthcare sectors, Jason’s responsibilities include identifying and cultivating client relationships, recruiting and developing key staff members, overseeing preconstruction efforts, and ensuring that all construction and renovation projects adhere to Suffolk’s highest safety and quality standards. Jason is an advocate of leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and innovative solutions to enhance the performance of his project teams and provide added value to clients and their projects. Throughout his tenure at Suffolk, Jason has led the construction of many notable projects, including 400 Summer Street, 580,000 square feet of laboratory and office space inside a new 16-story building; UMass Cahn Medical School Albert Sherman Center, a 512,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art research and education facility and Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, a 13-story research lab and clinical facility. Jason is currently overseeing the Hale Family Clinical Building at Boston Children’s Hospital, an 11-story new clinical building to support the hospital’s growth in domestic and international patient volume and its delivery of high-level tertiary and quaternary care. Jason received a B.S. in Construction Management from Wentworth Institute of Technology.

In the role of CEO, Joe will manage MassBio’s federal affairs, state and municipal government relations, and will take the lead on initiatives to sustain Massachusetts’ economic competitiveness focusing on issues around infrastructure, workforce, and digital health. Prior to joining MassBio in September 2021, Joe served as the State Senator for the First Suffolk and Middlesex districts, representing his hometown of Winthrop; the Boston communities of East Boston, North End, Chinatown, Beacon Hill, Bay Village, and South End; the Cambridge neighborhoods of Cambridgeport, Riverside and MIT; and the City of Revere. While in the State Senate, Joe was the Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Personnel and Administration, Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, Vice Chair of Rules, and member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Senate Ethics Committee, Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, and the Committee on Financial Services. Before being elected to the state legislature in 2016, Joe practiced law specializing in criminal law in his private practice and as a public defender with Suffolk Lawyers for Justice. Since his early life, Boncore has been an active member in the Order Sons of Italy in America, he is currently the National Second Vice President. Boncore earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Providence College in 2004 and received his juris doctorate from the Massachusetts School of Law. Joe resides in Winthrop with his wife Christine and twin sons John and Philip.

Ginger holds a Masters Degree in Architecture from Tulane University and is an Architect and Lab Planner with Stantec, Boston. Across her 30 years of experience in Laboratory Planning and Design, she has worked with a wide range of clients and sciences, with a strong focus on buildings for Life Sciences. She brings her passion for helping clients realize their goals and bringing a human scale to complex, technically intense spaces for the sciences to her work.

Joe Hanley is a Partner specializing in land use, zoning, permitting and licensing law. His practice includes over 22 years of experience in the state and municipal regulatory process for large to mid-scale real estate development ventures in mixed-use, residential, commercial, hospitality, biotechnology/life sciences and institutional sectors; including expertise in the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s Article 80 Large Project Review and Boston Zoning Commission’s Planned Development Area process, Planning and Zoning Board cases and Master Planned Development projects in the Cities of Cambridge and Somerville. Joe is a member of the Board of Directors of the Boston Arts Academy Foundation, the former President and current Board member of Heading Home, Inc. and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Back Bay Association. As an original member of the New England Steering Committee for the 2008 Presidential Campaign of Barack Obama, Joe also served as an Obama Victory Trustee, National Finance Committee member and At-Large Delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention He graduated Cum Laude with his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts and received his B.A. from the University of Maine.

Mr. Stephen N. Faber serves as an Executive Vice President of Related Beal, LLC. Mr. Faber served as Senior Vice President and Partner of Related Beal, LLC(also known as The Beal Companies, LLP). Mr. Faber oversees asset and property management of Beal owned and managed real estate as well as development of real estate investments. His diverse experience includes management, leasing, sale and development of individual assets and portfolio management for a variety of property types: research and development, office, retail, multi-family and planned unit developments. Mr. Faber has managed assets in seventeen different markets from Jacksonville, Florida to Seattle, Washington. He has significant systems design and implementation experience, and has authored and published detailed Policy and Procedure Manuals for property operations. Prior to joining Beal and Company, Inc., Mr. Faber was Vice President of Property Management with the Rubin Organization in Philadelphia. Mr. Faber was responsible for the management of over 5,000 apartment and condominium residences in five states. Preceding his employment at the Rubin Organization, Mr. Faber was Director of Property Management for Liberty Real Estate Group, a Boston-based real estate subsidiary of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, where he developed a fee management subsidiary serving institutions, partnerships, and individuals. Mr. Faber is a Member of Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA) and National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). Mr. Faber received a BS degree in Business Administration from Boston University.

Chuck maintains over 25 years of experience within the science and technology sector being immediately involved in global real estate, large scale capital projects, facilities engineering and management, global environment, health and safety, corporate security and related technical and operational support functions. He possesses extensive knowledge in developing science and technology facilities from the ground up having been involved in all stages of the process: developing and managing successful project teams in the planning, construction, delivery and validation of multiple large scale facilities worldwide. Chuck’s current responsibilities at Vertex include oversight over the company’s facility global assets including Planning, Construction, Operations, Security, EHS, Business Continuity and Real Estate. Chuck is a member in the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE) as well as the Association of Facilities Engineers (AFE), International Facilities Managers Association (IFMA), CORNET and CEB – Real Estate Chuck is a graduate of both Norwich University and UMass Lowell obtaining both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Engineering Technology and Environmental Science.

TRIA co-founder and principal Jeannie brings real-world scientific experience to TRIA, having formerly held research positions with Harvard Medical School and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Now an architect, Jeannie applies scientific rigor to provide innovative design solutions for science and technology projects. Her ability to speak “scientist” helps to establish initial trust and early project consensus that affords additional opportunities for improved function, design, and goal alignment on even the most technical projects. For Jeannie, client relationships are paramount, as is pushing innovation and creativity in order to keep TRIA at the forefront of the industry.

Cory is a Senior Project Manager with Consigli Construction in its Life Science group. He has spent the last 8+ years focused on managing cGMP and R&D projects for end-users across the industry, especially in active facilities. Cory has worked for clients including Vertex, AbbVie, Baxalta, Dana Farber, Insulet, Rubius, the Ragon Institute and others. Most recently, Cory was responsible for leading Consigli’s project team on the successful build-out of the Vertex Cell & Gene Therapy (VCGT) facility in Boston’s Seaport. The VCGT project consisted of fitting out 260k sq. ft. across two buildings to house Vertex’s newest cell and gene therapy program initiative—including modular clean rooms, R&D labs, offices/amenities and meeting space. Cory lives in East Greenwich, RI with his wife and two kids.

Patrick has 18 years of experience designing complex buildings in the life science, institutional, and healthcare markets with a passion for building teams that maximize client outcomes. Recently elected as President at BR+A, he will bring his expertise in leading the firm’s growth and development across BR+A’s 10 national offices. Pat is both a registered professional mechanical engineer and LEED accredited professional. He believes in the importance of designing sustainable buildings that balance the programmatic needs of their occupants with each institution’s vision for a carbon neutral future. Pat has contributed to the design of more than 12 million SF of life science development across the US through building long lasting relationships with clients, including Related Beal, IQHQ, Boston Children’s Hospital, Skanska Development, Boston Properties, Vertex, Boston College, and Northeastern University, amongst others. Pat holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, and is an active member of SCUP, APPA, and ASHE. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and young son, playing basketball, ski trips, and days out on the golf course.

Raj Vora is a life sciences core market leader at DPR Construction, one of the top technical builders and the #1 ranked pharmaceutical contractor in the U.S. for the last 5 years (ENR 2017-2021). Raj has more than 20 years of experience in the A/E/C industry, with emphasis on Life Sciences where he has delivered complex engineering and construction projects at a high level of quality while maintaining budget and schedule requirements. Focused on cell/gene therapy projects and companywide resources, he works across DPR to help our teams excel in the life sciences core market, which is focused on understanding and better serving customers in the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceutical, bio-agricultural, medical device and research institutes.

Paul Bauer, Practice Area Leader, Real Estate, Finance, and Corporate, is a lawyer representing businesses, individuals and institutions throughout Massachusetts in sophisticated transactions with an emphasis on big real estate projects and challenging commercial law issues. Paul regularly advises developers, mortgage lenders, tenants and property owners across various industry sectors in complex development, acquisition, financing, business planning and leasing transactions – both public and private – including the biggest lease in the history of Boston at the time. Much of Paul’s real estate experience falls into three areas: Life science and medical school leasing for landlords and tenants. This includes comprehensive, campus-wide representations, as well as one-off projects. Higher education real estate development, often for major, iconic institutions. According to Paul, “I’ve also served as counsel to the Massachusetts School Building Authority.” Privately-held real estate projects, representing developers and owners, often family-owned. “I enjoy working with anyone who has or wants a large building,” Paul says. Developers, investors and property end-users turn to Paul to plan, negotiate and structure real estate-based projects. He advises clients on multi-party, mixed-use and affordable housing projects. As Paul notes, “I also help a number of real estate companies in a variety of commercial sectors – including office, industrial and retail – in the sale, acquisition, financing, management and leasing of their real property investments.” In addition, he adds, “I also advise income property owners on related issues, including real property acquisitions and sales, property ownership structuring and estate planning for developer clients who hold complicated real estate assets.” While Paul represents property end-users in most commercial segments, he has significant experience representing entrepreneurs and life science companies of all sizes with respect to their property leasing needs. Paul’s experience includes representing a life science company in one of the largest lease transactions ever to occur in the city of Boston. In addition, Paul represents a number of craft brewers and their brewery facilities. This representation includes leasing, financing and permitting services. In addition, Paul represents privately-held companies for their structural, financing, and contractual needs. He often works with early-stage companies to provide them the counsel necessary to protect their interests in obtaining contracts, investors and lending facilities. Paul is also a co-editor of the Commercial Real Estate Insight & News blog. In the community, Paul is Chair of the Advisory Board for the Entrepreneurial Innovation Center at Framingham State University, where he advises the Center on its program helping entrepreneurs develop their ideas and small businesses.

Rob Zirkle is the founding principal of brick. Under his guidance the brick team brings a rigorous, value driven design process to a wide variety of project types in architecture, interiors and urban design. Rob leads the firm’s initiatives in design, client satisfaction, new project acquisition and company culture. Channeling Rob’s entrepreneurial approach, brick has grown into a thriving 25 person team with $450m of current projects under construction ranging from commercial office, life science, housing and higher education.

As Chief Investment Officer at King Street, Mr. Albro has a broad range of responsibilities including acquisitions, dispositions, development, and asset management. Prior to King Street, Mr. Albro most recently served as a Senior Vice President at Beacon Capital Partners, with responsibility for acquisitions and dispositions as well as asset management of the Boston region.

As Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Lauren leads the organization’s strategic marketing efforts as Safety Partners continues to grow. Lauren ensures that all marketing and communications initiatives consider the unique needs of the Greater Boston life sciences community. Previously, Lauren was Director of Innovation Services at MassBio, the nation’s oldest biotechnology trade association. She most recently served as Director of Membership and Institutional Support at T1D Exchange, a non-profit organization focused on type 1 diabetes research. She formerly held marketing and communications positions at Cambridge Energy Research Associates, a global energy consulting firm. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and organizational development from Suffolk University.

Chris Stoddard co-leads Ennead’s Commercial and Laboratory Centers of Excellence. A seasoned project director, he has nearly three decades of experience managing large, complex commercial, hospitality, laboratories and higher education projects across the US and abroad. His meticulous approach to scope, schedule and budget are matched by his broad experience in building systems and construction methods. He brings a collaborative spirit of integrated design to his work by pursuing the common goals of each project’s mission. Throughout his career he has sought to maximize sustainable and wellness features to minimize environmental impact and design healthy, resilient buildings. Chris’ project experience includes: The Cove, a nearly 3,000,000 sf science-based mixed-use development in Jersey City, which includes 1,500,000 sf of new build commercial and academic life science; and 3737 Science Center, a 434,000 sf commercial lab development for Wexford Development in Philadelphia for the Penn Center for Specialty Care.

As a seasoned life sciences engineering and facilities management leader, Steven Lacerte joined Avison Young as a Principal in the Project Management Group. Lacerte focuses on managing projects in the life sciences sector, where he brings over 30 years of experience in the industry. Lacerte joins Avison Young from STV/DPM, a national engineering and owners project management firm, where he served as a Project Executive for life sciences clients. Throughout his career, Lacerte has developed a deep understanding of the business objectives of companies in the drug discovery, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries in addition to procuring decades of managerial experience. As a leader in the facilities and engineering field, his expertise lies in delivering capital program and project management to ensure operational capabilities, facilities operation and real estate management, implementing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and environmental and safety requirements.