Philadelphia Life Sciences Conference

Audrey Greenberg is the Co-founder, Chief Business Officer and Board Member of The Center for Breakthrough Medicines. Audrey’s area of expertise is in capital structure, business formation, acquisitions, strategic planning and tactical execution. Audrey’s deep industry experience includes biotechnology, real estate, pharma services, and financial services. Prior to starting The Center for Breakthrough Medicines, Audrey spent several years in investment banking, public accounting and private equity having worked at some of the largest asset managers in the world with AUM exceeding $100 billion. Audrey is passionate about supporting her community and serves on several non-profit boards including the King of Prussia Business District and is currently an Emissary for Select Greater Philadelphia, a division of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce responsible for attracting business to Greater Philadelphia. Audrey was recently selected by Philadelphia Magazine as one of the top trailblazers in Biotech and was featured on the cover of Main Line Today’s Power Women edition. Audrey has an MBA from The Wharton School and is a registered CPA in Illinois.

With over 20 years of extensive experience in the life science industry, Chris brings awealth of expertise in engineering and project delivery to his role as the overseer ofall engineering operations at AES. His background encompasses leadership roles, including a senior leadership role in operations, where he spearheaded design operations across multiple offices and expanded business within the Life Sciences market. Chris has held various positions such as mechanical engineering project lead, project engineer, project manager, and director of mechanical engineering, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the field. He is committed to driving innovation, streamlining processes, and fostering a culture of technical excellence at AES, aligning initiatives with the company's strategic vision.

Adam Hayes is a project principal in HDR’s Philadelphia office. Calling Philadelphia his chosen city, he is proud of the many HDR’s high profile projects that he led in the area including the Brandywine JFK Towers at Schuylkill Yards and the new University of Pennsylvania $1.5 billion new hospital on Penn Medicine’s West Philadelphia campus. Adam’s day to day role entails Architecture discipline operations including staff development, morale, quality control, in addition to leading marketing and business development for science. Adam thrives in providing mentorship to young architects and designers. He has served for many years as an adjunct professor of architecture at Drexel University.

Nolan Tapley is an experienced professional specializing in life science real estate investment within the Northeast region. With a tenure of over four years at Longfellow, he actively contributes to deal identification by leveraging an extensive network and market expertise. Collaborating with institutions and partners, Nolan drives successful development and joint venture opportunities while providing comprehensive coverage of the life science sector. He oversees transaction processes and deal structuring to ensure alignment with the investment strategy and success of partnership objectives. With a background in CRE investment and prior roles at AEW Capital Management and Wells Fargo, Nolan brings valuable insights and a proven track record of deal execution. Nolan holds a BS in Finance from Bentley University.

Erik is passionate about designing highly complex, innovative science environments that have a role in the development of life-changing solutions to global challenges. Having two decades of experience in the planning and design of the country’s most complex laboratories, Erik has long-standing relationships with leaders in the academic, corporate and government research industries, and inspires project teams to tackle challenging laboratory requirements in unique ways. His expertise encompasses the design of facilities for many client types, including life sciences/biotech, pharmaceutical, vivaria, cGMP and preclinical discovery through developmental research. A well-known thought leader, Erik frequently presents and writes for professional organizations such as AALAS, ISPE and IFMA.

Broadly speaking, the contracting business is defined by immediacy. A project is scoped in terms of efficiency and affordability, which means teams are often assembled from an ever shifting pool of workers. A legacy then, is indeed one of the rarest things a contractor can build, as it requires both the ingenuity to navigate short-term solutions and the dedication to invest in the types of principles that reap long-term rewards. That makes Craig Williams’ accomplishments all the more remarkable. Taking on the family business his father started in 1987, Williams’ innate understanding of the business landscape, his unrelenting persistence in securing steady projects, and his dedication to his collaborators has allowed Pride Enterprises to pull off an uncommon feat. Business has flourished, and yet Williams has retained the trust and productivity of many of the same workers that worked with his father, evolving relationships that extend into their fourth decade. “We are able to retain people because as a company, we function as a family,” explains Williams. “Our corporate culture is cumulative. I recognize the benefits of experience and consistency.” Williams embodies both of those qualities, but he has also shown keen foresight, which has allowed him to enhance the family business, establishing an enduring legacy. Williams pitched and won a handful of government contracts at a crucial moment, when his father had taken ill. At that point, the company he was helping shape became his professional purpose, and he fulfilled the leadership role with unmatched enthusiasm and effort. In the ensuing years, Williams’ expansive vision scaled the company to new heights, as he established key relationships within the private sector that secured Pride Enterprises’ present and future as a fixture in building construction management, both in Pennsylvania and beyond. Those community ties that Williams cultivated are integral to Pride’s success and serve as a map to his growing success. “As you mature, you gain appreciation for things,” recalls Williams, “in my twenties, it was figuring out the direction of the family business; in my thirties, it became about charting long term significant opportunities. Now, it’s understanding the significance of our role in our community and the world at large.” As Pride’s reputation crescendos, Williams has made a series of wise investments in complementary pieces of businesses, conveying a unique knack for entrepreneurship. American Power, now in its second year of operation, is Williams’ electrical supply business, a logical extension of the construction industry that directly supports Pride’s ever-more-ambitious assignments. The company’s transformation of a warehouse purchased in the American Power acquisition has given the family business an epicenter of leading-edge technology, priming Pride Enterprises for continued success. His latest venture, The Williams Group, serves as the development division of Pride Enterprises. “Our intention is to have an impact on the culture in our community and beyond,” Williams expresses, “and business is the medium through which we accomplish that.” As such, Williams' impact and influence continues to grow: from burnishing a multi-generational contracting business to which his collaborators remain loyal, to exchanging ideas with politicians and fellow entrepreneurs to enrich his community, even authoring a book (The Olympian: an American Triumph), his accomplishments are manifold. Put more succinctly: Williams has built a legacy, one to which he is still adding. Rare, indeed!

Tracy Dowling joined AskBio in January 2021 and serves as its Chief Business Officer and General Counsel. She is responsible for the company’s global business development strategy and execution, as well as Alliance Management, Legal, Compliance, Corporate Communications, and the company’s Chief of Staff. Prior to joining AskBio, Tracy served as Associate General Counsel at Spark Therapeutics providing legal oversight for essential business functions, including business development, licensing transactions, corporate governance, securities compliance, and real estate and construction. Notably, she played an integral role in Roche’s $4.6 billion acquisition of Spark.

Matthew has over 15 years’ experience in target and asset discovery across academic, startup, and Pharma organizations. He started in traumatic brain injury with the Neurosurgery Department at the University of Pennsylvania, moved to industry with Merck for in vivo Alzheimer’s Disease small molecule drug discovery, and then moved to iPierian, one of the first companies to use the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) platform. Matthew has held further positions at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and Novartis. He is the current Director at B + labs in Philadelphia, PA, an incubation site for early- and growth-stage clinically oriented therapeutic companies. Matthew also serves as SAB Chair for the Schinzel-Giedion Syndrome Foundation, a UK-based non-profit patient advocacy organization supporting research and discovery efforts for children with SGS.

Lee is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Safety Partners, Inc., a leading national provider of environmental health and safety services for life science companies for over 30 years. He is passionate about helping organizations achieve their goals in research and comply with the highest standards of safety and quality – and growing the culture of lab safety in PA. Lee has been involved in the life sciences ecosystem for the last 10+ years, in disciplines ranging from product management in primary care education, to biospecimen procurement, to pharmacy benefit management. Originally from Rhode Island, he currently lives in the Greater Boston area and in his spare time, Lee enjoys DJ’ing, sneaker collecting/history, and all things involving his favorite animal, cows.