An Evening with the Board of Directors 

Join us for an evening of interactive networking with the members of the bionorthTX Board of Directors. Members will share their vision for the organization, speak to opportunities unique to our region, and take your questions during this first-annual event. Enjoy refreshments provided by our site host, Norton Rose Fulbright, and co-host Baylor Scott & White. Seating is limited to the first 100 guests. Parking onsite also included.

Board Chair: Frank P. Grassler, VP of Technology Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Frank Grassler is an intellectual property, corporate, star-up, and regulatory attorney, and licensing executive with over 30 years of biopharma industry experience in law and business.

Co-Chair: Deborah Hutchinson, Managing Member, Hutch Ventures

Deborah Hutchinson has over 30 years of senior management experience with a track record in successfully taking early and mid-stage healthcare, biotech and technology companies from concept, through product development and sales. 

Treasurer: Dave Carlson, VP Finance and Chief Accounting Officer at NCHS Holdings, Inc. 

Dave Carlson has over 20 years of finance and accounting experience in the pharmaceutical and life science industries. Working at various private and public companies, his experience includes start-ups, public offerings, mergers, product and company acquisitions, along with divestitures and liquidation.

Secretary: Melissa Krauth

Melissa Krauth is a life science entrepreneur, investor, and consultant with over 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience, which included a senior executive level position with Reata Pharmaceuticals with responsibility for company and product-level strategies and operations.

Art Clapp, CEO, Nuvothera

Art Clapp is the CEO and founder of two life science companies, and a past corporate executive with over 30 years of professional US and international pharmaceutical experience in licensing, M&A, strategy, technology assessment, product development, commercialization and global marketing.

Duane Dimos, Ph.D., VP of Research, UT Arlington

Duane Dimos, Ph.D., joined the University of Texas at Arlington in 2015 as the Vice President of Research. Before joining UT Arlington, Dr. Dimos served at Sandia National Laboratories in a wide variety of leadership and management positions, including as acting vice president of the Science and Technology Division, Director of the Engineering Sciences Center, a large multi-disciplinary research and development organization at Sandia in Albuquerque NM, and Director of Sandia's Materials Science and Engineering Center. 

David C. Foster, Ph.D., J.D., President and CEO, Tuevol Therapeutics,           Co-Founder

David C. Foster, Ph.D., J.D., is a co-founder of two biotechnology companies, as well as a founding partner at the law firm Roberts Foster, LLP, which focuses on emerging technology companies. He has worked in with biotechnology companies of all sizes in the San Francisco Bay Area, but his desire is to make a difference in the DFW and Texas biotechnology communities.

Vipin Garg, Ph.D., CEO, Neos Therapeutics

Vipin Garg, Ph.D., has over 25 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry experience building and managing both private and publicly traded companies in a wide range of therapeutic areas. Prior to joining Neos, Dr. Garg served as President and CEO, and Board Director of Tranzyme Pharma, CEO of Apex Bioscience, Inc., and held management postions at DNX Bio-Therapeutics, Inc., and Bio-Response Inc.

Kathleen Gibson, President and CEO, Southwestern Medical Foundation

Kathleen Gibson has over 30 years in financial services, holding several leadership positions within Citibank and Bank of America, has been involved in community activities in Dallas and Texas serving on multiple Boards and Advisory Councils. She has been recognized in the Dallas Business Journal as a 'Top 25 Industry Leader in Women in Business', and by the Profiles in Diversity Journal in the 10th Annual Women Worth Watching edition, and has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.

Maxwell Lea, VP Corporate Development and Finance, DFB Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Maxwell Lea is Managing Director with DFB Pharmaceuticals, and is part of a team that manages DFB's business interests in pharmaceutical manufacturing and product development. Prior to his current role, he was the VP of Corporate Development for DFB, member of the senior management team of Healthpoint Biotherapeutics, and Director of Corporate Finance at DFB. He currently serves on multiple Boards, and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Kay Tieman, Co-Founder

Kay Tieman is a career life sciences professional who started in selling lab equipment and supplies to companies such as Genyme, Genetics Institute and Biogen. Her sales leadership led her to Massachusetts Biotechnology Council where she created the first-ever Group Purchasing Program for the life sciences. She took the GPO national when she joined the Biotechnology Innovation Organization in Washington, DC. As the Senior Director of Technology Business Development, she helped launch BioDFW with the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Jorge Varela

Jorge Varela is a successful entrepreneur, speaker, and business startup coach. Jorge's primary focus is taking companies to scale. He has started and/or been a part of the executive team at numerous companies, most notably in telecommunications, software, and information technology, with successful exits in each market segment. Jorge was formerly the director of TECH Fort Worth, Associate Director of Entrepreneurship at UNT Health Science Center, and most recently, former CEO of VelocityTX and Executive VP, Texas Research and Technology Foundation.  

Jaime Walkowiak, J.D., Chief Operating Officer and Senior VP of Research, Baylor Scott & White Health Research 

In her current role, Jaime Walkowiak oversees the research infrastructure of Baylor Scott & White Health Research by integrating all levels of the health care system, facilitating growth of new and existing research programs, and expanding collaborations. Jaime joined Baylor in 2007 as the assistant general counsel after several years of experience in legal and research settings in Dallas and Boston. Her previous life science experience includes clinical research and project management in leading healthcare institutions such as Massachusetts General, Harvard Medical School, and Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.

Jason A. Wietjes, Shareholder, Polsinelli

Jason Wietjes has represented a broad range of clients in patent litigation across the country through case strategy and evaluation, Markman proceedings, trial, and appeal. He is active in the regional startup community, serving as a mentor at the Dallas Entrepreneur Center and Addison Treehouse. He works with entrepreneurs, startup companies and their investors to evaluate and protect valuable intellectual property, assess risk, and identify barriers to entry.  His distinctions include being selected for inclusion in Thomas Reuters, Texas Super Lawyers, Rising Starts 2013, and Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn American Inn of Court, Barrister, 2014 - 2016.

Our hosts for this event are Norton Rose Fulbright, and Baylor Scott & White Health Research.

Norton Rose Fulbright is a global law firm that provides the world's preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. They have more than 4000 lawyers and other legal staff based in 59 cities across Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. 

Recognized for their industry focus and strength across all key industry sectors: life sciences and healthcare, financial institutions; energy; infrastructure, mining and commodities; transport; and technology and innovation. Through their global risk advisory group, they leverage their industry experience with their knowledge of legal, regulatory, compliance and governance issues to provide clients with practical solutions to the legal and regulatory risks facing their businesses. 

Wherever they are, they operate in accordance to their global business principles of quality, unity and integrity. Their aim is to provide the highest possible standard of legal service in each of their offices and to maintain that level of quality at every point of contact.

For more information, see nortonrosefulbright.com/legal-notices.

Baylor Scott & White, is the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas, and one of the largest in the United States. Baylor Scott & white has over 48 hospitals, more than 1,000 patient care sites, more than 5,500 active physicians, and over 44,000 employees and the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan. 

With a commitment to and a track record of innovation, collaboration, integrity and compassion for the patient, Baylor Scott & White stands to be one of the nation's exemplary healthcare organizations. Guided by their mission to serve all people by providing personalized health and wellness through exemplary care, education, and research as a Christian ministry of healing, and by their vision to be the most trusted name in giving and receiving safe, quality, compassionate healthcare.

For more information, see about Baylor Scott & White.