Suzanne Tomlinson, PhD, MBA, is the Director of Research Programs and Strategic Initiatives for the Gulf Coast Consortia. Her primary responsibilities include direction of the 12 GCC research consortia and clusters. In addition, she directs the development of new multi-institutional research initiatives, scientific conferences, grant proposals, curriculum, and manages the John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award Program. In addition, she directs the award winning GCC Rigor and Reproducibility Program and is Co-PI of the Cancer Therapeutics Program. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, TX, in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, specializing in computational drug discovery and lead optimization in the development of West Nile and dengue virus protease inhibitors. As a Postdoctoral Fellow, she developed aldose reductase inhibitors as potential colon cancer therapeutics. Her current research interests remain in therapeutic drug development and commercialization via academia and biotech startup.

Dr. Watowich is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He is also Founder & CEO of Ridgeline Therapeutics, a Houston-based biotechnology company developing transformative drugs that enable adults to age stronger and live healthier. He is an accomplished entrepreneur, inventor, educator, researcher, and developer of world-class innovative resources, including the global “DiscoveryingDengueDrugs-Together” project with IBM and the DrugDiscovery@TACC supercomputer-based drug screening portal. Among his prime interests is developing accessible drugs to treat chronic global health problems, including age-linked muscle degeneration and obesity. Dr. Watowich graduated from Carleton College, received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago, and was a research fellow at Harvard University before migrating to Texas.

Dr. Peter Davies, MD, PhD is Professor and Director of the Center for Translational Cancer Research at the Texas A&M University Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston. He also serves as Head of the Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Texas A&M College of Medicine. Dr. Davies has had a long-standing interest cancer therapeutics and drug discovery research. Following physician-scientist training at the University of Miami, he completed 4 years of post-doctoral training at the National Cancer Institute before joining the faculty of the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. He spent more than 30 years at UT-Houston rising to the rank of Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine, Executive Vice-President for Research and Provost of the Health Science Center. In 2011 he moved to Texas A&M University to lead a program in cancer-related drug discovery research at the A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology. Dr. Davies is the leader of the Texas A&M Combinatorial Drug Discovery Program, the Cancer Therapeutics Training Program and the NIH GCC REACH grant award. He is committed to promoting the role of commercialization as a pathway for translating biomedical research into products and services that benefit patients with a wide range of diseases.

Veronica is a solution-oriented and collaborative researcher, transformational leader, prolific speaker, and an health equity advocate, with expertise in community and stakeholder engagement among ethnic minority population. A board Certified Oncology Clinical pharmacist experience in establishing an oral chemotherapy clinic and clinical expertise in serving diverse cancer patient population in an outpatient cancer center at a large tertiary academic medical center. Veronica is the Principal Investigator and founding program director on federal, state and local funded grants initiatives addressing health disparity, integrating community engagement into research, advancing diversity in clinical research, implementing social determinants of health-based interventions, and promoting health equity in prostate cancer, breast cancer, maternal child Health, and other health disparity topics.

Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice with vast knowledge in oncology and a variety of therapeutic areas.

Rick Silva, PhD, currently holds an administrative appointment as Executive Director of Clinical | Translational | Industry Collaborations in the Office of Research at Texas A&M University Health Sciences Center and an academic appointment in the Department of Translational Science in the Institute of Bioscience and Technology, where he leads several clinicogenomics and data management initiatives. After 15 years leading technology transfer at University of Colorado’s Health Sciences Center, his executive and research roles converged to optimizing organizational effectiveness at the intersection of academic medical centers and industry in precision medicine and technology commercialization at the University of Arizona and then Texas A&M. He directs the Interprofessional PharmacoGenomics (IPGx) Program, a pioneering clinical science initiative that collaborates with medical informatics and laboratory medicine experts in undustry to create a clinicogenomic registry and research network for the implementation of pharmacogenomics in chronic disease management. His training includes a PhD in Physiology at Colorado State University, post-doctoral studies at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and an MBA from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Dr. Emily Reiser is the Associate Director of Texas Medical Center Innovation, spearheading the Accelerators for Cancer Therapeutics, Healthtech, and international BioBridge programs. Since joining TMC in 2019, she has worked directly with startup founders, managed a vast stakeholder network, and now leads the recruitment of entrepreneurs in residence. Prior to joining TMC, Emily contributed to the successful launch of local medtech startup, Noleus Technologies.

Emily earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Emory University and a PhD in Bioengineering from Rice University, where her research focused on drug delivery for cancer immunotherapy.

Meet Lacey Tezino, a dynamic entrepreneur and the visionary founder and CEO behind Passport Journeys, a groundbreaking startup. Passport Journeys is revolutionizing the world of therapy with its pioneering teletherapy app, specifically designed to nurture and strengthen the unique bond between mothers and daughters. Before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey, Lacey Tezino forged a successful career as a leader in healthcare IT, with a notable tenure at Cerner/Oracle. Her dedication led her to Doha, Qatar, where she spent three years spearheading the digital transformation of clinical documentation, converting eight hospitals and twenty-three clinics from paper to electronic health records. Lacey's impressive track record also includes serving as the Director of IT for the Menninger Clinic, one of the United States' premier psychiatric hospitals. Lacey recently published a memoir about her relationship with her mother and attending therapy to process her death. While this may be her first book, you can be sure it won't be her last. Lacey Tezino is a visionary with a passion for innovation, determined to make a lasting impact on the world of mental health and wellness.

Dillon Fritz, PhD, is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the GCC-REACH Program. In this role, he will work closely with and provide comprehensive support for all GCC-REACH stakeholders and biomedical entrepreneurs to facilitate the translation of early-stage life science innovations into commercially successful products and companies. Dillon has spent the past 15 years working at the interface of academia - industry - entrepreneurship, including roles as Head of Bio Innovation at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), developing strategic research partnerships and early-stage innovation programs at Saudi Aramco, and most recently as co-founder and CEO at a clinical genomics company (NoorDx). Dillon is a molecular biochemist by training, receiving his PhD from the Florida State University College of Medicine. He continued his research training as a National Cancer Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at the H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis and development of genome-driven therapeutics.

Dawn Koob joined the GCC in 2012 and has responsibilities in many aspects and daily operations of the GCC. Her contributions to the research consortia, clusters and initiatives include coordinating and implementing numerous events such as conferences, symposiums, and workshops as well as the development and design of all publications for advertising and marketing events.

Kim Smith joined the GCC in April 2022, as a Research Program Administrator. Her primary responsibilities include planning and preparation of various consortium meetings, projects, and events, including communication, outreach, tracking budgets, and preparing reports. She communicates and promotes research program events and serves as the GCC point of contact for speakers, attendees, vendors, and suppliers. Prior to working for the GCC, Kim was a Special Agent for the U.S. Secret Service from 1997 until her retirement in 2021. During her tenure with the Secret Service, Kim worked in a variety of roles, with her primary specialties being Physical Protection, Protective Intelligence, and Investigations. Kim ended her career as the Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Field Office.

Dr. Autumn Marsden joined the GCC in 2021 as a Research Program Administrator. Her primary responsibilities include development, implementation and administration of multi-institutional research initiatives, multidisciplinary research teams, scholars programs comprised of trainees, and research workshops/curriculum. Additionally, she leads annual research consortia progress reviews, and manages the John S. Dunn Collaborative Research Award Program. She also assists with data analysis, scientific writing and editing of manuscripts and grants and supporting research consortia events and communication as needed. She completed her PhD in Genetics at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA studying Wnt signaling integration in heart development using a zebrafish model. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in Houston, TX, she focused on cAMP signaling integration in hearts using a mouse model.