--- title: Bio Leadership Summit | Speakers --- # Speakers BLISS 2026 features more than 30 leaders shaping the future of biotechnology.  ### Zack Abbott CEO and Co-Founder of ZBiotics ![Abbott Headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-04-01%20at%2011-29-39%20Team%20Behind%20The%20Worlds%20First%20Genetically%20Engineered%20Probiotic%20%E2%80%93%20ZBiotics.png) Zack Abbott CEO and Co-Founder of ZBiotics About Zack Abbott Zack Abbott is the founder and CEO of ZBiotics, a company working to develop practical applications of synthetic biology. After completing his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan, he founded ZBiotics, using genetic engineering to build new probiotics that could help solve everyday problems in unique ways. At ZBiotics, he works with a talented team, ultimately aiming to make biotechnology more accessible and useful in people's daily lives. He believes in the potential of synthetic biology to create practical solutions and continues to explore new possibilities in this field.  ### Kate Adamala Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota ![adamala headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/adamala%20headshot.png) Kate Adamala Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota About Kate Adamala Kate Adamala is a synthetic biologist and a professor of genetics at the University of Minnesota. She is the co-founder and leader of Build-a-Cell. ### Emily Clise Tully Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Vice President of National Technology Strategy at In-Q-Tel ![Emily Clise Tully Revised Headshot 9162025](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Emily%20Clise%20Tully%20Revised%20Headshot%209162025.jpg) Emily Clise Tully Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Vice President of National Technology Strategy at In-Q-Tel About Emily Clise Tully Emily Clise Tully is the Vice President of National Technology Strategy at In-Q-Tel, the strategic investor that connects the U.S. national security community with cutting-edge technology companies, and a Visiting Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, working at the intersection of national security and emerging tech. She served on the Senate Intelligence Committee, where she worked to reorient the post-9/11 national security community to America’s emerging strategic conflict with the Chinese Communist Party, profoundly shaped by technology. Emily began her career at the CIA, where she served nearly a decade writing for the president as a political analyst, completing a warzone tour, and holding leadership positions in the Director’s Area in the Office of Public Affairs and Congressional Affairs. Emily most recently was Senior Director of National Security at Ginkgo Bioworks, leading business development efforts to help the international and U.S. national security communities understand and incorporate biotechnologies. A Carnegie Mellon University graduate and proud native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she lives in Washington, DC with her family. ### Jennifer Cochran Vice President for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and for Strategic Initiatives, Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University ![cochranheadshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/cochranheadshot.jpg) Jennifer Cochran Vice President for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and for Strategic Initiatives, Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University About Jennifer Cochran  Jennifer Cochran is the Senior Associate Vice Provost for Research and Addie and Al Macovski Professor of Bioengineering and, by courtesy, of Chemical Engineering. She is a member of the Cancer Biology, Biophysics, and Immunology graduate programs. Dr. Cochran also serves as a member of the leadership team and former Director of the Stanford/NIH Biotechnology pre-doctoral training program. Her research group uses interdisciplinary approaches in chemistry, engineering, and biophysics to study complex biological systems and to develop new tools for basic science and biomedical applications. Dr. Cochran's translational interests span protein-based drug discovery and development for applications in oncology and regenerative medicine, and the development of new technologies for high-throughput protein analysis and engineering. Dr. Cochran obtained her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Biological Engineering.  ### Markus Covert Shriram Chair of the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University ![markus-covert_profilephoto](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/markus-covert_profilephoto.jpg) Markus Covert Shriram Chair of the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University About Markus Covert Dr. Markus Covert's focus is on building computational models of complex biological processes, and using these models to guide an experimental program. Such an approach leads to a relatively rapid identification and validation of previously unknown components and interactions. Biological systems of interest include metabolic, regulatory and signaling networks as well as cell-cell interactions. Current research involves the dynamic behavior of NF-kappaB, an important family of transcription factors whose aberrant activity has been linked to oncogenesis, tumor progression, and resistance to chemotherapy. ### Kerri Dugan Senior Vice President for Biotechnology at Applied Research Institute and former director of the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA ![Dugan Web](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Dugan%20Web.png) Kerri Dugan Senior Vice President for Biotechnology at Applied Research Institute and former director of the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA About Kerri Dugan Dr. Kerri Dugan is the Senior Vice President for Biotechnology Programs at Applied Research Institute. Her experience includes transitioning capabilities across broad multi-disciplinary domains including biotechnology, geospatial intelligence, forensic science, and critical technology areas in support of national security. She held leadership positions at the National Science Foundation, DARPA, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory Division. She holds a PhD in molecular biology from Princeton University and BS and Master’s degrees in Chemistry from the College of William and Mary.  ### Drew Endy Director of Hoover Bio-Strategies & Leadership at Stanford University ![Drew Endy Headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Drew%20Endy%20Headshot.jpeg) Drew Endy Director of Hoover Bio-Strategies & Leadership at Stanford University About Drew Endy  Drew Endy is a science fellow and senior fellow (courtesy) at the Hoover Institution. He leads Hoover’s Bio-Strategy and Leadership effort, which focuses on keeping increasingly biotic futures secure, flourishing, and democratic. Professor Endy also researches and teaches bioengineering at Stanford University, where he is the Martin Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, senior fellow (courtesy) of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and faculty codirector of degree programs for the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. Professor Endy helped launch new undergraduate majors in bioengineering at both MIT and Stanford and the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition, which involves thousands of students annually. Endy has served on the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Science, Technology, and Law; the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Synthetic Biology Task Force; and, briefly, the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board. He currently serves on the World Health Organization’s Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research; the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Global Forum on Technology’s synthetic biology task force; and the Defense Science Board’s Emerging Biotechnology and National Security Task Force. Endy earned his PhD from Dartmouth in biotechnology and biochemical engineering and has been recognized in *Esquire* magazine as one of the seventy-five most influential people of the twenty-first century.  ### Grey Frandsen CEO of Flyttr ![Frandsen Headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-04-01%20at%2009-45-11%20Grey%20Frandsen%20%E2%80%94%20Flyttr.png) Grey Frandsen CEO of Flyttr About Grey Frandsen Grey Frandsen was appointed to the role of Flyttr CEO in 2017. During his tenure, the company has expanded its public health and agriculture technology pipeline, upgraded its gene technology platform, established new R&D collaborations, and strengthened core R&D and operational capacities globally. Since 2017 the company has also expanded strategic partnerships in agriculture, developed its first commercial solutions, seeded new country programs, and secured landmark regulatory approvals for the company’s first-in-class agricultural and public health technologies. Recently named one of the ‘10 to End Malaria’ by Malaria No More, Grey has served in a range of leadership roles in the public and private sectors focused on advancing solutions to global challenges. Starting in 1999 as co-founder of his first technology start-up while at university, Grey has started or led early-stage companies in technology, biotechnology, and B2C. During public service, Grey’s roles included being the first chief of staff for the U.S. Secretary of State’s Office of Reconstruction and Stabilization, as well as other positions focused on national security priorities. Grey has served as an advisor to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Department of Defence, the University of California San Francisco’s (UCSF) Global Health Group, the Caribbean Public Health Agency, the U.S. Government’s Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, and other organizations. Grey has also served as an adjunct faculty member at UCSF and the Uniformed Services University of Health Science. Since 2016, Grey has been chair of the board of directors for Pilgrim Africa, an African NGO focused on malaria elimination and food security funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund, USAID’s President’s Malaria Initiative, and the UK Government, which continues his 20+ years of work on the African continent. Grey received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles, and a master’s degree at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies in international economics and international affairs. Grey was a U.S. President’s Management Fellow, a Manfred Woerner Fellow with the German Marshall Fund, and a fellow at the International Crisis Group in Brussels and Nairobi. Grey is a native of Seattle, WA, and lives in Virginia with his wife and four children. ### Doug Friedman Founder and CEO of BioMADE ![friedmanheadshot1](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/friedmanheadshot1.png) Doug Friedman Founder and CEO of BioMADE About Doug Friedman Douglas Friedman is CEO of BioMADE. In founding BioMADE, Doug seeks to secure the growth of the U.S. industrial biomanufacturing ecosystem and advance the non-health bioeconomy. He is a subject matter expert on emerging biotechnologies, bioindustrial manufacturing, biotechnology policy, biosecurity, and related national security topics as drivers of economic growth and national security. In addition to his leadership of BioMADE, he is Vice Chair of the U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Council and a member of the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry & Security Materials and Equipment Technical Advisory Committee. He previously served as a consultant (special government employee) at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy. Prior to BioMADE, Doug was the founding Executive Director and President of Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC). Earlier in his career, he was a study director at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC. Doug has performed research in physical organic chemistry and chemical biology in academia and industry. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Northwestern University, Certificate in Management for Scientists & Engineers from the Kellogg School of Management, and a B.S. in Chemical Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. ### Maj. Gen. (ret.) Paul Friedrichs RAND Senior Biopreparedness Fellow and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy ![Friedrichs photo 2024](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Friedrichs%20photo%202024%20(2).jpg) Maj. Gen. (ret.) Paul Friedrichs RAND Senior Biopreparedness Fellow and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy About Maj. Gen. (ret.) Paul Friedrichs Dr. Paul Friedrichs recently joined Rand as Senior Biopreparedness Fellow and is also a Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and an Adjunct Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University. Previously, he served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and inaugural Director of The White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. Paul also served as Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the National Security Council. Before moving to the White House, he served as the Joint Staff Surgeon at the Pentagon, where he provided medical advice to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and coordinated military medical support across the Department. In addition to caring for patients in combat, Antarctica and other austere locations, he has led DOD's global medical evacuation system and assisted in multiple major domestic and international responses to natural disasters and biological outbreaks. He was awarded the Bronze Star and is a Chevalier of the French Ordre National du Mérite. Paul’s father served in the US Navy at the end of World War II and his mother fought in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He is married to Dr. Rita Friedrichs, a former Army physician, and they are the proud parents of two children, one of whom is a Marine. ### Brian Hie Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University and Innovation Investigator at Arc Institute ![brian-hie](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/brian-hie.jpg) Brian Hie Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University and Innovation Investigator at Arc Institute About Brian Hie Brian Hie is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University, the Dieter Schwarz Foundation Stanford Data Science Faculty Fellow, and an Innovation Investigator at Arc Institute. He leads the Laboratory of Evolutionary Design, which conducts research at the intersection of machine learning and biology. Previously, Brian was a Stanford Science Fellow in Biochemistry, a researcher at Meta AI, received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, and his B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford. ### Matt Kaloupek Vice President of Carbon Capture and Storage for ADM ![kaloupek headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/kaloupek%20headshot.jpg) Matt Kaloupek Vice President of Carbon Capture and Storage for ADM About Matt Kaloupek Matt Kaloupek is the Vice President of Carbon Capture and Storage for ADM. ### Stephen Kotkin Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and Birkelund Professor Emeritus at the former Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University ![kotkin_hoover-1](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/kotkin_hoover-1.jpg) Stephen Kotkin Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and Birkelund Professor Emeritus at the former Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University About Stephen Kotkin In addition to his Hoover fellowship, Stephen Kotkin is a senior fellow at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He is also the Birkelund Professor in History and International Affairs emeritus at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School), where he taught for 33 years. He earned his PhD at the University of California–Berkeley and has been conducting research in the Hoover Library & Archives for more than three decades. Kotkin’s research encompasses geopolitics and authoritarian regimes in history and in the present. His publications include *Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929–1941* (Penguin, 2017) and *Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878–1928 *(Penguin, 2014), two parts of a planned three-volume history of Russian power in the world and of Stalin’s power in Russia. He has also written a history of the Stalin system’s rise from a street-level perspective, *Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilization* (University of California 1995); and a trilogy analyzing Communism’s demise, of which two volumes have appeared thus far: *Armageddon Averted: The Soviet Collapse 1970–2000 *(Oxford, 2001; rev. ed. 2008) and *Uncivil Society: 1989 and the Implosion of the Communist* *Establishment*, with a contribution by Jan T. Gross (Modern Library, 2009). The third volume will be on the Soviet Union in the third world and Afghanistan. Kotkin’s publications and public lectures also often focus on Communist China. Kotkin has participated in numerous events of the National Intelligence Council, among other government bodies, and is a consultant in geopolitical risk to Conexus Financial and Mizuho Americas. He served as the lead book reviewer for the *New York Times* Sunday Business Section for a number of years and continues to write reviews and essays for *Foreign Affairs*, *the Times Literary Supplement*, and the *Wall Street Journal*, among other venues. He has been an American Council of Learned Societies Fellow, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, and a Guggenheim Fellow. ### Mike Kuiken Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Vice Chair of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission ![Kuiken, Michael](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Kuiken%2c%20Michael.jpg) Mike Kuiken Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Vice Chair of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission About Mike Kuiken Mike Kuiken is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and serves as Vice Chair of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. In the private sector, Mike is the Managing Member of Silver Valley Strategies, where he advises founders, CEOs, and investors on geopolitical and government strategies. He is an advisor to the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) and a member of Anthropic's National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council. He serves on the boards of the National Defense Industrial Association and the Planetary Science Institute. His writing has appeared in the Financial Times, Newsweek, and the Boston Globe. Mike previously served as Senate Majority Leader Schumer's National Security Advisor. He was a 'Gang of Eight' staffer for over seven years. He architected the legislative strategy to pass the CHIPS and Science Act and played a key role in establishing the Senate's Artificial Intelligence Insight Forums. Prior to the Leader's office, Mike spent over a decade on the Senate Armed Services Committee, a career that began with the late Senator Carl Levin. His work has spanned the most consequential challenges of the post-9/11 era—from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to today's strategic competition with China. He has shaped U.S. responses to the Arab Spring, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, economic statecraft, and strategic cyber competition, working on the ground in over 85 countries to bring a frontline perspective to national policy. Mike earned his B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Calvin University and his M.A. in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University. ### Natalie Kuldell Founder and President of BioBuilder Educational Foundation ![kuldell headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/kuldell%20headshot.png) Natalie Kuldell Founder and President of BioBuilder Educational Foundation About Natalie Kuldell  Dr. Natalie Kuldell is a molecular biologist, educator, and founder of the BioBuilder Educational Foundation, the nonprofit organization she launched in 2011 to expand access to high-quality biotechnology education. BioBuilder prepares students for further study, meaningful careers, and confident engagement in a world shaped by science and technology. Through hands-on laboratory experiences and biotechnology design challenges, the organization teaches technical knowledge, practical skills, scientific ways of thinking, and an entrepreneurial mindset aligned with both higher education and workforce opportunities. Since its founding, BioBuilder has reached more than 87,000 students and teachers across all 50 U.S. states and 80 countries, while also developing award-winning curricula including *BioTechBuilder*, a skills-based program that prepares students to earn industry-recognized biotechnology credentials. After studying chemistry at Cornell University and completing her doctoral training at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Kuldell joined the faculty of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she founded BioBuilder and began pursuing the long-term goal that continues to guide her work today: making biotechnology education available in every high school in America.   ### Filippa Lentzos Associate Professor at King’s College London ![Lentzos Headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Lentzos%20Headshot.jpg) Filippa Lentzos Associate Professor at King’s College London About Filippa Lentzos Dr Filippa Lentzos is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Science & International Security in the Department of War Studies, where she also serves as Impact & Innovation Lead and as Dissertation Lead for the 500+ Masters students in the Department. Alongside her role at King’s, she holds concurrent appointments as Associate Senior Researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in Sweden and as Non-Resident Scholar at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) in the United States. Dr Lentzos chairs the WHO Technical Advisory Group on the responsible use of the life sciences and dual-use research (WHO RULS DUR) and serves as a member of the WHO Health Security Interface – Technical Advisory Group (WHO HSI-TAG). She is a rostered expert for the UN Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical or Biological Weapons and acts as NGO Coordinator for the Biological Weapons Convention. In addition, she is a columnist at the *Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists* and an Editor of the social science journal *BioSocieties*. ### Emily Leproust CEO and Co-Founder of Twist Bioscience ![leproustheadshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/leproustheadshot.jpg) Emily Leproust CEO and Co-Founder of Twist Bioscience About Emily Leproust As an early pioneer in the high-throughput synthesis and sequencing of DNA, Dr. Leproust is disrupting markets to enable the exponential growth of DNA-based applications including chemicals/materials, diagnostics, therapeutics, food and digital data storage. In 2020, BIO presented her with the Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership. Foreign Policy named her one of their 100 Leading Global Thinkers and Fast Company named her one of the Most Creative People in Business. Prior to Twist Bioscience, she held escalating positions at Agilent Technologies where she architected the successful SureSelect product line that lowered the cost of sequencing and elucidated mechanisms responsible for dozens of Mendelian diseases. She also developed the Oligo Library Synthesis technology, where she initiated and led product and business development activities for the team. Dr. Leproust designed and developed multiple commercial synthesis platforms to streamline microarray manufacturing and fabrication. She serves on the board of directors of GeneDx and Atlas Data Storage as well as the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a Washington DC-based nonprofit, nonpartisan global security organization focused on reducing biological threats. She is an investment advisor for NFX Bio and co-founder of Petri, an accelerator for start-ups at the forefront of engineering and biology. Dr. Leproust has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers – many on applications of synthetic DNA, and is the author of numerous patents. She earned her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from University of Houston and her M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry. ### Sam Levin Co-Founder and CTO of Neion Bio ![levin headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/levin%20headshot.jpg) Sam Levin Co-Founder and CTO of Neion Bio About Sam Levin Sam Levin is a biotech entrepreneur and accomplished scientific leader with 15 years of research experience and over a decade of leading complex, multidisciplinary scientific enterprises. He has deep expertise at the intersection of genetic engineering, automation, and complex systems biology. He has numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and serves as an advisor to multiple companies and research organizations. His work has been featured in top outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, and the Discovery Channel. Prior to Neion Bio, Sam was the Co-Founder and CEO of Melonfrost, where he built the world’s most high-throughput automated bioreactor system, integrated with proprietary machine learning algorithms to direct microbial evolution for industrial biotechnology. Sam holds a PhD and Bachelor’s Degree in the field of evolutionary biology from the University of Oxford. ### Lee Lilley Secretary of Commerce for the State of North Carolina ![lilleyheadshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/lilleyheadshot.jpg) Lee Lilley Secretary of Commerce for the State of North Carolina About Lee Lilley Lee Lilley's service as North Carolina's Secretary of Commerce began on January 1, 2025. Appointed to the office by Governor Josh Stein, Secretary Lilley brings extensive economic development experience to the role. Immediately prior to joining the department, Secretary Lilley served as the Director of Economic & Pandemic Recovery for Governor Roy Cooper. In that position, he coordinated statewide pandemic recovery efforts, served as State Infrastructure Coordinator, and led economic development initiatives for the Cooper Administration. Lee also advised Cooper Administration leadership on strategy and communications. Lee joined the Governor’s Office in 2018 as the Director of Legislative Affairs, where he led all Gubernatorial and Executive Branch engagement with the North Carolina General Assembly and served as the principal advisor to the Governor on policy and legislative strategy. Lee was previously senior vice president and deputy director of federal practice at McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC, based in Washington, D.C. There he represented a diverse group of clients including Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, trade associations, and non-profits before Congress and the federal Executive Branch. He led public affairs strategies for clients facing political and regulatory scrutiny of international mergers and acquisitions, litigation, and trade disputes. Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Lee served as legislative director for Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), a member of U.S. House Democratic leadership and the Energy & Commerce Committee, and the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He served as the Member’s senior legislative strategist and policy advisor. Lee is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A native of Williamston, North Carolina, Secretary Lilley lives in Raleigh with his wife and daughter. ### Matt McKnight CEO of Perimeter ![MCKNIGHT_MATTHEW_085_FINAL](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/MCKNIGHT_MATTHEW_085_FINAL.jpg) Matt McKnight CEO of Perimeter About Matt McKnight Matt McKnight is the Chief Executive Officer of Perimeter, the leading biosecurity infrastructure platform for national security. He began his career as an officer in the United States Marine Corps before supporting business development at Palantir Technologies. He subsequently spent seven years as an investor and served as President and COO at Decision Resources Group. Matt also serves as a General Partner at Four Cities Capital, a seed stage venture capital firm. Before founding Perimeter, Matt worked at Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA) as head of its biosecurity business unit and as Chief Commercial Officer where he played a central role in scaling the company through its IPO in 2021. Matt holds a degree in History from Dartmouth College and is a graduate of the joint MBA/MPP program at Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he was a Zuckerman Fellow. He currently serves as a Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, where he focuses on the intersection of biotechnology and national security. ### Deborah Moorad Secretary of Commerce for the State of Oklahoma ![Moorad Headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-04-01%20at%2011-21-06%20Our%20Team%20-%20Oklahoma%20Department%20of%20Commerce.png) Deborah Moorad Secretary of Commerce for the State of Oklahoma About Deborah Moorad Deborah Moorad serves as the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce. She brings years of experience in entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, and economic development to the state. As the founding CEO and owner of Jax XII Holdings, she helps innovators and companies scale through technology. Previously, she led multiple biotech companies through transformative growth, including serving as CEO of Nature Technology Corp. Under her leadership, NTC pioneered breakthrough gene therapy technologies, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Aldevron, a Danaher Company. She also played a pivotal role in post-merger operations for Dentsply Sirona following its $14.5 billion merger. ### Megan Palmer Lead for Responsible Innovation at ARPA-H ![Megan+Palmer+-+Photo+credit_++Christopher+Michel](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Megan+Palmer+-+Photo+credit_++Christopher+Michel.jpg) Megan Palmer Lead for Responsible Innovation at ARPA-H About Megan Palmer ### Gerald Parker Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Biosecurity and Pandemic Response & Associate Dean for Global One Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University ![gerald-w-parker](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/gerald-w-parker.jpg) Gerald Parker Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Biosecurity and Pandemic Response & Associate Dean for Global One Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University About Gerald Parker Dr. Parker has held technical to executive leadership positions throughout 36 years of public service at the federal level as a leader in biodefense, high consequence emerging infectious diseases, global health security, and all-hazards public health/medical preparedness. This included overseeing the coordination of federal medical/public health responses to Hurricanes Katrina thru Alex, to the 2009 Pandemic and Haiti earthquake. His service includes more than 26 years on active duty in the United States Army leading medical research and development programs and organizations, including command of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Parker held senior executive-level positions at the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Defense (DOD); including serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at HHS, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense at DOD. Dr. Parker is currently the Associate Dean for Global One Health at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and in this role, he also serves as Campus Director for Global One Health at Texas A&M University and Director for the Pandemic & Biosecurity Policy Program at the Bush School of Government & Public Service. ### Padmini Pillai Special Asst to the Director of the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA ![pillai headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/pillai%20headshot.jpg) Padmini Pillai Special Asst to the Director of the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA About Padmini Pillai  Padmini Pillai Ph.D. was selected as a 2024-25 White House Fellow. An immunoengineer by training, Dr. Pillai has bridged cutting-edge advances in immunology with the development of new biomaterials to treat human disease. She completed her Ph.D. in Immunobiology at Yale University under the mentorship of Prof. Akiko Iwasaki. Her research, featured in her first-authored Science publication and a Nature Reviews Immunology article, reveals how excessive inflammation in the lung could drive mortality from flu infections. Her findings also suggest a new potential strategy to boost disease tolerance to improve survival in vulnerable individuals. Inspired to apply her expertise to develop new tools for both treating disease and exploring fundamental questions in immunology, Dr. Pillai joined the laboratory of Prof. Robert Langer at MIT. Her research is centered on engineering a tumor-selective RNA nanotherapy to eliminate cancer cells and boost anti-tumor immunity, for which she has been awarded over $2M in funding. She also received the prestigious CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship for the design of an anti-inflammatory biomaterial platform to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. Dr. Pillai has been featured in multiple media outlets to discuss vaccination and immunity during the COVID pandemic. She was selected as a 2019 Delegate to the American Academy of Achievement. Dr. Pillai is a singer and multi-instrumentalist who has performed music internationally ranging from Gospel to South Indian Classical. She has provided backup vocals for Grammy award-winning artist Angélique Kidjo since 2011 at venues including the Kennedy Center, the Lincoln Center, the Newport Jazz Festival, and Carnegie Hall.  ### Matt Pottinger Former Deputy National Security Advisor and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution ![Matt Pottinger headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Matt%20Pottinger%20headshot.jpg) Matt Pottinger Former Deputy National Security Advisor and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution About Matt Pottinger Matt Pottinger is a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution. Pottinger served the White House for four years in senior roles on the National Security Council staff, including as deputy national security advisor from 2019 to 2021. In that role, he coordinated the full spectrum of national security policy. He previously served as senior director for Asia, where he led the administration’s work on the Indo-Pacific region, in particular its shift on China policy. Before his White House service, Pottinger spent the late 1990s and early 2000s in China as a reporter for Reuters and the* Wall Street Journal*. He then fought in Iraq and Afghanistan as a US Marine during three combat deployments between 2007 and 2010. Following active duty, he founded and led an Asia-focused risk consultancy and ran Asia research at an investment fund in New York. ### Steve Quake Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and of Applied Physics at Stanford University, Past Head of Science for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative ![quake headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/quake%20headshot.jpg) Steve Quake Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and of Applied Physics at Stanford University, Past Head of Science for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative About Steve Quake Stephen Quake is the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University and is co-President of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub. He received a B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics from Stanford University in 1991 and a doctorate in Theoretical Physics from the University of Oxford in 1994. Quake has invented many measurement tools for biology, including new DNA sequencing technologies that have enabled rapid analysis of the human genome and microfluidic automation that allows scientists to efficiently isolate individual cells and decipher their genetic code. Quake is also well known for inventing new diagnostic tools, including the first non-invasive prenatal test for Down syndrome and other aneuploidies. His test is rapidly replacing risky invasive approaches such as amniocentesis, and millions of women each year now benefit from this approach. His innovations have helped to radically accelerate the pace of biology and have made medicine safer by replacing invasive biopsies with simple blood tests. ### Condoleezza Rice Tad and Dianne Taube Director at the Hoover Institution and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy ![Condoleezza Rice_headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Condoleezza%20Rice_headshot.jpeg) Condoleezza Rice Tad and Dianne Taube Director at the Hoover Institution and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy About Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza Rice is the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy. She is the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In addition, she is a founding partner of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC, an international strategic consulting firm. From January 2005 to January 2009, Rice served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States, the second woman and first black woman to hold the post. Rice also served as President George W. Bush’s Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National Security Advisor) from January 2001 to January 2005, the first woman to hold the position. Rice served as Stanford University’s provost from 1993 to 1999, during which time she was the institution’s chief budget and academic officer. As Professor of Political Science, she has been on the Stanford faculty since 1981 and has won two of the university’s highest teaching honors. From February 1989 through March 1991, Rice served on President George H.W. Bush’s National Security Council staff. She served as Director, then Senior Director, of Soviet and East European Affairs, as well as Special Assistant to the President for National Security. In 1986, while an International Affairs Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, Rice also served as Special Assistant to the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She has authored and co-authored numerous books, most recently *To Build a Better World: Choices to End the Cold War and Create a Global Commonwealth *(2019), co-authored with Philip Zelikow. Among her other volumes are three bestsellers, *Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom *(2017); *No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington *(2011); and *Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family *(2010). She also wrote *Political Risk: How Businesses and Organizations Can Anticipate Global Insecurity *(2018) with Amy B. Zegart; *Germany Unified and Europe Transformed: A Study in Statecraft *(1995) with Philip Zelikow; edited *The Gorbachev Era *(1986) with Alexander Dallin; and penned *The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army; 1948-1983: Uncertain Allegiance *(1984). In 1991, Rice co-founded the Center for a New Generation (CNG), an innovative, after-school academic enrichment program for students in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park, California. In 1996, CNG merged with the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula, an affiliate club of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BCGA). CNG has since expanded to local BGCA chapters in Birmingham, Atlanta, and Dallas. Rice remains an active proponent of an extended learning day through after-school programs. Since 2009, Rice has served as a founding partner at Rice, Hadley, Gates, & Manuel LLC, an international strategic consulting firm based in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. The firm works with senior executives of major companies to implement strategic plans and expand in emerging markets. Other partners include former National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley, former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, and former diplomat, author, and advisor on emerging markets, Anja Manuel. In 2022, Rice became a part-owner of the Denver Broncos as a part of the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group. In 2013, Rice was appointed to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, formerly the Bowl Championship Series. She served on the committee until 2017. Rice currently serves on the boards of C3.ai, an AI software company; and Makena Capital Management, a private endowment firm. In addition, she is Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and a trustee of the Aspen Institute. Previously, Rice served on various boards, including Dropbox; the George W. Bush Institute; the Commonwealth Club; KiOR, Inc.; the Chevron Corporation; the Charles Schwab Corporation; the Transamerica Corporation; the Hewlett-Packard Company; the University of Notre Dame; the Foundation of Excellence in Education; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and the San Francisco Symphony. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Rice earned her bachelor’s degree in political science, *cum laude* and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Denver; her master’s in the same subject from the University of Notre Dame; and her Ph.D., likewise in political science, from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver. Rice is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been awarded over fifteen honorary doctorates. ### Sam Rodriques CEO and Co-Founder of FutureHouse ![rodriques headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/rodriques%20headshot.jpg) Sam Rodriques CEO and Co-Founder of FutureHouse About Sam Rodriques Sam is a physicist and bioengineer, and is co-founder, director and CEO of FutureHouse. Sam has invented technologies for spatial and temporal transcriptomics, brain mapping, gene therapy, and nanofabrication, and ran an academic lab at the Francis Crick Institute prior to launching FutureHouse. He was also named to the 2025 [TIME100 AI](https://time.com/collections/time100-ai-2025/7305817/sam-rodriques/), a list recognizing the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence. ### Jenny Rooke Managing Director of Genoa Ventures ![rooke headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-04-01%20at%2011-27-51%20Genoa%20Ventures.png) Jenny Rooke Managing Director of Genoa Ventures About Jenny Rooke Jenny is the Founder and Managing Director of Genoa Ventures, where she leverages her unique toolkit of genetics domain expertise, strategic business acumen, and venture investing to launch and empower the next generation of category-defying companies at the convergence of technology and biology. She has nearly two decades of investing experience, beginning at Fidelity Biosciences in 2006 as a Kauffman Fellow. After Fidelity, Jenny helped establish the investing function at the Gates Foundation, funding companies in genetic engineering, diagnostics, and synthetic biology. Jenny started what would become Genoa Ventures in 2014 using the largest life sciences syndicate on AngelList and achieving one of the highest-performing AngelList syndicates in any sector. Jenny’s investments and board seats at Genoa include Intabio (acquired by Danaher Sciex), InterVenn, Aqtual, Meiogenix, and BrightSpec. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Jackson Laboratory. Her prior investments include Zymergen (IPO), Caribou (IPO), Accuri (acquired by Becton Dickinson), and Topaz (acquired by Sanofi). Prior to her investing career, Jenny was a management consultant with McKinsey focused on the pharma and biotech sectors. She also served in executive management roles at U.S. Genomics, leading Corporate Development and Research and Development. Jenny studied physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology and has a Ph.D. in genetics from Yale. Jenny’s love of sailing inspired her to name the fund Genoa – the sail that increases the performance and stability of a sailboat. Recognizing that the entrepreneur is the captain of their ship, she aims to help them and their companies navigate the start-up life cycle with the power of her network and her experience building and advising companies to get to the target destination. ### Nadia Schadlow National Security Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution ![NadiaSchadlow-1](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/NadiaSchadlow-1.jpg) Nadia Schadlow National Security Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution About Nadia Schadlow Nadia Schadlow is a National Security Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Previously, Dr. Schadlow served as a Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy and Assistant to the President of the United States. As the architect of the 2017 National Security Strategy, Dr. Schadlow coordinated strategic analysis and forged consensus across multiple government departments. She also oversaw the development of regional and functional strategies to deal with complex national security challenges. Prior to her most recent period of government service, she served as an executive at Smith Richardson Foundation where she directed assets to catalyze new thinking and analysis to improve the security and competitiveness of the United States. Her 2017 book, *War and the Art of Governance: Consolidating Combat Success into Political Victory*, explored the challenges of undertaking post-conflict operations and identified optimal practices. Her writings have appeared in *The Hill, The Wall Street Journal, The American Interest, War on the Rocks*, and several edited volumes. She serves on several boards and commissions, including the National Endowment for Democracy and the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board, Working Group on Innovation. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Schadlow received a B.A. from Cornell University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). ### Tim Schnabel Founder and CEO of Switch Bioworks ![Schnabel-1](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Schnabel-1.jpg) Tim Schnabel Founder and CEO of Switch Bioworks About Tim Schnabel Dr. Tim Schnabel is a scientist, bioengineer, entrepreneur, and Forbes 30 under 30 honoree in social impact. He is currently serving as the Founder and CEO of Switch Bioworks, a biotechnology company located in San Carlos, California, focused on engineering microbes that produce cost-effective, sustainable fertilizer to tackle climate change. Originally from Germany, Tim came to the US to study chemical engineering and economics at Stanford University (’15). Under the guidance of Professor James Swartz, he researched the biological production of hydrogen fuel from sunlight and received Stanford's Kennedy Thesis Prize, the highest university recognition for undergraduate research. Tim’s research also won the Mason Award and Firestone Medal, and his academic recognition include the President’s Award, Terman Engineering Award, and Tau Beta Pi – the National Engineering Honor Society, of which Dr. Schnabel served as President (CA G chapter) and Advisory Board Chair. Following his early training in biotechnology, Tim pursued a MS ’17 and PhD ’21 in bioengineering at Stanford, advised by Professor Elizabeth Sattely. He was awarded a BioX Bowes Fellowship for interdisciplinary research. Dr. Schnabel’s PhD thesis titled "Engineering Ammonia Production in Free-Living Diazotrophs for Plant Fertilization" is published in two single-author papers (patents pending), one of which was featured on the cover of ACS Synthetic Biology. Tim was also a scholar (’19) of the highly competitive Accel Leadership Fellows, a program that accelerates entrepreneurship training of PhD candidates in engineering. Transitioning through an “Entrepreneur in Training” Postdoc ’22 in the Stanford Bioengineering Department Chair’s lab, Professor Jennifer Cochran, Tim founded Switch Bioworks – “the living fertilizer company” – of which he is CEO and on the Board of Directors. In his free time, Tim is a beekeeper, homebrewer, and author of "Wake up! A young person's guide to spirituality." ### Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall Former United States Homeland Security Advisor & Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs ![LSR headshot 2_crop](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/LSR%20headshot%202_crop.jpeg) Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall Former United States Homeland Security Advisor & Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs About Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall is currently a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She is the Director of the Initiative on Bioconvergence, Biosecurity, and Bioresilience (IB3), which is situated within the Program on Emerging Technology, Scientific Advancement and Global Policy. Dr. Sherwood-Randall has had a trailblazing career in national and homeland security, serving in key leadership roles at the White House, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense. Most recently, she worked in the West Wing from 2021-2025 as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Deputy National Security Advisor. In that high stakes position, she pioneered Federal efforts to strengthen national preparedness for and resilience to emerging threats. She spearheaded Federal crisis management for a wide range of challenges including mass shootings, domestic and international terrorist attacks, extreme weather events, and critical infrastructure disruptions. She guided the development and implementation of new strategies to counter terrorism at home and around the world. She innovated policies to prevent, prepare, and respond to natural and pernicious biological risks, including mpox, avian flu, and the convergence of advances in biotechnology and artificial intelligence. She built a counter-fentanyl campaign involving Mexico, Canada, and China, and mobilized a global coalition of more than 80 partner countries to disrupt the synthetic opioid supply chain and save American lives. During the Obama Administration, Dr. Sherwood-Randall served in three successive roles: Deputy Secretary of Energy (2014-2017); White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction and Arms Control (2013-2014); and Senior Director for Europe on the National Security Council (2009-2013). She served in the Clinton Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia (1994-1996). At the beginning of her career, she served as Chief Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Advisor to Senator Joe Biden. She has been repeatedly recognized for her leadership, including with the Secretary of Energy Exceptional Service Award, the Department of Defense Nunn-Lugar Trailblazer Award, and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Dr. Sherwood-Randall has taught, conducted research, and mentored students at universities and think tanks including Harvard, Stanford, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Council on Foreign Relations. She has also advised national laboratories, power grid and cybersecurity startups, and energy investment funds. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she graduated from Harvard College and received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, where she completed her doctorate in international relations. She is married to Dr. Jeffrey Randall, a neurosurgeon in the California Bay Area, and they have two sons. ### Christina Smolke CEO & Co-Founder of Antheia ![smolkeheadshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/smolkeheadshot.png) Christina Smolke CEO & Co-Founder of Antheia About Christina Smolke Christina is a pioneer in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, where she has over 20 years of experience. As Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering at Stanford University, her laboratory led the breakthrough research to engineer baker’s yeast to produce some of the most complex and valuable medicines known. Under her leadership, Antheia's advanced biosynthesis platform enables new possibilities for drug discovery and efficient, sustainable, transparent, and on-demand drug manufacturing at scale. Her vision and accomplishments have garnered numerous awards, including the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator, NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, Nature’s 10, Novozymes Award for Excellence in Biochemical Engineering, and TR35 Award. ### Keith Wood CEO and Co-Founder of Light Bio ![kwood headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/kwood%20headshot.jpg) Keith Wood CEO and Co-Founder of Light Bio About Keith Wood Dr. Keith Wood is the CEO and co-founder of Light Bio, a company designing bioluminescent plants for consumer markets. Its first product, the Firefly Petunia, was featured on the cover of TIME magazine as a Best Inventions of 2024. A leader in applying synthetic biology to bioluminescence, Dr. Wood has introduced diverse technologies for studying cell metabolism and drug action. In addition to his publication record, he is an inventor on over 200 patents. ### Jaime Yassif Senior Advisor and former Bio Vice President for the Nuclear Threat Initiative ![yassif headshot](https://go.hoover.org/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-04-01%20at%2009-51-23%20Jaime%20Yassif%20World%20Economic%20Forum.png) Jaime Yassif Senior Advisor and former Bio Vice President for the Nuclear Threat Initiative About Jaime Yassif  Dr. Jaime Yassif has more than 20 years of experience working at the interface of science, technology, public health, and international security within government and civil society. Yassif currently serves as NTI Vice President for Global Biological Policy and Programs, where she oversees the organization’s work to reduce catastrophic biological risks, strengthen biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, and drive progress in advancing global health security. Yassif previously served as a Program Officer at Open Philanthropy, where she led the Biosecurity and Pandemic Preparedness initiative, recommending and managing approximately $40 million in biosecurity grants, which rebuilt the field and supported work in several key areas. Prior to this, she served as a Science and Technology Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense and worked on the Global Health Security Agenda at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Yassif holds a Biophysics Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, an MA in Science and Security from the King’s College London War Studies Department, and a BA in Biology from Swarthmore College.