Our Team
We are students, post docs from different research areas, and young industry professionals who share the common goal of improving and facilitating communication between biotech industry and academia.
Our advisory board includes BCLA's co-founders and professionals from academia and industry, who help to direct BCLA towards better serving the biotech community and creating more possibilities for bioscience entrepreneurship in Los Angeles.
Biotech Connection LA Team
Advisory Board
Alumni
Helen McBride (Advisory Board Member) 2022-2023
Harry Yang (Events Associate) 2021-2023
Marina Broz (Consulting Associate) 2021-2023
Charles Bramlett (Consulting Associate) 2021-2023
Emily Peluso Smith (Outreach Lead) 2021-2023
Michael Coumans (Consulting Lead) 2020-2023
David Urtecho (Consulting and Events Associate) 2021-2023
Rudra Persaud (Media and Marketing Lead) 2021-2023
Nicolette Pollack (Development and Outreach Associate) 2022-2023
Helen Motanis (Development and Consulting Associate) 2021-2023
Harry Yang (Media and Marketing, Outreach, and Events Associate) 2020-2023
Harvey Perez ( Outreach Associate) 2022-2023
Justin Overhulse (Events Lead, President) 2019-2022
Mahta Barekatain(Vice President, Events Associate, Consulting Associate, Development Associate) 2020-2022
Giuliano Cutolo (Events Lead and Consulting Lead) 2020-2022
Divij Gulati (Strategic Operations Lead) 2022-2022
Yewande Pearse (Podcast Host) 2020-2022
Ananta Wadhwa (Podcast Associate) 2020-2022
Vanessa Pataro ( Media and Marketing Associate) 2021-2022
Sid Modha (Consulting Associate) 2021-2022
Cindy Tseng (Media & Marketing Associate) 2021-2022
​Fleury Nsole Biteghe (Outreach & Consulting Associate) 2020-2022
Carl Sedgeman (Consulting Associate) 2021-2022
Leslie Sedgeman (Outreach Lead & Podcast Associate) 2019-2022
Cally Xiao (Media & Marketing Lead) 2019-2022
Jessie Xiaoya Ma (Media & Marketing Associate) 2018-2022
Sean Burkitt (Consulting Lead) 2020-2022
Raquel Abreu (Development Lead, Consulting Associate) 2019-2021
Richard van Krieken (Development and Consulting Associate) 2019-2021
Beheya Ahmed (Consulting Associate) 2020-2021
Eshani Nandi (Outreach and Media & Marketing Associate) 2020-2021
Angel Gonzalez (Media & Marketing Associate) 2018-2021
Asumi Suguro (Outreach Lead) 2020-2021
Stephanie Yeganyan (Outreach Associate) 2019-2021
Sadhna Rao (Vice President) 2019-2021
Hammond Sun (Vice President, Director of Strategic Operations) 2017-2021
Adhirath Sikand (Events Lead, President) 2017-2020
Joseph Tsung (Consulting Associate) 2019-2020
Johnny Saldate (Events Lead) 2018-2020
Martin Egeland (External Affairs Lead) 2019-2020
Yi Liu (Events Associate) 2018-2020
Evgeny Bondarenko (Media & Marketing Lead, President) 2015-2019
Tom Allison (Media & Marketing Lead) 2018-2019
Manmeet Raval (Outreach Associate) 2018-2019
Lok Leung (Outreach Lead) 2017-2019
George Abe (Emeritus Advisory Board Member)
Arleen F. Brown (Emeritus Advisory Board Member)
Jonathon Low (Development Associate) 2018-2019
Marcos Otero (Media & Marketing Associate) 2018
Lining Zhu (Media & Marketing Associate) 2017-2018
Lindsey Sacco (Social Media Associate) 2017-2018
Lisa Walter (Outreach and Marketing Associate) 2016-2018
Cathy Jin (Volunteer Coordinator) 2016-2018
Radhika Palkar (Event Lead) 2015-2018
Huixuan Liang (Event Associate) 2016-2018
Umesh Ahuja (Fundraising Lead) 2016-2018
Yari Fontebasso (Outreach Lead, President) 2015-2017
Jaqueline Sayyah (Writer, Industry Ambassador) 2015-2017
Mary Donhofner (Social Media Associate) 2016-2017
Charles Caldwell (Outreach Associate, Campus Ambassador) 2016-2017
Julia Zhao (Outreach Associate) 2016-2017
Matt Wong (Chapter Correspondent) 2015-2017
Michael Frantz (Outreach Associate) 2015-2016
Anna Parievsky (Events Associate) 2016
Julian Esteve-Rudd (Chapter Correspondent) 2014-2015
Ben S. Huang (Chapter Correspondent) 2015
Nathan Hutcheson (Chapter Correspondent) 2015