INNOVATION QUARTER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Head of Life Sciences and Biotech Ecosystem Development
Isaac Perry leads Innovation Quarter initiatives in partnership development, tenant recruitment and the promotion of Winston-Salem as the premiere city for industry to access knowledge and resources in biotech and life sciences, especially in the fields of regenerative medicine and clinical trials. A Winston-Salem native, he most recently served as the Director of Strategy and Innovation for Miracles in Sight, one of the world's largest eye banks. He holds a Black Belt Certification in Innovation Engineering from the Innovation Engineering Institute.
Job Titles:
- Director, Marketing & Communications
- Media
James Patterson has led the marketing and communications efforts on behalf of the Innovation Quarter since 2015. He is responsible for all external communications, media relations, content marketing, branding and digital strategy. Patterson has provided integrated marketing strategy and direction on behalf of many national nonprofits and government organizations, including AARP Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Education. A tireless advocate for his local community, he has served on the board of directors of several Winston-Salem nonprofits, including the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods and Leadership Winston-Salem.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President, Innovation Quarter Operations and Wake Forest School of Medicine Academic Resources
Kaplan joined Wake Forest School of Medicine in 2012, focused primarily on academic resource support to faculty researchers and educators along with staff and students. With a passion for urban planning and design, Kaplan joined the Innovation Quarter in May 2018 to lead the operations team in real estate and property management, parking, leasing support, capital project implementation, event support and Innovation Quarter mapping and data resources. Current projects include a GIS mapping study to inventory the entire Innovation Quarter ecology and landscape and master planning for the subsequent phases of development.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Health and Dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine
Julie A. Freischlag is the chief executive officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Health and dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine. Her leadership includes overseeing a growing, multi-hospital health system and physician network, the state-of-the-art and highly competitive Wake Forest School of Medicine, and the school's technology transfer and commercialization arm, Wake Forest Innovations. As CEO and dean, she has the overall responsibility for the health system's clinical, academic and innovation enterprises and its annual operating budget of $3 billion. Previously, Freischlag was vice chancellor for Human Health Sciences and dean of the School of Medicine at UC Davis.
Job Titles:
- Director, Community Relations
Lindsey Schwab is responsible for facilitating and managing key academic, entrepreneurial and community partnerships as well as supporting the iQ's economic development strategy. She joined the team in 2012 to implement placemaking best practices within the newly redeveloped Innovation Quarter as a means of engaging with the broader community. Prior to joining the iQ, Schwab worked as the events manager for a B2B human capital management software firm. She believes in the power of inclusive innovation through intentional collaboration and has served on the board for several Winston-Salem nonprofits, including the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership and Agile City. In addition, Lindsey is an active member of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Forsyth County.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice Chief Academic Officer, Administration, Academic Administration / Advocate Health and Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Terry Hales leads the team responsible for growing the Innovation Quarter. Hales was heavily involved in creating the initial master plan for the Innovation Quarter, then called the Piedmont Triad Research Park, from 2002-2012. In February 2018, he rejoined the Innovation Quarter team to lead planning for the development phase and the creation of strategies for a sustainable innovation ecosystem. Hales first joined Wake Forest School of Medicine in 1996 with a background in finance, including accounting positions with both public accounting and industry. Since then, he has held evolving roles within the institution, including assistant dean for finance, vice president for financial planning and chief financial officer, Wake Forest University Health Sciences and vice chief officer, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. He is currently senior vice president of academic administration and operations and executive vice dean.