Robert A. Armitage

Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Eli Lilly and Company

Robert A. Armitage became senior vice president and general counsel for Eli Lilly and Company in January 2003, and is a member of the company's policy and strategy committee. He joined the company as vice president and general patent counsel, Lilly Research Laboratories, in October 1999.

Armitage was born in Port Huron, Mich., and received a from Albion College. He received a master's degree in physics from the University of Michigan in 1971 and a juris doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1973. Prior to joining Lilly, Armitage was chief intellectual property counsel for The Upjohn Company from 1983 to 1993. He also was a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Vinson & Elkins LLP from 1993 to 1999.

Armitage is a member and a past president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and the Association of Corporate Patent Counsel (ACPC). He is also a past chair of the Patent Committee of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Associations (NCIPLA), the Intellectual Property Committee of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Fellows of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, and the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

He has served as an adjunct professor of law at George Washington University, as a member of the board of directors of Human Genome Sciences, Inc., and as president of the board of directors of the Hospice of Southwest Michigan, Inc. He has also served as a member of the board of directors of both Intellectual Property Owners (IPO) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation (NIHFF). He is currently serving as a member of the Council for the Intellectual Property Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA IPL Section), a member of the Board of Directors of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee and the Indianapolis Race Relations Leadership Network, and a trustee on the Albion College Board of Trustees.

Izhar Armony

Charles River Ventures

Izhar joined Charles River Ventures in 1997. His investment focus is on software, services, and Intellectual Property. He is currently a director of BusRadio, Gridstone Research, iSkoot, July Systems, Mobeus, Optaros, ThinkFire and Virtusa. He is also a member of the Advisory Boards of the Invention Science Fund and the Invention Investment Fund. Previously, he served as a director of Guardent (acquired by VeriSign, Nasdaq: VRSN), iBasis (IPO in 1999, NASDAQ:IBAS), iPhrase (acquired by IBM, NYSE: IBM), Yantra (acquired by Sterling Commerce), Global Food Exchange (acquired by Instill Corporation), Celarix (acquired by GXS) and ThinQ (acquired by Saba Software, Nasdaq: SABA). He also invested in Oberon, which was acquired by OnDisplay (then Nasdaq:ONDS).

Prior to joining Charles River Ventures, Izhar was with Onyx Interactive, an interactive training company based in Tel Aviv where he served as vice president of marketing and business development. Izhar also served as an officer in the Israeli Army for four years prior to Onyx.

Izhar earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Tel Aviv in Israel .

Robert P. Blackburn

Principal & Founder of DNAlex

Robert Blackburn, the principal & founder of DNAlex, is an independent intellectual property practitioner based in Berkeley, California. With over twenty-five years of experience in both corporate and private practice, his career has spanned the development of the biotech IP field.

Mr. Blackburn was most recently the Vice President & Chief Patent Counsel of Chiron Corporation.  He started and built Chiron’s intellectual property department.  Through an integrated worldwide program of filings, licensing, partnerships and litigation, Chiron’s IP estate grew to a nearly $300 million dollar a year business, with an overall cumulative value in the billions of dollars. During his tenure at Chiron, the American Lawyer named Mr. Blackburn one of the top forty-five in-house counsel under the age of forty-five.

Few attorneys have Mr. Blackburn’s experience in the coordinated development of global IP rights. He has successfully implemented procurement, licensing and litigation strategies spanning four continents and worked with a wide range of technologies, including small molecules, rDNA, monoclonal antibodies, food and agricultural technologies, vaccines, diagnostics, drug screening, genomics, and arrays.

Mr. Blackburn is a member of the Board of Advisors of Inflexion Point Strategy LLC, an intellectual property investment bank.  He has also been a Distinguished Scholar at the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, and is a lecturer at the U.C. Berkeley School of Law.  He was a member of the National Research Council’s Committee on Intellectual Property Rights in a Knowledge-Based Economy, which released the report entitled “A Patent System for the 21st Century.”  Mr. Blackburn is a past chairperson of the Intellectual Property Law Committee of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and a past board member of the Biotechnology Institute.  On behalf of BIO and other industry coalitions, he has been involved in legislative and policy matters, including the Biotechnology Process Patent Act, the GATT/TRIPS implementing legislation, the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999, and several amicus briefings of the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Court.

Prior to joining Chiron, Mr. Blackburn was a partner in Irell & Manella and an associate in its predecessor firm, Ciotti & Murashige; Assistant Patent Counsel of Agrigenetics Research Corp.; and an associate in the law firm of Banner, Birch, McKie & Beckett. He received his J.D. from the American University, where he was Articles Editor of the Law Review, and his B.S. in chemistry with honors from Case Western Reserve University.

Wesley Cohen

Faculty Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Frederick C. Joerg Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Economics, Law and Management

After twenty years teaching in Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Wesley Cohen (Ph.D., Economics, Yale University, 1981) joined the faculty of the Fuqua School of Business.

Cohen is a leading applied economist in the area of technological change and R&D.  Much of his research has focused on the determinants of innovative activity and performance both within and across industries, considering the roles of firm size, market structure, firm learning, knowledge flows, university research and the means that firms use to protect their intellectual property.  Recently, he has focused on the economics and management of intellectual property. 

He is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research.  He served for five years as a Main Editor for Research Policy and recently served on the National Academies’ Committee on Intellectual Property Rights in the Knowledge-Based Economy, and on the National Academies' Panel on Research and Development Statistics at the National Science Foundation.

Chuck Fish

Vice President & Chief Patent Counsel of Time Warner Inc.

Chuck Fish is Vice President & Chief Patent Counsel of Time Warner Inc. He is a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. After commissioning, he served on a destroyer and a Patrol Wing Staff in the Western Pacific until “President Reagan won the Cold War and we ran out of targets.” He then attended Wayne State University Law School, graduating cum laude. Following graduation Chuck worked at Morgan & Finnegan, Sony, General Instrument Corp. and Motorola Inc. prior to beginning his current job in September of 2002. In addition to testifying twice before Congress on patent reform, he has spoken on legal and patent topics for groups including the AIPLA, DC Bar Association, Federal Circuit Bar Association, IPO, Philadelphia IPLA, Pittsburgh IPLA, SIFMA and the Anne Anstine Excellence in Public Service Series of the Pennsylvania GOP.  

Mark W. Haller

Partner, Advisory Services
PricewaterhouseCoopers

Mark is a partner in the Advisory Services Group of PwC.  He leads the Business Analytics practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers.  He also heads up the Economics & Strategy practice in the U.S. within which resides the Firm’s Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) group; a group which he also founded and leads.  

Mark brings a wealth of experience in the area of managing intellectual assets; helping corporations to leverage them to increase shareholder value and to negotiate and complete transactions involving intellectual assets.  Specifically in that capacity, he works with corporations to enhance internal organization and business processes, design and implement portfolio management systems, and to conduct financial and business analyses in support of transactions to extract greater value from corporate intellectual asset portfolios.  Also, as a part of the firm’s ValueReporting™ initiative he helps companies understand and communicate the value of intellectual assets in a way that leads to better value recognition by the marketplace. 

Mark counsels clients on the business and financial issues surrounding transactions and other business arrangements such as licenses, joint ventures, joint development and strategic partnerships where intellectual assets are an essential driver of value.  For such transactions he often determines royalty rates, develops offer prices and frameworks to evaluate alternative offers, evaluates the economics of substitute technologies and formulates and advises on negotiation strategies.  His experience also includes determining incremental value of IA rights in M&A transactions, the purchase and sale of technology and the donation of intellectual property rights.  Additionally, Mark assists clients with economic and financial impacts of intellectual property in infringement litigation.  He has served as an expert in such intellectual property matters on numerous occasions.  His experience and skill set has been applied across a broad range of industries and has included counseling in the context of IAM issues in changing or emerging business models, among them, e-business, advertising, software and service applications as well as business models built on more established technology platforms.

As the leader of the Business Analytics practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, along with his colleagues, Mark serves clients as they address important issues that impact execution of strategy and key tactics or that address challenges to key aspects of the company’s business model.  The approach he applies often includes the gathering of significant data and the design and execution of creative analyses, the outcome of which often challenges historic intuition-based conclusions and forms the basis for decision-making and change.  Typically the critical business challenges addressed are those that require immediate action---applying careful problem framing, deep analytics and development of well supported and executable solutions under the pressure of urgency.

Mark is a frequent speaker and author of a number of published works on IA and IP issues and member of the Licensing Executives Society.  He has often instructed on such topics as intellectual property, valuation assessment and issues around emerging and changing business models.  He has also served as sole arbitrator in the resolution of disputed matters on numerous occasions.

Mark is a CPA, a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).  He received an MBA with a specialization in finance and business policy from the University of Chicago and a BS degree in accounting and finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  He has over 26 years of diversified financial and management consulting experience applying his financial, accounting, and quantitative skills and experience to clients across a range of industries.  

Bowman J. Heiden

Deputy Director, CIP
Chalmers | Göteborg University

Mr. Heiden’s role as deputy director of CIP involves strategic program development specifically focused on the building of collaborative innovation platforms to facilitate the creation and development of knowledge-based business. In this role Mr. Heiden has co-developed the Intellectual Capital Management Master program (ICM), which is a graduate education in knowledge-based business development and management for business, engineering, and law students. Mr. Heiden is also co-founder of the Gothenburg International Bioscience Business School (GIBBS), a graduate education that developed real bioscience ventures in an imbedded pre-incubator, and CIP Professional Services, which provides management consulting to both established firms and technology start-ups. Mr. Heiden has also developed CIP FORUM, which has grown to one of the leading knowledge-based business events worldwide.

Currently Mr. Heiden holds several positions including Chairman of the ScanBalt IP Knowledge Network, Chairman of the Task Group on Innovation for the European Federation of Biotechnology, and Coordinator of the ScanBalt Campus Knowledge Center on IP and Bio-Entrepreneurship, where CIP is a major contributor to the creation of an intellectual infrastructure in Northern Europe.

Mr. Heiden holds degrees in engineering and technology management and his PhD work is in the field of IP management and entrepreneurship with a focus on intellectual property valuation and finance in knowledge-based sectors including ICT, creative industries, biotechnology, brand and design, and university innovation systems. On these subjects, Mr. Heiden is a frequent lecturer at both Chalmers and Göteborg University as well as at industry and policy conferences including WIPO, World Bank, and United Nations. Mr. Heiden, in collaboration with his colleagues at CIP, have recently completed a book for WIPO on IP Valuation and the Financing of Technology Ventures, highlighting the challenges faced by both developed and developing countries in the emerging knowledge economy.

Mr. Heiden currently resides in Göteborg Sweden with his wife and two small children. Before turning his focus to the field of IP, Bo played professional basketball in a number of European countries.

About CIP

CIP is a non-profit development center at the intersection of industry and academia facilitating knowledge-based business. Founded in a joint effort between Chalmers University of Technology and School of Business, Economics and Law at Göteborg University, CIP’s mission is to drive and facilitate a shift to an intellectualized economy for the benefit of industry, academia and society as a whole.

CIP’s vision is to be a world leading actor in the development of people, tools, infrastructure, and capital for the creation of wealth and welfare in the global knowledge economy. This is facilitated through the delivery of world-class education, advanced interdisciplinary research and development, international expert networks, and modern business development and management services.

Brian Hinman

Chief Executive Officer
Allied Security Trust (AST)

Brian Hinman is currently CEO of AST. Previously he was Vice President, Intellectual Property and Licensing for IBM Corporation. While at IBM, Brian held various positions including Business Development Executive for IBM Research at the Thomas J Watson Research Laboratory. Prior to IBM, Brian was Corporate Director of Business Development and Licensing at Westinghouse Corporation. Brian holds degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Bruce A. Lehman

Senior Counsel
Practice Areas: Intellectual Property
Strategic IP Counseling
IP Litigation

Bruce A. Lehman advises clients on all aspects of intellectual property law, including prosecution, litigation and policy, both domestically and internationally.

Mr. Lehman is the chairman of the International Intellectual Property Institute (IIPI), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, based in Washington, D.C. The Institute promotes the creation of modern intellectual property systems and the use of intellectual property rights as a mechanism for investment, technology transfer and the creation of wealth in all countries of the world. From January 1999 to May 2004 he also served as the chief executive officer of IIPI.

From August 1993 through December 1998 Mr. Lehman served as assistant secretary of commerce and U.S. commissioner of patents and trademarks. As the Clinton administration's primary representative for intellectual property rights protection, he was a key player on these issues, both domestically and internationally. At the request of the president, he served concurrently in the fall of 1997 as acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which fosters and recognizes the work of America 's artistic and creative community.

In 1994 The National Law Journal named Mr. Lehman its "Lawyer of the Year." In 1997 public-policy magazine National Journal named him as one of the 100 most influential men and women in Washington, noting, "In today's Information Age, the issue of intellectual property rights is no longer an arcane concern, but a vital part of U.S. trade policy. Since taking over his current posts in 1993, Lehman has been the Clinton Administration's outspoken voice on such matters here and abroad."

Serving as the leader of the U.S. delegation to WIPO's December 1996 Diplomatic Conference on Certain Copyright and Neighboring Rights Questions, Mr. Lehman concluded negotiations that resulted in the adoption of two treaties: the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty; by updating international copyright law for the digital age, the treaties aim to facilitate the growth of online digital commerce over the Internet. Mr. Lehman's guidance on the development of the intellectual property provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreement, now known as TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property), has enabled American creators and inventors to more easily protect their creations from piracy throughout the world.

Mr. Lehman engaged in streamlining the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to be more responsive and customer-focused. His efforts were recognized by Vice President Gore's National Performance Review as a success story for government reinvention. As commissioner, he held a series of public hearings throughout the country to solicit the views and concerns of PTO customers. Feedback led PTO to develop new guidelines for patents in the biotechnology field and establish partnership libraries in Sunnyvale, California, and Detroit, Michigan, to provide better public access to PTO information and services. Mr. Lehman also chaired the Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights of the National Information Infrastructure Task Force. In September 1995 the Working Group released Intellectual Property and the National Information Infrastructure, which examines the role of copyright law in cyberspace and makes recommendations to fortify copyright protection of intellectual property in the networked environment of the information superhighway.

For 10 years prior to joining the Clinton administration, Mr. Lehman was a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Swidler & Berlin. There he represented individuals, companies and trade associations in the areas of intellectual property rights. His clients were drawn from the motion picture, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, computer software and broadcasting industries.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Lehman worked for nine years in the U.S. House of Representatives as counsel to the Committee on the Judiciary and chief counsel to the Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and the Administration of Justice. He was the Committee's principal legal adviser in the drafting of the 1976 Copyright Act, the 1980 Computer Software Amendments and the 1982 Amendments to the Patent Laws. Early in his career, Mr. Lehman served as legal counsel to the Wisconsin State Legislature, as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and as an officer in the U.S. Army.

Mr. Lehman received his B.A. in 1967 and his J.D. in 1970 from the University of Wisconsin. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. He is also a member of the Policy Advisory Commission to the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the specialized United Nations agency headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland ; a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Committee for WIPO; and a member of several corporate boards.

Nathan Myhrvold, Ph.D.

CEO and Founder
Intellectual Ventures

Nathan Myhrvold is chief executive officer and founder of Intellectual Ventures, a private firm focused on the funding, creation and commercialization of inventions.  Before Intellectual Ventures, Myhrvold spent 14 years at Microsoft Corporation where he retired in May 2000 from his position as chief technology officer.

Prior to his role as CTO of Microsoft, Dr. Myhrvold held various positions within the company and was responsible for founding Microsoft Research and numerous technology groups that resulted in many of Microsoft's core, leading products. Before joining Microsoft in 1986, Myhrvold was founder and president of Dynamical Systems. Prior to that he was a postdoctoral fellow in the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at Cambridge University and worked with Professor Stephen Hawking on research in cosmology, quantum field theory in curved space time and quantum theories of gravitation.

Dr. Myhrvold holds a doctorate in theoretical and mathematical physics and a master's degree in mathematical economics from Princeton University. He also has a master's degree in geophysics and space physics and a bachelor's degree in mathematics, both from the University of California Los Angeles. He is an avid inventor with 19 issued patents and more than 100 pending.  He has published scientific papers in journals including Science, Nature, Paleobiology and the Physical Review. His paper "Cyberpaleontology - Supersonic Sauropods," co-authored with Dr. Philip Currie, was added to the Smithsonian Institution's 1998 Innovation collection and was one of the 1998 finalists for the Computerworld Smithsonian Innovation Awards. 

Mr. Shinjiro Ono

(former Deputy Commissioner of Japan Patent Office;
Senior partner of YUASA and HARA)

Mr. Ono graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan University, Faculty of Engineering, and Department of Industrial Chemistry (B.S.). In April 1970, he joined the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and from1978 – 79, Mr. Ono studied abroad in the United States (Chemical Abstracts Service, American Chemical Society). From 1982-85, he was First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Japan(Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Geneva, Switzerland .

 Subsequently, Mr. Ono held several high positions in the Japan Patent Office (JPO). From 1998 to 2001, he was Director-General of the Fourth (Chemical) Examination Department, then from 2001 to 2002, Director-General of Appeals Department. Mr. Ono was appointed Deputy Commissioner in June 2002 and served as his post until October 2005.

 During his tenure as Deputy Commissioner, he engaged in significantly strengthening the examination system in order to achieve timely high quality patent examination, which is essential to transform Japan into an intellectual property-based nation, and vigorously advanced Trilateral (EPO, USPTO, JPO) Cooperation in patent examination and the international harmonization of IP systems to globally support the acquisition of rights. He led in proposing a “ Patent Prosecution Highway and new Route” by JPO, designed to contribute to solve the “Timing issue” among Trilateral Offices. He has taken initiative in establishing examination policies and in conducting comparative studies among Trilateral Offices in fields of cutting-edge technologies, such as gene-related inventions and medical treatment, including medical inventions.

He is currently a senior partner with the firm of YUASA and HARA as of October 2005 and appointed as a member of Board of Advisors for the International Intellectual Property Institute in Washington, D.C. as of February 2006.

Marshall C. Phelps

Corporate Vice President for IP Policy and Practices
Microsoft Corporation

As Microsoft Corp.’s corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for intellectual property, Marshall Phelps supervises Microsoft’s intellectual property groups, including those responsible for trademarks, trade secrets, patents, licensing, business development, standards and copyrights. He oversees the company’s management of its intellectual property portfolio, which comprises over 5,000 U.S. issued patents, their foreign counterparts and more than 12,000 trademark registrations. In addition, Phelps helps lead Microsoft’s ongoing work with other companies in the technology industry to broaden awareness of intellectual property issues.

Phelps joined Microsoft in June 2003 after a 28-year career at IBM Corp., where he served as vice president for intellectual property and licensing. Phelps was instrumental in IBM’s standards, telecommunications policy, industry relations, patent licensing program and intellectual property portfolio development. Also, Phelps helped establish IBM’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Tokyo and served as the company’s director of government relations in Washington, D.C.

Upon retiring from IBM in 2000, he spent two years as chairman and chief executive officer of Spencer Trask Intellectual Capital Company LLC, which specialized in spinoffs from major corporations such as Motorola Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp. and IBM.

Phelps holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Muskingum College, a Master of Science degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a doctorate from Cornell Law School. He and his wife, Eileen, divide their time between New Canaan, Conn., and Kirkland, Wash. They have two adult children. Outside of work, Phelps enjoys reading constantly — one book per week on average — and playing golf and running.

Kevin Rivette

Senior Advisor
Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy at IBM

Kevin Rivette is Senior Advisor, Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy at IBM.  In this capacity Mr. Rivette is responsible for directing and calibrating IBM’s IP strategy to capitalize on emerging market and policy opportunities.  Additionally, Mr. Rivette is responsible for optimizing the creation and commercialization of IP assets across the company.

Prior to joining IBM in August, 2005, Mr. Rivette was a principle with Boston Consulting Group and was focused on helping organizations, from start ups to Fortune 100 companies, develop actionable IP strategies to further their business goals.  A thought leader in the field of IP strategy, Mr. Rivette is the author of the Rembrandts in the Attic, which The New York Times declared to be the “textbook” on Intellectual Property strategies. He has also written on this subject for many publications including CEO, Chief Legal Officer Magazine, The Harvard Business Review and has made numerous TV and radio appearances to discuss the strategic business use of Intellectual Property. 

Mr. Rivette is a former patent attorney and litigator and is a frequent speaker at international conferences, including: The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland ; The International Patent Licensing conference in London; Patent and Strategy Management in Washington, D.C., and The National Post Automotive Conference in Toronto. He has also been a guest lecturer at Keio, Harvard and Stanford University business schools. 

Thomas Andrew Robertson

General Manager, Interoperability and Standards,
Microsoft Corporation

Tom Robertson is general manager of the Interoperability & Standards organization in Microsoft's IP & L (Intellectual Property & Licensing) Group. His organization works with product teams, customers, and international standards bodies to advance the adoption of Microsoft technical standards, Microsoft’s competitive position on interoperability, and fostering innovation. Previously, Mr. Robertson was Microsoft’s associate general counsel for legal and corporate affairs in Northern Asia and has also served as an Associate General Counsel at the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Kareem M. Saad

Chief Executive Officer
Gulfstream Bioinformatics

Kareem Saad currently serves as the CEO of GulfStream Bioinformatics Corp., a Lexington, MA startup with a mandate to develop and commercialize Disease Specific models, software generation tools and applications to facilitate the translation of complex research and clinical information into actionable knowledge in basic research, clinical development and clinical care. At the heart of GulfStream Bio’s business model is the establishment of strategic alliances with Academic Medical Researchers for the continued enhancement and implementation of the company’s software platforms. Prior to joining GulfStream Bio, Mr. Saad was a World Wide Business Unit Executive for R&D with IBM’s Information Based Medicine business unit, part of IBM Healthcare and Life Sciences.  In that role, Mr. Saad led the world wide team that was responsible for strategy and execution of IBM’s Clinical Genomics (Basic Research and Discovery) and Pharmacogenomics (Clinical Development) businesses.  In this capacity, Mr. Saad played a pivotal role in the development of the vision for IBM’s Information Based Medicine emerging business unit.  Prior to joining IBM, Mr. Saad served as Vice President of Bioinformatics for InphoGene BioCommunications, a company he co-founded in Vancouver, BC.  There he built systems and applications for acquiring, storing, analyzing and integrating various phenotypic data and high-throughput expression data for identifying and validating novel therapeutic targets in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary disease.  Mr. Saad has dual technical degrees in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Computer Science from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Additionally, Mr. Saad holds an MBA with a concentration in Finance, Economics and Strategy from the University of Chicago.

Robert L. Taber, Ph.D.

Vice Chancellor for Corporate and Venture Development
Duke University Medical Center and Health System

Robert L. Taber, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Corporate and Venture Development at Duke University Medical Center and Health System, heads the Offices of Technology Licensing and Venture Development, and Corporate Research Collaborations.   The former Office is responsible for patents and licenses and new venture activity for the University as a whole, and the latter for commercially sponsored research, corporate gifts, and selected corporate vending relationships for the Duke School of Medicine and the Health System in particular.

Dr. Taber obtained his B.A. from Harpur College, S.U.N.Y. in 1964, his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1969 and went on to a post-doctoral fellowship at MIT with Dr. David Baltimore. He then joined the Microbiology faculty of the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine at its formation, as an Assistant Professor (1971-1973).  In 1973 he moved to Roswell Park Memorial Institute as a Senior Cancer Research Scientist (tenured) while holding an adjunct appointment in Microbiology at the State University of New York at Buffalo.  In 1979 he left to become Associate Director of the Northern California Cancer Program (the National Cancer Institute Bay Area Cancer Center) based at Stanford and had an adjunct appointment and laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco. During his academic career Dr. Taber was continuously funded through independent grants and published papers as first or senior author in PNAS, Cell, J.Mol.Biol. and J. Virol. among other journals

Dr. Taber left academics in 1981 to participate in the founding of Integrated Genetics, Inc. in Framingham MA as Vice President, Corporate Development.  The company was based on DNA technology for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications and went through two private venture and two public rounds of financing by 1985.  The company was subsequently acquired by Genzyme. He also at this time participated in the founding of Liposome Technologies, a company that was acquired by Alza after its public offering.

In 1985, Taber was recruited to become President and CEO of EG&G MRI, based in Worcester, MA, a division of EG&G, Inc. (now PerkinElmer, Inc.), EG&G at the time was an instrument and government services company with ~$3B in sales. His division performed biomedical testing for the biotechnology industry, NIH and the military.  During Taber’s tenure with the company, the division he led doubled in sales to about $20,000,000 with 220 employees while maintaining consistent profitability. The division was subsequently acquired by Charles River Laboratories. During that time as President of EG&G MRI he also maintained an office at corporate headquarters and worked with both (1) EG&G Ventures, an internal fund for strategic start-up investment and (2) Corporate Business Development where he participated in initiatives that subsequently generated billions of government revenue to the Corporation.

David Yurkerwich

Vice President

 Mr. Yurkerwich currently leads CRA International's New York office, and previously was a founder, CEO, and chairman of InteCap prior to its acquisition by CRA. He assists clients with the valuation, licensing, and sale of technology and intellectual property rights; the analysis of commercial damages; and the valuation of business transactions. Mr. Yurkerwich provides strategic consulting services to clients relating to the management of their intellectual property assets and actively markets intellectual property and negotiates transactions. He is often called upon to provide expert damages testimony arising from infringement and a variety of other business disputes and has served as a witness in federal court, state court and arbitration (U.S. & International) on numerous occasions. Prior to forming InteCap, Mr. Yurkerwich was a founding partner of Peterson Worldwide (now Navigant Consulting) where he held various management positions, including, President and Vice Chairman. Mr. Yurkerwich also served as an Independent Director of Telemundo from 1995 to 1998. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Valuation Analyst.

Lew Zaretzki

Vice President
Consulting Services

Mr. Zaretzki directs ThinkFire's IP consulting services and helps clients in IP due diligence and value creation for private equity transactions, IP business strategy development, licensing opportunity evaluation, and defensive licensing strategy development.  Prior to joining ThinkFire, Lew served as a Principal with Regis McKenna Inc., the Silicon Valley high-tech strategy consulting firm founded by industry luminary Regis McKenna.  At McKenna, he led strategy development for clients in telecom services and equipment, software, security and consumer electronics and investment due diligence for venture capital and private equity funds across the US and Europe.Prior to joining McKenna, Lew worked in the telecom strategy practice at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the technology practice at Accenture.  Lew holds an MBA from Duke University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan.