BHI Team Members

Rich Bendis is the Founder, President, and CEO of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a public-private nonprofit based in the BioHealth Capital Region (Maryland/DC/Virginia), focused on accelerating the biohealth industry nationally and internationally. A recognized leader in the global innovation economy, Rich was also the founding President and CEO of Innovation America, a national partnership driving the growth of innovation across the U.S. His career spans roles as a successful entrepreneur, corporate executive, venture capitalist, angel investor, investment banker, and an expert in technology-based economic development. Rich has served on numerous prestigious boards and advisory groups, including the White House U.S. Innovation Partnership Advisory Task Force, the National Association of State Venture Funds, and the Small Business Innovation Research Committee. He was also a founding Chairman of The Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation and the Founder and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia. Internationally, he has provided global consulting services to over 16 countries and 22 states, several cities and regions, along with international organizations including the United Nations, NATO, UK Trade and Industry, European Commission, French Embassy, the German Marshall Fund, The Canadian Consulate, METI, AKEA, the International Science Parks and Innovation Expert Group and other global entities. Previously, Mr. Bendis successfully leveraged a career in the private sector (with Quaker Oats, Polaroid, Texas Instruments, Marion Laboratories and Kimberly Services) and the venture capital industry (RAB Ventures). Mr. Bendis also successfully built an Inc. 500 healthcare software company, Continental Healthcare Systems, Inc., which he took public on NASDAQ and later sold to an international conglomerate. In addition, Mr. Bendis continues to be an active investor. In Maryland, Rich sits on Governor Moore's Life Science Advisory Board and is Co-Chair of the AURP BioHealth Caucus. Known for his contributions to the innovation sector, he has been recognized as a Top 5 Speaker on innovation, one of Maryland’s most influential leaders, and the host of the BioTalk podcast. He was voted one of the Top 5 Speakers on innovation and creativity, voted 4th best Innovation Blogger, a most influential Marylander award and a Maryland innovator of the year award.

Renée JG Arnold is currently President & CEO, Arnold Consultancy & Technology, LLC, where she oversees outcomes research and develops affiliated software for pharmaceutical and government programs. Her special interest in evidence-based health derives from her research that deals with use of technology to collect and/or model real-world data for use in rational decision-making by healthcare practitioners and policy makers. She is also Adjunct Professor, Master of Public Health program, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, where she has developed and teaches the pharmacoeconomics coursework. Dr. Arnold completed her undergraduate training at the University of Maryland and received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She also completed a post-doctoral residency at University Hospital in San Diego/University of California at San Francisco School of Pharmacy. Dr. Arnold is a founding member of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and is the Chair of multiple special interest groups (SIGS) there including, most recently, the Open Source Model SIG. Dr. Arnold is an author of numerous articles, book chapters and books in the areas of pharmacology, pharmacoeconomics and cost containment strategies and recently published the 2nd edition of her pharmacoeconomics textbook

Dr. Raymond "Ray" Blanchard is a seasoned life sciences executive and current Entrepreneur-in-Residence at ARPA-H, bringing over two decades of experience in the life sciences tools industry. With deep technical expertise in genomics and extensive business development experience, Ray has established himself as a skilled navigator of the complexities within the diagnostics and research tools sectors. Dr. Blanchard earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry/molecular biology from the University of California, Riverside. His academic foundation was strengthened through postdoctoral training in the Food Science & Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida, where he later held a faculty research position and co-founded the department's Nutritional Genomics Laboratory with Dr. Robert J. Cousins. His research contributions include numerous articles and book chapters on nutritional regulation of gene expression, novel gene/biomarker discovery, and mammalian zinc physiology.

Monique Bennett has been a scientist for 10 years, with specific experience in antibody discovery, vaccine science, and infectious disease. She graduated with her Master’s Degree from the College of William and Mary in Cellular and Molecular Biology before obtaining a PhD in Microbiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. She next worked as a Research Assistant Professor, performing clinical research targeted towards producing new vaccine targets and therapeutics for bacterial pathogens.

Dr. Charles D. Buchen is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with over 15 years of experience in business development, strategic transactions, and drug development across oncology and rare diseases. He currently serves as a consultant and advisor to multiple biotechnology companies while maintaining active involvement in clinical research and translational medicine.

Jennifer Butler is a distinguished global commercial executive and strategic leader with nearly 20 years of experience transforming biotechnology companies from early development through commercial success. She currently serves as Montgomery County's first "Executive in Residence," a pioneering role created through a collaboration between Montgomery County and BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) to provide technical assistance to local biotech startups.

Lynne A. Brisbane has more than 15 years of experience leading accounting and financial teams for both for-profit and nonprofit entities. Most recently she held the role as Director of Finance & Administration/CFO of The IJIS Institute, where her responsibilities included providing strategic leadership in all aspects of the nonprofit whose revenues include grants, contracts, and membership fees. Before her role as IJIS, Lynne held positions as Chief Deputy Treasurer for the Loudon County Government and as an Accountant with MedImmune.

Joseph DiCesare is a distinguished pharmaceutical industry executive with over 30 years of experience in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), real-world evidence (RWE), and strategic planning. Throughout his career, he has held leadership positions at major pharmaceutical companies and consulting organizations, establishing himself as a recognized expert in demonstrating the value of pharmaceutical innovations through rigorous economic analysis and evidence generation.

Jessica E. Foley is a dedicated senior regulatory professional with 18+ years of expertise and leadership in healthcare, due diligence, global biopharmaceutical development strategy, and regulatory submissions. As the Principal Consultant and Founder of Gaia Regulatory Sciences, LLC in Cambridge, MA, she provides strategic regulatory services and project management support for pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide. Dr. Foley holds a Master of Science in Regulatory Affairs for Drugs, Biologics, & Medical Devices from Northeastern University (2009), a Graduate Certificate in Biopharmaceutical International Regulatory Affairs (2008), and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire (2005). She is also a certified Regulatory Affairs Professional (RAC-Global) through the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS).

Marcella Garcia is a seasoned regulatory, quality, and compliance professional with extensive expertise in medical devices, Software as Medical Device (SaMD), and digital health technologies. Currently serving as a Principal Consultant working with multiple early-stage startups globally, she specializes in guiding companies through complex regulatory pathways while building robust quality management systems from the ground up. Marcella earned her Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Vanderbilt University (1997-2001) and has continued her professional development with specialized certifications including Healthcare Information Security and Privacy Practitioner (HCISPP) from (ISC)², Certified SAFe Agile Scrum Master, and Cybersecurity for Managers from MIT Professional Education. Her career is distinguished by her ability to thrive in the complex environments that startups inherently present, where rapid change, limited resources, and accelerated timelines are commonplace. She has a particular talent for guiding startups through the critical inflection point of building out their cross-functional teams, leveraging her focus on clear, direct, and honest communication to foster collaboration and drive organizations forward.

Luis T. Gutierrez, Jr. is a distinguished business leader and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience bringing new medical technologies to market and helping start-up companies transition into successful commercial enterprises. With a proven track record of driving revenue and profit growth through innovative life science products and services, he currently serves in multiple strategic advisory roles while maintaining active involvement in company building and technology commercialization.

Jemarie Haskin is an accomplished administrative professional and organizational leader who brings over a decade of experience in complex regulatory environments to her role at BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI). With a strong foundation in management studies and human resources, she excels at coordinating intricate activities and supporting mission-critical operations in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.