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President & Chief Executive Officer, NIH Federal Credit Union
Rick Wieczorek has been in the credit union industry for over 40 years. For the past 10 years, he has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NIH Federal Credit Union (NIHFCU). As the CEO of NIHFCU, Rick is focused on being the preferred provider of financial services for members of the biomedical and healthcare communities and their families. Prior to this role, he was the President and CEO of Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union (MAFCU) in Germantown, MD, where he was initially hired as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) before advancing to the CEO position.
Rick has also served as Chairman of the MD|DC Credit Union Association (MDDCCUA) Board of Directors. The MDDCCUA diligently advocates, educates, communicates, and collaborates on behalf of member credit unions, helping them remain competitive and thrive in the financial marketplace. He has supported the MDDCCUA in various roles and capacities for several years.
Rick began his career in the credit union industry as a teller at Northwest Federal Credit Union in 1983. While working there, he earned his undergraduate degree at George Mason University and his MBA at George Washington University. After completing his MBA, Rick became a Fixed-Income Securities Broker/Dealer and worked for First Empire Securities, primarily serving credit unions.
Eventually, he joined one of his clients, NRL Federal Credit Union, as the CFO. During his time at NRL, Rick gained recognition as an industry expert in Asset Liability Management, frequently speaking on the topic at conferences. He also created and managed their Wealth Management program while performing CFO duties. After serving as CFO for nine years at NRL FCU, Rick was hired by Callahan and Associates as the Executive Vice President for the Trust for Credit Unions, a firm that provided mutual funds and strategic planning services to credit unions.
Rick resides in Northern Virginia with his wife, Laura, and their two dachshunds, Oliver and Charlie. Rick and Laura enjoy spending as much time as they can with their three children: Morgan, Kelly, and Adam.
TDR: BioHealth Capital Region Forum: A recap of innovation and collaboration
The 2024 BioHealth Capital Region Forum (BHCRF) once again solidified its position as the premier gathering for the life sciences industry in the region. Marking the tenth year of the impactful event, hundreds of industry leaders, government officials, academic researchers and investors were brought together to discuss the latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the field.
A well-oiled collaboration
It takes a village to plan and manage a forum. The BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) Conference planning committee collaborated with sponsors including TEDCO and event management from Taylor Made Experience to ensure an organized, engaging event.
TEDCO’s chief investment officer Jack Miner praised the BioHealth region and forum, noting “This region is probably the most functional in terms of sharing resources, not diluting each other’s efforts…the entrepreneurs really benefit a lot from the collaboration that’s been created in this region, and that’s really unique.”
Richard Bendis, founder, president, and CEO of BHI agreed, stating “We’re proud to have TEDCO as a collaborator who is funding a lot of the early-stage life science companies in the state of Maryland that actually are participants in this event.”
Regional collaboration, investment, and funding
The forum demonstrated a growing emphasis on regional collaboration, welcoming Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin, setting the tone for collaborative discussions in the DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region.
Kicking off the event, Governor Moore highlighted Maryland’s significant investments in the sector, including 54,000 jobs, 3,600 labs and offices and the largest concentration of PhDs and MDs in the country. Governor Youngkin complimented this dedication by emphasizing Virginia’s commitment to fostering research and development through investments of $110 million.
Over the course of different panels throughout the event allowed investors and entrepreneurs to discuss challenges and opportunities associated with the current funding landscape, strategies for attracting capital, and the role of government funding programs.
In a regional panel focused on SSBCI funding, Miner noted that he along with investment professionals from across the region including Nick Duafala of KStreet Ventures in Washington, D.C. and Tom Weithman of Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC), continue their commitment to “focus on the founder and the company’s best interest first and the geographic location second.”
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ARPA-H made its final hub location decision, selecting the historic Bowen Building in downtown Washington, D.C. as the site for its Stakeholder & Operations hub.
Why is this important? The new space will allow federal staff and contractors to work in one location, enhancing staff’s ability to manage programs and coordinate with federal partners—such as Congress, Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Administration. Since the agency was authorized in March 2022, much of ARPA-H’s D.C. staff has been working remotely or from temporary offices.
Rockville, MD – BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) is proud to announce that our Founder, President & CEO, Rich Bendis, has been named a finalist for the Community Builder Award in the 2023 BioHealth Capital Region Annual Awards, hosted by BioBuzz.
Rich Bendis’ dedication to fostering innovation and supporting the biohealth ecosystem has been instrumental in driving growth and collaboration within the industry. His visionary leadership at BHI has created a platform for emerging companies, researchers, and entrepreneurs to connect with resources, expertise, and opportunities, significantly contributing to the region’s economic development and public health advancements.
BioBuzz’s recognition of Rich Bendis as a finalist for the Community Builder Award is a testament to his unwavering commitment and impactful work in the BioHealth Capital Region, encompassing Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia.
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Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Processes at Lung Biotechnology PBC and Lung Bioengineering Inc (subsidiaries of United Therapeutics Corporation)
Aimee Smart is an accomplished senior executive with more than 20 years of success in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, Aimee enjoys leading deeply challenging projects where there is no clear path forward. She understands how to work with many people across various functions, operate under high pressure, and meet critical timelines to deliver results. And because everything she does in regulatory strategy, designing, and running clinical development programs is years in the making, her complex problem-solving ability includes considering the world of today while anticipating what might happen in the future.
In her current role of Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Processes at LungBiotechnology PBC and Lung Bioengineering Inc (subsidiaries of United TherapeuticsCorporation), Aimee reports directly to the parent company CEO, driving clinical drug development and leading a multifunctional organization and a geographically dispersed team of ver 60 professionals, covering all aspects of development including; regulatory affairs, quality assurance, clinical development, product development, clinical supply, clinical operations, biostatistics and data management, and project management.
Aimee is part of the executive leadership team of United Therapeutics Corporation, representing her companies needs at the corporate level. She was responsible for Lung Biotechnology’sreorganization and setting its new strategic goals. And after leading the successful turnaround of the underperforming subsidiary to a respected, productive company, Aimee’s CEO asked he rto do it a second time and lead the Lung Bioengineering subsidiary.
During her more than 14-year tenure at Lung Biotechnology PBC, Aimee has served in increasingly senior clinical development, regulatory affairs and quality roles, including as Associate Vice President and Head of Office and Director, Global Regulatory Affairs. Her experience also includes regulatory affairs posts at VIRxSYS Corporation, Human GenomeSciences, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, and Cato Research.
As much as she enjoys solving complex problems and driving results, Aimee is most passionate about ensuring that what she is doing is connected back to a meaningful mission that directly impacts people’s lives in a positive way.
Aimee earned her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from North Carolina State University, where she was later honored with its Outstanding Young Alumni award. She completed her executive MBA from the University of Maryland in 2022 and was named one of the Best and brightest EMBA students by Poets & Quants magazine. In addition, Aimee holds certifications in Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance from American University and in Regulatory Affairs for the U.S. and Europe from the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society.
She maintains professional memberships in the Drug Information Association, RegulatoryAffairs Professional Society, Women in Bio, and International Coach Federation. She also serves as a Member for the NCSU College of Sciences Foundations Board.