2025 Speakers

David Blair is a seasoned healthcare entrepreneur with decades of experience building and leading companies that improve health outcomes and expand access to affordable, high-quality care.

As CEO and Founder of LucyRx, David is leading the company to reimagine pharmacy benefits management (PBM) with a more patient-focused, accountable, and cost-effective model. Under his leadership, LucyRx has established itself as a next-generation PBM which simplifies and improves access to prescription care. Built on a fiduciary-aligned approach, LucyRx leverages advanced analytics (LucyIQ) and proven clinical programs to deliver smarter, cost-saving solutions for employers, health plans, and members. Today, LucyRx serves more than 1,200 organizations nationwide, helping them lower costs and improve health outcomes.

Prior to LucyRX, as Founder, Chairman and CEO of Catalyst Health Solutions (now part of UnitedHealthcare) which gained recognition for its innovative drug pricing tools and healthcare solutions, Blair led the firm to become a Fortune 500 company before he sold it for $4.8 billion in 2012. His leadership helped Catalyst:
- double in size every two years establishing it as one of the fastest-growing healthcare companies in the U.S. and earning a position on Fortune’s 100 Fastest-Growing Companies 5 times, and
- secure multiple industry awards, including Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” and the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute’s Rx Benefit Innovation Awards.

Mr. Blair’s management skills and accomplishments at Catalyst resulted in numerous awards and recognition including Forbes’ “America’s 15 Most Powerful CEOs under 40” (years of age). After leaving Catalyst, he also started Gateway Health Partners, a provider of rebates and formulary management services.

Blair’s commitment to improving health outcomes extends beyond pharmacy benefits to broader efforts in health equity. He serves as Board Chairman of the Partnership for a Healthier America, an organization dedicated to ensuring everyone has access to good food to lead a healthy life. In addition, Blair and his wife created a family foundation dedicated to purposeful giving and improving quality of life. From literacy and equity in education to at-risk youth programs and mental health access, the foundation believes in the power of opportunity to transform lives.

Blair holds a B.A. in Finance from Clemson University. He lives in Potomac, Maryland, with his wife and children.

Mr. Edwards focuses on working with companies who are driving the energy transition. Rob is an energy industry executive and strategic advisor on global Next-Gen energy solutions and investments. Rob brings more than 20 years of diverse leadership and advisory experience supporting senior decision makers in the private sector (JPMorgan Chase, Tesla, Edison Mission Energy, DTE Energy), and in government (Department of Energy Loan Programs Office). As a recognized thought leader in Next-Generation Energy Solutions, he brings together public and private stakeholders to develop, structure, and implement multibillion-dollar energy projects in the United States and around the globe, furthering society's transformation to a decentralized, decarbonized, durable, digital grid.

Rob has spent 25 years in a series of roles in banking, project development and finance, government service and law focused on companies and projects in the climatetech, renewable energy, electric vehicles and related sectors. Rob has led more than $15 billion in energy and automotive project finance and energy M&A transactions.

Rob served the first Director of Outreach and Business Development at the Department of Energy Loan Programs Office (2021-2022) and as a Senior Presidential Appointee (non-career SES) the Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy at the Department of Energy during the Obama Administration (2009-2011).

Rob excels in working cross-functionally with legal, finance, sales, and operations to develop innovative solutions that help clients and customers achieve sustainability strategies worldwide. In 2010, Rob was selected by Vantage Point Partners to participate in its 100 Clean Tech Leaders held at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Sundance, Utah and in 2015 Rob was selected as one of 21 nationwide leaders to participate in the National Renewable Energy Lab's Executive Energy Leadership Program.

Brian is a startup evangelist, advisor, and angel investor. He is also the Managing Partner at the SparkLabs Cyber+Blockchain (Formerly AOL Fishbowl Labs), which is the premiere startup accelerator in the Washington DC area and he has helped raised more than $150M in funding for their portfolio companies (MHelpDesk, ThreatQuotient, Xmode, Urgent.ly, Curator, Airside Mobile).
He is the DC Chapter Director of Startup Grind, which is one of the largest hi-tech startup communities in the world with over 2,000,000 startup entrepreneurs in 600 cities.
Prior to Startup Grind, he has over 20 years professional experience in web/online/mobile product development from AOL, Merrill Lynch and has started three previous startups. He is on the board of Monte Jade DC and is the chapter director for Startup Grind DC.
He has been featured in Forbes as “17 Top Business Gurus to Follow” and other publications such as Washington Post, Huffington Post, Politico, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Washington Business Journal, and DCInno “50 on Fire” 2017 and 2018.
He has a BS in Information Systems/Policy & Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Based in Charlotte, as Sustainability Strategy Executive for Business Banking (BB) and Global Commercial Banking (GCB), Erin works to align BB and GCB Sustainability efforts to the broader Enterprise wide Bank of America Sustainability goals. In her current role, Erin focuses on banker preparedness and client engagement as it pertains to social impact, climate action and overall Sustainability strategy. Erin joined the Bank in 2016 and most recently served as Senior Vice President and LIHTC Syndication Senior Relationship Manager for the Community Development Banking group and Sustainability Co-Chair of the GCB Sustainability Taskforce.

Before joining the Bank, Erin worked in NYC, starting her career in the KPMG Audit Real Estate Financial Services Practice where she served as Lead Senior for the Northeast. Erin then spent three years in JPMorgan Chase’s Global Real Assets group as a Financial Manager of ~$6 billion in real estate assets.

Erin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Accounting, from Fordham University; a Master of Business Administration in real estate, corporate finance and strategy from New York University, Stern Executive MBA Program where she served as Class Representative and Co-Chair of the class council. She also holds several Certificates of Achievement and Executive Education in Sustainable Finance, ESG investing, and Leadership from New York University, Stern Business School. She is a recent graduate of the IESE International Business School and NYU Stern’s Inaugural Pathway to C-Suite Program. Additional, Erin was elected President of the inaugural class and will represent her international cohort going forward.

Erin served as a Class 9, 2019 participant in Charlotte’s Leading Under 40 Program, an initiative run by Charlotte’s Community Building Initiative organization. She is a Bank of America Better Money Habits Lead Champion and is a member of the Bank of America Black Professional Group. Erin is also a 2021 Columbia University Women in Leadership participant, and serves on the NYU Stern EmpowHER Program as a Mentor and Advisory Committee Board Member. Erin actively serves as a mentor in various other capacities to younger professionals both inside and outside of Bank of America.

Erin was a Women’s Basketball D-1 scholarship point guard, Student Athlete representative and team captain for the Fordham University Lady Rams. She enjoys international travel, sports and fitness, hiking, volunteering and spending time with family.

Mr. Tien Wong is a tech investor, entrepreneur, and CEO. He is Chairman & CEO of Opus8, Inc., a private investment and advisory firm investing in exceptional life science and tech enabled services companies, as well as specializing in raising capital for promising tech companies and alternative investment fund managers.

He is Founder of CONNECTpreneur, a global community of 25,000+ founders, investors, CEOs, and business leaders. CONNECTpreneur organizes the world’s largest monthly virtual investor pitch events as well as in-person Forums.
Mr. Wong is also a Venture Partner in IronGate Capital Advisors, a VC and Fund of Funds manager investing in dual use technologies; Investment Advisory Board member of Virginia Venture Partners; and Chairman of Lumious, an ed tech company which provides learning & development services to Fortune 500 customers.

Mr. Wong was appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley to the 9-person Maryland Venture Fund Authority which oversees $84 million in VC allocations; he serves on the Boards of Directors of the Austin Venture Association, Association for Enterprise Growth (Chair), Frederick Innovative Technology Corp., Inc. (FITCI), and Junior Achievement, as well as on the Council of Advisors for the Washington Institute for Business, Government, & Society and the Entrepreneurship Advisory Council of The Universities at Shady Grove. He is a Mentor at the Mach37 Cybersecurity Accelerator and Conscious Venture Labs.

Mr. Wong has been named by Washingtonian magazine as a “Tech Titan” for the last 7 years (’17 – ‘23). He is a frequent guest lecturer on entrepreneurship, leadership, venture capital, and private equity at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University where he is an Entrepreneur in Residence. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

A recognized international expert in CRM, direct marketing, and BPO, Mr. Wong has presented at dozens of conferences around the world. He has also provided industry commentary on the ABC, Fox, NBC, CNBC, Maryland Public Television, and China’s CCTV networks, as well as for Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Inc. Magazine, and Success Magazine.

Brian is a startup evangelist, advisor, and angel investor. He is currently the CTO of LIT, an AI-powered procurement intelligence platform that transforms how DefenseTech wins government opportunities. He is also a Venture Partner and mentor at SparkLabs, which has invested in over 350 startups with a $6.3 billion in total post money valuation.

He is also the former COO of Startup Grind, which is one of the largest hi-tech startup communities in the world with over 3,000,000 startup entrepreneurs in 600 cities. He was the managing director of AOL Fishbowl Labs which incubated DC startups that has raised over $1B in venture funding (ThreatQuotient, Urgently (NASDAQ:ULY), XMode, MHelpDesk, AirSide).

He has over 25 years professional experience in product development from AOL, Merrill Lynch, and Verizon and has started three previous startups.

He has been featured in Forbes as “17 Top Business Gurus to Follow” and other publications such as Washington Post, Huffington Post, Politico, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Washington Business Journal, and DCInno “50 on Fire”.

He has a BS in Information Systems/Policy & Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Hector Del Castillo is a growth expert and advisor specializing in mid-market software and technology companies. With over 17 years of experience, he helps businesses achieve sustaining or accelerated growth by building high-performing teams, optimizing processes, and implementing innovative strategies. His expertise drives significant improvements in profitability, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction, positioning companies to outperform their competition and scale effectively.

As President and CEO, Mr. Ezrin oversees all activities of the firm, with a primary focus on M&A and Financial matters. He concentrates on developing business by providing the highest quality services through the insight and experience gained from his diverse background in accounting, law, real estate and venture capitalism.

Mr. Ezrin has over thirty-five years of experience with clients on M&A activities and financial matters. He has lectured on the subject and has written several articles for the Washington Business Journal.

Mr. Ezrin was active in the Association for Corporate Growth, National Capital Chapter, being a prior Member of Board of Directors and Treasurer, and active on numerous committees. He founded and Chaired its Scholarship Committee, oversaw its non-profit status, and handled all matters for fund raising and annual filings. He was on the Board of Directors of the Exit Planning Exchange Organization and was one of its founders. He has also been active with the University of Maryland Michael Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, Mentor, the Macklin Institute at Montgomery College, and is a Maryland and D.C. Real Estate Licensed Broker. Mr. Ezrin has practiced accounting and law, and has been involved in many business enterprises.

A graduate of Benjamin Franklin University, American University, American University Washington College of Law, and Georgetown University College of Law, his degrees include: BCS, MCS, BA, JD and LLM in Taxation.

Mr. Ezrin is active in many civic and charitable organizations, serving on Boards of Directors, Advisory Boards, and assisting with obtaining corporate donations. Currently, Mr. Ezrin participates with NABOE, AM& CONNECTpreneur.

Jeffrey Hausfeld, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S., has served on the national board and committees of specialty medical societies since he began his practice in Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery in 1982. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at George Washington University School of Health Sciences and an alumnus of the Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Hausfeld is widely published in the medical literature, is the pioneer of innovative laser surgery techniques, is the author of a lay oriented medical book on snoring and sleep apnea, and has appeared on numerous local and national television and radio shows as a medical expert.

He has also served as a health care consultant, spokesperson, and executive coach for multi-national pharmaceutical companies, health care firms, as well as the U.S. military. Dr. Hausfeld stepped down from his clinical duties after receiving a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hausfeld is presently developing assisted living facilities specializing in Alzheimer's and dementia care.

He serves as a consultant to several healthcare/life science startups in diagnostics, devices, biotech and Health IT. He also serves on the Investment Advisory Board of the Center for Innovation Technology's Life Science Gap Fund. The fund supports promising healthcare and life sciences ventures in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dr. Hausfeld is the Chairman and Founder of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (www.sopenet.org ), a global network focused on educating healthcare and life science professionals in Bioentrepreneurship and Innovation.

Dr. Hausfeld is orchestrating the Series B Financing of BioFactura (www.biofactura.com) and acted as the lead investor in this round. He will serve as Chairman of the Board of BioFactura as well as their Chief Medical Officer as the company develops its Biosimilar platform as well as its novel Bio-defense therapeutics.

Dr. Kalayoglu is co-founder and managing partner at SOAR Bio, a therapeutics-focused venture studio in Greater Washington. Prior to SOAR Bio, he was co-founder and CEO of Cartesian Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RNAC), which he led from concept to proof-of-concept clinical trials, followed by a public listing in 2023. Prior to Cartesian, Dr. Kalayoglu was co-founder and CEO of Topokine, which he led from concept to late-stage clinical trials, followed by a successful sale to Abbvie (NYSE:ABBV) in 2016. Prior to Topokine, he was co-founder and COO of HealthHonors Corporation, which he led from concept to commercialization, followed by a successful sale to Tivity Health in 2009. Dr. Kalayoglu is a board-certified ophthalmologist who completed his residency and research fellowship at Harvard, MD/PhD in immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Belinda J. Matingou is a global partner sales and alliance leader with extensive experience driving business growth through strategic partnerships and technology innovation for customers in the public and private sectors. Belinda has led multimillion-dollar initiatives across Amazon Web Services, Dell, AT&T, Swissôtel, and American Express, accelerating revenue and market expansion in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. She excels at meeting customer and partner needs with cloud and AI solutions that deliver transformative results. Recognized for her inclusive leadership, Belinda has been honored as a U.S. Black Chamber "Women of Power" awardee and served as President of the National Black MBA Association in Austin. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a Bachelors degree from Florida A&M University. Belinda and her husband Christian are the proud parents of Wesley, Cyrena, and Troy.

Chris is the Co-Founder and Engineering Leader of MIDI. Educated in mechanical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he graduated with his Engineering Masters and later obtained a Master’s in Business Administration from Hofstra University. While teaching materials engineering, he joined MIDI in 1988 with the pursuit of product excellence, forward thinking and innovation for MIDI’s clients in the medical, life science and home healthcare markets.

He co-pioneered the firm’s Development DNA™ process and methodology and has implemented a comprehensive thorough philosophy involving the research, conceptualization and production implementation of medical and scientific systems while conforming to the FDA QSR & IS0 13485 design control requirements as well as the IEC-60601 risk management for Hazard & Mitigation Analysis. Utilizing DevelopmentDNA™ Chris and the MIDI team develop medical products and systems involving the fusion of design tied to reliable engineering, cost-effective manufacturing design, ergonomics and systems research utilizing the disciplines in harmonious concert.

Chris is a strong vision-orientated leader with a high level of skilled engineering problem-solving mindset in addition to sensitivity toward innovative design. He is the recipient of numerous national design and engineering awards as well as dozens of utility patents. Chris has implemented over 100 successful turnkey medical and life sciences development programs for clientele. He sits on the Board for Stony Brook University’s Center for Biotechnology as related to evaluating new medical and surgical technology candidates for funding via LIBH (Long Island Bioscience Hub). He is an active investing member at Mid Atlantic Bio Angels in New York City.

Mrs. Pickering is a defense acquisition professional and entrepreneur, with strengths in project management, policy implementation, and workforce professional development. She has extensive experience in Government and industry, including startup of small technical services firms and management positions at Fortune 500 companies.

Mrs. Pickering’s career has encompassed acquisition of various Navy ships and intelligence community assets. Mrs. Pickering was Senior Advisor in the General Services Administration’s Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer during the second term of President George W. Bush. Her first Government position was Professor of Systems Acquisition Management at Defense Systems Management College (now part of Defense Acquisition University).

Mrs. Pickering is an immigrant and the daughter of Polish Army veterans. She holds a B.A. in History from Emmanuel College and an M.B.A. from Boston University. She recently translated “A Legionnaire’s Story” – her late Uncle’s account of his service with the Second Carpathian Brigade during WWI.

Ruwan Salgado is Principal of Strat8gy International, LLC, an international management consultancy, and was a Partner at Sino America Investment Partners, a venture seeking to assist Chinese companies with investing in the United States. He has expertise in business development, project management, operations, financial management and analysis, and strategic planning. As a management consultant in and outside of the U.S., Ruwan has worked with senior government officials and corporate executives in a wide range of industries including oil, mining, healthcare, finance/capital markets, education and agribusiness. He has served in general management, strategic planning, business development, operations and finance roles with both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Early in his career, he gained experience in venture capital at Calvert Ventures, which established the first socially responsible venture capital fund, helping to manage its portfolio companies and identify and assess new investment opportunities. More recently, Ruwan served as the Executive Director of World Links, an internationally award winning (e.g., from the World Economic Forum etc.) and innovative spin-off from The World Bank that focused on leveraging information and communications technology to improve global education. While at World Links, he spoke on educational technology at international conferences in Africa, Asia and the U.S.A. Ruwan served for over a decade as the President of the University of Chicago Booth School’s alumni club in the Washington, D.C. area and was co-founder and co-Chair of its Entrepreneurs’ Advisory Group, which provided monthly pro bono advise to Washington, DC area entrepreneurs. He serves on the White Flint Implementation Advisory Committee tasked to advise Montgomery County, Maryland’s Planning Board on the implementation of the County’s multi-billion dollar White Flint Sector Plan. Ruwan has an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from the University of Chicago and an M.Phil. in Economics from Oxford University. He received both a B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Engineering from Swarthmore College.

Alan is the Summit Chair and President of the Wharton Club of Washington, DC. His dedication to the School and the Club resulted in his becoming a recipient of the Club’s Joseph Wharton Award and Wharton’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award. During his tenure, the Club has had 15 successful conferences, including the five Innovation Summits that have stimulated, connected and empowered a diverse group of innovators and entrepreneurs within and well beyond the Wharton alumni network.

An accomplished business attorney with the highest rating, “a v,” from Martindale-Hubbell, Alan’s career has been split between private practice (now in business and general practice) and public service. He received a Distinguished Service Award for his decade of service as a Senior Trial Attorney at the Federal Trade Commission after two years at the Justice Department. Alan earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School following his undergraduate work at the Wharton School.

Rae Stott builds companies and strengthens communities, with a career spanning startups, nonprofits, and grassroots initiatives. She was part of the leadership team that helped GoCanvas scale from a small startup to a $750M+ exit. Rae has built and supported organizations that serve communities at risk, including post-disaster recovery efforts with Communitere, youth and family support through Dandelion, and mental health response as a volunteer with Crisis Text Line. As co-founder and CEO of Refraction, she brings together her passion for economic development and innovation to help entrepreneurs thrive and build equitable, resilient ecosystems.

Raymond Van Dyke, Esq., is an intellectual property attorney, specializing in patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, and technology law. He graduated from the University of Chapel Hill with both a JD and a MS in computer science. He is a Fellow of both the American Bar Foundation and the American intellectual Property Law Association.

He teaches around the world and currently has a course in intellectual property law at George Washington University's Business School and lectures for the University of Maryland's entrepreneurship group. In the past he was a faculty member at Southern Methodist University and American University. He has lectured at Peking University and Tsinghua University, considered to be the Harvard and MIT of China, as well as in Argentina, France, Germany, the UK, and India.

He has been interviewed on television multiple times and has been quoted in over a hundred articles for periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times, and Forbes. He is the Chair of the Greater Washington, DC chapter of the Licensing Executives Society.

He is admitted to the Supreme Court as well as many Federal and State courts.

Ray loves mentoring and helping new inventors and assisting companies achieve their full potential by making sure their intellectual assets are protected, valued, and understood.

Caitlin Wheatley has extensive experience and leadership within the Biotech Industry and Innovation space. Currently, she holds the position of Senior Operations Manager at JLABS Washington, D.C. (Johnson & Johnson's startup incubator). Previous roles include Director of Quality Control at Alphazyme, Bioanalytical Lab Manager at Meso-Scale Diagnostics, Lab Manager at Cantel Medical, and Lean Program Manager at Eurofins Scientific. In these roles she has been responsible for research and development, business development, budget forecasting, leading teams (over 40 employees), process improvements, and laboratory operations. Wheatley’s core values include staying curious, not shying away from failure, and seeing ambiguity as an opportunity to create something new. She holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech, an M.A. in Organizational Leadership and Learning and an M.B.A. From George Washington University.

Laurie Wiggins is a seasoned advisor, entrepreneur and engineer. She has over 35 years of experience advising and leading companies and projects to success in IT and aerospace, and related SaaS companies. She is passionate about helping companies achieve investment, high revenue and high profit growth. She has founded and led several businesses and provided clients with business and engineering expertise. She publishes articles and conducts webinars and panel discussions on organic and scaling growth strategies for SaaS and hardware companies.