NewHavenBIZ

20 n e w h a v e n B I Z | F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m P o w e r 2 5 Continued from previous page focusing on client service and employee satisfaction. Diemand is active in the legal com- munity, serving as the president of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, which works to provide legal aid to those who can't afford it. Diemand has been recognized for his charitable and pro bono work, includ- ing being honored by Connecticut Le- gal Services for his successful represen- tation of a client in a federal lawsuit. 13. Dr. Bridgett Martell, President & CEO, Artizan Biosciences Dr. Bridget Martell took over as president and CEO of New Haven-based biotech Arti- zan Biosciences Inc. in October, replacing James Rosen. Artizan's drug discovery engine identifies and characterizes microbi- al drivers of disease. e company is focused on fixing microbial-driven gut inflammation, the root cause of multi- ple serious diseases, such as gastroin- testinal, metabolic, autoimmune and neurodegenerative ailments. In her new role, she is leading the company's efforts to enter the clinic with its lead program in inflammato- ry bowel disease, with plans to file an investigational new drug application by the end of 2022. When she first joined, the company noted that she has a proven track record of developing therapeutics. Martell is a longtime biopharmaceuti- cal executive who has been a key leader in the success of drugs for breast cancer and Gaucher disease, for example. She had previous leadership roles at com- panies like Kura Oncology and Juniper Pharmaceuticals. Martell was a practicing physician at Yale for 20 years and remains active as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Office of Cooperative Research. She started her pharmaceutical career at Pfizer. At Artizan, Martell is expanding the company's efforts to collaborate with biotechs. In November, Artizan announced it was teaming up with Biohaven era- peutics to find potential treatments for Parkinson's disease, a progressive neu- rological movement disorder, based on recent scientific advances in the under- standing of the gut microbiome and its impact on the disease. e companies have worked together before, having previously announced their collabora- tion on treatments for inflammatory bowel disease. 14. Krishnan Nandabalan, President & CEO, InveniAI Krishnan Nand- abalan is presi- dent and CEO of Guilford-based InveniAI LLC, which uses arti- ficial intelligence for drug discovery and development. For the past decade, Nandabalan has leveraged the application of big data analytics, artificial intelligence and ma- chine learning in the healthcare field. InveniAI has created technology, us- ing AI and machine learning, that mon- itors drug targets, drugs and healthcare products and technologies. e company collaborates with sever- al pharmaceutical and healthcare com- panies, and uses its technology to help accelerate drug discovery programs. e company also is focused on the gut-brain connection and chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastroin- testinal tract. According to the com- pany, its initial programs will target potential treatments for irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and rare gastrointestinal disorders. e company projects it will file its first new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration in 2025. Nandabalan led the 2017 spinout of BioXcel erapeutics and InveniAI from parent company BioXcel LLC. While InveniAI is focused on artifi- cial intelligence applications for drug discovery, its sister company, BioXcel erapeutics, is focused on neurosci- ence and immuno-oncology programs. Nandabalan is a serial entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He previously had executive roles at Genaissance Pharmaceuticals and CuraGen Corp. Nandabalan has a dozen patents and has published articles in journals such as Cell and Science. 15. Anthony McDonald, Executive Director, Shubert Theatre It has been al- most a year since Anthony McDon- ald took center stage as executive director of the Shubert eatre in New Haven. e Broadway veteran was picked fol- lowing a nationwide search and started last March. McDonald's prior theater manage- ment experience included stints with the Nederlander Producing Co. of America at the Minskoff eatre, home to Disney's "e Lion King," and before that, at the Gershwin eatre, home to "Wicked." Since landing in the Elm City, Mc- Donald has been leading the nonprofit organization and working to expand its programming, educational offerings, fundraising efforts and audience. McDonald has taken steps to upgrade the theater's aging sound system. Cos- metic improvements, such as replacing some 1,600 seats, are also underway. e theater's staffing levels took a hit during COVID-related shutdowns, and McDonald has been busy with hiring. He has said he wants the staff to reflect the diversity of the community. According to McDonald, he also wants to diversify the audience and make sure the community feels wel- come at the Shubert. McDonald has been working to get a sense of what theatergoers want for programming, and he is planning future performances accordingly, such as by adding more dance and jazz programs. McDonald has also been a the- ater advocate, including speaking to lawmakers about making Connecticut more competitive with other states that have tax-credit schemes for stage productions. He also is working to expand the theater's outreach efforts to younger audiences, and is looking to book programs geared toward teens and young adults. McDonald is overseeing the 2021-22 programming, which was established before his arrival, and is now booking shows for the 2022-23 season. 16. Nanette Pastore, President, Pearce Real Estate Nanette Pastore not only serves as president of Pearce Real Estate, she encourages people to join the real estate profes- sion and works to ensure the company gives back to the community. Pastore has been with Pearce Real Es- tate since 1993, working her way up the ladder to become president in 2019. CEO Barbara Pearce has said she is grateful for Pastore's able leadership, as Pearce in recent years has been focused on her interim role leading Connecticut Hospice. Pastore has been running both the residential and commercial divisions and managing the firm's staff and daily operations. e independently-owned, full-service real estate company has roughly 100 agents and seven offices in the Greater New Haven and shoreline areas. Under Pastore's leadership, the firm has handled several commercial and residential deals throughout the region. In recent years, for example, the firm has helped the Archdiocese of Hartford complete several million dollars worth of property sales — including churches, convents and school buildings — in multiple New Haven area communities. Pastore not only had to take on new work at the firm, but she had to deal with the impact of the pandemic shortly aer becoming president. e company regularly donates anksgiving holiday baskets, filled with grocery gi cards and holiday staples, for those in need in the region, such as through the Community Dining Room in Branford and the town of North Haven Social Services. e Quinnipiac Chamber of Com- merce named Pastore its "Woman of the Year for 2020" at its 2020 Women's Achievement Awards. 17. Dr. Phillip M. Boiselle, Dean, Quinnipiac School of Medicine Dr. Phillip M. Boiselle took over as dean and pro- fessor of medicine at Quinnipiac University's Frank H. Netter MD School of Medi- cine this past July. Boiselle, who has primary respon- sibility for the school's academic and educational mission, also serves as the William and Barbara Weldon Dean's Chair of Medicine. He replaced founding dean, Dr. Bruce Koeppen, who retired. Boiselle joined Quinnipiac aer serving as a professor and dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, where he helped enhance the diversity of its medical and graduate student popula- tions. His residency training was at Yale University, and he served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School for years. When Boiselle first started, Quinnip- iac Provost Debra Liebowitz called him a "champion for diversity and inclu- sion." Boiselle has said he plans to lead the school through its next phase of growth as it educates and prepares future gen- erations of physicians. According to Boiselle, the quality of care provided to patients is linked to the health and well-being of their providers, and the school aims to help students have the tools they need to ensure their own well-being. Boiselle is known for his knowledge in the field of thoracic imaging, and he was editor-in-chief of the Journal of oracic Imaging from 2009 to 2018. During his career, he has been a prolific writer, and his publications total more than 250 research and review articles, editorials, book chapters and books.

• Cover