As the Executive Director of the New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC), Kris leads vision, drives strategy, creates partnerships and managers finance. Under his leadership, Kris helped NOBIC build a stabilized, diversified funding model while mobilizing over $25MM in new support from tenants, community partners, and public agencies.
Before being named Executive Director in February 2019, Kris was Managing Director of the New Orleans BioFund and still holds this title. As Managing Director, Kris has deployed $7.5MM across 25 early-stage local companies, with initial checks of $500K.
In 2024, Kris re-launched the BioChallenge, a global biotech pitch competition that attracts new high-flying biotech startups to New Orleans year. He built a prize stack of over $100K in cash along with pilots and partnerships, and built a robust sponsor, judge, and partner ecosystem to support recruitment, execution, and post-event pathways for participants.
Prior to joining NOBIC, Kris was the portfolio manager of Propeller’s Social Venture Fund and an adjunct professor of Venture Capital at Tulane University School of Medicine and Loyola University New Orleans. Kris also serviced a portfolio of over $3 billion of working capital, construction, equipment, real estate, bridge financing, and acquisition loans up to $125MM for national financial institutions IberiaBank and Capital One Bank.
Kris is active in civic and community leadership, serving on the boards of JCC New Orleans, and Camp Dream Street for Children with Disabilities.
A native of New Orleans, Kris holds an MBA from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in Finance with concentrations in entrepreneurship and accounting from the Louisiana State University Honors College.
Dr. Sarkar completed his undergraduate education at the Johns Hopkins University where he obtained degrees in applied mathematics, biomedical engineering, and neurosciences. He earned his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine. He completed a Neurology Residency at the University of California at Davis, in Sacramento. This was followed by the completion of a Brain Injury and Medicine Fellowship at Northwestern and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He is double boarded in Neurology and Brain Injury Medicine and Rehabilitation. He joined the Ochsner Neurosciences Institute in 2015 and is also a Clinical Instructor at the Tulane School of Medicine and adjunct professor in the Tulane Department of Biomedical Engineering. He recently joined the Section of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the New Orleans VA Medical Center. His research on traumatic brain injury has been published in peer-reviewed journals and has been awarded the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) Founder’s Award in Translational Research. He currently serves as a board member for the non-profit Brain Injury Association of Louisiana (BIALA).
As Director of Community Development at NOBIC, Johnathon Koski is dedicated to helping life science founders bring their technologies to market and get life-changing products into the hands of the people who need them most. In this role, he ensures that companies have every opportunity to network within their community, access the tools and facilities needed to advance their innovations, and build strategic partnerships that support both their growth and NOBIC’s broader mission.
Johnathon began his career as a speech-language pathologist before transitioning into healthcare leadership roles across marketing, operations, and strategic development. He earned a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Lindenwood University and has consulted with more than 50 hospitals nationwide. After losing three relatives to pancreatic cancer by age 16, Johnathon found purpose in solving system inefficiencies and has committed his career to healthcare transformation and biotech innovation.
Jason Briggs is NOBIC’s Accountant and Grants Manager specializing in grant reporting, general ledger accounting and cash management. Briggs brings 20 years of nonprofit accounting experience to the team helping mission-driven organizations manage their finances with accuracy, transparency, and care.
He holds an accounting degree from Mississippi State University. His passion lies in making complex financial information accessible and useful, especially when it comes to navigating the unique challenges of grant management in the nonprofit world.
As Chief Facilities Manager, Elliot oversees maintenance of NOBIC’s 66,000 square foot, LEED-certified building in downtown New Orleans.
Robinson brings 14 years of facility leadership experience, overseeing operations, optimizing building performance, and ensuring safe, efficient environments that support organizational growth and long-term sustainability. He holds an English degree from Indiana University and volunteers his time supporting sustainable farming efforts in New Orleans.
Gina leads administrative + communications projects at NOBIC, helping build awareness and partnerships that strengthen the organization’s visibility, expand its network, and advance its mission to support Louisiana’s growing biotech ecosystem.
She recently served as the Corporate Communications lead for neurotechnology company 28bio (Formerly AxoSim) focusing on brand management, internal/external communications, investor relations and marketing. Prior to her time in biotech, she led nonprofit pr and donor relations teams in Louisiana and South Florida. Gina is president of the G Effect LLC, her consulting company focusing on executive communications, operations and events. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Miami.
