Our Team
As Executive Director, Kris ensures the New Orleans BioInnovation Center accelerates the growth of Louisiana’s biotech ecosystem. As Managing Director of the BioFund, Kris has invested over $5MM in 30 companies. These companies have collectively raised above $250MM in private funding and have hired more than 1,000 employees in the US.
Before joining NOBIC, Kris help service 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.
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 Louisiana State University.
Kris Khalil
Executive Director & BioFund Managing DirectorKorey Patty joins the New Orleans BioInnovation Center in the role of Regional Economic Competitiveness Officer, serving to coordinate resources and facilitate collaboration within South Louisiana’s life sciences industry.
Immediately prior to joining NOBIC, Korey served as the Executive Director of Feeding Louisiana, the state association of Louisiana’s five Feeding America food banks. In this role, Korey led Feeding Louisiana’s efforts to support member food banks in providing short-term food relief while seeking long-term solutions to hunger.
His experience also includes business and economic development for the State of Louisiana, as well as management, public policy, and advocacy across a variety of industries.
A native of Baton Rouge, LA, Korey is an alum of the University of Tulsa, where he earned a B.S. in Marketing, and later completed an M.B.A. at Louisiana State University.
Korey Patty
Regional Economic Competitiveness Officer (RECO)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).
Dr. Korak Sarkar
Clinician-in-ResidenceCader has a strong background in venture capital, having served as a Senior Associate with Garden District Ventures, where he was responsible for investment memo preparation, due diligence, LP outreach, and adding value for prospective portfolio companies. He is actively involved in the venture capital community through his contributions to OpenVC.app and his Medium blog focused on venture capital and diversity, where he has been recognized as a “Top writer.”
Muieen Cader
Program ManagerRebekah joined the BioInnovation Center team in 2021. As NOBIC’s Accountant and Grants Manager, Rebekah uses her non-profit accounting experience to maximize organizational efficiency and ensure compliance. Rebekah works to provide a full range of support to our team and ensure NOBIC’s resources are leveraged to bolster our mission to support the biotech community of Louisiana and beyond.
Rebekah graduated from the University of Tennessee with a BA in Spanish and Hispanic Studies and a Minor in Portuguese. She is currently pursuing a BA in Accounting at the University of New Orleans in order to obtain her CPA. Rebekah relocated to New Orleans from Denver, where she supported local, non-profit art institutions. When she’s not putting the “fun” in functional expenses, you can find her on Magazine and Royal Streets perusing the wonderful galleries.
Rebekah Powell
Accountant & Grants ManagerJonah joined the NOBIC in 2021 as an undergraduate intern, and continues to work with NOBIC while obtaining his Masters in BioScience at George Washington University in DC. He is originally from Kansas City graduated with a BS in Neuroscience with minors in Spanish and Psychology from Tulane. Jonah is interested in working in the healthcare field after graduation and aspires to pursue a career in biotechnology. He assists the team with conducting market research for clients. When he is not in class or at The Center, Jonah plays on the Ultimate Frisbee Team and enjoys playing guitar, watching Seinfeld, and cooking.
Jonah Golder
Junior ConsultantAs the NOBIC BioFund Analyst, Alexander is responsible for identifying and researching investment opportunities in healthcare across biopharma, medical technology, and life sciences. He works collaboratively with biotech entrepreneurs to build strategy, find and scale product-market fit, and solve challenging problems in healthcare.
Alexander is an emergency medicine resident at LSU Health Sciences NO, and MD/MBA graduate from the Tulane University School of Medicine/A.B. Freeman School of Business. He holds a B.S. in Neuroscience at the University of California Los Angeles and M.S. in Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine. Alexander is passionate about exploring the intersection between business and medicine through the lens of health equity and the role of innovation and technology in shaping a more equitable future.
Alexander is a second-generation Vietnamese American, triathlete, and salsa dancer.
Alex Hua
BioFund AnalystMargie Gilbert, NOBIC Community Manager, has been with the Center for six years. She fosters community relationships, manages the Center’s various programming, regional and networking events, oversees leasing of the Center’s venue space, offices and labs.
Margie is a graduate of the University of New Orleans, having received a BA in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing, and Spanish, and is bilingual. She has 26 years of wide-ranging experience including Wholesale International Textile Sales, Trade Show Conception, Home Goods Design Development and Interior Design, and as a Regional Sales Manager.