Jack Krasuski, MD

• MD, University of Illinois College of Medicine
• Board Certified: Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
• Executive Director, American Physician Institute for Advanced Professional Studies, Westmont, IL

Dr. Krasuski spent three years as a Senior Staff Fellow at the National Institute on Aging, NIH, where he did research in the neuroimaging of dementing disorders, and he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics. A noted educator and speaker, he is known for his ability to clearly explain complex and little understood topics and he currently spends most of his time lecturing to thousands of physicians yearly on psychiatric topics. Dr. Krasuski is the developer of over fifty medical education courses yearly and is an experienced business development professional skilled in entrepreneurship, public speaking, start-ups, psychiatry, and healthcare. He is also a published author regarding psychotherapies, neuropsychological testing, and taking board exams.

Shashank Upadhye, JD

• LLM, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
• JD, New England School of Law
• BSc, Biochemistry, Brock University
• Founding Partner, Upadhye Tang LLP

Shashank Upadhye has over twenty-five years’ experience in pharma and devices IP and FDA law. Former Chief Legal Officer in charge of IP, FDA, contracts, and commercialization at several global pharma companies, and former inside counsel for a global medical device company, Shashank employs his experiences in these roles to help his clients launch and protect products and grow their businesses. An Illinois SuperLawyer and recognized expert, Shashank is a frequent speaker at key industry conferences and has authored dozens of articles as well as the seminal textbook on pharmaceutical patent and FDA law now in its 13th edition.

Chris George, JD

• JD, University of Illinois College of Law
• MSECE, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Shareholder, Hanley, Flight & Zimmerman
• Seconded Intellectual Property Counsel, GE Healthcare Digital

An Intellectual Property attorney for over fifteen years, Chris George has extensive experience in all areas of IP law including patent procurement, portfolio development and management, brainstorming and IP capture to provide leverage for development and growth. Chris works with both small startup companies and large corporations, as well as universities, to identify and harness the IP value of their innovations in a wide range of technologies including imaging systems, image processing, blood collection, medical devices, and internet technologies. Chris assists in patent licensing and acquisitions, and lectures regarding patent procurement. Prior to practicing law, Chris worked in the field of computer architecture and is an inventor on a patent related to runtime software optimization.

Joe Barich, JD

• JD, Boston College of Law School
• MS, Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• President and Founder, Barich IP Law Group
• Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Illinois College of Law

Joe Barich has been a patent attorney for over twenty years helping his clients grow and strategize powerful intellectual property (IP) portfolios, and monetize and enforce their IP. Prior to founding Barich IP Law Group, Joe worked with a large IP specialty firm and has worked with clients ranging in size from startups to Fortune 500 companies in a wide variety of industries including medical devices, imaging and treatment systems. A recognized authority, Joe has been teaching Patent Prosecution at the University of Illinois College of Law since 2005, and founded and directs U of I’s IP Clinic which provides patent and trademark services to startup companies referred by the Technology Entrepreneur Center at the University’s College of Engineering. Joe also teaches Engineering Law and Startups: Incorporation, Funding, Contracts, and IP through the University’s College of Engineering, is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin, Madison Masters of Engineering Management Program, and has Guest Lectured for Notre Dame’s Executive MBA program. Joe is consistently named an Illinois SuperLawyer and has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching.

Melonie Boone, PhD

• Ph.D., Organizational Leadership, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
• Master of Jurisprudence, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
• MBA, Florida Metropolitan University
• Partner, RHR International
• Executive Advisor, Center for Leadership, Lake Forest Graduate School of Management

Dr. Boone is a global business psychologist and leadership strategist, author, educator and thought leader who has had a dynamic management career leading the development, planning, staffing, and budgeting of organizations from startups to thriving companies. She has devoted over 24 years to being a passionate leader with an eye on growth while maintaining a people-centric approach, using positive psychology to provide a foundation for growth and excellence to help others reach their full potential. Dr. Boone began speaking in 2009 and has today made over forty appearances as invited speaker on the topic of transformational leadership, personal branding, business strategy and entrepreneurship.

Christina Holloway, MA

• MA, University of Chicago
• President & CEO, Compass Enterprises LLC
• Creator, The Next Level Leader Program

Executive Coach and Strategist Christina Holloway has been recognized as the #1 Executive Coach in Chicago by Influence Digest, and named one of the top mentor coaches at 1871, Chicago’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Center. For over twenty years Christina has been developing and implementing successful growth initiatives for a diverse range of leaders from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 executives. She is an award-winning marketing strategist and program management consultant who has been featured in Fast Company, Addicted2Success, and the Huffington Post amongst others. Christina is also a frequent contributor to Forbes Magazine, and an invited speaker at many prestigious institutions including the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and Yale University’s Women in Management Forum.

Tom Kuczmarski, MBA

• MBA, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business
• MA, Columbia University’s Graduate School of International and Public Affairs
• President & Founder, Kuczmarski Innovation
• Co-Founder, Chicago Innovation Awards
• Senior Lecturer, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management

Tom Kuczmarski is a highly recognized innovation and leadership expert who has been helping companies innovate a wide variety of new products, services, programs and new businesses for four decades. He lectures nationally and internationally, and his executive education courses at the Kellogg School attract students from around the globe. Tom has authored eight books and numerous publications on the process of innovation, made frequent radio and television appearances, and is extensively cited in national periodicals including The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and USA Today. Tom’s passion for innovation is well-known and especially highlighted with his co-founding of Chicago Innovation in 2002, which annually celebrates innovation with the Chicago Innovation Awards as well as educates and connects innovators with its various programs.

Lauren Raouf, MBA

• MBA, Entrepreneurship, University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School
• Principal, Clareo, Chicago

Lauren Raouf has over a decade of consulting and entrepreneurial experience, working to align people and processes to deliver innovation and growth strategy. Lauren started her career at Boston Consulting Group working in a variety of industries to encourage the development of new businesses, launched and ran two independent businesses, and was one of the first employed by The Tobin Project, a non-profit focused on catalyzing transformational research receiving the 2013 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. At Clareo, Lauren works with companies on all aspects of innovation, with an emphasis on how to transform an organization and culture to support innovation.