Prescience International is a dynamic team that is passionate about creating change through innovative solutions. With a collective expertise that penetrates a wide variety of sectors and issues, we will get you there. Additionally, the Prescience Management Model allows for our team to work more closely on a project by actually becoming part of the team that is on the ground at a designated site.
Melinda Richter - Founder & CEO
Melinda Richter is the founder and CEO of Prescience International, a firm dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship for innovation centers in technology and life sciences. As part of Prescience International, Ms. Richter started and currently directs the San Jose BioCenter, co-founded and directs the University of California Berkeley BioExec Program and provides consultation services to incubators such as the US Market Access Center, research parks such as the San Jose BioCenter and international agencies such as JETRO, particularly in the industry of technology and life sciences. Prior to Prescience International, Ms. Richter created and directed the Life Science Incubator and Program for ASTIA formerly (the Women’s Technology Cluster). Prior to the WTC, Ms. Richter spent eight years at Nortel Networks throughout North America, the U.K., Europe, Central and Latin America, and Asia. Ms. Richter worked in acquisitions, strategic planning, marketing, contract negotiations, engineering and manufacturing optimization, world trade market development, and general management of an IT business unit. Ms. Richter left Nortel to start eTreasurer, a European online financial and accounting hub for CFOs. Ms. Richter currently sits on the Board for University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business BioExecutive Institute. Ms. Richter has a Bachelor’s Degree in communication from the University of Saskatchewan and an M.B.A. from INSEAD.
melinda@prescienceintl.com
Tel: (415) 297-1883
Gayle Fagan - Facilities Management
Ms. Fagan’s focus is currently set as the Managing Director of the San Jose BioCenter. Ms. Fagan is a prime example of how the Prescience Management Model can be applied. As Managing Director, Ms. Fagan manages the day to day operations of the San Jose BioCenter and provides high quality facilities and infrastructure to emerging life science companies.
Ms. Fagan brings over 15 years of facility management expertise specializing in the execution of site upgrades, client services and contract negotiations. Prior to the Prescience International, she was responsible for managing 1.1m square feet of Class-A suburban commercial office properties for Equity Office Properties. Ms. Fagan’s unique background of infrastructure development, facilities management, and client relations has allowed the San Jose BioCenter to successfully provide services to nearly 50 high-growth companies and has paved the way for a build-out of an additional 40,000 square feet at the San Jose BioCenter.
Ms. Fagan has a BA in Communications from the California Polytechnic State University and a BioExec Institute 2007 Certificate from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Center for Executive Development.
gayle@prescienceintl.com
Tel: (408) 960-3805
Chelsea Hewitt - Marketing Director
Ms. Hewitt is responsible for the marketing strategy for Prescience International clients. During the months leading up to the BioExec Institute, developed by Prescience International and the Haas school of Business at UC Berkeley Center for Executive Development, Ms. Hewitt is also responsible for its marketing, coordination and execution.
Ms. Hewitt has over 10 years of international marketing and project management expertise beginning with London-based multi-media incubator and investment firm, Illuminator Plc.; where she was responsible for the market analysis and due diligence to support the funding of prospective client companies. Prior to joining Prescience International, Ms. Hewitt was the Marketing Manager for Astia, where she managed all marketing communications, oversaw external program development, and project managed the Annual Venture Conference; an emerging company showcase to over 400+ attendees.
Ms. Hewitt was also awarded the Astia New Business Award for 2005 for her client and sponsor recruitment efforts. Ms. Hewitt has a BA from the University of California Santa Barbara and a Certificate from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Center for Executive Education for their 2004 Business Executive Program.
chelsea@prescienceintl.com
Tel: (415) 405-6385
Richard Fronko, Ph.D
Dr. Richard Fronko currently oversees the facilities and over $5M in specialized equipment at the San Jose BioCenter. Dr. Fronko comes to us with over 15 years experience in the biotech field garnered from two emerging companies, Microcide Pharmaceuticals and Plexxikon, Inc. Dr. Fronko also was the Manager of the NMR Labs Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has an analytical background with extensive experience managing NMR/HPLC/MS instrumentation in both academia and industry. He has lab facility experience, including time spent as a lab safety officer. In his most recent position, he maintained the scientific information infrastructure; deploying databases on the server as well as installing applications on the client end.
richard@prescienceintl.com
Tel: (408) 960-2200
Rebekah Cahoon - Finance Director
Ms. Cahoon has over 25 years accounting experience in diverse financial applications including banking, manufacturing and hardware/software startup companies. Ms. Cahoon has a proven track record of providing strong foundations in accounting and operational services to many start-up businesses from inception through later stage VC funding, through successful audit and due diligence to final acquisition and mergers. Her portfolio includes numerous successful clients with VC funding by notables such as Goldman Sachs, Kleiner Perkins, Crystal Internet Ventures and IdeaLab. Prior to launching her own consulting business Ms. Cahoon held management positions in manufacturing companies and worked in banking finance. Ms. Cahoon has a BFA from Pepperdine University where she majored in Art and minored in Biology and is currently working towards her Masters in Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University.
Aurelie Gaudin - Marketing and Programs Manager
Ms. Gaudin is responsible for marketing and event coordination for the San Jose BioCenter. Her role includes the execution of world-class, year round programming ranging from client luncheons to panel series and vendor shows. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the San Jose BioCenter Newsletter featuring industry and client news. Prior to joining Prescience International, she worked at the US Market Access Center (US MAC) to help facilitate its transition from incubator to a high potential consulting firm for foreign entities. In that capacity, Ms. Gaudin worked to reposition all the communication materials and to close several major partnerships for the US MAC. She has extensive international experience as she lived in France, the US, and Brazil. While in France, she designed and conducted a market survey for Cedeo – a division of Point P, leader of materials distribution in France. She also worked as a supervisor for Globe Diffusion, a direct-marketing company with worldwide famous clients such as Nokia, Vichy by L’Oréal, Coca-Cola, Lacoste, Siemens, H&M, and many more. Ms Gaudin holds a BA in Foreign Languages applied to International Business from the University of Nantes and is currently studying to obtain a Master in the same specialization. She is fluent in French, English, and Portuguese.