Jacqueline R. Northcut
President and CEO
Jacqueline joined BioHouston as its President and CEO in December 2002, creating an organization that is the foundation for what BioHouston has become today.
In January of 2004, Jacqueline was appointed by Mayor Bill White of the City of Houston to his Economic Development Task Force, whose mission is to evaluate the public and private economic development efforts in the Houston Region. Jacqueline also sits on the boards of directors of the Houston Technology Center and South Main Center Association.
Prior to joining BioHouston, Jacqueline was an audit partner with Arthur Andersen and was the lead partner for life science companies in Texas. For 18 years, she worked with emerging businesses from the initial start up phase through maturity in various industries including biotechnology, venture capital, medical device and several service industries.
Jacqueline’s passion for life sciences is exemplified by her affiliations, past and present. She was a co-chair for the 2003 Association of Bioscience Financial Officers (ABFO) national conference, and for the previous 12 years, has served as an ABFO host. In 2004 and 2005 she served as the ABFO Conference Advisor.
She is a founder and past board member of the Texas Healthcare & Bioscience Institute, the Southwest Association of Biotechnology Companies and of BioTexas. In addition, she formerly served on the board of the Texas Technology Transfer Association, and was a steering committee member of the BioMedical Technology Club of Houston. Jacqueline also served on the allocations committee for United Way for nine years.
She received her BBS from Harding University in 1984.
Jean Hunt
Executive Assistant to the President
Jean is responsible for executive scheduling, meeting planning and correspondence for the President and CEO, including activities related to the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. Previously, Jean was the Administrative Coordinator on the Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM) Research Study at Baylor College of Medicine. She spent 14 years as the Administrative Office Manager in the Houston office of Korn/Ferry International, an executive search firm, with responsibilities for all financial, administrative and personnel reporting and general office management.
Jean is a member and past president of the Houston Chapter of Executive Women International, a professional organization for women in administration.
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Jeff joined BioHouston in late 2007 as our first Entrepreneur in Residence. Jeff is assisting us by coordinating many of the operational functions at BioHouston, including the BioHouston Resource Center. He is also involved in the planning and execution of the Texas Life Science Conference and our match-making meetings with venture capitalists and life science company business development executives.
Prior to BioHouston, Jeff has spent over 25 years working in senior sales, marketing and operational roles in a wide variety of life science product companies. Most recently he was a co-founder of company that commercialized emerging medical device companies. Prior to that he was COO of Tanox, a Houston based Biotechnology company. During his career he has also held senior level executive positions at Bridge Medical, IMED, Major Pharmaceuticals, Fujisawa USA and American/Kendall McGaw.
Jeff has a BA with Honors from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Masters in Business Administration from Pepperdine University. He also served as an officer in the US Army before his first role in a life science company.
Keisha Curtis
Senior Associate, Corporate Development & Events
Keisha is responsible for planning and carrying out the 70+ events at BioHouston that occur annually.
Before joining BioHouston, Keisha worked at The Houston Business Journal as a Marketing and Events Intern. As an intern, Keisha played a vital role in planning and carrying out events and assisting in marketing efforts for the company. Keisha received a BA in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Houston.
Farhang Farhangfar
Manager, BioHouston Resource Center
Farhang's responsibilities for BioHouston involve the planning, management, and maintenance of the BRC and its equipment. Farhang has also been with MithraGen for the last 4 years as Associate Scientist and Lab Manager.
Prior to joining BioHouston, Farhang worked with Dr. Meredithe Applebury at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School for 9 years. Farhang received a BA in Biology from the University of Michigan and an MS in Immunology from the University of Chicago.
Sara Mathews
Operations and Internal Affairs Coordinator
Sara joined BioHouston in August of 2008. She is responsible for office management, accounting and assists with event coordination. Sara is also involved in membership management.
Prior to joining the BioHouston team, Sara graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2008 with a B.B.A. in Marketing and Philosophy. While attending UST, she was inducted as a member of the Aquinas Honor Society and Phi Sigma Tau.
