At the Heart of San Diego’s Innovation Ecosystem

As Director of the Technology Transfer Office for the SDSU Research Foundation, Tommy Martindale is responsible for the protection and commercialization of innovations and creative works developed through the research endeavor at SDSU. Tommy also serves as a member of the teaching team for the NSF funded CSU Biological Sciences I-Corps Site program, which provides education to researchers in lab to market commercialization. Additionally, Tommy is Past President of the San Diego Innovation Council (2018-2019) and past Chairman of the SDIC board of directors. Tommy is a USPTO registered patent attorney with over a decade of innovation management, technology commercialization and licensing experience gained in a variety of capacities.

Ha is the Senior Director of the Office of Technology Development at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies where she leads a team dedicated to the translation and commercialization of scientific innovations of Salk researchers, aligning with Salk’s vision to be Where Cures Begin®. Ha is a seasoned technology commercialization professional in the life sciences, leveraging 20 years of experience in IP management, technology transfer, licensing, business development, and supporting new company formation.

Prior to joining Salk, Ha was with ThermoFisher Scientific, Inc. (formerly Life Technologies Corp.) in licensing and business development roles where she was responsible for managing patented product portfolios and expanding partnerships in the applied markets for human/animal diagnostics and forensics. Prior to that, she spent many years in academic technology transfer at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was responsible for IP protection and commercialization of a range of life science technologies.

Ha received her Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from the University of California, San Francisco and B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine; and is a registered patent agent with the USPTO.

Anthony Reza Razavi, PhD, is the Associate Director, Life Sciences Innovation at the Office of Innovation and Commercialization of the University of California San Diego.  He has a diverse background as a scientist, business development and operations professional in pharmaceutical industry (Novartis and Purdue), startups (TORL Biotherapeutics and 1200 Pharma) and as a tech transfer and corporate partnership professional in academia (Rutgers and Caltech).  He worked previously at the Foundation Venture Capital Group, where he gained experience in the investment and management of Startups in the Life Sciences.  He received his master’s and PhD in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers University.

Christie Marcella is Deputy Director of Economic Development at the City of San Diego. In her role she oversees programs that support base sector innovation growth, business and assessment districts, and community development. Prior to this role, Christie was COO of Connect, a non-profit serving San Diego for over 40 years to grow and support the region’s innovation ecosystem. She is a passionate practitioner of inclusive economic development, being a first-generation American herself. She was executive director of the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation as well as the economic development manager for the City of Carlsbad. Christie has a love for transportation and its role in supporting thriving communities. She holds her Master’s in Urban Planning and always looks at the intersection of physical and social systems to improve quality of life equitably and sustainably. She enjoys cooking, traveling and spending time with family.

Zac Dobbin is the Program Director of Cleantech San Diego’s Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN), a California Energy Commission funded program that provides innovative energy startups in San Diego, Imperial, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties with access to commercialization services. The program has helped over 58 companies bring their energy innovations to market. Prior to joining Cleantech San Diego, Zac worked with the Port of San Diego’s Aquaculture and Blue Economy Incubator.

Zac holds an MBA from the University of San Diego and a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurship from Dalhousie University.

Margaret Hing oversees all aspects of La Jolla Institute’s patent portfolio and technology agreements, and supports business development functions. In addition, she is active in drafting and prosecuting patent applications to issuance. Margaret works with scientific personnel on a daily basis to support their research activities by facilitating access to research tools and technologies, and ensuring intellectual property protection of research discoveries.

Prior to joining the Institute, Margaret was an attorney with Smart & Biggar, Fetherstonhaugh, a leading intellectual property and technology law firm. She advised clients on patent prosecution matters with a focus in the area of biotechnology. Margaret obtained a Master of Science in Molecular & Medical Genetics and J.D. from the University of Toronto, Canada.

Petra Stegmann is the Head of Entrepreneurial Programs at Connect, a non-profit founded 40 years ago which serves as a trusted partner to San Diego’s innovation community. She is actively engaged in the San Diego innovation ecosystem and has over a decade of experience in business creation and development, working with founders and entrepreneurs to accelerate and scale life science and tech startups and help them raise capital. Prior to joining Connect, she was a scientist and research faculty in academia where she worked at the interface of discovery and entrepreneurism, held various leadership positions, as well as serving in the role of principal investigator on numerous multi-stakeholder programs.

Petra holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from UC Irvine and Master of Science and PhD degrees in biology from the University of Kiel.

Vanessa Scott leads industry and innovation initiatives at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego and has supported Scripps research innovations, spin outs, and industry collaborations including the Scripps Corporate Alliance since 2019. She also leads the StartBlue Accelerator from Scripps Institution of Oceanography & Rady School of Management that supports the formation of advanced science and engineering startups tackling ocean-focused challenges and solutions integrated into science, industry, investment, and government networks. Launched in 2020 through the Build to Scale Industry Challenge grant from the Economic Development Administration, StartBlue has supported 2 cohorts of blue economy startups including 14 teams with 42% female founders that raised $8.3 million collectively. Her background is in business development, marketing and communications in the biotech industry with over a decade and a half of experience cultivating strong industry partnerships and facilitating opportunities for collaboration and growth. She also has extensive experience working in non-profit fundraising and marine conservation organizations. Vanessa completed a Masters in Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography where she developed a business and marketing plan for Smartfin, an ocean-focused startup, to support the launch from lab to market. Her passion and expertise is at the intersection of climate and ocean science, innovation and industry with the goal to identify, develop and support the commercialization of solutions that improve the health of people, the ocean and the environment.

Chelsea Hewitt is the Senior Director, Regional Engagement & Incubation, San Diego, External Scientific Innovation for Johnson & Johnson. As a key member of the Regional Sourcing team, Chelsea is responsible for proactively shaping and nurturing key San Diego relationships and stakeholders (prioritized academic research centers, venture capital investors, life science and health technology incubators and start-ups) as well as oversee J&J’s flagship incubator, JLABS San Diego co-located at the J&J Innovative Medicine La Jolla Campus. As a founding team member of JLABS, she played a vital role in establishing Johnson & Johnson’s external R&D engine and enhancing its reputation through strategic marketing initiatives—creating a vibrant, collaborative community of innovators and industry experts worldwide.

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Chelsea was Director of New Ventures at Prescience International where she led the strategic marketing and business development functions. The role included market expansion of Prescience solutions and partnering with key industry stakeholders. Chelsea’s career began in the tech investment sector as an analyst at a London-based firm, where she conducted diligence on investment strategies and startup ventures, including internal incubation projects. Chelsea holds a BA from UC Santa Barbara, where she was co-captain of the Women’s Soccer team.