Management - Science Center
Stephen S. Tang, PhD
President and CEO
Dr. Tang became President and CEO of the Science Center in February 2008 following an extensive nationwide search. He brings to the position a wealth of professional experience in academia, professional services, and private industry. Most notably, Dr. Tang is the first president in the Science Center’s 47-year history to have not only led a company through venture funding and an initial public offering, but to also serve as a senior executive with a large life sciences company as it acquired and integrated smaller start-ups.
Dr. Tang, a seasoned life science, energy technology, and management consulting executive, previously served as group vice president and general manager with Olympus America Inc., where he led U.S. operations for the company’s $1 billion global Life Science businesses. Before joining Olympus in 2005, he was president and CEO of Millennium Cell Inc. (NASDAQ: MCEL), an energy technology firm he led through its initial public offering in 2000.
Previously, he served as vice president and managing director of the global pharmaceutical and healthcare practice of A.T. Kearney Inc., and was vice president and co-managing director of the global chemical and environmental practice for Gemini Consulting Inc., now known as Cap Gemini. Prior to that, he was the Assistant Director and Senior Research Engineer at the Lehigh University Center for Molecular Bioscience and Biotechnology in Bethlehem, PA.
Dr. Tang earned a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Chemistry from the College of William and Mary. A graduate of the public school system in Delaware, he has resided in the area for the past 25 years
Curt Hess
Senior Vice President of Real Estate Operations
Mr. Hess is responsible for the management and leasing of more than 1.5 million square feet of office and lab space in Philadelphia and Delaware. He has more than twenty years of diversified real estate experience. Before joining the Science Center, Mr. Hess served as the Director of Operations for Brandywine Realty Trust, where he was responsible for the management and leasing of 40 properties totaling more than three million square feet in the Southern Suburban Region. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Asset Management at Lubert-Adler Management overseeing a portfolio of 24 investments including office, residential, hotel, and retail properties. Before joining Lubert-Adler, Mr. Hess spent 14 years at Equitable Real Estates in several different capacities including Vice President of Portfolio Management for a $1.2 billion equity portfolio of major joint ventures with Japanese partners. He received his BA from West Chester University in Business Administration, is a Certified Public Accountant, and has his Real Property Administrator designation with BOMA.
Saul A. Behar
Vice President and General Counsel
Mr. Saul Behar joined the University City Science Center as Vice President and General Counsel in January 2010. Mr. Behar had worked for the Science Center as a consultant since January 2009. In addition to his role as General Counsel, Behar also has responsibility for government relations at the federal, state and city levels.
Mr. Behar brings to his new position nearly 25 years of experience as an attorney, senior executive and strategic advisor, managing sophisticated corporate, real estate and securities transactions for both early-stage and established companies in diverse fields. Most recently, Mr. Behar was a partner at Wolf Block LLP in Philadelphia. Prior to that, he served as General Counsel at Provident Senior Living Trust, a privately owned real estate investment trust based in Princeton, New Jersey that owned 68 senior housing facilities in 19 states. Before joining Provident, Mr. Behar served as General Counsel at Keystone Property Trust, an NYSE-listed real estate investment trust headquartered in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania that focused on industrial real estate. Provident and Keystone were highly successful real estate firms that were acquired by the leading companies in their industry sectors.
Earlier, Mr. Behar served as a senior in-house counsel at Pep Boys in Philadelphia. He began his career at Dechert Price & Rhoads (now Dechert LLP) in Philadelphia, working on corporate and real estate matters.
Mr. Behar received an A.B., cum laude and with distinction, from Cornell University in 1983 and a J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School in 1986. He is a member of the Pennsylvania bar.
Thomas Greenwood
Vice President, Accounting
Mr. Greenwood joins the Science Center after spending over 20 years with Telerx Marketing, Inc., a leading supplier of outsourced consumer affairs services in the packaged good, food, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. He began his career at Telerx as an Accounting Manager, and continually moved into roles of increasing responsibility including Director of Finance and Vice President of Finance and Administration. Most recently, Mr. Greenwood served as Vice President of Strategic Planning and Development and was responsible for defining and managing corporate strategic initiatives, integrating financial, operations and sales channels to improve process and profitability, and expanding business operations internationally. He received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Villanova University.
Christopher J. Laing, MRCVS, PhD
Vice President, Science and Technology
Dr. Laing oversees the Science Center’s Science and Technology Programs, including the Port business incubators and the QED Proof-of-Concept Program. He also provides direct R&D strategy support to Science Center Port business incubator companies and facilitates their access to Greater Philadelphia’s academic and clinical communities through the Science Center’s Scientific Advisory Committee for the Board of Directors.
Dr. Laing began working with the Science Center as a consultant in 2004 and joined the staff as Director of Science & Technology in 2006. He was promoted to Vice President, Science and Technology in May 2010. He has helped numerous Science Center business clients turn their academic research into thriving businesses. Dr. Laing provides guidance in early business and product development planning, in securing the resources required to retire early technology risks, and in providing a technical communication stream that includes publications, marketing, and applications to federal agencies including NIH, NSF, and FDA.
Dr. Laing has helped raise more than $20 million in equity-sparing federal funding to directly support product development by small technology companies. His expertise includes experience in the commercial development of a wide range of technologies, including drugs and biologicals, medical devices, diagnostics, and research tools.
Dr. Laing has a Ph.D. in molecular endocrinology, and completed his post-doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine. He is a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in the United Kingdom.
Jeanne Mell
Vice President Marketing Communications
Ms. Mell joined the Science Center in March 2009 as Vice President Marketing Communications. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of corporate marketing, communications, and public and media relations.
Ms. Mell was formerly Senior Vice President, Communications for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, where she had overall responsibility for Delaware Business magazine, the Chamber’s Web site and e-Newsletters, communications, public relations and media relations. Ms. Mell also oversaw the Chamber’s cancer awareness initiative, Advocates of Hope: Raising Cancer Awareness in the Business Community.
Under Ms. Mell’s leadership, the Chamber’s communications department won more than 20 awards including Awards for Excellence from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives for the Chamber’s Web site and the 2006 Advocates of Hope Summit. In December 2007, Ms. Mell was named to Delaware Today magazine’s list of the top women in business in Delaware.
Previously, Ms. Mell was Director of Photography and Design at The News Journal in Wilmington, Del. She also worked at the Associated Press, ABC News and Inc. Magazine. A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Ms. Mell has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from the University of California, Santa Cruz.