The leadership team at the Stowers Institute is dedicated to fulfilling the mission of our founders by making a significant contribution to human health through world-class research.
President/Founder, Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute
Chair, Board of Directors
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
B.A., Biology, Phillips University
Masters in Health Administration, School of Medicine at Washington University, St. Louis
Richard Brown serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research; Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stowers Resource Management, Inc.; Chair of BioMed Valley Discoveries, Inc.; and Chair of American Century Investments.
Vice President of Finance
B.S., Accounting, Kansas State University
MBA with a finance concentration, University of Missouri-Kansas City
CPA
Kim Chee joined the Stowers Institute in 2021 as the Vice President of Finance. Before joining the Institute, Chee held a variety of finance and accounting roles in multiple large corporations in Kansas City, most recently at Corbion. While at Corbion, Chee was a Finance Director, responsible for the financial and accounting aspects of Corbion North America as well as Risk Management and Corporate Tax. Prior to Corbion, she worked at Grundfos Pumps, Hallmark Cards Inc., and Black & Veatch.
Chee is a CPA with several accomplishments to her name, one of which was being named a 2018 Honoree for CFO of the year from the Kansas City Business Journal. She received a B.S. in accounting from Kansas State University and an MBA with a finance concentration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Chee was born and raised in Malaysia.
Head of External Communications & Media Relations
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
B.J., Broadcast Journalism, Minors in Political Science and Business, Missouri School of Journalism
Joe Chiodo leads external engagement and communications for the Stowers Institute, and works closely with local and international media to highlight scientific discoveries and research from the Institute's labs and technology centers. He joined the Institute in April 2022. Prior to this, he was an anchor/reporter for the local CBS affiliate in Kansas City, MO.
Chiodo focused his reporting on health and medicine. He was one of the first reporters in the country to interview coronavirus patients who returned to the United States after being quarantined on the Princess Diamond Cruise Ship in early 2020. He also covered the Ebola outbreak in 2014.
Chiodo graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in broadcast journalism and minors in political science and business. He has also worked at the NBC affiliates in Omaha, Nebraska and Columbia, Missouri. His reports have been seen on national platforms as well such as CBS Mornings, NBC Nightly News, and the Weather Channel.
During his time in television news, he earned 4 mid-America Emmy Awards for his reporting on mental health, breaking news, and education. He has been honored with several AP awards and Kansas Broadcast Awards.
Former Executive Vice President for Administration, Stowers Resource Management
Stowers Resource Management
Abby Freeman is the former Executive Vice President of Administration for Stowers Resource Management.
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Stowers Resource Management and Stowers Group of Companies
B.A., Drury University
J.D., University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law
Charles German was appointed Co-General Counsel of the Stowers Group of Companies in 2020. Before joining Stowers, Charles was a founding shareholder of the law firm of German May PC. As a trial lawyer, his primary practice areas have been internal and governmental investigations, corporate governance, biotech, capital markets, and professional liability. German served as outside independent counsel for BioMed Valley Discoveries from 2018 to 2019, and is an adjunct professor of corporate litigation at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.
German earned a B.A. from Drury University and a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, and served as the law clerk for Honorable William R. Collinson of the Western District of Missouri. He has served as a director and board chair at The Midwest Innocence Project and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. He was a founder and chair of the Kansas City Metropolitan Homelessness Task Force, a multi-disciplinary, inter-governmental entity that is now a permanent section of the Mid-America Regional Council. German has also been a board member of Drury University and of the Missouri Lawyers Trust Account Foundation. His past awards include the LAWMO Coburn Community Service Award, the KCMBA Deans of the Trial Bar, KCMO Legal Leader of the Year, Missouri Lawyers Media ICON Award, and the Downtown Council Urban Hero Award.
Investigator and Dean of the Graduate School
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Genetics and Genomics, Evolutionary Biology, Molecular and Cell Biology
Genetics; Laboratory Rotation; Thesis Laboratory
Jennifer Gerton, Ph.D., is a molecular and cellular biologist focusing on chromosome dynamics and behavior during cell division. She joined the Institute in 2002 and currently serves as an Investigator.
Investigator and President of the Graduate School
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Development and Regeneration, Genetics and Genomics, Evolutionary Biology, Systems Biology
Evolution and Model Systems; Laboratory Rotation; Thesis laboratory
Matt Gibson, Ph.D., is a developmental biologist and an Investigator at the Stowers Institute. Gibson joined Stowers in 2006 and was named President of the Graduate School in 2024 after serving as Dean since 2019.
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
B.S., Chemistry, University of Michigan
Ph.D., Biochemistry, Harvard University
Rachel Green was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2012 for her work on the molecular mechanisms of protein synthesis and its regulation in diverse systems. She was also elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017 for her contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health.
Her recent work has used biochemical and genome-wide approaches to define the interconnections between translation, mRNA decay and ribosome rescue. These processes have particular relevance to understanding ribosome homeostasis in biological systems and thus have relevance to disorders broadly defined as “ribosomopathies”.
Green received her B.S. in chemistry at the University of Michigan in 1986 and completed her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard University in 1992. After a postdoctoral fellowship in biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins in 1998. Green is currently a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and in the Department of Biology at the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Green joined the Stowers Scientific Advisory Board in 2017.
Professor, Columbia University Department of Systems Biology
Oliver Hobert is a Professor in the Columbia University Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and holds an Interdisciplinary Faculty position in the Department of Systems Biology.
His laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms responsible for generating the remarkable diversity of cell types found in the nervous system. Using C. elegans as a model system, they have revealed the regulatory mechanisms that control terminal neuronal identity and demonstrated that these mechanisms are conserved in chordates. They also used this knowledge to reprogram the identity of heterologous cell types to become specific neuron types.
The lab’s other interests include the origins of asymmetrical neuronal differentiation along the left/right axis, the molecular mechanisms of neural system plasticity, and the conservation and evolution of neuronal gene expression programs. His lab has also developed a number of tools to analyze whole genome sequence data.
Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Cerner Corporation
B.A., Accounting and Business Administration, University of Kansas
Clifford W. Illig is the former Vice Chairman of the Board.
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
M.S. Industrial Hygiene, University of Central Missouri
Tonyea Inglis holds an M.S. in industrial hygiene from the University of Central Missouri (UCM). She is a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and served as president of the Mid-America AIHA Chapter in 2007. She is currently chair of the UCM Industrial Hygiene Advisory Board in the Department of Occupational Risk and Safety Sciences, College of Health, Science, and Technology. Prior to joining the Institute, Inglis worked in the field of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) in both the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, working for Hoechst Marion Roussel, Oread Laboratories, Kaiser Permanente, and ChemSyn Science Labs, a division of Eagle Picher Technologies.
Inglis joined the Stowers Institute in 2001 as Safety Specialist and was promoted to Manager of Environmental Health and Safety in 2003. In 2007, she was appointed Manager of Research Regulations and EH&S. This expanded role included oversight of regulatory compliance. In 2011, she transitioned to Head of the department and in 2019 became Director of Research Regulations and EH&S.
In 2024, Inglis was appointed Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. In this role, Inglis leads EH&S, Quality and Regulatory Systems Team, overseeing regulatory compliance and legal adherence.
Former Chair of the Board of Directors, Menorah Legacy Foundation
President, BioMed Valley Discoveries, Inc.
Ph.D., Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania
Brent L. Kreider serves as President of BioMed Valley Discoveries.
Director, Whitehead Institute
Ph.D., University of Tübingen, Germany
Ruth Lehmann was elected as a Foreign Associate to the National Academy of Sciences in 2005 for her pioneering contributions in the field of developmental biology. She is widely known for her work on germ cells, which give rise to egg and sperm during the early development of the embryo. By studying aberrant development of mutant germ cell lines in the fruit fly, her research has laid the foundation for understanding the potential causes of testicular germ line cancers and sterility.
Using genetics and live-imaging, Lehmann identified several mechanisms that regulate germ cell specification, migration and survival in the embryo, and germ line stem cell maintenance in the adult. In recent studies, her lab demonstrated the role of lipid signaling in germ cell migration and identified the genetic basis of transcriptional silencing in primordial germ cells and the mechanisms that control homeostasis of germ cell proliferation.
Lehmann, who joined the Stowers Scientific Advisory Board in 2011, received her Ph.D. from the University of Tübingen, Germany. After postdoctoral training in Tübingen and at the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, UK, she joined the Whitehead Institute and the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before she moved to NYU School of Medicine's Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine in 1996. She is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, the director of the Skirball Institute and the Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology and the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Cell Biology.
Director, The Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University
Ph.D., Yale University
Michael Levine was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1998 in recognition of his elegant, insightful, and complete analysis of regulatory events that govern segmentation and dorsal-ventral polarity in fruit fly embryos. His work provided a dramatic example of combinatorial regulation at a complex enhancer and established new paradigms for transcriptional control.
Levine studies regulatory DNA and cell fate specification. His laboratory uses new technologies to manipulate embryos in myriad ways to understand how crude gradients of regulatory factors produce sharp on/off patterns of gene expression. These technologies have made possible a geometric growth in the gene-based approach to developmental biology.
Levine, who was appointed to the Stowers Institute Scientific Advisory Board in 1998, received a Ph.D. from Yale University and trained at the University of Basel. He was awarded the Monsanto Prize in Molecular Biology from National Academy of Sciences in 1996.
Senior Manager of Research Development Support
B.S., Biochemistry, Colorado State University
Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Michelle Lewallen, Ph.D., is the Senior Manager of Research Development Support for the Stowers Institute. Michelle oversees the external grants program at the Institute, providing support and expertise from the grant proposal stage through the award management stage. In addition to the administration of external funding, a major focus of the Research Development Support team is on training in proposal preparation and strategic development of grant projects. Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Michelle has been with the Institute since 2010.
Retired Vice Chancellor for Government & Community Relations, Washington University
Chair, Scientific Advisory Board
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
B.A., Biology and Chemistry, Wake Forest University
Ph.D., Biochemistry, Wake Forest University Medical School
Eric Olson was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2000 for his integrated use of biochemical, genetic, and molecular biological methods to resolve how tissues are determined and differentiated in multicellular organisms. His research unveiled a compelling description of how myogenic and cardiogenic transcription factors control organogenesis of skeletal muscle and heart tissues in fruit flies and laboratory mice.
Olson's laboratory focuses on the gene regulatory proteins and signaling molecules that control cardiac muscle development and also play an important role in remodeling the adult heart during pathologic cardiac enlargement and heart failure. By deciphering the mechanisms that regulate cardiac development and gene expression in model organisms, he seeks insights into the molecular pathologies underlying congenital and acquired heart disease in humans.
Olson, who joined the Stowers Institute Scientific Advisory Board in 2000, received a B.A. in biology and chemistry from Wake Forest University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Wake Forest University Medical School.
Chief of Staff, Office of Scientific Leadership, and Vice President, Communications
Stowers Resource Management
B.A., English Literature and Economics, University of Virginia
Jennifer Pawlosky joined the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in 2021 as Vice President of Communications and became Chief of Staff for the Office of the Executive Director in 2022. With 30 years of experience in communications, public relations and marketing, Pawlosky has focused on science communications for the past 17 years. Prior to joining the Institute, Pawlosky was Executive Director of Communications at the Allen Institute in Seattle, Washington, where she oversaw internal and external communications strategy. Prior to her time at the Allen Institute, Pawlosky was responsible for development communications and marketing at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She has also led communications and marketing efforts for Arthur Andersen and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Pawlosky received a B.A. degree in both English Literature and Economics from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. A former board member for the Association for Independent Research Institutes, she currently serves on the government affairs committee and strategic communications committee for the organization.
Chief Executive Officer, Tico Productions LLC & Tico Sports
President, Chief Scientific Officer, and Investigator
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Development and Regeneration, Genetics and Genomics, Evolutionary Biology, Molecular and Cell Biology
Cell Biology; Evolution and Model Systems; Laboratory Rotation; Thesis Laboratory
Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D., is the President and Chief Scientific Officer of the Stowers Institute. Alejandro joined the Institute in 2011, was named its Scientific Director in 2019, and named Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer in 2021. In 2023 he was named President and Chief Scientific Director.
Executive Vice President of Administration
Stowers Resource Management
B.A., Business Administration and Political Science, Westminster College
MLA, Philosophy, Baker University
George Satterlee joined the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in 2016 after serving in positions at two Kansas City area companies, Missouri Bank and Hallmark Cards, Inc. While at Missouri Bank, Satterlee served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer and was responsible for the company’s human resource, organizational development, culture, strategic planning, and marketing efforts. Prior to his 17 years at Missouri Bank, Satterlee spent 15 years at Hallmark Cards, where he held a number of significant human resource positions within the manufacturing, corporate staffing, and field sales divisions.
Satterlee received a B.A. in business administration and political science from Westminster College and an MLA degree in philosophy from Baker University. He attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia where he completed a three-year program in the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the Wharton School Executive Leadership Program. Some of his civic activities include serving on committees for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation, serving as an advisor to the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired, and serving as a mayoral appointee on the Kansas City and Vicinity Workforce Investment Board of the Full Employment Council.
Senior Science Writer
B.S., Chemistry, University of California, San Diego
M.S., Atmospheric Science, Cornell University
Ph.D., Atmospheric Science, Cornell University
Rachel Scanza joined the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in March, 2022, as Senior Science Writer. She translates complex science for a broad audience to author press releases, news stories, and features for the Institute.
Scanza earned a Ph.D. in atmospheric science from Cornell University in the lab of Natalie Mahowald, Ph.D., where she focused on global climate modeling of atmospheric aerosols. Her work was primarily concerned with both the direct radiative impacts of aerosols on climate and indirect effects including biogeochemical cycling of trace nutrients. Scanza continued to investigate atmospheric aerosols on climate as a postdoctoral fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Prior to transitioning to science writing in life science, Scanza has published two peer-reviewed first author original research papers, has co-authored a dozen additional publications, and has edited and rewritten many more.
Scientific Director
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Molecular and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Systems Biology
Neuroscience; Laboratory Rotation; Thesis Laboratory
Kausik Si, Ph.D., a developmental neuroscientist, is the Scientific Director for the Stowers Institute. Si joined the Institute in 2005, was appointed Associate Scientific Director in 2019 and Scientific Director in 2021.
Vice President of Science Operations
The Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Cell Biology; Genetics
After receiving a dual B.A. in chemistry and mathematics from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, in 1999, Slaughter taught science and math before pursuing his graduate work at the University of Kansas. There he studied the biophysics of a calcium signaling protein in the lab of Carey Johnson, Ph.D., receiving a Ph.D. in chemistry in 2005. Following this, he pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of former investigator Rong Li, Ph.D., at the Stowers Institute. In 2010, he transitioned to a role as a Research Advisor, collaborating with Stowers Investigators on adapting microscopy methods for use in a wide range of research organisms. In 2015, Slaughter became Co-Head of the Microscopy Center, then Co-Director of Microscopy, Imaging, and Big Data in 2019. In 2022, he was appointed Senior Director of Research Support overseeing the various Technology Centers, including Microscopy, Sequencing, Proteomics, and Model Research Organisms, teaming with the Scientific Director and the Chief Scientific Director to oversee scientific technology at the Institute. In 2024, Slaughter was promoted to Vice President of Research Operations with expanded responsibility overseeing the scientific operations teams across the Institute.
Senior Program Manager, Office of Scientific Leadership
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
B.S., Physics, Truman State University
Ph.D., Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center
Science Communications
Sarah E. Smith, Ph.D., serves as the Project Manager for the Office of Scientific Leadership at the Stowers Institute. Collaborating closely with the President, Scientific Director, and Chief of Staff, she plays a key role in the implementation of programs that advance the Institute's overarching mission.
A native of Kansas City, Smith joined the Stowers Institute after completing her Bachelor of Science in Physics at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, in 2005. She conducted her graduate research under the mentorship of Dr. Rong Li, focusing on the biophysics of cell polarization, and earned her Ph.D. in Molecular and Integrative Physiology in 2013. Following her doctoral studies, Smith assumed the role of Scientist in the Microscopy Technology Center, where she developed a deep knowledge of Stowers Institute research through extensive collaboration with Institute scientists.
An expert in cell biology, biophysics, advanced imaging, and computational analysis, she has coauthored 18 peer-reviewed research publications on topics ranging from the molecular structure of the microtubule organizing center in yeast to the interaction of the immune system with cancer stem cells. She transitioned to her current role in April 2022.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Stowers Resource Management
B.S., Finance, Emporia State University
MBA with a finance concentration, Avila University
Penny Spence joined the Stowers Institute in 2019 as Vice President of Finance and Treasurer and was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2021. Prior to joining the Institute, Spence spent her career in finance and treasury roles at large, privately-held, multinational organizations including 14 years at Lockton Companies where she most recently held the position of Vice President-Assistant Treasurer. Early in her career, she held other finance roles at Hallmark Cards and Black & Veatch. Spence earned her Certified Treasury Professional designation in 2006.
Spence received a B.S. in finance from Emporia State University and an MBA with a finance concentration from Avila University.
Owner, Oxford Companies
B.S. Finance, Arizona State University
President and Chief Executive Officer, American Century Investments
Chief Information Officer
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
B.S., Business and Computer Science, Karlsruhe University of Applied Science in Germany
Evelyn Travnik, who joined the Stowers Institute in 2023, comes with more than 20 years of experience leading strategy and implementing enterprise-level digital science and technology solutions in biotech, life sciences, sustainable agriculture, and healthcare. Her extensive background includes roles such as Principal Investigator and Chief Information Officer for the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability and VP of Digital Science and Technology and Chief Information Officer for Joyn Bio, a joint venture between Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks, focused on engineering strains for nitrogen fixation.
As the Senior Director of Information Services at Genomatica, Evelyn was instrumental in advancing the engineering of cell factories for the production of bio-chemicals. In addition, her leadership as a global management consultant and Senior Director of Engineering has resulted in the creation of innovative enterprise and commercial software products.
Vice President and Deputy General Counsel
Stowers Resource Management
B.S., English, Birmingham-Southern College
J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
Joselyn Verschelden, J.D., first joined the Stowers Institute as Associate General Counsel in July 2021, and was appointed Vice President and Deputy General Counsel in August 2022. Prior to joining the Institute, Verschelden held the position of career law clerk for the Honorable Stephen R. Bough, of the United States District Court, Western District of Missouri. From 2018 to 2020, she also served as a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law where she taught Judicial Seminar. Preceding her time with Judge Bough, she worked at the firm of Rouse Hendricks German May, P.C.
Verschelden attended Birmingham-Southern College where she graduated cum laude with a B.S. in english. After receiving her juris doctorate in 2003 at the University of Viriginia School of Law, she clerked for the Honorable Ronald R. Holliger of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District.
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
B.S. in Physics, Harvard University
Ph.D. in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jonathan S. Weissman was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2009, in part for his contribution to the development of the technique of ribosome profiling, as well as co-development of CRISPRi and CRISPRa, which provide researchers the ability to turn on and off any desired gene. These discoveries are revolutionizing both basic science and applied medical research. Another research area for Weissman is understanding how cells ensure the proper folding of proteins and the catastrophic consequences of protein misfolding. In addition, he and his team are developing experimental and analytical approaches for exploring the organizational principles of complex biological systems.
Weissman, who joined the Scientific Advisory Board in 2016, received his undergraduate physics degree from Harvard College. After obtaining a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Weissman pursued postdoctoral fellowship training at the Yale University School of Medicine.
He has been honored with the 2008 Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in Biophysics, election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2010, the 2015 Keith R Porter Lecture Award from the American Society of Cell Biology, and the 2015 National Academy of Sciences Award for Scientific Discovery.
Former General Counsel, Stowers Resource Management
Stowers Group of Companies
Chief People Officer, Clarivate
Director of IT Applications and Development
B.S. International Business, University of Kansas
B.A. French, University of Kansas
Jessica Witt is the Director of IT Applications and Development at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Jessica has been with the Institute since 2004, and has participated in most of the institute’s major software deployment projects. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked as a Cost Engineer at Black and Veatch.
She oversees the development, administration, support, deployment, and training for the Institute’s enterprise applications, including M365, ServiceNow, Atlassian Suite, Data Vault, and a custom LIMS. Additionally, she manages the Help Desk support and IT Operations teams and leads the Service Now and Atlassian Community User Groups in the Kansas City Area. Jessica has a B.S. in International Business and B.A. in French from the University of Kansas.
Associate Investigator and Vice Dean of the Graduate School
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Development and Regeneration, Genetics and Genomics, Evolutionary Biology, Molecular and Cell Biology
Genetics; Laboratory Rotation; Thesis Laboratory
SaraH Zanders, Ph.D., a geneticist, joined the Stowers Institute in 2016 and is an Associate Investigator. In 2019, she became the first Vice Dean of the Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.