Meet RSC's Board of Trustees
Our hardworking Board of Trustees is responsible for guiding the growth
of the Rockville Science Center and ensuring its sustainability for years to come
Ulisses Santamaria
President, Board of Trustees
Ulisses Santamaria is a research technician for the National Institutes of Health serving the Rockville Science Center in his personal capacity. He currently works on clinical trials primarily on infectious diseases for the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and formerly conducted research in the Laboratory of Avindra Nath, where he worked on improving clinical databases, testing new possible treatments for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and studied how HIV affects aging in the brain.  He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from The University of Virginia. He then obtained a Master’s in Biotechnology with a specialization in Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Technologies from the Johns Hopkins University.  Ulisses is also a founder of The DMV Petri Dish, a collective of DIY-Biology and Maker groups in the DC Area. In his spare time he enjoys stocks, reading books, writing, and building things out of cardboard.
Ginny Bonifacino
Vice-President, Board of Trustees
Ginny co-founded Nazareth Bonifacino Law Benefit LLC, Maryland’s first Certified B CorporationTM law firm. She has over a decade of experience as a business attorney and outside counsel on both coasts — Maryland/DC and California, with a focus in transactional, intellectual property, and employment law. While Ginny’s clients are from all industries, she often counsels businesses with creative assets they wish to protect and monetize. This enables her to utilize her strong intellectual property background and provide additional value as general counsel. Giving back to her community is important. She actively supports women entrepreneurs as a volunteer attorney for the Maryland Women's Business Center. Ginny also contributes pro bono work to the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts.
Melissa Scales
Secretary, Board of Trustees
Melissa Scales is an attorney who has been engaged in issues at the intersection of law and science throughout her career. She is currently Assistant Director for Educational Programs at the Food and Drug Law Institute, where she creates educational conferences, courses, and webinars for the food and drug law community. She has worked on science regulatory and policy issues at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Sherine Chan
Member, Board of Trustees
Sherine Chan is the CEO and a Co-Founder of Neuroene Therapeutics. She is a mitochondrial biologist with a B.Sc. Hons. in Vet. Biology (Murdoch University) and a Ph.D. in Clinical Biochemistry (University of Western Australia). After a postdoctoral fellowship at NIEHS/NIH, she moved to the Medical University of South Carolina as a faculty member to start her laboratory in Drug Discovery. Her group developed new animal models and assays of mitochondrial dysfunction to understand the progression of mitochondrial disease and screen novel mitochondrial compounds. She and medicinal chemist Dr. James Chou discovered that small Vitamin K analogs had potent activity in animal models of seizure, Parkinson's, and mitochondrial diseases, leading them to co-found Neuroene. Dr. Chan now runs Neuroene full-time and recently moved the company to JLABS @ Washington, DC, as Neuroene was selected to join Blue Knight, a joint initiative between Johnson & Johnson Innovation and BARDA.
Bob Ekman
Member, Board of Trustees
Bob Ekman is a software engineer and project developer. He retired from a forty-four year career in software development and teaching for IBM and Lockheed Martin. He worked on government contracts from space projects (Apollo) in the 60’s to defense research projects (DARPA) in the 90’s. He developed commercial software for IBM and human resources software for Lockheed Martin, as well as taught internal classes in software engineering, programming, and web development for over 30 years.  Mr. Ekman is deeply committed to developing the next generation of engineers. He has led the Lockheed Martin Exploring Engineering Program in Rockville Maryland for over sixteen years. This program uses hands-on learning activities in robotics and rocketry to give high school students experience in engineering and inspire them into engineering careers. He has mentored over 400 teenagers through this program.
Kyle Kosinski
Member, Board of Trustees
Kyle Kosinski is a maker, tinkerer, and Project Manager for Motorola Solutions. Kyle started his career with Prince William County Fire & Rescue, where he specialized in the science of hazardous materials response. He currently manages the implementation of 911, police records, and situational awareness systems for public safety agencies in the National Capital Region and across the country. Kyle loves woodworking, 3D printing, canoeing, solving problems, and sharing in the joy of discovery with the RSC community.
Robin Wiener
Member, Board of Trustees
Robin is the CEO of Get Real Consultants. Get Real Consultants is an elite team of international health IT experts that provides expert guidance to startups, larger organizations, and government entities. They provide world-class experts in Health IT software technology Seasoned CEO and strategic consultant with a proven track record of founding, scaling, and successfully exiting a high-growth business. Specializes in building high-performance teams, crafting effective business strategies, securing funding, and problem-solving to drive organizational success. Adept at collaborating with boards and investors, leading decisive negotiations, and delivering profitable outcomes. A visionary leader who transforms challenges into growth opportunities and guides companies toward sustainable success." Robin Wiener is a nationally recognized leader in healthcare IT. Robin believes that healthcare should be accessible to everyone. When people have access to all their data, not just medical data but everything, people and providers can make real decisions that make real impact. Robin was the CEO and founding partner of Get Real Health. she built the company’s growing list of strategic partnerships around the world. Wiener has an innate knack for identifying the skill sets integral to a successful team. Robin led an outstanding team that made Get Real Health a leader in the patient engagement in Healthcare since 2002, leveraging her outstanding people skills and a large network of contacts to identify opportunities and close sales. In 2019, Robin led the effort for Get Real Health to be acquired by CPSI in a multi-million-dollar deal. Robin has generously shared her expertise with the health IT industry and healthcare policy makers (including multiple speaking engagements at the White House). She has also bravely shared her own personal story in media interviews and industry speeches about persevering in the face of challenges. Robin has won multiple awards for both business and civic work. Robin is active in civic and community organizations, she serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Global business at University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith, School of Business and the board for St. Ann’s Center for Youth and Families. She has also been a passionate advocate and mentor for women in business, with a particular interest in small business owners.