Mike Edwards

Mike Edwards is a pioneer of biotechnology facilities planning, having spent more than 20 years facilitating Genentech’s growth from fledgling start up to industry giant. During his tenure with the company he donned almost every conceivable hat related to facilities planning and development, from staff management to strategic master plans. As Director of Strategic Facilities Planning, he learned how to translate business goals into physical spaces, ensuring that facilities plans didn’t just accommodate head count, but encouraged the creativity that fuels scientific success. He now brings this nearly unparalleled experience to bear for other complex organizations, helping them realize their vision while avoiding the costly trial and error so common to the process.

Mike’s passion is collaboration, working with management and employees to understand needs and develop tools for effective and efficient decision-making. He thrives on helping organizations build teams, refine goals, and find new perspectives.

As principle and founder of PlanFWD, Mike has consulted for a variety of technology and life science organizations, including Gilead Sciences, Chiron/Novartis, Sunesis and Genentech. Mike spent the early part of his career at Dow Chemical and Bayer/Cutter Laboratories after earning a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Kathleen Imhoff

Kathleen Imhoff is a master of consensus-building. Over her 14 years as a Director of Planning for the University of California, she learned the intricacies and intersections of capital investment in academia and government, facilitating understanding between diverse groups and developing solutions that satisfied multiple stakeholders. Kathleen then translated her expertise to the Contra Costa Community Warning Project, spending nearly a decade developing, negotiating, funding, and implementing an award-winning emergency system and education campaign. Working for the public good furthered her understanding of government and helped her hone her ability to negotiate a common path among complex and often competing perspectives.

Kathleen is always intrigued by uncharted territory. As a principle of PlanFWD, she has brought vision and leadership to a number organizations and industries, including large-scale development projects (Sares Regis of Northern California Commercial Development and CREATE Technology Village Corporation), technology incubators (BioHatch, the San Jose BioCenter, and ASTIA), and biotechnology (Bay Area Biotechnology Consortium, of which she is co-founder). She continues to pursue community protection projects as well, having recently provided project leadership and strategic planning for the CDEMA (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency) Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System, for whom she helped 18 participating states adapt best tsunami warning practices.