J. Craig Venter Institute Leadership

Marty Stout is a seasoned information technology executive with over 20 years of life science / biotechnology industry experience and over 30 years in the Information technology field. Mr. Stout currently serves as J. Craig Venter Institute’s (JCVI) chief technology officer, where he oversees all IT, facilities, and security services. This portfolio includes multiple data centers, offices, and a state-of-the-art LEED-Platinum genomics laboratory facility.

Mr. Stout first joined JCVI at what was then known as The Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG) as an IT manager and systems administrator. As TCAG merged with other Venter-affiliated nonprofit entities and became the JCVI, he was appointed vice president of information technology, and later its CTO.

During his time at JCVI, the IT department built out a 60k square foot, large-scale DNA sequencing and data center in Rockville, Maryland and a second 125k square foot building and data center also in Rockville, Maryland. He also directed a data center move and worked closely with the engineering team that designed and built JCVI’s LEED-Platinum headquarters on the campus of UC San Diego which is heavily integrated with computer systems for services from lighting to HVAC.

Prior to JCVI, Mr. Stout was a computer systems administrator at Celera Genomics, where under the direction of Dr. Venter the first draft sequence of the human genome was published. He also previously worked as a systems administrator at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Mr. Stout studied computer science and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland College Park.

Heather Kowalski is JCVI’s chief operating officer. She was most recently chief administrative officer at Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI). In this role she oversaw marketing, public relations, human resources, IT, facilities, and security. Prior to this role she was head of public relations and marketing at HLI from the inception of the company in 2014. She was also instrumental in the formation of HLI.

Before joining HLI, Heather was a public relations consultant working for a variety of not-for-profit, academic organizations, and several start up biotechnology companies all focused in the life sciences arena, which is Heather’s area of expertise. Prior to consulting she was Chief of Staff and VP of Communications for the J. Craig Venter Institute from 2003 until 2006. She began to hone her genomics communications experience at Celera Genomics where she was Director of Communications during the company’s historic sequencing of the human genome. Heather also held leadership positions at two public relations agencies, Edelman in Washington, DC and Feinstein Kean in Cambridge, MA, where she and her teams led strategic PR and marketing programs for a diverse portfolio of healthcare, life sciences and global corporate clients including Novartis, Personalized Medicine Coalition, AdvaMed, and Walmart.

She began her career in the 1990’s in pharmaceutical sales working for the Upjohn Company and transitioned to public relations within a large academic medical center in her home state of Pennsylvania. She has a BA in Political Science from Muhlenberg College.

Marty Stout is a seasoned information technology executive with over 20 years of life science / biotechnology industry experience and over 30 years in the Information technology field. Mr. Stout currently serves as J. Craig Venter Institute’s (JCVI) chief technology officer, where he oversees all IT, facilities, and security services. This portfolio includes multiple data centers, offices, and a state-of-the-art LEED-Platinum genomics laboratory facility.

Mr. Stout first joined JCVI at what was then known as The Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG) as an IT manager and systems administrator. As TCAG merged with other Venter-affiliated nonprofit entities and became the JCVI, he was appointed vice president of information technology, and later its CTO.

During his time at JCVI, the IT department built out a 60k square foot, large-scale DNA sequencing and data center in Rockville, Maryland and a second 125k square foot building and data center also in Rockville, Maryland. He also directed a data center move and worked closely with the engineering team that designed and built JCVI’s LEED-Platinum headquarters on the campus of UC San Diego which is heavily integrated with computer systems for services from lighting to HVAC.

Prior to JCVI, Mr. Stout was a computer systems administrator at Celera Genomics, where under the direction of Dr. Venter the first draft sequence of the human genome was published. He also previously worked as a systems administrator at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Mr. Stout studied computer science and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland College Park.

Heather Kowalski is JCVI’s chief operating officer. She was most recently chief administrative officer at Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI). In this role she oversaw marketing, public relations, human resources, IT, facilities, and security. Prior to this role she was head of public relations and marketing at HLI from the inception of the company in 2014. She was also instrumental in the formation of HLI.

Before joining HLI, Heather was a public relations consultant working for a variety of not-for-profit, academic organizations, and several start up biotechnology companies all focused in the life sciences arena, which is Heather’s area of expertise. Prior to consulting she was Chief of Staff and VP of Communications for the J. Craig Venter Institute from 2003 until 2006. She began to hone her genomics communications experience at Celera Genomics where she was Director of Communications during the company’s historic sequencing of the human genome. Heather also held leadership positions at two public relations agencies, Edelman in Washington, DC and Feinstein Kean in Cambridge, MA, where she and her teams led strategic PR and marketing programs for a diverse portfolio of healthcare, life sciences and global corporate clients including Novartis, Personalized Medicine Coalition, AdvaMed, and Walmart.

She began her career in the 1990’s in pharmaceutical sales working for the Upjohn Company and transitioned to public relations within a large academic medical center in her home state of Pennsylvania. She has a BA in Political Science from Muhlenberg College.