Leslie leaves VCU Ventures for Hampton Roads

Kevin Leslie, former associate director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s technology licensing office VCU Ventures, was appointed executive director of Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Consortium (HRBRC) on Tuesday.
The consortium is a partnership between Eastern Virginia Medical School, Old Dominion University and local health system Sentara Healthcare. Its aim is to foster research collaborations between the three members with a view of delivering more efficient and cheaper healthcare.
Leslie joined Virginia Commonwealth University in 2012 from the College of William and Mary, initially to oversee the establishment, development and operation of a biophysics and cancer research laboratory.
He became an innovation fellow at VCU Ventures in mid-2018 before being appointed as a new venture manager in July 2019. He was promoted to associate director in August 2020, after having served as the technical lead on a covid-19 taskforce for five months.
VCU Ventures’ remaining team consists of director Nicky Monk and new venture managers Dominic Costanzo and Lacy Spott. It is unclear whether the university is looking to immediately replace Leslie.
Leslie said: “The HRBRC embodies what drives and excites me: the challenges of a startup, the pursuit of health equity, community building and working with diverse and talented people.
“The foundational pieces of a world-class pipeline are in place. Now, we finally have the opportunity to coordinate them in earnest.
“We are going to advance science and medicine while holistically strengthening Hampton Roads, and I am honoured to be a part of it.”