Jake Dreier
Assistant Director, Pava Marie LaPere Center for Entrepreneurship
With over a decade of leadership experience in the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem, Jake Dreier joined JHTV in April 2025 as the Assistant Director of the Pava Marie LaPere Center for Entrepreneurship. Before joining JHTV, he spearheaded go-to-market strategies, built scalable infrastructures, and helped early-stage ventures transform ideas into market-ready products. With an MBA from the Yale School of Management and recognition as an award-winning entrepreneur, Jake has co-founded startups, directed multi-million-dollar growth initiatives in health tech, and driven innovative strategies to propel ventures to new heights.
Jake’s expertise in designing impactful programming makes him a pivotal addition to JHTV’s mission to empower students, faculty, and founders on their entrepreneurial journeys. He is passionate about demystifying entrepreneurship, championing the idea that it’s not contingent on having one “golden idea.” Instead, Jake views entrepreneurship as a mindset, a skill set, and a muscle that anyone can strengthen. Inspired by the energy and innovation within the Johns Hopkins entrepreneurial ecosystem, he views this role as an exciting opportunity to blend his experiences as a creator and technologist with his deep commitment to mentoring and supporting others.
Nakisha Holder
Associate Director Technology Licensing
Serving as the Associate Director Technology Licensing at JHTV, Nakisha Holder plays a pivotal role in advancing life science innovations. She leads a dedicated team of licensing managers in evaluating, patenting, and commercializing groundbreaking discoveries from Johns Hopkins. With a keen strategic vision, Nakisha oversees a robust portfolio of diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, driving efforts to market, negotiate, and execute licenses that bring cutting-edge research from Johns Hopkins to the world.
A proud alumna of Morgan State University, Nakisha earned her bachelor’s degree in biology before pursuing a Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins. She is a Certified Licensing Professional and a registered Patent Agent, bringing nearly two decades of expertise in technology transfer to her role.
What truly sets Nakisha apart is her journey. From her early days as an intern to her current leadership role, she has remained deeply rooted in her love for science and its potential to change lives. Her career has been shaped by a genuine curiosity and a drive to bridge the gap between groundbreaking research and real-world impact. For Nakisha, technology transfer isn’t just a profession—it’s a calling that sits perfectly at the intersection of science, business, and purpose.
Linda Hutchison
Intellectual Property Manager
With over 15 years of experience as a patent attorney, Linda Hutchison joined JHTV in September 2023 as an Intellectual Property Manager. Before JHTV, she successfully ran her IP law firm for over 8 years, where she practiced patent prosecution, trademark prosecution, and copyright law. As a solo practitioner, Linda regularly promoted her legal services to new clients, enabling her to empathize with JHTV entrepreneurs’ need to pitch their ideas effectively.
Before practicing law, Linda served in diverse roles, including manufacturing process engineer, management consultant, and software project manager. She refers to her varied work experience as a jigsaw puzzle and appreciates leveraging all of those skills in her position at JHTV. Linda enjoys working at JHTV, where patent protections play a key role in commercializing Johns Hopkins research.