BHI Board of Directors

Brett Shealy is the Executive Director of Life Sciences at J.P. Morgan. He has extensive experience in corporate banking within the life sciences and healthcare sectors, having held various leadership roles at both J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo. At J.P. Morgan, Brett previously served as Executive Director and Relationship Executive in the Life Sciences & Healthcare division. Before that, he worked in corporate banking for Wells Fargo's Life Sciences division. Brett holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance and Strategic Management from Purdue University’s Daniels School of Business.  

Aimee Smart is Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Processes at Lung Biotechnology PBC and Lung Bioengineering Inc., subsidiaries of United Therapeutics Corporation. She leads a team of 60+ professionals across clinical development, regulatory affairs, quality, and more, and serves on United Therapeutics' executive leadership team. Aimee successfully restructured Lung Biotechnology and later led a turnaround at Lung Bioengineering. With over 20 years in biotech and pharma, she previously held regulatory roles at VIRxSYS, Human Genome Sciences, Nabi Biopharma, and Cato Research. She earned a B.S. in Microbiology from NC State (Outstanding Young Alumni) and an Executive MBA from the University of Maryland (Poets & Quants “Best & Brightest”). She also holds leadership coaching and regulatory certifications and serves on the NC State College of Sciences Foundation Board.  

Rick Wieczorek has been in the credit union industry for over 40 years. For the past 10 years, he has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NIH Federal Credit Union (NIHFCU). As the CEO of NIHFCU, Rick is focused on being the preferred provider of financial services for members of the biomedical and healthcare communities and their families. Prior to this role, he was the President and CEO of Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union (MAFCU) in Germantown, MD, where he was initially hired as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) before advancing to the CEO position. Rick has also served as Chairman of the MD|DC Credit Union Association (MDDCCUA) Board of Directors. The MDDCCUA diligently advocates, educates, communicates, and collaborates on behalf of member credit unions, helping them remain competitive and thrive in the financial marketplace. He has supported the MDDCCUA in various roles and capacities for several years. Rick began his career in the credit union industry as a teller at Northwest Federal Credit Union in 1983. While working there, he earned his undergraduate degree at George Mason University and his MBA at George Washington University. After completing his MBA, Rick became a Fixed-Income Securities Broker/Dealer and worked for First Empire Securities, primarily serving credit unions. Eventually, he joined one of his clients, NRL Federal Credit Union, as the CFO. During his time at NRL, Rick gained recognition as an industry expert in Asset Liability Management, frequently speaking on the topic at conferences. He also created and managed their Wealth Management program while performing CFO duties. After serving as CFO for nine years at NRL FCU, Rick was hired by Callahan and Associates as the Executive Vice President for the Trust for Credit Unions, a firm that provided mutual funds and strategic planning services to credit unions. Rick resides in Northern Virginia with his wife, Laura, and their two dachshunds, Oliver and Charlie. Rick and Laura enjoy spending as