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Vickie Yates Brown to lead medical center development |
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Veteran attorney to orchestrate U of L's push for a $2.5 billion health sciences campus downtown
LOUISVILLE, KY (February 8, 2008) - University of Louisville reaffirmed its commitment to a downtown health sciences campus this week by bringing attorney Vickie Yates Brown on board to lead the $2.5 billion initiative. Brown has been instrumental in developing early plans for the health sciences campus as an adviser to U of L president James Ramsey.
Now, she will continue to push that agenda forward as president and CEO of the Louisville Medical Center Development Corp., a U of L affiliate that owns much of the downtown property where the planned Haymarket Business and Research Park is slated to be built.
As part of the transition to the LMCDC, Brown has left the Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC law firm to join Frost Brown Todd LLC, where she is a member and is co-chairwoman of the health law practice group.
The changes resulted from discussions among Ramsey, Brown and Ed Glasscock, co-managing member of Frost Brown Todd and chairman of the board of MetaCyte Business Labs LLC, a sister company that once was a subsidiary of LMCDC. Both entities operate under the umbrella of the University of Louisville Foundation.
Brown, Ramsey and Glasscock have worked together on MetaCyte, LMCDC and general health-related matters in the past. Those relationships led to the current arrangement, which allows Brown to continue to practice law while leading the LMCDC.
'Quarterback on the team'
Brown assisted U of L with its efforts to establish a tax-increment financing district downtown that could generate $300 million or more to build out the Haymarket property and fund implementation of U of L's Health Sciences master plan.
She also has served as special assistant to James Ramsey. She will continue in that role, assisting Ramsey with the university's economic development initiatives.
"Vickie was the quarterback on the team that got the approval for the TIF," Ramsey said. "She's got a proven track record, and we're very delighted to have her."
He said U of L did not conduct a national search for the position because it was clear that Brown was the right person for the job. Not only is she a "renowned health care expert," he said, she understands the vision of what the university is trying to create.
For Brown, it was an opportunity to continue the work she started. After investing so much of her time and talent into securing the TIF financing, she said, it would have been a disappointment for her to watch the Haymarket develop from afar.
So, she was "thrilled" when Ramsey asked her to lead that effort, she said.
Haymarket is a priority
Brown's focus will be taking the lead in the development of the Haymarket property, which is bounded by Jefferson, Floyd, Preston and Market streets. The long-term goal is to have as many as five large buildings that would house offices and laboratories for startup health care and life-sciences companies. Plans also call for three parking garages.
To create the campus, Brown will be working closely with downtown hospitals and private developers, including Wexford Science + Technology, a division of Baltimore-based Wexford Equities LLC.
Wexford has been selected by U of L to develop the first building on the Haymarket site.
That building initially was planned for the northwest corner of the Haymarket block, but Ramsey said it now will be built along Preston Street, just north of U of L's existing Health Sciences Campus.
When U of L announced plans for the campus in August, it said the first building would have about 150,000 square feet and cost between $30 million to $50 million.
Ramsey acknowledged that U of L officials had expected construction to be under way by now, but he said negotiations with Wexford are "going really well."
Putting the pieces in place
Beyond the Haymarket project, Brown will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the LMCDC.
Her list of priorities includes determining budget and staffing needs. Brown currently is the only LMCDC employee, but she is working with Ramsey to identify how many and what types of employees the LMCDC will need to hire.
Steve Gailar, president and CEO of MetaCyte, who has been serving as interim president and CEO of LMCDC, also is helping develop those plans.
Brown also will help coordinate U of L's Health Sciences master plan to ensure it moves forward on a parallel track with the Haymarket development.
"For the first time, we're able to mesh it all together," she said. "It hangs together now as one piece -- the health sciences campus, Haymarket. ... If we have all of that together as one unit, it's going to make it a lot easier to drive forward."
LMCDC: A look back
Late 1990s: The University of Louisville, University Hospital, Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services Inc. (now known as Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare Inc.) and Norton Healthcare Inc. -- in cooperation with Louisville government -- joined forces to form the Louisville Medical Center Development Corp. The initial goal was to promote economic development in the downtown medical center and provide support for health-related businesses.
April 2001: LMCDC and U of L received a $5 million state grant to apply toward a $10 million facility designed to house two incubators, one for life sciences and another for information-technology businesses.
December 2002: LMCDC completed an incubator building at 201 E. Jefferson St.
June 2003: LMCDC closed on the $4.9 million acquisition of The Haymarket property, a downtown retail center that housed small produce vendors. The Haymarket purchase makes way for future expansion of a biotechnology research park within the Louisville Medical Center.
October 2004: LMCDC received a $925,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to continue development of the Louisville Life Sciences Research Park.
February 2007: Stephen Spalding, who had led the organization since 1997, resigned from his position as president and CEO.
July 2007: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and Norton Healthcare withdrew their involvement with the LMCDC. The transition allowed the University of Louisville Foundation to assume control of the organization, which had evolved into primarily a real estate development entity.
November 2007: LMCDC's application to create a health sciences tax-increment financing district was approved by the Kentucky Tax Increment Financing Commission. The district covers a 30-block area, and it includes LMCDC's properties, U of L's downtown health sciences campus, University Hospital and Jewish Hospital.
February 2008: Louisville attorney Vickie Yates Brown was named president and CEO.
Frost Brown Todd attracts top local health care attorney
Vickie Yates Brown, one of Louisville's leading health care lawyers and chairwoman-elect of the American Bar Association's health law section, has joined Frost Brown Todd LLC.
She was named a member in the Louisville law firm and co-chairman of its health law practice group.
In her new role, Brown will work for the firm about one day each week, providing legal services in the areas of health care, health insurance law, informatics, government affairs and mediation.
She also will work to expand Frost Brown Todd's health care practice across the five-state region the firm serves.
The remainder of her time will be dedicated to her role as special assistant to University of Louisville president James Ramsey and a new position as president and CEO of Louisville Medical Center Development Corp.
Lengthy career with Greenebaum
Prior to joining Frost Brown Todd, Brown spent 14 years with Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC law firm. There, she served as a member with the firm and chairwoman of its health care insurance and life-sciences team.
It has not been determined how many of her clients, if any, will follow Brown to Frost Brown Todd. Each client will decide whether to stay with Greenebaum or make the transition to Frost Brown Todd, she said.
There also is no guarantee that Frost Brown Todd will be awarded any legal contracts related to LMCDC or U of L, despite Brown's ties to those entities. Legal contracts, like all of U of L's contracts with outside vendors, must be awarded through a selection process, Brown said.
A coup for Frost Brown Todd
Even so, Frost Brown Todd officials expect to benefit from the experience and connections Brown brings to the firm.
"We couldn't be more excited," said Ed Glasscock, co-managing member of Frost Brown Todd.
"It's a great day for us, adding an outstanding health care lawyer to our firm and someone we respect as one of the key leaders in the legal profession and also the leader of the health care section of the ABA," he said.
Health care is a vital part of Louisville's economy and one of its largest sectors, Glasscock said.
Many of the economic development announcements in Louisville are tied to the industry, and he expects growth in the health care sector to continue.
So his firm has an interest in broadening its health care legal practice. Glasscock said he believes Brown can help lead that effort, not only on a regional level but on a national level.
"This was a wonderful opportunity for me, but particularly for my clients," Brown said.
Daniel Fisher takes expanded role at Greenebaum
Jeffrey McKenzie, chairman and CEO of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, said he worked closely with Brown on the creation of a tax-increment financing district for the downtown health sciences campus.
He said Brown will be missed but that his colleague's departure came as no surprise.
"She has had a very special role with the university, and this is a natural evolution of her practice," he said.
McKenzie said he does not expect her departure to hurt his firm's health care practice. "We have a strong team."
Even though Brown helped to lead that team, she already dedicated the majority of her time to university-related legal work, he said. Attorney Daniel Fisher has been named chairman of Greenebaum's health care insurance and life-sciences team. Fisher, who focuses his practice on business and finance transactions, also serves as co-chairman of Greenebaum's mergers and acquisitions team.
He handles work for clients in a variety of industries, but he has an emphasis on the health care and health insurance sectors. Fisher's Louisville clients include Atria Senior Living Group and Humana Inc.
Vickie Yates Brown Age: 53
Husband: Dr. Shawn Glisson
Education: Georgetown College, bachelor degree, 1976; University of Kentucky, juris doctorate, 1979
Current positions: Co-chairwoman of Frost Brown Todd LLC's health law practice; president and CEO of Louisville Medical Center Development Corp.; and special assistant to University of Louisville president James Ramsey
Professional affiliations: Chairwoman-elect, American Bar Association's health law section; vice chairwoman and executive committee, Health Enterprises Network; editorial advisory board, Bureau of National Affairs of the Health Law Reporter
Hobbies: Gardening, cooking, needlework, farming, fishing, canoeing, crossword puzzles, reading
Media Contact:
Courtney Kinney
502-292-4044
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