Who We Are
Executive Officers
Chris Howlett
Chief Executive Officer
With a career spanning more than three decades, Chris Howlett has emerged as a prominent leader in the diagnostics laboratory industry. He has held senior and executive-level positions at some of the largest clinical labs in the United States, consistently delivering operational excellence and driving business growth. His professional journey is marked by innovation, strategic foresight, and a relentless commitment to transformative leadership.
Chris is more than an industry veteran—he is an entrepreneur known for his strategic vision, collaborative approach, and deep commitment to team and organizational development. Over the years, he has founded and scaled several companies and remains actively involved in investing in and mentoring startups and early-stage platforms. A compelling and charismatic communicator, Chris is a growth-oriented executive deeply committed to organizational development, team success, and fostering individual career growth across all levels of an organization.
What sets Chris apart is his unwavering dedication to advancing diagnostics in healthcare. He brings a profound respect for the mission and value of diagnostics and a clear focus on delivering innovation and insight that empower better healthcare decisions. His leadership has taken him to nearly every corner of the country, influencing teams, operations, and outcomes nationwide.
Most recent prior to joining Vikor, Chris co-founded Market Street Healthcare Partners, a U.S.-based, sponsor-driven private equity firm. He also served as Chairman and CEO of Genelex, a diagnostics company where he led the organization through a dynamic growth phase and a successful acquisition by Invitae.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Chris is deeply committed to philanthropy. He actively supports nonprofit organizations focused on empowering youth with disabilities and providing critical resources to underserved communities. His dedication to giving back is an integral part of his identity, reflecting the same passion and purpose that define his business career.
Dan Nodes
Chief Operating Officer
Dan Nodes has more than 20 years of experience in life science, manufacturing, government, technology, and consulting sectors. His career focus has been helping organizations achieve business efficiency and growth through improved operations, planning, and employee development.
Prior to Vikor, Dan was an Executive Director for Charles River Laboratories where he helped shape global business growth and operational strategies for its Microbial Solutions business. He has also served as Secretary on the Executive Board of SCBIO. Dan has worked for global management and consulting companies creating and executing program management offices and business development efforts. Dan began his career working as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill for a South Carolina congressman.
Dan received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Clemson University and Master’s degree in Government from the University of Virginia.
Scott Gillum
Chief Financial Officer
Scott Gillum brings more than two decades of progressive financial and operational leadership experience across Fortune 500 companies in life sciences, consumer products, manufacturing, and public accounting.
His expertise spans strategic growth, mergers and acquisitions, FP&A, and global process optimization—critical capabilities as the organization continues to scale and is recognized for his ability to align financial strategy with long-term business objectives. Previously, Scott was Vice President at Labcorp, where he led enterprise ERP consolidation and previously directed FP&A for multi-billion-dollar operating divisions.
Scott received his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Southern Indiana.
Adam Holden
National Sales Director
Adam Holden brings more than 18 years of commercial leadership experience in molecular diagnostics, anatomic pathology, and genetic testing. In his current role, Adam leads a national sales organization of over 100 professionals across multiple regions and service lines, with responsibility for commercial strategy, field execution, and sales leadership development.
Throughout his tenure at Vanta Diagnostics, Adam and his sales team have contributed to the company’s sustained growth in sample volume, revenue, and profitability by fostering a performance-driven culture and aligning strategic priorities with operational execution. His leadership emphasizes collaborative development, clear expectations, and cross-functional partnership to strengthen provider relationships and expand market presence.
Prior to becoming National Sales Director in 2021, Adam held progressively senior roles at Vanta Diagnostics, where he played a key role in scaling national sales operations and expanding the company’s footprint. Earlier in his career, he held senior sales and commercial leadership positions at Aurora Diagnostics, a Sonic Healthcare company, gaining valuable experience within a large, regulated, enterprise diagnostic platform.
Adam’s leadership centers on accountability, collaboration, and team development. He prioritizes building strong sales leaders, fostering a culture of performance and trust, and aligning people, process, and strategy to achieve sustainable, organization-wide growth.
Manish P. Patel, MD, RPH, FACS, FPMRS
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Patel is a dual board certified specialist in Urology and Male and Female Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgery. He practices in Columbia , S.C and is Affiliated Faculty at the Medical University of Carolina. He has been in medical practice since 2002. He graduated as Valedictorian and an Alpha Omega Alpha Chair from Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. Subsequently, he completed his formal Urologic Surgery and Reconstructive training at the University of North Carolina Hospital in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Dr. Patel is also an alumnus of Rutgers University College of Pharmacy, where he graduated with high honors and worked thereafter to gain experience in the pharmaceutical research industry as a pharmacist prior to medical school. In addition to the last 18 years of medical practice, Dr. Patel has authored and co-authored numerous publications, served as a keynote speaker and lecturer for medical seminars globally, and participated in leadership on several boards for new drug and device developments.
Dr. Patel has served in the past roles of Chief Medical Officer, Director of Research and is a key opinion leader in health care delivery. Most recently, Dr. Patel has focused his career pathway on understanding and creating innovative uses in genomics and genetics to assist his fellow medical providers in utilizing these advancements to treat patients accurately, rapidly and effectively to improve health care outcomes for patients and hospitals.
Jessenia Cornejo
Chief Compliance Officer
Jessenia brings over 15 years of clinical laboratory experience focused on the critical correlation between quality, patient care, and regulatory compliance. Jessenia previously served as the co-owner and Senior Quality and Compliance Consultant at Lab Insights, LLC, where she led clinical laboratories in process-improving their compliance programs. She also provided legal and compliance support for a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company through Axiom Law.
Prior to Axiom, Jessenia was instrumental in building the compliance program from the ground up at Bridge Diagnostics, serving as the strategic advisor and leader for regulatory compliance. Her leadership ensured consistent monitoring of quality and fostering a company-wide commitment to compliance. Jessenia’s journey in compliance and quality excellence includes a tenure at Precision Diagnostics, where she advanced from Lab Supervisor to Director of Quality, culminating in her role as Chief Quality and Compliance Officer.
Her foundational experience was built at Quest Diagnostics, where she first experienced good quality lab practices and earned a Green Belt certification in Six Sigma and a Clinical Laboratory Scientist license in Chemistry.
Jessenia is certified in Healthcare Compliance by the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) and possesses deep knowledge of Stark and Anti-Kickback compliance, HIPAA, and Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement. She is also a published author and a recognized industry speaker, sharing her expertise at compliance conferences. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from California State University, Fullerton.
Dan Cortese
EVP of Strategy and Head of M&A
Dan serves as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Head of M&A at Vikor Scientific, where he leads corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and value creation initiatives to support the company’s long-term growth. He brings extensive experience in healthcare strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and operational leadership across private equity-backed and publicly traded organizations.
Prior to joining Vikor, Dan held senior strategy and operating roles at AA Medical, a private equity-backed medical distribution platform, as part of the Shore Capital Partners CXO Program. Earlier in his career, he was a Private Equity Associate at BPOC and began his career in investment banking at Wells Fargo Securities, advising healthcare companies on mergers, acquisitions, and capital markets transactions.
Dan received his BBA in Finance and Applied Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame and MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.