Innovation is Brewing – A Night with HYPOTHEkids

Hk Catalyst Award
Scott Metzner & Jerry Salama
Janus Property Company

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The Hk Catalyst Award for Lifetime Contributions to the STEAM Community will be presented to Scott Metzner and Jerry Salama of the Janus Property Company. Through their visionary development of the Manhattanville Factory District, they have transformed West Harlem into a world-class hub for biotech and scientific innovation. We are deeply grateful for their steadfast generosity toward STEM education nonprofits—and to our organization specifically—which has opened doors for young people across New York City.

More About Scott & Jerry

Scott Metzner founded Janus in 1989. Prior to Janus, he was active in national real estate markets and international capital markets in senior roles at Eastdil Realty, Roseland Property Company and Daiwa Securities America. He’s served on numerous boards including Phipps Houses and the Tenement Museum, as well as serving on the Mayor’s Real Estate Life Science Advisory Board and the advisory boards of Life Science Cares New York and Builds Bio+. Mr. Metzner received an MBA from Columbia University and a BArch from the University of Maryland.

Jerry Salama has been a Principal with Janus since 1998. Previously, he was Deputy Commissioner of New York’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Acting General Manager of the New York City Housing Authority and Counsel to the Deputy Mayor of New York for Finance and Economic Development. Prior to public service, he was an attorney with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. He received a JD from Harvard Law School, an MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA in Public Policy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Hk Kinship Award
Kendra Krueger
CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center

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The Hk Kinship Award for dedication to bridging STEAM and community advocacy will be presented to Kendra Krueger, STEM Outreach and Education Manager at CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC). Kendra continually broadens student access to scientific research—including hosting Hk's students as a repeat internship mentor. Through her leadership at the ASRC and her co-founding of the Community Sensor Lab, which equips residents with DIY environmental monitoring tools, Kendra’s work enables everyday New Yorkers to use science as a tool for advocacy, community health, and collective thriving.

More About Kendra

Kendra has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering (BS Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MS University of Colorado Boulder) and is currently completing her PhD in Critical Psychology. She has industry experience in radio astronomy, photonics and nanoscience as well as training in mindfulness, permaculture and biomimicry. Her transformative teaching philosophy integrates play, somatics and intuitive learning with science to allow students to develop not only their analytical thinking but also their emotional and social intelligence.