Management
Richard A. Sandberg
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chairman of the Board has played a principal role in starting and building a number of biotech companies including that of founder, chairman, chief executive officer, and chief financial officer of DIANON Systems Inc., a publicly traded oncology diagnostics company that was a pioneer in marketing new cancer diagnostic technologies as a service rather than a product offering. For ten years ending in 2019, he served as Chairman of the Board of Oxford Immunotec, Ltd., a UK-based diagnostic company listed on the NASDAQ market focused on chronic diseases like tuberculosis and cytomegalovirus which was sold to PerkinElmer, Inc. in 2021. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Precipio Inc., a publicly held laboratory service and laboratory products company specializing in hematopathology. He also served as chairman and chief financial officer of Lifecodes Corporation, a pioneer in DNA testing technology, and chief financial officer and director of Matritech, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company specializing in proteomic diagnostic products for the early detection of a variety of cancers. Dick has also served as a director of North American Scientific Inc., a publicly held developer and marketer of radiation therapy products and systems for treating breast and prostate cancer, from 2005 to 2009; as a director of Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., an international manufacturer and retailer of fine home furnishings, from 2003 to 2009; and has served as a director of a number of private healthcare companies in fields such as pharmaceuticals, point of care diagnostics, cancer screening, and cardiology.
John McMichael, Ph.D.
Co-Chairman of the Board has over four decades of experience as a founder and executive of start-up companies including Molecular Rx, Inc.; ImmunoTherapeutics, Inc; Milkhaus Laboratory, Inc. and Beech Tree Labs. He is an Alzheimer’s disease research pioneer, having been the inventor on over 30 Alzheimer’s-related patents licensed to Élan Corp, plc. and has more than 200 patents to his credit.
From 1975 through 1986, Dr. McMichael served on the faculty of Edinboro University in various position culminating as Professor, Biology and Health Sciences. His other academic appointments include the Wistar Institute (1973-74) and SUNY-Cobleskill (1988 to the present). Dr. McMichael received his PhD from Oregon State University in immunology and virology where his doctoral work involved developing the world’s first live virus vaccines for fish which led to changing industry-wide standards to help prevent fish hatchery losses.
Thomas Hatch
Executive Vice President and Director is an experienced business leader in the animal health industry. Before joining the predecessor to Beech Tree Labs in 2002 as the President of its wholly owned veterinary products subsidiary, he served as President and CEO of Immucell Corporation, a publicly traded animal health company, and as General Manager of Operations for Neogen Corporation. Mr. Hatch is a graduate of Darden Business School, University of Virginia.
Board of Directors
Stephen A. Hill
Dr. Hill was first appointed to the Board in March 2020. He began his biopharmaceutical career at Roche where his last position was Head of Global Drug Development with responsibility for global clinical programs from IND through launch. He followed that assignment as CEO of ArQule Inc. from 1999 to 2008 and led the successful implementation of a strategy to transition from a chemistry service company to an integrated research and development organization (subsequently acquired by Merck for approximately $2.7 billion.). From April 2008, Dr. Hill led the US subsidiary of Solvay Pharmaceuticals (until its acquisition by Abbott in 2010), followed by CEO roles at 21st Century Biodefense, QUE Oncology and Targacept Inc. (now Catalyst Biosciences), culminating in his current position as Chief Executive Officer of Faraday Pharmaceuticals–a company focused on elemental reducing agents with a late-stage program targeting reperfusion injury following acute myocardial infarction. Dr. Hill is a graduate of Oxford University in the UK and prior to his biopharmaceutical career served as a surgeon in the UK National Health Service.
Damian Marron
Dr Marron was first appointed to the Board in March, 2018. He has served as CEO of a number of biopharma companies in Europe including Agalimmune, sold to BioLine Rx in 2017; TxCell SA, France, a T-cell immunotherapy company developing ATMP’s; Cytheris SA, France, a company specializing in master T-cell growth factors; Trophos SA, France, sold to Roche in 2012; and as Executive VP Corporate Development, NicOx SA. He is currently Chair of Board at Targovax ASA (OSE:TRVX), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing oncolytic viruses to target hard-to-treat solid tumors; Chair of Board at Imophoron Ltd, developing ideal vaccines based on synthetic self-assembling particles, ADDomers™️; Chair of Board at Cytoseek Ltd, using Artificial Membrane Binding Proteins (AMBPs) to add functionality to cell therapies without genetic modification; Non-Executive Director at Cantargia AB (STO: CANTA), a clinical stage company developing MAbs targeting IL1RAP for oncology and autoimmune diseases; Non-Executive Director at Bone Therapeutics (Euronext: BOTHE), a clinical stage, regenerative medicine company listed on Euronext and Agalimmune, a subsidiary of BioLine Rx. Mr. Marron received his BSc. in pharmacology from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.
McKay Belk
Mr. Belk was first appointed to the Board in September 2021. Prior to retirement, Mr. Belk served as Vice-Chairman, Director, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Belk, Inc., a $4 billion privately held retailer with over 300 stores in the east coast and southern states. Additionally, Mr. Belk served on the Coca-Cola Bottling Consolidated Company from 1994-2015, participating on its Audit, Compensation, and Executive committees during this tenure. He currently serves on the boards of Newdea, a data analytics company and Beech Tree Labs. Inc. Mr. Belk’s non-profit activities include service as Co-Founder, First Tee of Colorado Springs, Colorado; as Co-Founder of Carmel Classic; as a director and executive committee member of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce; as the chairman of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce; as a member of the UVA Families Board of Directors and the Family Enterprise Institute advisory board at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Richard A. Sandberg
Please see Management
John McMichael, Ph.D.
Please see Management
Thomas Hatch
Please see Management