RECTOR AND VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
Andy has been recognized for his leadership in the industry as a CIT GAP 50 Entrepreneur in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a member of the Board of SEBIO, and is the immediate past Chairman of the Virginia Biotechnology Association.
Prior to his experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Andy worked as an analyst for Goldman Sachs, NYC, and served as Vice President of the UVA Darden Graduate School of Business. Most recently, he led the acquisition of UVA startup, Cavion, to industry leader Jazz Pharmaceuticals.
Education:
M.A., Georgetown University
B.S., University of Maryland
Job Titles:
- Coulter Program Director and Instructor in Design
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Professor Emeritus, Medicine: Infectious Diseases and International Health
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- UVA Interim Vice President for Research
Frederick H. Epstein, PhD, is the Mac Wade Professor of Biomedical Engineering at UVA. He has served as Chair of UVA's Biomedical Engineering Department and as Associate Dean for Research for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is internationally recognized for research contributions to the field of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including for the development of highly accurate methods for quantifying cardiac function and for using MRI to discover fundamental biological mechanisms underlying heart disease.
Epstein received his B.S. in Physics and B.A. in Mathematics at the University of Rochester, and then went on to get his M.S. in Engineering Physics and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at UVA. He did his Post-Doc in Radiology at UVA and worked as a research scientist at GE Medical Systems and at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) before becoming a faculty member at UVA in 2000.
Epstein has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles, has been continuously funded as principal investigator by the NIH for more than 20 years, has 16 issued or pending patents, served on numerous study sections and expert panels for the NIH and the American Heart Association, and served as Chair of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Academic Council. Dr. Epstein is an elected Fellow of three major societies, namely the ISMRM (2013), the American Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering (2014), and the American Heart Association (2014). In addition, he was recently named a Distinguished Investigator of the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research.
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Senior Associate
- UVA Senior Associate Dean for Research
Professor Martens is a nationally and internationally lauded leader, researcher and educator. Martens' research is focused in two areas of pharmacology and therapeutics, including sensory neuropharmacology and cardiovascular pharmacology, with work in both the heart and olfactory systems.
With regard to the olfactory system, Martens' work is devoted to understanding mechanisms of olfaction, pathogenesis of olfactory dysfunction, and the development of curative therapies for anosmia. In his studies of the cardiovascular system, Martens' lab has focused on the identification of novel targets for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, and atrial fibrillation in particular.
Professor Martens came to UVA from the University of Florida College of Medicine, where he was the Thomas H. Maren Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics for eight years. He is recognized as an outstanding leader, responsible for driving a 10-fold increase in extramural funding during his tenure. He also is consistently praised for his superb ability to foster collaboration across clinical and basic science departments, as well as leveraging productive synergies with university research centers and institutes.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Dean of UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science
- Member of the National Academy of Engineering
University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Jennifer L. West has more than 25-year career as a professor, inventor and entrepreneur.
West has focused her research on the use of biomaterials, nanotechnology and tissue engineering, applying engineering approaches to studying biological problems and solving unmet medical needs, particularly in the fight against cancer.
West is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors, with 19 patents that have been licensed to eight different companies. One company, Nanospectra Biosciences Inc., co-founded by West, is running human clinical trials of a cancer therapy she invented.
West came to UVA in 2021 from Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering, where she was the Fitzpatrick Family University Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education, with appointments in biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering and materials science.
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance and Operations
- Member of the Leadership Team
Jill Simandl (MBA '03) serves as Director of Finance and Operations for LVG. She is responsible for managing the Group's financial operations, budgeting, human resources and business office functions, ensuring optimized and seamless administration to support the full range of LVG stakeholders.
Jill joined the group in 2022. Her background includes over 25 years of experience in financial and administrative management, including senior positions with fast-growth technology and services enterprises backed by private equity and venture capital firms, as well as startup and entrepreneurial roles with multiple Virginia-based enterprises. Her areas of expertise include financial and accounting analytics, due diligence, procurement and contracting, financial systems implementation, and business process optimization.
Education:
MBA, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
BA, Political Science, Yale University
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Associate Director for Basic Science, University of Virginia Cancer Center
John S. Lazo graduated from the Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry and from the University of Michigan with a PhD in Pharmacology under the mentorship of Ray Ruddon. Lazo received postdoctoral training at Yale University with Alan Sartorelli and then joined the faculty in the Department of Pharmacology at Yale.
He moved to the University of Pittsburgh in 1987 where he served as the Allegheny Foundation Professor and Chair of Pharmacology until 2004.
From 2004 until 2010, Lazo was the founding Director of the University of Pittsburgh Drug Discovery Institute. Currently he is the Associate Dean for Basic Research and the Harrison Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He is also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Chemistry. Lazo is the current President of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). His primary research interests are in molecular pharmacology and drug discovery with a special interest in drugs for cancer.
Lazo was a Corporate Associate of Johnson & Johnson between 2002-2005. He has authored 11 books, published more than 300 scientific articles and reviews, invented eight U.S. issued patents, and has been the principal investigator on numerous research grants. Lazo co-founded three biopharmaceutical companies. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association for Cancer Research, a member of the Board of Publication Trustees for the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and a member and chairman of the Council for Extramural Grants of the American Cancer Society. He is currently a member of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Board and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Cure Alzheimer's Foundation and Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Education:
Ph.D. (Pharmacology), University of Michigan
A.B. (Chemistry), Johns Hopkins University
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director of Licensing for the UVA Licensing & Ventures Group
- Director, Licensing
Josh Mauldin (GRAD ‘08) is the Director of Licensing for the UVA Licensing & Ventures Group. He is responsible for the commercialization of UVA discoveries through business development, partnering, licensing and new venture formation. His contributions support the advancement of technologies in biomedical sciences and chemistry.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Retired Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Job Titles:
- Co - Director for ITHRIV
- Co - Director ITHRIV
- Co - Director of the Integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia
- Distinguished Professor of Neurology
Dr. Johnston is the co-director of the integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV), a federally funded collaboration between UVA, Virginia Tech, Carilion Clinic and Inova that facilitates clinical and translational research across Virginia.
Dr. Johnston, the Harrison Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Associate Vice President for Clinical and Translational Research at UVA, graduated from medical school at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1991. She did her neurology residency at the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital and a vascular neurology fellowship at UVA.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Principal, Ulmer Ventures
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
- Founder, Director, President and CEO at HC Bioscience
Leslie Williams is a 25-year biopharmaceutical veteran and an experienced biotech CEO and board of directors' member. She has experience in healthcare, management, business development, commercial product development and marketing and venture capital.
Leslie is the founder, director, president and CEO at hC Bioscience, which is focused on developing tRNA based therapeutics for oncology and rare disease. Prior to this, she spent 10 years at ImmusanT developing immunotherapies for autoimmune disease. She was the founder, director, president and CEO until the reverse merger in 2019.
Before her time at ImmusanT, Leslie was president & CEO of Ventaira Pharmaceuticals. Under her leadership, the company became a significant player in the pulmonary drug-delivery market until it was sold in 2007.
Leslie has held positions in business development, sales and marketing, product development at INO Therapeutics, Inc., Merck and GSK, and also has drug-delivery and -monitoring experience at Datex-Ohmeda (formerly Ohmeda, Inc.). She was a venture partner at Battelle Ventures where she sourced and evaluated deals and assisted early-stage technology companies with strategy, management, business development and M&A.
Leslie has served on several private, public and non-profit boards. She is currently an operating partner at Accelerator Life Science Partners and serves on the Board of Ocular Therapeutix (Nasdaq: OCUL) and Windtree Therapeutics (Nasdaq: WINT) and on the Editorial Advisory Board of Life Science Leader.
Before entering industry, Leslie was a critical-care nurse at Duke University, Medical College of Virginia and at the University of Iowa.
Education:
MBA, Washington University
B.S., Nursing, University of Iowa.
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Office Manager
Job Titles:
- Finance Assistant
- Royalties & Compliance Analyst
Mary Anderson joined LVG as Finance Assistant in 2022, supporting the Director of Finance and Operations.
A Virginia native and UVA alumna, Mary offers her knowledge and expertise resulting from years of experience in administrative, operational and customer support. She has always been drawn to employers striving to make a positive local and global impact across many areas, including mental health and parenting services, environmental conservation, food equity and education.
Education:
B.A., Psychology, University of Virginia
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Academic Director and Associate Dean of the Batten Institute, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia President 's Appointee
- Samuel L. Slover Professor of Business
Michael Lenox is the Samuel L. Slover Professor of Business. He teaches and serves as the course head for the First Year "Strategy" core course. He is associate dean and academic director of Darden's Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He serves as president of the multiple-university Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS), a professional society of scholars from all disciplines studying the interface between business and sustainability.
Prior to joining Darden in 2008, Professor Lenox was a professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, where he served as the area coordinator for Fuqua's strategy area, the faculty director and founder of Duke's Corporate Sustainability Initiative, and course head for the core MBA strategy course where he was runner-up for the Chrysler faculty teaching award on multiple occasions. He received his Ph.D. in technology management and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the degrees of bachelor and master of science in systems engineering from the University of Virginia. Professor Lenox has served as an assistant professor at New York University's Stern School of Business and as a visiting professor at Harvard University, Oxford University and IMD.
Lenox's research has appeared in over 25 refereed academic publications and has been cited in a number of media outlets including the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Economist, the Dow Jones Newswire, and the Associated Press. His expertise is in the domain of technology strategy and policy. He is broadly interested in the role of innovation and entrepreneurship for economic growth and firm competitive success. In particular, he explores the sourcing of extramural knowledge by firms and its impact on firm innovation strategy. Lenox has also had a long-standing interest in the interface between business strategy and public policy as it relates to the natural environment. Recent work explores firm strategies and nontraditional public policies that have the potential to drive "green" innovation and entrepreneurship.
Education:
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B.S., M.S., University of Virginia
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
- Vice President, Tech Fellow
Mike Raker is Vice President, Tech Fellow, and Director of Mission Software at Leidos, a Fortune 300 science and tech company.
Mike developed and oversees Leidos' global network of software factories and leads research and development of discriminating technologies with a focus on software for mission-critical systems.
Mike is also an active member of both the Charlottesville Angel Network and the Country Roads Angel Network.
Education:
B.S., Systems Engineering, University of Virginia
M.S., Systems Engineering, George Washington University
Job Titles:
- Legal Assistant
- Assistant With the UVA Licensing & Ventures Group
Paul Coaker is a legal assistant with the UVA Licensing & Ventures Group. Paul is responsible for administrative tasks including legal filing and archiving, supporting the billing documentation process, and keeping the team on track with various deadlines.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chairman, Board of Directors Founding Partner, Anchormarck Holdings, LLC
Peter Grant has more than 25 years of experience in private equity investing, investment banking and capital markets transactions and is a founding partner of Anchormarck Holdings, LLC. Prior to forming Anchormarck, Grant was a founding partner of Stone Arch Capital, LLC in Minneapolis, Minnesota, served as U.S. Chairman of RBC Capital Markets, as President and Chief Operating Officer of Dain Rauscher Wessels (DRW) and on the executive and operating committees of both firms.
He has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange, served on the management committee of Royal Bank Capital Partners, and was the managing partner of DRW Venture Partners, LLC. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors of Tamir Fishman & Company (the largest investment bank in Israel) and the Advisory Board of Tamir Fishman Ventures.
Prior to RBC Capital Markets and Dain Rauscher Wessels, Grant had a distinguished career as Managing Director in the equity capital markets divisions of Credit Suisse First Boston and Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) in New York.
Grant is a board member and immediate past Board Chair of Global Impact, and serves on the Board of Directors of the University of Minnesota Foundation Investment Advisors. He is a past Chair of the Board of Managers of the Alumni Association of the University of Virginia, where he also serves on the College Foundation Board, The Board of Trustees of the Darden Foundation, the board of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, and on the Batten Institute Advisory Council. Grant is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Richard D. Tadler is a UVA alumnus (McIntire '78) who has worked in private equity for 40 years.
Tadler served as chairman of the global private equity firm TA, helping the firm grow from a $100 million fund to more than $16 billion.
Prior to his time at TA, Tadler was a general partner at Investments Orange Nassau and, before that, was assistant to the president at ARMCO Steel.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Managing Director of the UVA LVG Seed Fund & New Ventures
- Managing Director, UVA LVG Seed Fund & New Ventures
Bob Creeden, Managing Director of the UVA LVG Seed Fund & New Ventures supports the creation of high-quality ventures based on University technologies and leads the day-to-day operations of two $10 million investment funds.
Bob is tasked with building initiatives to identify opportunities for the creation of new ventures based on technologies in the LVG portfolio, recruiting talented executives, and entrepreneurs-in-residence, along with mentoring and advising newly formed companies.
In addition to more than 30 years of experience in commercializing new technologies Bob has more than 20 years of experience as an early stage venture capitalist in the Boston area. He served as Vice President of the Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation, an early stage venture firm that funds technology-based companies in Massachusetts, General Partner at Egan-Managed Capital, a $150 million dollar Boston-based venture fund, and in 2005 he established and implemented the Partners Innovation Fund, ($35M) at Partners HealthCare.
Education:
M.B.A., Suffolk University
B.A., Economics, Holy Cross College
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Senior Patent & General Counsel
Rob Decker serves as general counsel for LVG and as special assistant to the state attorney general. Rob is responsible for drafting and prosecuting patents in the engineering disciplines, specifically electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering. He also supports the areas of material and computer science, and medical devices, as well as litigation and trademark procurement.
Rob also runs a law clinic on drafting and prosecuting patent applications for the UVA School of Law.
Prior to joining LVG, Rob served as US Patent Examiner at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Additionally, he was in private practice and served as in-house corporate counsel. Prior to entering patent law, Rob had a 10-year career in engineering.
Education:
J.D., Catholic University of America
B.S. Electrical Engineering, Catholic University of America
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President for Commercialization and Compliance
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chief Executive Officer of the Empire Discovery Institute
- Chief Executive Officer, Empire Discovery Institute
Ron Newbold is the Chief Executive Officer of the Empire Discovery Institute in western New York, and an Entrepreneur in Residence for LVG in addition to his role as a board member. He is a business development executive and scientist with strong academic background managing transactions in small and large biopharmaceutical companies. He brings research and business experience with 2 Nobel laureates and collaboration with numerous world-class scientists. Newbold advances therapeutic capabilities while establishing creative partnerships with academia and the venture community.
After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, he joined Merck where he was ultimately responsible for Strategic Research Initiatives within External Scientific Affairs. Following 14 years with Merck, Ron led BD for three US-based biotech companies (Sentigen Biosciences, Celldex Therapeutics, and Auspex Pharmaceuticals) prior to joining Pfizer as Vice President of their Global Scouting Group. While at Pfizer, Ron managed a team of scientists in over 10 countries who evaluated and proposed partnerships of scientific value that broadened Pfizer's early-stage pipeline. He started and led the Pfizer Seed Fund (created through an evolution of the Pfizer Incubator) and served as Board Observer to Ab Initio, Aquinnah, Circle Pharmaceuticals, Lumena (acquired by Shire), Molecular Stethoscopes, Neoantigenics, Storm Therapeutics, and a Scientific Advisory Board member to NeoMED. Newbold joined the Empire Discovery Institute as Chief Business Officer in 2021 before being promoted to CEO in 2022.
Education:
Ph.D. (Synthetic Organic Chemistry), University of Rochester
M.B.A., Columbia University
B.S. (Chemistry), Union College
Job Titles:
- Information & Compliance Manager
Job Titles:
- Program Director for Ivy Foundation and LaunchPad
Job Titles:
- Manager of Strategic Communications