AXCEND - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE
- RESEARCH SCIENTIST
From as far back as she can recall, Amanda Howard has been fascinated by how the world works. This interest helped shape her analytical chemistry experience in liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Today she builds and optimizes the Axcend® HPLC cartridges. Prior to Axcend®, she worked on separating bacteria from blood using magnetic nanoparticles. Howard holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics degree from Brigham Young University.
Job Titles:
- Field Technical Specialist
Annette ensures customers experience flawless set-up and ongoing instrument success. Prior to Axcend Annette was a Certifying Scientist at Cordant Health Solutions, a forensic lab, where she confirmed final results and samples. Annette holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from Northern Arizona University.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board
- Chairman of Colliers International
Brandon Fugal is Chairman of Colliers International in Utah and was recognized in 2016 as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Western Region). He has also been historically recognized at #1 Agent Globally for Coldwell Banker Commercial and Executive of the Year. Prior to selling CBC Advisors to Colliers International in 2018, Fugal built CBC Advisors into the largest commercial real estate firm headquartered in the Intermountain West, with over 500 professionals in 30 offices across the country. Having negotiated over $6 billion in commercial real estate transactions, he has helped launch and establish many of the largest developments in the Intermountain West. For the past decade Fugal has served on the Utah Valley University Foundation Board, as well as on the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce Board and Executive Roundtable. He also represents some of the largest companies and developments in the Rocky Mountain region.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Managing Partner and Founder of Partnership Capital
Brent Knudsen is Managing Partner and founder of Partnership Capital Growth, a leading merchant bank focused on healthy living, healthcare, and values-focused businesses. He is also a founding partner in KC LLC, an early stage investor focused on "change the world" businesses. Prior to founding Partnership Capital Growth in 2006, Brent was an original partner at North Castle Partners, a leading private equity firm targeting investments in healthy living. Prior to joining North Castle in 1997, Brent invested in and ran a number of growth companies in the healthy living arena including GolfWeb (sold to CBS Sportsline), Full Force (sold to Specialized Bicycles) and Newport Surf Company (sold to Pacific Eyes & T's). From 1985 to 1994, Brent served as the original Vice President of Marketing & Business Development at Price Club and Costco Wholesale prior to, during, and after the merger of the two companies. During his tenure, the company grew from a small San Diego retailer to an international business with over $25B in revenue (over $150B today). From 1983 to 1985, Brent was a senior consultant with Bain & Company, where he focused primarily on health care. He received his Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center, graduated magna cum laude with Bachelor's degrees in Economics and English from the University of Utah; he also attended Harvard Law School and Brigham Young University.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board
Christopher M. Lee, MD is a radiation oncologist that has actively pursued basic science and clinical research throughout his career. He has presented his research at national and international research meetings, and has authored numerous publications in top medical journals including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), The International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics (IJROBP), and CANCER. He is also a co-inventor on multiple issued and pending medical device patents focused on individualize radiation treatment delivery.
Dr. Lee graduated cum laude in Biochemistry from Brigham Young University, and he received his MD with Distinction in Research from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He subsequently completed four additional years of specialty training in Radiation Oncology at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital and University of Utah Medical Center.
Dr. Lee is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Washington and is also a Clinical Associate Professor at Washington State University (WSU) Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. He enjoys teaching and mentoring medical students and residents in ongoing clinical and research projects. Dr. Lee has also served on the International Elekta Gamma Knife Perfexion/ICON Advisory Group and is the Research Director for Gamma Knife of Spokane.
During his executive and financial management career of over 35 years, Curtis B. Hill has developed and managed annual budgets of up to $1.2 billion that covered 12,000 employees based at close to 100 U.S. locations. Most recently, Curtis served for 12 years as Chief Financial Officer of Imagine Learning, an education technology company, where he was the initial lead investor in the company's start-up and early growth phases. He was also a member of the company's board of directors.
Previously, Curtis spent over 20 years in the airline and general aviation industry, including:
16 years with Northwest Airlines (NWA), and;
Several years with Woodland Aviation (Beechcraft dealer and service center, charter operator, and private aircraft management company), as well as with Cessna Finance, a division of Cessna Aircraft Company.
Although his 40-year career began with statistical studies on health and health care costs, Dennis Tolley, Ph.D. has focused most recently on stochastic modeling and data analysis in the biomedical arena. For example, Dr. Tolley has actively applied and extended statistical methods to scientific instrumentation and analytic chemistry, including developing detection methods for Gas Chromatography and Liquid Chromatography systems. Currently a professor of Statistics at Brigham Young University, Dr. Tolley has been a faculty member of the university since 1983. Prior to joining BYU, Dr. Tolley held positions with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Texas A&M, Duke Medical School, and Booz-Allen (among others). He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and been issued over half a dozen patents in instrumentation and stochastic feedback control. Dr. Tolley received his Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and his bachelor's degree in Statistics from BYU.
Job Titles:
- Chief Science Officer
- Co - Founder
During his nearly 45-year career, Dr. Lee has become one of the world's foremost experts in separation science, while also becoming a serial inventor and entrepreneur. Most recently, he invented the world's first portable gradient capillary high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC), the Axcend Focus LC® from Axcend®. Previously, he also invented and commercialized three other scientific instruments:
A supercritical fluid chromatograph (Lee Scientific);
A time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Sensar); and
A portable gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (Torion).
Dr. Lee has authored/co-authored over 600 scientific publications, delivered over 500 technical present a tions and has over 20 patents to his credit. Additionally, he has received over 25 prestigious industry awards/recognitions during his 40-plus years as a professor at Brigham Young University. Dr. Lee received a doctorate in Analytical Chemistry from Indiana University, a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Utah, and completed post-doctoral research in Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Job Titles:
- Principal Scientist
- Research Scientist
Prior to joining Axcend® in early 2020, Elisabeth Gates, Ph.D. served as the Director of Research for Utah-based Precision Membranes, a developer of micron pore membrane filters for capturing and analyzing targeted cells. As a Post Doctoral Fellow (and Graduate Research Assistant) at Brigham Young University, she studied bacterial extraction from blood using magnetic nanoparticles, while also researching and developing fabrication techniques for DNA Origami structures, respectively. Previously, Dr. Gates was a Process Engineer at Intel focused on maximizing photomask quality/availability for manufacturing. She received her Doctoral degree in Inorganic Chemistry from BYU and graduated magna cum laude from Utah State University with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Co - Founder
- Founder
- Member of the Axcend Team
- Member of the TechBuzz Advisory Board
Glen Mella has focused his career on delivering rapid business growth, profitability, and significant investor returns in the high-tech arena, including raising $200 million in investment capital. His experience in executive leadership, product management, marketing communications, consumer retail and online channels, and global business development has allowed him to build and lead successful teams in numerous startups and multinational organizations, including Cypher, Control4, WordPerfect, Novell, Found.com, Triton PCS, and Frito-Lay/PepsiCo. Mella currently serves as an Advisory Board Member for Connected Home Living, with prior Board positions at Imagine Learning and InMoment, as well as serving as a Trustee for the Utah Technology Council and as Chair of UTC's CEO Peer-to-Peer Forum. Mella received an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School and a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University.
Graham Harrison is passionate about analytic research as a tool to solve problems in healthcare, energy and the environment. During his college career, Harrison debuted his talents and took fourth place in eBay's Machine Learning Competition. Before joining Axcend®, he was a network engineer at LogMeIn, best known for its GoToMeeting unified communications tool. Harrison is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree at Brigham Young University.
For nearly 30 years, Greg Ward has translated his electrical engineering background into Go-to-Market and Route-to-Market success for Fortune 100 firms and startups alike, including nearly 25 years with Hewlett Packard and its spinout, Agilent Technologies. During his time with HP/Agilent - and later with Agilent's spinout, Keysight Technologies - Ward directed GTM plans and teams on a regional and worldwide basis with multi-million-dollar marketing and sales responsibilities. Prior to joining Axcend®, Ward was a management team leader for an IoT security software company responsible for product validation/development and helped lead the company's initial fundraising efforts. Ward received a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young University and a Six-Sigma Green Belt in quality management while at HP.
Ihor leads the integration of the Axcend Focus LC® with large third-party chromatography data systems. Before joining Axcend he developed mobile IRS applications and software applications for geometric analysis. Ihor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geographic Information Systems from Brigham Young University.
Prior to joining Axcend® in 2018 as its Office Manager, Jamie Stewart spent the previous five years as the Operations Director of Cypher Corporation, a venture capital-backed software company that was acquired by Cirrus Logic. Previously, Stewart served as Operations Manager for Code Corporation and as Office Manager for VPI Technology Group, Brainium, and Medical Device Group.
Job Titles:
- Account Manager
- ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE
Joseph brings his account management experience at Dow Chemical to Axcend®. His passion is solving customer problems - from the discovery of new contaminants and the promulgation of new quality standards - to cost with new technologies that have a lasting impact. Joseph earned a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Performance Driven Marketing Executive
Julie Blake is a highly motivated and performance driven marketing executive with over 30 years of experience developing successful products. From high-profile global brands to start-ups, Blake has been recognized for utilizing innovative approaches to capitalize on market trends to propel new business growth and sales targets. She began her career at Kimberly-Clark Corporation where she spearheaded the launch of HUGGIES Pull-ups® training pants. Later she joined 3Com Corporation as Director of Marketing for the $1 billion Mobile Communications & Wireless Products Division. From 2003-2022 Blake has filled senior marketing roles at proprietary and public colleges. She executed the launch of Neumont College of Computer Science and most recently served as a Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer at Davis Technical College. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of St. Thomas and a Master of Science in Management degree from Cardinal Stritch University.
From consulting projects with the U.S. Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin, Medtronic, and Freescale Semiconductor to senior engineering positions with Telenav, Sorenson Communications and now Axcend®, the career of Karl Hansen, MSEE has spanned numerous industries and disciplines. While pursuing his bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from Wright State University, Hansen began what would be a 12-year stint with The Wing Company, a startup focused on developing composite-based, personal aircraft. While at WingCo, he completed his master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Youngstown State University and began doctoral studies at Western Michigan University. During his career, Hansen's focus has ranged from high-performance embedded computing to advanced signal processing and from InfoSec hardening to user interface development.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE
- RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Although her specialty is chromatography systems, Kelsey Howard has worked with a range of analytical chemistry applications including mass spectrometry, IR spectroscopy, and NMR spectroscopy. Working in her university laboratory, Howard used PCR to identify the presence of a target antibiotic resistant gene. She has experience using gas-liquid and thin-layer chromatography in addition to HPLC. She brings her background in technical writing and data analysis to Axcend® and extensive experience using R programming software to graph, analyze, and report large datasets. Howard holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology degree from Utah Valley University.
Liam brings years of web development experience to his role as a software engineer. Prior to joining Axcend® he served as a consultative analyst helping Bayer Crop Science achieve its innovative environmental science mission. Liam holds a Bachelor's degree in Music with a dual minor in Computer Science and Philosophy from Brigham Young University.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE
- Lab Technician
- RESEARCH SCIENTIST
You could say that that high-precision detector assembly is in Madison Bryan's DNA. Before joining Axcend® she learned the ins and outs of fabrication and assembly at Gearworks, Inc. At Axcend® she specializes in technician assembly and qualification testing. Bryan is passionate about guaranteeing customer satisfaction by ensuring delivery dates. Her long-term career goal is to be an elementary education teacher, in hopes of emphasizing the power of science to her students. Bryan is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Education at Utah State University.
As a senior account manager, Maria helps customers increase productivity, minimize downtime, and improve lab efficiency. Prior to Axcend, Maria was the manager of a prospecting sales team for Agilent Technologies' chemistry division. Maria is fluent in Spanish and holds dual degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology from Arizona State University.
Job Titles:
- Director, Services & Support
Morse has over 22 years of deep and wide service/technical support expertise across dozens analytical chemistry instruments and their related software packages, including liquid and ion chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, LC/MS and solvent extraction instrumentation, and chromatography data software (CDS). During his career, he has worked with clients throughout North and South America, as well as around the globe. Most recently Morse was Senior Manager, Global Technical Services, Instrument & Enterprise Services for Thermo Fisher Scientific, and he had been with Thermo Fisher for 13 years in several technical support and services positions. Previously, he held different service positions with Dionex for over seven years and Sci-Tek Instruments for over two years. After moving to the United States in the late 2000s, Morse was granted an Educational Equivalency of a bachelor's degree in Information Systems by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services branch of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Before joining Axcend, Michael was a lead automation engineer at a global provider of computer software solutions for professionals involved in estimating building and repair. Michael is a born problem-solver and the mind behind new software capabilities, even when others say it can't be done. He graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.
During a career of over 35 years in academic research, Paul Farnsworth, Ph.D. has spent the majority of his efforts on analytical spectroscopy, with an emphasis on developing new analytical techniques and instrumentation for trace molecular and elemental analysis. Currently a professor of Chemistry at Brigham Young University, Dr. Farnsworth has been a BYU faculty member since 1983. His expertise in analytical spectroscopy has led to Dr. Farnsworth to over 25 years of editorial service at peer-reviewed, scientific journals, including Editor of both Spectrochimica Acta Electronica (1994-2001) and Applied Spectroscopy (1997-2009), and as a current member of the Editorial Board of Spectrochimica Acta, a position he has held since 2001. He has also authored over 100 papers, chapters, and patents. Dr. Farnsworth earned his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his bachelor's degree in Chemistry from BYU.
Job Titles:
- Principal Scientist
- Application Scientist
From the petrochemical industry to the world of nutraceuticals, Paul Peaden, Ph.D. has spent over 40 years as an analytical chemist and researcher. After receiving his doctorate in Analytical Chemistry from Brigham Young University, Dr. Peaden joined Unocal in the mid-1970s as a Research Chemist developing methods and procedures to meet the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (as well as the Food and Drug Administration) during his 13-year stint with the firm. Most recently, he spent 20 years with Nature's Sunshine Products as a Research Investigator utilizing analytical chemistry methodologies to support new and existing product development efforts. Currently, Dr. Peaden is leading the Axcend® efforts to identify separation science processes through the Axcend Focus LC™ high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) for a variety of target markets.
During a career spanning over 30 years, Ray West, Ph.D. has shown an uncommon ability to seamlessly transition from chemical research to business development across industries as diverse as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, spectroscopy and scientific instruments. After receiving his doctorate in Chemistry from Brigham Young University, Dr. West spent 11 years with Shell Oil Company. After leaving Shell as a Sr. Research Chemist, he became the Technology Director for Gilson where he established and managed the technical center for this supplier of pharmaceutical industry tools. Dr. West then transitioned into the sales, account management and marketing world, initially with Protasis (a developer of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy equipment), and then for the past 13 years with Moxtek, a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Kayaku. Since joining Axcend® in 2018, Dr. West has utilized his broad industry and business experience to help develop market acceptance of the Axcend Focus LC®.
For over 25 years, Robin Ritch has produced outsized intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial success for organizations ranging from Fortune 50 companies to Venture Capital firms and nonprofit enterprises. Her extensive experience includes architecting initial business plans for products and services, and designing and implementing strategies for global ecosystem development leading to increased market creation and penetration. During her career, Ritch spent nearly six years with Cisco Systems creating new business lines through its Emerging Technologies group. She also spent over six years with Intel, much of it in strategic business development roles in the wireless communication industry. Ritch received an MBA from the University of Washington's Foster School of Business. She also graduated cum laude from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in Finance.
Job Titles:
- Forensic Scientist
- VP, Sales
Although he began his professional career as a Forensic Scientist, Ross Hansen soon found his true calling in life as a sales leader, a role he continues today as VP, Sales for Axcend®. Prior to taking over global direct and indirect sales efforts for Axcend, Hansen spent over 30 years in sales and sales management of scientific instruments, with a specific emphasis on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry, including sales management, sales and field sales/support positions with Thermo Fisher Scientific, Agilent (and Hewlett Packard/Agilent), and Perkin Elmer. Additionally, he also spent four years with the Monroe County Regional Crime Lab in New York as a Forensic Scientist, as well as over two years with Schenectady Chemicals as a Synthetic Organic Chemist. Hansen graduated with a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from State University of New York, and he also received a Certificate in Biology from Rutgers University.
Dr. Calugaru has been conducting scientific research in the field of chromatography for over three decades. His graduate school study was dedicated to developing sorbents for affinity chromatography of proteolytic enzymes. At the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Paris, France) Dr. Calugaru developed a chromatographic purification method for a proteinase inhibitor from human erythrocytes. Later, at the University of Illinois at Chicago and at several industrial companies and contract research organizations in the USA he worked with large and small molecule analytes using a variety of detection methods, including mass spectrometry, fluorescence and evaporative light scattering. Dr. Calugaru holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry from Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia).
Job Titles:
- QA Specialist
- SOFTWARE TESTING SPECIALIST
Our customers buy with confidence knowing the robustness of their solutions are tried and true. Tia Larson serves as Axcend's Software Testing Specialist. Her expertise ensures that the Axcend Focus LC works seamlessly with a broad range of customer software applications. Larson is pursing a Bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship.