Board of Directors
Paul E. Freiman, Chairman
Mr. Freiman serves as Chairman of Chronix Biomedical’s Board of Directors. He has over 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology leadership experience. Mr. Freiman formerly served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. (NTI). Prior to NTI, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Syntex Corporation, where he had a long and successful career and was instrumental in the sale of Syntex to Roche Holdings for $5.3 billion. He is credited with much of the marketing success of Syntex’s lead product, Naprosyn, and was responsible for moving the product to over-the-counter status, marketed by Proctor & Gamble as Aleve®. Mr. Freiman currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Penwest Pharmaceuticals Co., while also serving on the boards of Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals, Inc., NeoPharm Inc., Calypte Biomedical Corp., and NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Formerly, Mr. Freiman was Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America (PhRMA) and has chaired a number of key PhRMA committees. He holds a B.S. degree from Fordham University and an honorary doctorate from the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy.
William A. Boeger, Co-Founder
Mr. Boeger co-founded Chronix Biomedical in 1997. He has 30 years’ experience in senior management of public and private early stage companies and venture capital investing. Previously, he served as Chairman and CEO of Calypte Biomedical, Inc. during the time that it successfully completed its IPO. In his role as a venture capitalist, Mr. Boeger currently serves as Managing General Partner of Quest Ventures, and previously served as General Partner of Continental Capital Corporation and Continental Capital Ventures. Prior to Continental Capital, Mr. Boeger worked as a Research Assistant at Harvard Medical School and also served on the faculty of the Tuck School at Dartmouth College. In his roles as venture capitalist and senior manager, Mr. Boeger has worked actively with start-up companies and served on the Boards of Directors of numerous portfolio companies that have successfully completed an IPO or have been acquired by public companies. These include: ADAC Laboratories; Cell Pathways, Inc.; Cerus Corporation; Genica Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Elan Corporation; and Odyssey Inc., acquired by Genzyme Corporation. Mr. Boeger received his B.S. from Williams College and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Michael Jerstad
Mr. Jerstad is a Partner at PrairieGold Venture Partners. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of Chronix Biomedical, he currently serves on the boards of Orasi Medical, Grand Prairie Foods and PetMedicus Labs. Prior to joining PrairieGold, Mr. Jerstad served as a member of Piper Jaffray's Healthcare Investment Banking Group in its Minneapolis and San Francisco offices, specializing in merger and acquisition advisory services and public and private equity financing. Previously, Mr. Jerstad was an attorney at Briggs and Morgan, P.A. in Minneapolis, specializing in business litigation, employment law and contracts. He received his B.A. from Tufts University, his J.D. from Georgetown University and his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Robert Leppo
Mr. Leppo has nearly 40 years of investing experience, beginning as a Securities Analyst at Capital Research Company. For the past 30 years, Mr. Leppo has been self-employed as a private investor. Increasingly, he has focused in venture capital on start-up/early stage ventures. He has served on the boards of several companies, including Information America, Advent Software, Best Internet, MedSeek, ValueClick, OnPrem and AirTreks. Mr. Leppo received his B.A. in History from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
David R. Mackenzie, P. Eng.
Mr. Mackenzie has 33 years of business experience, starting at age 17 when Jethro Development Ltd. was created with five younger siblings. That oil and gas exploration and production company became profitable in its second year of operations and provided the funds used to acquire significant positions in subsequent business ventures. Mr. Mackenzie has 15 years of venture capital experience, and currently serves as President of the Lincoln Group of Companies. Investments have resulted in the successful start-ups of Computer Motion, WestJet Airlines, Vovida Networks (purchased by Cisco for US$100 million in 2000), Teamplate Inc. (acquired by Captaris Inc. for US$11.5 million in 2003), Blizzard Energy Inc. (sold assets to Shiningbank Energy Income Fund for $275 million in 2005), and Zenas Energy Corp. Mr. Mackenzie also has 14 years of experience in international commerce. Mr. Mackenzie received his BA in Economics from Whitman College, Washington, and his B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, Denver.
William M. Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Mitchell is a Professor of Pathology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Mitchell has published over 200 papers, reviews and abstracts dealing with viruses, anti-viral drugs and immune responses to HIV infection. Dr. Mitchell has worked for and with many professional societies, including the International Society for Antiviral Research, the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society of Microbiology and government review committees, among them the National Institutes of Health, AIDS and Related Research Review Group. Dr. Mitchell received his M.D. from Vanderbilt and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, where he served as an Intern in Internal Medicine, followed by a Fellowship at its School of Medicine.
Howard B. Urnovitz, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer/Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder
Dr. Urnovitz co-founded Chronix Biomedical in 1997, and serves as CEO and CSO. He has been active in corporate biotechnology discovery and research for the past 30 years. Previously, Dr. Urnovitz founded Calypte Biomedical, Inc., a manufacturer of HIV diagnostics, and served as Chief Scientific Officer from 1988-2000. Prior to Calypte Biomedical, Dr. Urnovitz served as Senior Scientist at the Institute of Cancer Research, Medical Research Institute, in San Francisco, California. Previously, he was Director of Molecular and Cellular Engineering at XOMA Corporation in Berkeley, California. Prior to XOMA, he was Director of the Hybridoma Facility, Laboratory of Experimental Pathology at the University of Iowa. Dr. Urnovitz has published in scientific journals, and has been an invited speaker or panelist at international scientific conferences and U.S Congressional hearings. He holds several patents related to immunoassay diagnostics. Dr. Urnovitz received his B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Michigan and completed his post-doctoral studies at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
Paul E. Freiman, Chairman
Mr. Freiman serves as Chairman of Chronix Biomedical’s Board of Directors. He has over 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology leadership experience. Mr. Freiman formerly served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. (NTI). Prior to NTI, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Syntex Corporation, where he had a long and successful career and was instrumental in the sale of Syntex to Roche Holdings for $5.3 billion. He is credited with much of the marketing success of Syntex’s lead product, Naprosyn, and was responsible for moving the product to over-the-counter status, marketed by Proctor & Gamble as Aleve®. Mr. Freiman currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Penwest Pharmaceuticals Co., while also serving on the boards of Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals, Inc., NeoPharm Inc., Calypte Biomedical Corp., and NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Formerly, Mr. Freiman was Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America (PhRMA) and has chaired a number of key PhRMA committees. He holds a B.S. degree from Fordham University and an honorary doctorate from the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy.
William A. Boeger, Co-Founder
Mr. Boeger co-founded Chronix Biomedical in 1997. He has 30 years’ experience in senior management of public and private early stage companies and venture capital investing. Previously, he served as Chairman and CEO of Calypte Biomedical, Inc. during the time that it successfully completed its IPO. In his role as a venture capitalist, Mr. Boeger currently serves as Managing General Partner of Quest Ventures, and previously served as General Partner of Continental Capital Corporation and Continental Capital Ventures. Prior to Continental Capital, Mr. Boeger worked as a Research Assistant at Harvard Medical School and also served on the faculty of the Tuck School at Dartmouth College. In his roles as venture capitalist and senior manager, Mr. Boeger has worked actively with start-up companies and served on the Boards of Directors of numerous portfolio companies that have successfully completed an IPO or have been acquired by public companies. These include: ADAC Laboratories; Cell Pathways, Inc.; Cerus Corporation; Genica Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Elan Corporation; and Odyssey Inc., acquired by Genzyme Corporation. Mr. Boeger received his B.S. from Williams College and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Michael Jerstad
Mr. Jerstad is a Partner at PrairieGold Venture Partners. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of Chronix Biomedical, he currently serves on the boards of Orasi Medical, Grand Prairie Foods and PetMedicus Labs. Prior to joining PrairieGold, Mr. Jerstad served as a member of Piper Jaffray's Healthcare Investment Banking Group in its Minneapolis and San Francisco offices, specializing in merger and acquisition advisory services and public and private equity financing. Previously, Mr. Jerstad was an attorney at Briggs and Morgan, P.A. in Minneapolis, specializing in business litigation, employment law and contracts. He received his B.A. from Tufts University, his J.D. from Georgetown University and his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Robert Leppo
Mr. Leppo has nearly 40 years of investing experience, beginning as a Securities Analyst at Capital Research Company. For the past 30 years, Mr. Leppo has been self-employed as a private investor. Increasingly, he has focused in venture capital on start-up/early stage ventures. He has served on the boards of several companies, including Information America, Advent Software, Best Internet, MedSeek, ValueClick, OnPrem and AirTreks. Mr. Leppo received his B.A. in History from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
David R. Mackenzie, P. Eng.
Mr. Mackenzie has 33 years of business experience, starting at age 17 when Jethro Development Ltd. was created with five younger siblings. That oil and gas exploration and production company became profitable in its second year of operations and provided the funds used to acquire significant positions in subsequent business ventures. Mr. Mackenzie has 15 years of venture capital experience, and currently serves as President of the Lincoln Group of Companies. Investments have resulted in the successful start-ups of Computer Motion, WestJet Airlines, Vovida Networks (purchased by Cisco for US$100 million in 2000), Teamplate Inc. (acquired by Captaris Inc. for US$11.5 million in 2003), Blizzard Energy Inc. (sold assets to Shiningbank Energy Income Fund for $275 million in 2005), and Zenas Energy Corp. Mr. Mackenzie also has 14 years of experience in international commerce. Mr. Mackenzie received his BA in Economics from Whitman College, Washington, and his B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, Denver.
William M. Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Mitchell is a Professor of Pathology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Mitchell has published over 200 papers, reviews and abstracts dealing with viruses, anti-viral drugs and immune responses to HIV infection. Dr. Mitchell has worked for and with many professional societies, including the International Society for Antiviral Research, the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society of Microbiology and government review committees, among them the National Institutes of Health, AIDS and Related Research Review Group. Dr. Mitchell received his M.D. from Vanderbilt and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, where he served as an Intern in Internal Medicine, followed by a Fellowship at its School of Medicine.
Howard B. Urnovitz, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer/Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder
Dr. Urnovitz co-founded Chronix Biomedical in 1997, and serves as CEO and CSO. He has been active in corporate biotechnology discovery and research for the past 30 years. Previously, Dr. Urnovitz founded Calypte Biomedical, Inc., a manufacturer of HIV diagnostics, and served as Chief Scientific Officer from 1988-2000. Prior to Calypte Biomedical, Dr. Urnovitz served as Senior Scientist at the Institute of Cancer Research, Medical Research Institute, in San Francisco, California. Previously, he was Director of Molecular and Cellular Engineering at XOMA Corporation in Berkeley, California. Prior to XOMA, he was Director of the Hybridoma Facility, Laboratory of Experimental Pathology at the University of Iowa. Dr. Urnovitz has published in scientific journals, and has been an invited speaker or panelist at international scientific conferences and U.S Congressional hearings. He holds several patents related to immunoassay diagnostics. Dr. Urnovitz received his B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Michigan and completed his post-doctoral studies at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
Phone: 408-960-2306 | Email: info@chronixbiomedical.com
Content copyright . Chronix Biomedical. All rights reserved.
