The Leadership Team.
C. Randal Mills, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Dr. Randy Mills, Ph.D., co-founder of Elutia, has served as a member of Elutia’s board of directors since November 2015. Randy and Kevin Rakin started Elutia with the vision to build a regenerative medicine company to improve the lives of patients by developing a pipeline of cutting-edge biosurgical products.
Dr. Mills is an internationally recognized expert in regenerative medicine who has led pioneering biotechnology organizations that have created more than $1 billion in shareholder value for investors. As CEO of Osiris Therapeutics (Nasdaq: OSIR), he commercialized five cell-therapy products responsible for $1.5 billion in sales and led the company through an IPO that increased shareholder value 41-fold. Osiris was eventually sold to Smith and Nephew for $660 million. Dr. Mills was also a co-founder and officer of Regeneration Technologies (Nasdaq: RTIX), where he led operations, R&D, regulatory and business development through its successful IPO.
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Randy’s ‘patient first’ leadership style has also helped transform some of the nation’s most respected medical institutions. As president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, he radically improved the speed and transparency of the $3 billion agency. As CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match, he launched a bold plan to democratize cell therapy, resulting in significantly more bone marrow matches for ethnically diverse patients.
A sought-after speaker, Randy’s accomplishments have been chronicled in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, and LA Times. He has also appeared on CNBC, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg. Randy has received numerous recognitions, including being named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, listed as one of the World’s 50 Most Influential People in Regenerative Medicine, and awarded winner of AATB’s Hyatt Memorial Award for Scientific Leadership in Transplantation.
Dr. Mills holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Florida and completed an internship in Clinical Pathology at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida. He is married with two children and is an avid pilot.
Matthew Ferguson
Chief Financial Officer
Matthew Ferguson has served as our Chief Financial Officer since September 2020. Prior to joining us, Mr. Ferguson served as Chief Financial Officer for Bossa Nova Robotics, a privately held robotics company serving major retailers, from September 2018 to July 2020. From January 2011 to August 2018, Mr. Ferguson held various management positions, including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Business Officer and Co-President, at Avinger, Inc., a publicly traded cardiovascular medical device company. From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Ferguson served as Chief Financial Officer at Tethys Bioscience, a provider of molecular diagnostic tests for cardiometabolic conditions. From 2008 to 2009, Mr. Ferguson served as the Chief Financial Officer at Proteolix, a biotechnology company developing treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases. Mr. Ferguson also served as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Business Development at FoxHollow Technologies, a publicly traded medical device company, from 2002 through its merger with ev3 in 2007. Mr. Ferguson holds an M.B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University.
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From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Ferguson served as Chief Financial Officer at Tethys Bioscience, a provider of molecular diagnostic tests for cardiometabolic conditions. From 2008 to 2009, Mr. Ferguson served as the Chief Financial Officer at Proteolix, a biotechnology company developing treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases. Mr. Ferguson also served as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Business Development at FoxHollow Technologies, a publicly traded medical device company, from 2002 through its merger with ev3 in 2007. Mr. Ferguson holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Michelle Williams, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Michelle LeRoux Williams, Ph.D. is Chief Scientific Officer of Elutia. Dr. Williams was one of the founders of Elutia and has over 20 years of experience in innovative product development. Previously, Dr. Williams served as Chief Scientific Officer of Osiris Therapeutics, where she invented Osteocel®, the world’s first commercially available stem cell product, led the team that obtained regulatory approval of the world’s first stem cell drug approval (remestemcel-L), and oversaw the development of successful stem cell products, including Grafix® and Cartiform®.
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Dr. Williams is a fellow in the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and an internationally recognized expert in biologics and cell therapy. Dr. Williams earned a Bachelor’s degree from Rice University, a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Duke University and completed her post-doctorate training at Columbia University. She also serves on the Grants Working Group of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the state’s $5.5 billion stem cell agency.
Jeff Hamet
Senior Vice President of Finance
Jeff Hamet is Vice President of Finance. Mr. Hamet joined Elutia with over 25 years of senior-level finance, accounting and management experience primarily in the life sciences, medical services and high-technology industries. From 2013 through 2015, Mr. Hamet served as President and Chief Financial Officer of NeurExpand Brain Center LLC. From 2004 through 2012, Mr. Hamet was Vice President and Corporate Controller of Martek Biosciences Corporation.
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During Mr. Hamet’s tenure with Martek, the company experienced dramatic growth in revenues, profits and employees, culminating in its acquisition by Royal DSM N.V. for $1.1 billion. Prior to joining Martek, Mr. Hamet served as a financial executive at IGEN International, Inc. and ARBROS Communications, Inc. Mr. Hamet spent the first nine years of his career at Arthur Andersen LLP, an international public accounting firm. He holds a B.S. in accounting from the University of Maryland and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Courtney Guyer
Vice President, and General Manager of Women’s Health
Courtney Guyer joined Elutia in 2018 as Vice President of Marketing bringing global leadership experience in established and start-up medical device companies across multiple therapies. Prior to joining Elutia, Ms. Guyer served as Senior Director of Marketing at Medinol, an international cardiovascular startup where she led the pivotal launches of both Bare Metal and Drug Eluting Coronary Stent products. Previous to that she led US and Global Marketing teams at LifeCell for seven years working on both upstream and downstream launches and product portfolio projects.
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In addition, she has held various sales and marketing roles at Johnson & Johnson and Merck. Ms. Guyer holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from The Pennsylvania State University.
Sonali Fonseca, Ph.D.
Vice President, Emerging Business
Sonali Fonseca is a proven commercial strategist and leader in the Biotech and Healthcare Technology Solutions spaces. She serves as Head of Emerging Businesses for Elutia, responsible for the launch and commercialization of new portfolio offerings. Prior to this, Sonali served as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute where she lead a team responsible the translation and commercialization of new medical discoveries. Prior to SBP, Sonali worked at Elsevier, a leading provider of Healthcare Technology products. Dr. Fonseca was Vice President of Business Development and Strategy, then VP, Commercial Operations for Elsevier’s ClinicalPath franchise, an oncology clinical decision business.
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Sonali has also advised corporations, financial buyers and non-profits through her work at PwC Deals Strategy focusing on M&A in the US and UK Life Science space, and with Deloitte, where she advised pharma and biotech clients on organic growth strategy and operational execution. Sonali earned a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Design from the University of Toronto.
Erica Elchin
Vice President of Global Operations
Erica Elchin is a results-driven biotechnology professional with over 20 years of experience across biologics, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. She is returning to Elutia after leading cell therapy process improvement efforts at the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Previously, Ms. Elchin served as Elutia’s Vice President of Technical Services, overseeing quality, regulatory, donor services and production technology of the company’s proprietary biologic products. Prior to that, she led Operations at Osiris Therapeutics, where she was responsible for production of portfolio of proprietary commercial wound care and orthopedic cell therapy products.
Kimberly Mulligan, Ph.D.
Vice President and General Manager of the Cardiovascular Division
Dr. Kimberly Mulligan, Ph.D., our Vice President and General Manager of the Cardiovascular Division, has over 24 years of leadership and sales experience in the cardiovascular medical device industry. Prior to this role, as an Area Sales Director for Elutia, Kimberly played an integral part in the launch and growth of the CanGaroo device envelope which is used to treat implantable device-related complications.
As the Director of Education, Kimberly was responsible for both internal and external sales training across the Elutia portfolio of products. Kimberly has been the recipient of multiple awards in recognition of her strong leadership which has resulted in sales performance not only at Elutia, but also at Medtronic where she spent 14 years in the cardiac rhythm division serving as a Clinical Specialist, Field Engineer and District Service Manager.
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Kimberly received her Ph.D. in Physiology from the Wake Forest School of Medicine where she studied the role extracellular matrix plays in heart disease. Kimberly received a B.S. in Biology and a B.S. in Secondary Math and Science Education from Florida State University.
The Board of Directors.
Kevin Rakin
Chairman
Kevin Rakin has served as our chairman and a member of our board of directors since November 2015. Mr. Rakin is Co-founder of HighCape Partners, an investment fund and affiliate of Elutia, and has been a general partner in HighCape Partners since 2013. Additionally, Mr. Rakin serves as Chief Executive Officer of HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded affiliate of HighCape Partners, since June 2020. Since 2014, Mr. Rakin has also been a member of the board of directors of Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a publicly traded pharmaceutical company, where Mr. Rakin serves on the Audit and Compensation Committee. Mr. Rakin has also served, and continues to serve, on the board of directors of several private companies, including Convexity Scientific Inc. since 2017, Nyxoah S.A., a publicly traded medical device company, since 2016 and Cybrexa, Inc. since 2016. Prior to and during the last five years, Mr. Rakin has served on the board of directors of various private and publicly traded biomedical and pharmaceutical companies, including Histogenics Corp., where Mr. Rakin served on the Audit and Compensation Committee, TELA Bio, Inc., Cheetah Medical, Inc. and Collagen Matrix, Inc. Mr. Rakin holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University and B.Com and B.Com (Hons) degrees from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
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Previously, he was a Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded pharmacogenomics company, until its merger with Clinical Data, Inc. in 2005. His Board memberships include Cheetah Medical, Inc. (Chairman), Cybrexa, Inc., and TELA Bio, Inc., as well as Histogenics Corp. and Collagen Matrix, Inc.
He has previously served as a Board member for Ipsogen SA, OMRIX Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., and Clinical Data, Inc. Mr. Rakin received an M.B.A. from Columbia University and B.Com and B.Com (Hons) degrees from the University of Cape Town.
W. Matthew Zuga
Board Member
Matt Zuga has served as a member of our board of directors since November 2015. Since October 2013, Mr. Zuga has been a Co-founder and partner of HighCape Partners, an investment fund and affiliate of Elutia. Additionally, Mr. Zuga serves as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded affiliate of HighCape Partners, since June 2020. From August 2012 to September 2013, Mr. Zuga was a managing director of SyngentaVentures Pte Ltd, an investment vehicle of Syngenta Corp. He was also the founder and managing member of Red Abbey, an investment company, from January 2004 to August 2012. Prior to Red Abbey, Mr. Zuga was a managing director and the head of life sciences investment banking at Legg Mason from 1999 to 2003. He is currently on the board of directors of AgriMetis, LLC, Alba Therapeutics Corporation, MF Fire, Inc. and Virtue Labs LLC. Mr. Zuga holds an M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.S. in Business Administration/Finance from Ohio State University.
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Prior to Red Abbey, Mr. Zuga was a managing director and the head of life sciences investment banking at Legg Mason from 1999 to 2003. He is currently on the boards of Aziyo Biologics, Inc., AgriMetis, LLC, Alba Therapeutics Corporation, MF Fire, Inc. and Virtue Labs LLC. Mr. Zuga received an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.S. in Business Administration/Finance from Ohio State University.
Maybelle Jordan
Board Member
Maybelle Jordan has served as a member of our board of directors since September 2020. Ms. Jordan has served as Vice President of Business Development of Biomerix Corporation, a biomaterials company focused on scaffold technology in the medical technology industry, since 2011, and as Chief Operating Officer for Biomerix from 2003 to 2011. Ms. Jordan also co-founded and served as President and CEO of MTrap Inc., a clinical-stage biomaterials company developing a cancer therapeutic device for treatment of advanced ovarian cancer, from 2015 to 2019. Ms. Jordan holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University and a B.S. in Biology from Yale University.
Brigid A. Makes
Board Member
Brigid Makes has served as a member of our board of directors since September 2020. Ms. Makes has served as an independent consultant for medical device and healthcare companies since July 2017, specifically advising on finance, accounting and funding responsibilities. From September 2011 to July 2017, Ms. Makes served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Miramar Labs, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on aesthetics and dermatology. From 2006 to 2011, Ms. Makes served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AGA Medical Corp, a medical device company developing interventional devices for the minimally invasive treatment of structural heart defects and peripheral vascular disorders. Prior to joining AGA, Ms. Makes held various positions at Nektar Therapeutics Inc. from 1999 to 2006, including serving as Chief Financial Officer. Since December 2019, Ms. Makes has also been a member of the board of directors of Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc., a publicly traded neuro-pharmaceutical company, where Ms. Makes serves on the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating/Governance Committee. Since June 2021, she also has served as a member of the board of directors and as chair of the Audit Committee for Quantum-Si, Inc, a life sciences tools company focused on commercializing a unique protein sequencing platform. Ms. Makes holds an M.B.A. from Bentley University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance & International Business from McGill University.
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From 2006 to 2011, Ms. Makes served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AGA Medical Corp, a medical device company developing interventional devices for the minimally invasive treatment of structural heart defects and peripheral vascular disorders. Prior to joining AGA, Ms. Makes held various positions at Nektar Therapeutics Inc. from 1999 to 2006, including serving as Chief Financial Officer. Since December 2019, Ms. Makes has also been a member of the board of directors of Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc., a publicly traded neuro-pharmaceutical company, where Ms. Makes serves on the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating/Governance Committee. Ms. Makes holds an M.B.A. from Bentley University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance & International Business from McGill University.
David Colpman
Board Member
David Colpman has served as a member of our board of directors since October 2022. Mr. Colpman was the managing partner of Colpman Consulting Ltd., a business development consultancy, from July 2014 to March 2020. Prior to this, Mr. Colpman was a senior vice president at Shire Plc from 1999 to 2014. Prior to Shire Plc, Mr. Colpman had senior roles in business development at Novo Nordisk A/S, Glaxo Wellcome Plc and Boots Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Mr. Colpman currently serves on the board of OakHill Bio, a private clinical-stage neonatology and rare disease therapeutics company. In addition, he is currently an advisor to HighCape Capital, an affiliate of HighCape Partners, which is an investment fund and a controlling stockholder of the Company. Mr. Colpman received a B.Sc. from Portsmouth University in the field of pharmacy.
C. Randal Mills, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Dr. Randy Mills, Ph.D., co-founder of Elutia, has served as a member of Elutia’s board of directors since November 2015. Randy and Kevin Rakin started Elutia with the vision to build a regenerative medicine company to improve the lives of patients by developing a pipeline of cutting-edge biosurgical products.
Dr. Mills is an internationally recognized expert in regenerative medicine who has led pioneering biotechnology organizations that have created more than $1 billion in shareholder value for investors. As CEO of Osiris Therapeutics (Nasdaq: OSIR), he commercialized five cell-therapy products responsible for $1.5 billion in sales and led the company through an IPO that increased shareholder value 41-fold. Osiris was eventually sold to Smith and Nephew for $660 million. Dr. Mills was also a co-founder and officer of Regeneration Technologies (Nasdaq: RTIX), where he led operations, R&D, regulatory and business development through its successful IPO.
Read More…
Randy’s ‘patient first’ leadership style has also helped transform some of the nation’s most respected medical institutions. As president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, he radically improved the speed and transparency of the $3 billion agency. As CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match, he launched a bold plan to democratize cell therapy, resulting in significantly more bone marrow matches for ethnically diverse patients.
A sought-after speaker, Randy’s accomplishments have been chronicled in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, and LA Times. He has also appeared on CNBC, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg. Randy has received numerous recognitions, including being named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, listed as one of the World’s 50 Most Influential People in Regenerative Medicine, and awarded winner of AATB’s Hyatt Memorial Award for Scientific Leadership in Transplantation.
Dr. Mills holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Florida and completed an internship in Clinical Pathology at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida. He is married with two children and is an avid pilot.
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