The Healthcare Technology Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of Virginia for 2023. While other East Coast hot spots like New York, Boston, and DC may get more attention when it comes to their healthcare technology markets, Virginia is by no means a slouch. The state is home to a number of incredibly innovative healthtech companies across a range of specialties, from pharmaceuticals to biologics, diagnostics, and medical devices, among many others. The leaders on this year’s list earned their spots thanks to their dedication to revolutionizing the industry within their specialties, delivering technologies that have the ability to transform the lives of patients and the work of clinicians.
Some of the distinguished leaders on this year’s list include Ashley Pleasants, Vice President Project Management at Elligo Health Research, whose services are dramatically accelerating the development of new pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device and diagnostic products. Meanwhile, Chief Scientist David Gerdt’s CareTaker Medical has developed VitalStream, the world’s most innovative, FDA-cleared wearable vital signs monitor and early warning device. And Co-Founder and CEO Rust Felix’s Slope has developed the online eClinical Supply Chain Management (eCSCM) platform, which reduces clinical trial risks, reigns in costs, and improves the productivity of clinical trial collaborators.
This year’s awardees lead from a variety of positions, from CEO to CFO, VP, COO, and CTO. What they have in common is their demonstrated commitment to innovating in the healthcare technology space, prioritizing patient well-being in the Virginia area and around the world. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of Virginia for 2023.
1. Chris Senanayake
Company: TCG GreenChem, Inc
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Chris Senanayake is the Chief Executive Officer of TCG GreenChem, Inc., which offers seamless CMC development services including process research & development and delivery of CGMP APIs. In 1989, Dr. Senanayake joined the Department of Process Development at Dow Chemical Co. The next year, he joined the Merck Process Research Group. After 6 years at Merck, he accepted a position at Sepracor, Inc., where he was promoted to Executive Director of Chemical Process Research. In 2002, he joined Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, serving for more than 14 years as the Vice President of Chemical Development and leading a group of highly talented scientists, engineers, and administrative staff. In June 2018, Dr. Senanayake joined AstaTech BioPharmaceutical Corporation as the CEO, where he oversees all subsidiaries including AstaGreen Chem Inc. as the CEO. In October 2019, he became the CSO of TCG Lifesciences and founded TCG GreenChem Inc. in the U.S. as the CEO.
Dr. Senanayake was also appointed as president of AstaTech BioPharmaceutical. His research interests focus on the development of new asymmetric methods for the synthesis of bioactive molecules and heterocycles and on catalytic, enzymatic, and mechanistic studies. He has published and lectured in the area of practical asymmetric synthesis and many disciplines of organic chemistry on how to develop drugs rapidly in an economical, greener, and practical manner in large-scale operations. He is the co-author of more than 400 papers, book chapters, and review articles and more than 100 patents in many areas of synthetic organic chemistry, drug development, and design of improved chemical entities. He is an Editorial Advisory Board member of the Organic Process Research & Development Journal, and in 2008, he was the chairperson of Stereochemistry Gordon Conference.
In 2010, Dr. Senanayake received the prestigious Siegfried gold medal award for the development of practical processes for APIs and Process Chemistry. In 2011, he was appointed as an editorial board member of the Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis Journal. In 2012, he was appointed as an advisory board member of the Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry. In 2013, he was appointed to the board of editors for Organic Syntheses. In November 2017, he was appointed to the advisory board of Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry. Also in 2017, he was appointed to the board of directors of CURE (connecting Connecticut’s science community). Dr. Senanayake was born in Sri Lanka and earned a Bachelor of Science (First Class) in chemistry from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He completed his Master of Science at Bowling Green State University in synthetic chemistry and obtained his PhD under the guidance of Professor James H. Rigby at Wayne State University in 1987.
2. Douglas Boothe
Company: Akorn
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
In January 2019, Douglas Boothe was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Akorn, Inc., which develops, manufactures, and markets specialty pharmaceuticals, including prescription, consumer health, and animal health products. Prior to joining Akorn, Boothe most recently served as president of the generics division of the publicly-held Impax Laboratories, which developed, manufactured, and marketed bioequivalent pharmaceuticals and was acquired by Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC. Before Impax, Boothe was the executive vice president and general manager of Perrigo Company Plc, with responsibility for the U.S. pharmaceuticals business, which included generics and specialty pharmaceutical products.
Boothe also served as the CEO of Actavis Inc., the U.S. manufacturing and marketing division of Actavis Group, and held senior positions at Alpharma and Pharmacia Corp. Following his time at Impax, he served as principal consultant for his own consulting company, Channel Advantage Consulting LLC. Boothe received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his undergraduate degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University.
3. Keith Sullivan
Company: Neuronetics
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
Keith Sullivan serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Neuronetics, a commercial stage medical technology company focused on designing, developing, and marketing products that improve the quality of life for patients who suffer from psychiatric disorders. Sullivan most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer and President (North America) of ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc., a medical technology company developing and commercializing products utilizing its proprietary controlled-cooling technology platform under the Coolsculpting® brand.
Sullivan, who has more than 30 years of senior sales leadership experience in the medical device industry, has previously held leadership positions with Medicis Pharmaceuticals, Reliant Technologies, Medtronic, Vision Quest Laser Center, and Coherent Medical. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the College of William and Mary and is a clinical professor in the Mason School of Business at William and Mary. He also currently serves on the boards of directors of Sientra, Inc. and Venus Concept.
4. Ashley Pleasants
Company: Elligo Health Research
Title: Vice President Project Management
Ashley Pleasants is the Vice President Project Management for Elligo Health Research, a healthcare-enabling research organization powered by the novel IntElligo® technology. The company accelerates clinical trials through healthcare with access to known patients and its HIPAA-compliant healthcare data, IntElligo® Research Stack technology, and its eSolutions Research Accelerator PatientSelect approach. As the largest Known Patient Access Network, the company’s ClinEdge Research Practice Management enables healthcare practices and research sites to participate in clinical trials as Research Ready. By adaptive engagement of known patients and physicians, these services dramatically accelerate the development of new pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device and diagnostic products.
Before joining Elligo Health Research, Pleasants was Vice President Project Management at Synteract (now Syneos Health), and before that she was Director, Oncology Project Management at Chiltern (now Labcorp). Pleasants received a PhD in biochemistry and molecular genetics and a Master of Science in biological and physical sciences from The University of Virginia, and an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Wake Forest University.
5. Gregory Forton
Company: ATCC
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Gregory Forton joined ATCC as Chief Financial Officer in 2009. ATCC is a premier global biological materials and information resource and standards organization and the leading developer and supplier of authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, and associated data for academia, industry, and government.
With a history of scientific contributions spanning nearly a century, ATCC offers an unmatched combination of being the world’s largest and most diverse collection of biological reference materials and data, and a mission-driven, trusted partner that supports and encourages scientific collaboration. ATCC products, services, partnerships, and people provide the global scientific community with credible, advanced, model systems to support complex research and innovations in basic science, drug discovery, translational medicine, and public health. ATCC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with headquarters in Manassas, Virginia, and a research and technology center of excellence in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
6. David Gerdt
Company: CareTaker Medical
Title: Chief Scientist
David Gerdt is the Chief Scientist of CareTaker Medical. Caretaker Medical is a Digital Health startup in Charlottesville, Virginia with a fantastic group of scientists and engineers who have developed the world’s most innovative, wearable vital signs monitor and early warning device. The company has multiple FDA clearances for its flagship product, VitalStream, which continuously and non-invasively measures beat-by-beat blood pressure, advanced hemodynamics, ECG-accurate heart rate, and respiration rate, all from a comfortable finger cuff, and streams the data to remote displays, tablets, smartphones, or a secure HIPAA-compliant Web Portal to allow Patient Monitoring and Notifications from anywhere in the world.
Gerdt graduated from the University of Virginia with a PhD in materials science and a Master of Science in physics. He is also the President of Empirical Technologies Corporation, which owns several patents related to noninvasive, beat by beat blood pressure, noninvasive blood volume status (pending), and continuous arterial stiffness (pending).
7. Rust Felix
Company: Slope
Title: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Rust Felix is a Co-Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Slope, which provides an online eClinical Supply Chain Management (eCSCM) platform for sponsors and research sites collaborating on complex, sample-intensive, early-phase clinical trials. The Slope eCSCM platform reduces clinical trial risks, reigns in costs, improves the productivity of clinical trial collaborators, and increases subject retention by moving the manual, spreadsheet-driven, and error-prone processes used to manage and track clinical supplies and biological samples to a digital platform.
Slope is led by a diverse team of professionals with rich backgrounds in clinical operations, clinical trial management, research site coordination and management, predictive supply chain technology, Software as a Service (SaaS), sales, marketing, and executive management. Each leader brings a unique perspective to the goal of creating a company culture of collaboration and innovation with the commitment to helping the industry bring new drugs to market faster.
Felix first got his start in 2005 as a sales engineer at George F. Wheelock Co. Later, he served as Vice President – Commercial Sales for Roy C. Martin & Co. and Regional Sales Manager for AboveAir Technologies, before eventually rising to President at APHID Industries, LLC, his most recent position prior to joining Slope. Felix graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a master’s degree and an undergraduate degree, both in mechanical engineering.
8. Marjorie Zettler
Company: Regor Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Title: Executive Director of Clinical Science
Marjorie Zettler, PhD, MPH, is Executive Director of Clinical Science at Regor Pharmaceuticals Inc., a pioneering drug discovery and clinical stage pharmaceutical research company. In this role, Dr. Zettler drives the U.S. clinical development and regulatory strategy for novel compounds within the oncology portfolio.
Dr. Zettler joined Regor in April 2021. An industry veteran with two decades of experience in the pharma and healthcare sector, she is an accomplished drug developer with deep expertise in clinical research and regulatory science. Previous positions include Director of Research Strategy at Cardinal Health and Senior Clinical Research Scientist at Lilly.
An award-winning researcher, author, and speaker, Dr. Zettler was named a 2022 Woman Worth Watching® in STEM. She has published more than 100 abstracts, manuscripts, book chapters, and patents, and is a frequent conference presenter and panelist, addressing topics such as clinical trials, diversity, and real-world evidence. Dr. Zettler received a PhD in physiology and a BSc (honors) in genetics from the University of Manitoba, Canada, and an MPH from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom.
9. Brian Mills
Company: Vista Clinical Diagnostics
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Brian Mills is the Chief Executive Officer of Vista Clinical Diagnostics. Vista Clinical is an independently-owned and local laboratory with corporate headquarters in Clermont, Florida. As a full service laboratory, Vista’s current clinical services include pathology and a variety of blood tests. It strives to uphold a policy of delivering same-day test results, making the process as easy for its patients as possible. Its STAT test turnaround time is 4 hours from the time it collects the specimen.
Mills first joined Vista Clinical in 2009 as a director, working his way up to CEO – Northern Region in 2014. Previously, he was an owner at MP Construction Supply Inc. He graduated from Monroe Community College with a degree in business administration and management.
10. April Hall
Company: Biomere
Title: Chief Business Officer
April Hall currently serves as Chief Business Officer for Biomere, a global, nonclinical contract research organization (CRO) with locations on the east and west coast, as well as multiple locations in China. Hall is a veteran of the CRO industry and a bioengineer by training with over 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical and medical device research. Her experience ranges from primary design and development of orthopedic devices and bioadhesives to international sales and marketing of testing capabilities and services.
For the past 25 years, Hall focused on the sales and marketing aspect for preclinical contract research testing. She has led business development efforts at a number of leading contract labs including Charles River Laboratories, Transgenomics, and Sinclair Research Center. She serves on the SAB for the Pediatric Medical Device Institute. Hall received her MS in biomedical/medical engineering and her BS in mechanical engineering from Clemson University and MBA from Northcentral University.
11. Paul Bishop
Company: Atlantic Research Group
Title: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Paul Bishop is the Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Research Group, one of the fastest-growing and most successful CROs dedicated to small and emerging biopharmaceutical concerns. Bishop, with his co-founder Lyle Camblos, has led ARG to 10 years of record sales and customer growth. Prior to co-founding ARG, Bishop served in various management roles at a large global CRO, where he specialized in project and functional management for small biotech projects.
Bishop’s professional experience includes oncological, immunological, metabolic disease, and ophthalmological development programs both in project management and business development. Prior to that, he held clinical development positions and participated in academic research at the University of Virginia. He received his Bachelors of Arts in biology from the University of Virginia.
12. Nathaniel Wuertz
Company: Orthosnap
Title: Former Sales Director
Nathaniel Wuertz is a Former Sales Director for Orthosnap and the Mid-Atlantic Territory Director for Lightscalpel. Orthosnap is a technologically unique clear aligner company upending the market by giving dentists a solution that delivers better, faster results at the price-point of direct-to-consumer competitors. Orthosnap also helps dental practitioners expand the range of services they offer, increase patient loyalty, and drive overall productivity with a substantial new revenue stream. As Sales Director, Wuertz has had an active hand in the development and implementation of a scaling sales strategy designed to create the most educated and competent partners possible. He believes that the higher the quality of a partner, the greater the return for all parties involved.
Prior to working with Orthosnap, Wuertz developed the customer base for the Mid- Atlantic region for Lightscalpel and has been diligent in investing into continuing education for both himself and his partners. Largely from these courses, he found a passion in Sleep and Airway Medicine and is currently pursuing a Masters in Clinical Mental Health with a specialty in Sleep and Neurology. His current projects involve concentrating on elevating single parent homes and mothers working through postpartum. He started off in humble beginnings, first receiving an associate degree in business at Tidewater Community College and then earning a bachelor's degree in religious studies at Regent University.
13. Hunter Walker
Company: Atlantic Research Group
Title: Chief Technology Officer
Hunter Walker is Atlantic Research Group’s Chief Technology Officer and is responsible for all clinical data management, safety, and data integration and analytics systems. Walker’s team manages and deploys the Software as a Service (SaaS) applications upon which all corporate operations run. Prior to joining ARG, he served as a clinical technology developer with a large CRO and a small biotechnology company in San Diego. An early adopter of cloud-based technologies, Walker constantly evaluates and implements SaaS platforms to improve the management of clinical trials.
Walker graduated from the University of Virginia with a Master of Science in management of information technology and a bachelor’s degree in biology. His early career as a technology expert at a clinical research organization helped him see unique opportunities for cloud-based technology to bring powerful insights to all stakeholders in the clinical trial process.
14. Ronald Gunn
Company: Kaléo
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
Ronald Gunn is the current President and Chief Executive Officer at Kaléo. Kaléo is dedicated to inventing, manufacturing, and commercializing life-transforming products that empower patients and families to live fuller, bolder lives. The company is committed to developing solutions that support the healthcare provider-patient relationship and improving access to Kaléo’s products.
Prior to his current position, Gunn served as Chief Operating Officer for Kaléo for over 13 years. Before Kaléo, he was an Executive Vice President and COO for Insmed and Clinical Affairs Officer for Leiras. He also served for two years as manager of clinical operations for Whitby Research Inc. Gunn earned his MBA and Master of Science in statistics from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and statistics from Radford University.
15. Mike Cariola
Company: Bode Technology
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
Mike Cariola brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role as Chief Executive Officer and has been a key contributor in leading and transitioning Bode to be a world leader within the forensic science community. Cariola is responsible for the operational leadership of Bode’s forensic operations, products, software, and consulting services. In addition to ensuring the quality and reliability of services provided to clients worldwide, Cariola has driven growth through the oversight of Bode Cellmark’s federal business development efforts, active R&D programs, and software and product development.
Cariola held a variety of progressively responsible positions with the Bode Cellmark predecessor company, Bode Technology. While serving as Laboratory Director, he was primarily involved with the company’s forensic casework and databasing activities. During that time, Bode Technology successfully assisted numerous crime laboratories in the elimination of backlogs, and Cariola helped launch several new services and products, implementing new technologies to increase quality, efficiency, and effectiveness in the laboratory. These have become the cornerstones of Bode Cellmark’s international offerings and are a significant driver of company growth.
Cariola is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Sciences. He has also served on the advisory boards of the forensic science programs for Towson University and Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds a master of forensic science degree with a concentration in forensic molecular biology from The George Washington University and a bachelor of arts degree in biology from Cornell University.
16. Libby Lynes
Company: BioTel Heart
Title: Regional Sales Director, Atlantic Region
Libby Lynes is the Regional Sales Director, Atlantic Region at BioTel Heart. BioTelemetry, a Philips company, was founded a quarter century ago. The company remains committed to leading the mobile and wireless medical technology industry and focuses on the delivery of health information to save and improve lives while reducing the cost of care. Its ability to invent and share ideas and technologies with others ensures that its customers and patients receive the very best in care. Today, the company provides cardiac and mobile blood-glucose monitoring, centralized medical imaging, and original equipment manufacturing serving the healthcare and clinical research sectors.
Lynes is an experienced sales professional with a demonstrated history of leadership and achievement in the medical industry and has achieved outstanding sales results and sales team development. She first joined BioTel in 2010 as a principal account executive. Previously, she worked for nearly two years as a specialty pharmaceuticals sales representative for Reliant Pharmaceuticals. Lynes graduated from Auburn University.
17. Jeff Conroy
Company: Embody
Title: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Conroy is a Co-Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Embody, Inc. Embody is a commercial-stage company pioneering the next generation in collagen-based tendon and ligament healing for the fast-growing sports medicine market. Founded in 2014, the company is developing unique biomaterials with an initial focus on orthopedic applications including Achilles, rotator cuff, and knee ligament repair.
Conroy also served as an independent director for Odyssey Health Inc. from January 2020 to January 2023 and for Cingulate Therapeutics from May 2018 to January 2023. He also served as an executive vice president for Stendhai and as Managing Director for Windward Investments from May 2012 to December 2019. Previously, he was Managing Partner for Adjuvant Partners. Conroy graduated from Providence College and currently serves on the Business Advisory Council for the Providence College School of Business and as a member of the Board Of Advisors for the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs – Virginia Tech.
18. Micah Cost
Company: Pharmacy Quality Alliance
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Micah Cost, PharmD, MS, CAE, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA). A seasoned health care association executive, Cost leads PQA’s work to improve medication safety, adherence, and appropriate use. Cost works with PQA’s 250 member organizations from across healthcare to develop and implement quality measures, conduct research, and provide education that supports better medication use and high-quality care. Previously, Cost was executive director of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA), representing pharmacists and pharmacy professionals across all practice settings in the state. He was with TPA for 12 years and also served as its director of professional affairs.
Cost has served as board president of the Alliance for Patient Medication Safety (APMS), a federally registered patient safety organization focused on continuous quality improvement within the pharmacy community. APMS works with pharmacies to improve workflow, increase patient care quality, and reduce risk.
Throughout his career, Cost has served in leadership positions with numerous associations and coalitions. He is chair of the American Pharmacists Association’s Policy Committee and previously served as a board member of the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and as president of the Tennessee Society of Association Executives. Cost earned his doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy and a master’s degree in pharmaceutical outcomes and health policy from the University of Florida. He earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy arts from Lipscomb University.
19. Jennifer Brearey
Company: AdvaMed
Title: Chief Financial & Operating Officer
Jennifer Brearey is the Chief Financial & Operating Officer of AdvaMed and the Executive Director of AdvaMed Advance and AdvaMed Women’s Executive Network. She was appointed chief financial officer of AdvaMed in March 2016, having previously served as the association’s vice president of finance and director of finance. Brearey also serves as the Executive Director for AdvaMed’s inclusion diversity programs, which include the industry initiative AdvaMed Advance and AdvaMed’s Women’s Executive Network.
Prior to joining AdvaMed in June 2012, Brearey spent seven years at Ford’s Premier Automotive Group, where she held management roles in profit analysis and vehicle pricing for Jaguar and Land Rover North America. She also led accounting for the U.S. offices of a privately held legal services firm, CPA Global. Brearey began her career in public accounting and has more than 19 years of finance, accounting, managerial, and organizational planning experience. She holds a BBA in accounting from James Madison University and recently served as chairwoman of the FAR Roundtable, a 300-member network of nonprofit executives.
20. Eric Edwards
Company: Phlow Corporation
Title: Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Eric Edwards is a Co-Founder and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Phlow Corporation, a pioneering public benefit pharmaceutical corporation. As CEO, Dr. Edwards has assembled a world-class team committed to providing a solution to the broken essential medicines supply chain and the over-reliance on foreign manufacturers for our nation’s highest priority medicines.
Dr. Edwards also co-founded Kaléo, Inc., a pharmaceutical company in Richmond, Virginia. During his 16 years at Kaléo, he held several executive management positions including Chief Science Officer, where he was responsible for overall scientific strategy and all pharmaceutical development programs; Chief Medical Officer responsible for developing a medical affairs team and capability while operationalizing the company’s clinical program strategy; and Vice President – Innovation, overseeing Kaleo’s research and development pipeline and overall new product strategy.
Dr. Edwards is the co-inventor of multiple marketed products, including AUVI-Q, an epinephrine auto-injector for the treatment of allergic emergencies (anaphylaxis). He is named on more than 215 issued and patent-pending applications, and is a published author on numerous scientific publications. Dr. Edwards also continues to serve his community by volunteering on a local rescue squad, including responding to 911 calls and training paramedics in pre-hospital emergency care. Dr. Edwards obtained his Bachelor of Science in biology, PhD in the pharmaceutical sciences, and Doctor of Medicine from Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia.
21. Kristina Peterman
Company: ATCC
Title: Senior Director, Compliance & QA and Chief Compliance Officer
Kristina Peterman is the Senior Director, Compliance & QA and Chief Compliance Officer for ATCC, a premier global biological materials and information resource and standards organization and the leading developer and supplier of authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, and associated data for academia, industry, and government. With a history of scientific contributions spanning nearly a century, ATCC offers an unmatched combination of being the world’s largest and most diverse collection of biological reference materials and data, and a mission-driven, trusted partner that supports and encourages scientific collaboration.
ATCC products, services, partnerships, and people provide the global scientific community with credible, advanced, model systems to support complex research and innovations in basic science, drug discovery, translational medicine, and public health. ATCC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with headquarters in Manassas, Virginia, and a research and technology center of excellence in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Peterman assumed her current position in 2012. Prior to that, she served as ATCC’s Director of Compliance & Safety from March 1998 to June 2012. She graduated from Virginia Tech with an undergraduate degree in biology, studied international business/trade/commerce at Duquesne University, and studied project management at James Madison University.
22. Juan Piacquadio
Company: Phlow Corporation
Title: Chief Information Officer and Vice President, Information Technology
Juan Piacquadio is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Vice President of Information Services for Phlow Corporation. Phlow is a public benefit pharmaceutical manufacturing company on a mission to reliably supply affordable, high-quality, essential medicines through U.S.-based advanced manufacturing processes. The company manufactures precursor chemical ingredients, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), and finished pharmaceutical products domestically for essential medicines critical to the nation’s healthcare.
Piacquadio is a digital transformation and business growth executive with over 20 years of experience in the technology space and has led organizations across the U.S., EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regions. This includes roles at Siemens, NEC, HP, NCR, St. Jude Medical, and Skanska. Piacquadio is a member of the board of directors and partner at Cystel, a cybersecurity company headquartered in the U.K. Previously, he was a member of the Executive Advisory Board at the Center for Organizational Research at the School of Advanced Studies of the University of Phoenix, and a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the Consortium of Data Analytics at the Center of Healthcare Research at the same university.
While he is a thought leader and keynote speaker in the areas of cybersecurity, enterprise agility and big data, Piacquadio is also a member of the adjunct faculty at California Baptist University, Colorado Christian University, and Columbia International University. He holds an MBA from the University of La Verne and a Master of Science in IT from Azusa Pacific University. He is a published author and business administration doctoral candidate at the University of Liverpool, U.K.
23. David Voight
Company: Acceleration Point
Title: Co-Chief Executive Officer
David Voight is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Acceleration Point, which provides consulting, operational support & staffing, and technology solutions designed specifically for medical affairs. Acceleration Point is helping medical affairs leaders collect and analyze KOL insights through its KOL social monitoring platform, internal insight analytics, and KOL engagement planning systems. The company also provides outsourcing services for HCP contracting and Medical Material Reviews.
Voight first joined Acceleration Point in 2013. Previously, he served as Vice President of Operations for Advance Auto Parts, and before that as VP of Finance, Retail for Best Buy. Earlier in his career, he worked with Frito Lay as Regional Category Manager – Finance and spent over eight years with Carlson Companies, primarily as Senior Director of Finance. Voight earned an MBA in finance from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management and an undergraduate degree in physics from University of Minnesota – Morris.
24. Kenneth Guito
Company: Biologics Consulting
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Kenneth Guito was hired as Chief Operating Officer of Biologics Consulting Group, Inc. in 2019, following a 35-year career in the biotech/biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Biologics Consulting, Guito was with Sanofi Pasteur Inc. (1990-2015), most recently serving as General Manager, Sanofi-Topaz, Inc., a subsidiary company. In this role he was responsible for all operational activities for the company.
Prior to this, Guito held senior level positions in corporate and business development, where he was responsible for executing the strategic directive for the organization’s continued growth, the evaluation of in-licensing and acquisition opportunities, and the execution of transactions. He began his professional career in pharmaceutical development, where he held senior leadership positions in product development, clinical affairs, and regulatory affairs for Sanofi Pasteur and Schering Corporation.
During his tenure with Sanofi Pasteur, Guito was a principal force in bringing nine small and large molecule products through development to commercial success. He has served on the board of directors for Ben Franklin Technology Partners since 2012; the board of directors for Life Sciences PA from 2006 to 2012; and the advisory board for the Pennsylvania Academy of Science from 2006 to 2008. In his role as COO of Biologics Consulting, Guito is responsible for developing and implementing the operational objectives and supporting the strategic direction of the company.
25. Kevin Breheny
Company: AccuTec Blades
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Kevin Breheny is the Chief Financial Officer of AccuTec Blades, Inc. AccuTec provides the highest quality specialty, medical, and professional blades for customers worldwide. These bladed products serve diverse industries including medical, flooring, manufacturing, food processing, and medical device manufacturing. From its beginnings as the Star Razor Company in 1875 to today’s AccuTec Blades, the company’s people and products have stood the test of time. This legacy stands alone in blade making. AccuTec’s portfolio of brands includes Personna®, Personna Medical, GEM® by Personna, and American Line®. It is also proud to produce a global range of superior cutting tools for OEM and private labels. AccuTec products are engineered to perform, built to the highest standards, and with exacting tolerances to meet the demands of its customers. At AccuTec, “Engineered to Perform'' is not just a slogan, but a compass driving the company forward.
Breheny joined AccuTec in 2017 and is responsible for directing all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to budget management, cost benefit analysis, forecasting, and funding. Previously, he served as CFO of Industrial Container Services, LLC and as CFO and Controller for NuCO2, and he held leadership roles with Crane Aerospace, Sunbeam Corporation, Deloitte and Touche LLP, and KPMG Peat Marwick. Breheny holds a Bachelor of Arts from Pace University.
