AVI BioPharma Management
Leslie Hudson, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Hudson was appointed CEO and Board Director of AVI in February 2008 and brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to his role at AVI, Dr. Hudson served sequentially as president and CEO of two publicly–traded companies; Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. and DOV Pharmaceutical, Inc. He held several senior positions at Pharmacia Corp., including GVP and General Manager of Ophthalmology and was VP for Discovery Research at Glaxo Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline). Dr. Hudson serves on the Board of Directors of Nabi Biopharmaceuticals and Hooper Holmes Inc, both of which are publically–traded companies.
Alan P. Timmins
President and Chief Operating Officer
Alan P. Timmins was appointed President in 2000 and continues to serve as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, a position he has held since 1996. He has also served as a director since 1997 and as Chief Financial Officer from 1992 until 2000. From 1981 to 1991, he held a number of key positions with Price Waterhouse LLP, including Senior Manager specializing in high technology and emerging growth companies.
Patrick L. Iversen, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances
Patrick L. Iversen, Ph.D. served as Senior Vice President of Research and Development from 1997 to 2008 (and a director from 1997 to 2007), assuming this new role in 2008. From 1987 through 1997, he was on the staff of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Iversen has published extensively on antisense research and development, and has been a consultant to companies including Glaxo Inc., Innovir Pharmaceuticals, Lynx Therapeutics, and Isis Pharmaceuticals.
Ryszard Kole, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Discovery Research
Dr. Kole joined AVI BioPharma in April 2008. He is a pioneer in the use of oligonucleotides for the modulation of splicing. He received his Ph.D. from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Sidney Altman at Yale University, Dr. Kole provided early evidence that an RNA component is essential for the activity of a tRNA processing enzyme, RNase P. Subsequent discovery that RNase P is a ribozyme was recognized by a Nobel Prize for Dr. Altman. After joining the Department of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a faculty member, Dr. Kole’s work led to a discovery that splicing provides a novel target for gene based therapies of numerous disorders including cancer, genetic diseases and metabolic disorders such as obesity. Dr. Kole founded Ercole Biotech, Inc. to develop and commercialize this technology.
Peter D. O’Hanley, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs
Peter D. O’Hanley, M.D., Ph.D. has served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs since March 2004. From 2002 to 2003 he served as the Vice President Clinical Development for Maxygen, Inc., and was the Chief Scientific Officer for Preventis, Inc. from 2000 to 2003. Prior to that, Dr. O’Hanley was with Quintiles, Inc. from 1998 to 2000, most recently as the Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of the Anti–Infective Therapeutic & Immunology Therapeutic Groups.
Dwight D. Weller, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Chemistry and Manufacturing
Dwight D. Weller, Ph.D. joined AVI as a director in 1991, serving in that capacity until 2007. He served as Vice President of Chemistry from 1992 to 1997, and has served as Senior Vice President of Chemistry and Manufacturing since 1997. Previously a member of the faculty of Oregon State University since 1978, he was Associate Professor in its Chemistry Department from 1984 to 1992.
R. Ray Cummings
Vice President of Business Development
R. Ray Cummings has served as Vice President of Business Development since April 2004. Mr. Cummings most recently was the founder and president of Cummings Consulting LLC, where he assisted clients in developing successful business strategies and establishing partnerships for the development and commercialization of therapeutic products and pharmaceutical technologies. Before founding his consulting firm, Mr. Cummings worked as vice president of business development at Aradigm Corp., where he led the business development and licensing efforts for Aradigm’s pulmonary drug delivery technology, including negotiating agreements with major pharmaceutical companies.
Janet Rose (Christensen) Rea
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality
Janet Rose (Christensen) Rea, M.S.P.H., joined AVI in January 2003 as a Senior Director, and was promoted in July 2003 to her current position of Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality. She possesses over 25 years of FDA–regulated industry experience in guiding new products through the regulatory processes and in bringing them to the market. She has held key positions with several major biopharmaceutical companies, including American Hospital Supply, Bristol–Myers and Immunex Corporations.
Mark M. Webber
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer
Mark M. Webber was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer in 2000 after serving as the Company’s Corporate Controller since 1997. Previous to joining AVI, he served as Director of Finance for Pacific Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine.
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