Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Tsontcho Ianchulev, MD MPH
Chairman of the Board
Dr. Ianchulev served as our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Medical Officer and a member of our Board of Directors from March 2014 to August 2022. From 2009 to 2016, he was the chief medical officer and the head of technology and business development for Transcend Medical, Inc. (acquired by Novartis International AG/Alcon, Inc. (NYSE: NVS)). Prior to that, while at Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA, before going private in 2009), Dr. Ianchulev headed the ophthalmology research group and directed the development and the FDA approval of Lucentis. Dr. Ianchulev currently serves as a director of the ASCRS Foundation, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Iantrek, Inc. and AEye, Inc. He was formerly chairman of the board of directors of ianTECH from 2014 until its acquisition by Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ETR: AFX) in 2019. Dr. Ianchulev received his B.S. from the University of Rochester. He received both his M.D. and an M.P.H. from Harvard University and completed his specialty training at the Doheny Eye Institute. Currently, Dr. Ianchulev serves as a professor in the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.
Michael Geltzeiler
Independent Board Member
Michael Geltzeiler joined as an independent director and chair of our audit committee in November 2023. Mike comes to us with more than 35 years of senior financial leadership experience, including as former Chief Financial Officer of ADT Corporation, NYSE Euronext, Reader’s Digest Association, and ACNielsen. In addition to his role as CFO, Geltzeiler worked for ACNielsen Corporation as senior vice president & controller, and CFO for ACNielsen Europe, Middle East, and Africa. He also held a variety of positions, in the United States and abroad, for the Dun & Bradstreet Corporation, a provider of commercial information and insight on businesses. Michael previously served on the Boards of Cypress Creek Renewables and the Euronext Supervisory Board and is currently a board member for Madison Square Boys and Girls Club and the University of Delaware.
Rachel Jacobson
Independent Board Member
Rachel Jacobson brings to the Board significant expertise in business development and marketing, having spent 21 years with the National Basketball Association, where she oversaw business development, licensing, marketing, account management and event planning, among other roles. Currently she serves as the President of the Drone Racing League (DRL), where she spearheads global partnerships and media rights deals, and leads the marketing and business development teams, bringing to DRL her legacy of creating transformative partnerships with leading sports and technology brands. As the SVP of Global Partnerships at the National Basketball Association, she closed partnership sales and secured global partnerships with some of the world’s most prominent companies, including PepsiCo, ExxonMobil, Under Armour, Marriott, Harman, Kaiser Permanente and other Fortune 500 companies. Prior to DRL, she also served as the Chief Business Development Officer at Landit, the market leader in personalized career pathing technology to increase the success and engagement of women and diverse groups in the workplace. Ms. Jacobson is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel & Business Management.
Charles E. Mather IV
Independent Board Member
Mr. Mather has been a member of our Board of Directors since March 2018. In October 2023, Mr. Mather was appointed the Senior Managing Director of the Investment Banking Division at Brookline Capital Markets. From October 2019 to October 2023, Mr. Mather was Managing Director, Equity Capital Markets at Suntrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. Prior to that, since March 2015, Mr. Mather had been Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets at BTIG, LLC. From December 2009 to February 2015, he was the Head of Private and Alternative Capital and Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets at Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC.
Between May 2007 and September 2008, Mr. Mather was the head of the Structured Equity Group at Jefferies Group Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Mather held various senior investment banking positions at Cowen and Company, including as Co- Head of the Private Equity Group.
Mr. Mather serves on the board Wentz LLC. Mr. Mather also served on the board of Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: TNXP) until February 2019 and The Finance Company of Pennsylvania until August 2017. Mr. Mather received a B.A. in History from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Between May 2007 and September 2008, Mr. Mather was the head of the Structured Equity Group at Jefferies Group Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Mather held various senior investment banking positions at Cowen and Company, including as Co- Head of the Private Equity Group.
Mr. Mather serves on the board Wentz LLC. Mr. Mather also served on the board of Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: TNXP) until February 2019 and The Finance Company of Pennsylvania until August 2017. Mr. Mather received a B.A. in History from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ellen Strahlman, MD, MS
Independent Board Member
Dr Strahlman brings to the Board C-suite executive experience at multiple global healthcare companies. She is passionate about innovation that transforms and democratizes technology into products that help people, with an accompanying track record of delivering value to business through her philosophy of Servant Leadership.
Dr. Strahlman served as Executive Vice President, Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX), a leading global medical technology company, from 2013 until her retirement in 2018. While at BD, the company was selected as the Outstanding Corporate Innovator in 2015 by the Product Development & Management Association. Before joining BD, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for GlaxoSmithKline, plc (NYSE:GSK) from 2008 to 2013, spending her last year at GSK as Senior Advisor to the CEO, leading GSK’s Global Health Programs. Prior to 2008, Dr. Strahlman held senior executive leadership roles in global product development and commercialization and business development at Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE:PFE), Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS), Virogen Limited, and Merck & Co., Inc (NYSE: MRK). She was the Senior Vice President for Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer for Bausch & Lomb (NYSE:BLCO ) from 1995-2000.
Dr Strahlman was chosen to serve as Industry Representative on the FDA/CDER Dermatology and Ophthalmology Advisory Committee (DODAC), from 2008-2013. From 2016 to November 2020, Dr. Strahlman served as a director of Syncona Limited (NYSE: SYN.L), having previously served as a director of Syncona Partners, LLP. She is currently a director of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO). In addition to her corporate board service, Dr Strahlman serves as Visiting Professor, University of Turku, in Finland.
Dr Strahlman earned a BA from Harvard University in biochemistry and an MD from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is an American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) board-certified ophthalmologist, having trained at the Wilmer Eye Institute from 1984-1987. She was awarded a Carnegie Mellon Public Health Fellowship in 1987, during which she earned an MHSc in Epidemiology from the Bloomberg School of Public Health (1987-1989).
Dr. Strahlman served as Executive Vice President, Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX), a leading global medical technology company, from 2013 until her retirement in 2018. While at BD, the company was selected as the Outstanding Corporate Innovator in 2015 by the Product Development & Management Association. Before joining BD, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for GlaxoSmithKline, plc (NYSE:GSK) from 2008 to 2013, spending her last year at GSK as Senior Advisor to the CEO, leading GSK’s Global Health Programs. Prior to 2008, Dr. Strahlman held senior executive leadership roles in global product development and commercialization and business development at Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE:PFE), Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS), Virogen Limited, and Merck & Co., Inc (NYSE: MRK). She was the Senior Vice President for Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer for Bausch & Lomb (NYSE:BLCO ) from 1995-2000.
Dr Strahlman was chosen to serve as Industry Representative on the FDA/CDER Dermatology and Ophthalmology Advisory Committee (DODAC), from 2008-2013. From 2016 to November 2020, Dr. Strahlman served as a director of Syncona Limited (NYSE: SYN.L), having previously served as a director of Syncona Partners, LLP. She is currently a director of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO). In addition to her corporate board service, Dr Strahlman serves as Visiting Professor, University of Turku, in Finland.
Dr Strahlman earned a BA from Harvard University in biochemistry and an MD from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is an American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) board-certified ophthalmologist, having trained at the Wilmer Eye Institute from 1984-1987. She was awarded a Carnegie Mellon Public Health Fellowship in 1987, during which she earned an MHSc in Epidemiology from the Bloomberg School of Public Health (1987-1989).
Ram Palanki, Pharm. D.
Independent Board Member
Dr. Ram Palanki currently serves as Executive Vice President of Commercial Strategy & Operations at REGENXBIO (NASDQ: RGNX), a leader in AAV gene therapy, and is responsible for the planning, execution, and commercialization of their pipeline across the ophthalmology, central nervous system, and neuromuscular disease franchises.
Dr. Palanki has nearly 20 years of experience in the development and commercialization of biopharmaceuticals and medical devices. Before joining REGENXBIO, Dr. Palanki was Senior Vice President of Commercial for the Americas at Santen Inc. Previously, he served as the executive team member leading the strategy and operations for pre-launch and global commercialization of a first-in-class biologic at ThromboGenics (now known as Oxurion, NASDAQ: OXUR). Over the span of his career, Dr. Palanki has held roles of increasing responsibility at several small, mid-sized and large companies, including the launch of LUCENTIS® at Genentech. He is an active board member and strategic advisor to multiple biotech companies, technology start-ups and global non-profits.
Ram holds a PharmD from Albany College of Pharmacy, Union University, NY, and his post doctorate from Rutgers University, NJ.
Dr. Palanki has nearly 20 years of experience in the development and commercialization of biopharmaceuticals and medical devices. Before joining REGENXBIO, Dr. Palanki was Senior Vice President of Commercial for the Americas at Santen Inc. Previously, he served as the executive team member leading the strategy and operations for pre-launch and global commercialization of a first-in-class biologic at ThromboGenics (now known as Oxurion, NASDAQ: OXUR). Over the span of his career, Dr. Palanki has held roles of increasing responsibility at several small, mid-sized and large companies, including the launch of LUCENTIS® at Genentech. He is an active board member and strategic advisor to multiple biotech companies, technology start-ups and global non-profits.
Ram holds a PharmD from Albany College of Pharmacy, Union University, NY, and his post doctorate from Rutgers University, NJ.
Michael Rowe
Director
Mr. Rowe has served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer since August 2022, having first joined the Company in July 2018 as Vice President, Marketing and most recently as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer since January 2021. From February 2016 to June 2018, Mr. Rowe was Senior Director of U.S. and Global Marketing, Ophthalmology at Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AERI), where he was responsible for the United States and international commercialization of glaucoma and ocular hypertension products. From July 2010 until February 2016, Mr. Rowe served in various strategic management roles at Allergan plc (since acquired by AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV)), most recently as the Head of Corporate Competitive Intelligence, where he supported multiple corporate strategic initiatives as well as strategic planning for the company’s worldwide glaucoma franchise. Mr. Rowe also has held senior marketing roles at Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Women First HealthCare, Inc. (a former public company) and senior marketing and health economics roles at Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE). Mr. Rowe received an M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received a B.A. from The State University of New York at Stony Brook.