Kelly Romano joined our Board of Directors in December 2020 and was appointed Chair of the Board on August 5, 2021. She is the founder and chief executive officer of BlueRipple Capital, LLC, a consultancy firm working with global technology companies, and previously served as an operating partner at AE Industrial Partners. Previously, she spent 32 years working at United Technologies Corp. Ms. Romano is a member of several boards of directors, including UGI Corporation, Dorman Products, Inc., Potter Global Technologies and Altus Fire & Life Safety.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo, an MBA degree from Syracuse University, and is a graduate of the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management’s Corporate Board Governance Executive Program, as well as senior executive programs at Darden School of Management, University of Virginia.

Mark Litton is President and CEO of LeonaBio, a position he has held since October 2021. Previously, he served as LeonaBio’s COO since July 2019. Prior to joining LeonaBio, Mark served as the President and COO of Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc. Prior to that he spent more than 14 years at Alder Biopharmaceutical Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, which was acquired by Lundbeck A/S. As co-founder and CBO, Mark helped build the business and oversaw finance, investor relations, deal making, business development, alliance management, human resources, and overall corporate strategy. While at Alder, Mark was directly responsible for raising over ~$1B in equity capital and led negotiations for numerous corporate alliances between biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

Mark has a PhD in immunology from Stockholm University, an MBA from Santa Clara University and a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UC Santa Cruz.

Joe Edelman has served on our board of directors since May 2020. Mr. Edelman is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Perceptive Advisors, a hedge fund that specializes in investing in biotechnology stocks. He founded Perceptive Advisors in 1999, aiming to support progress in the life sciences industry by identifying opportunities and directing financial resources toward the most promising technologies in modern healthcare.

Mr. Edelman earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, graduating magna cum laude. After initially pursuing a graduate-level degree in Psychopharmacology, he pivoted to earn a M.B.A. at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. Combining his training in psychology with his experience in investing and portfolio management, Mr. Edelman has built an investment team of M.D.’s and Ph.D.’s who are dedicated to identifying trends, technologies and underappreciated assets in the life sciences industry to drive returns for investors and help improve lives through science.

Mr. Edelman is deeply committed to causes to improve the lives of people and communities. In addition to his role on our board of directors, he serves on the board of directors at the New York Genome Center and the board of trustees at Brown University.

John Fluke, Jr. has served on our board of directors since December 2014. Mr. Fluke is chairman of Fluke Capital Management, L.P., which he founded in 1976, and was chairman and chief executive officer of the John Fluke Manufacturing Co. until 1990. Mr. Fluke previously served on the boards of PACCAR Inc., CellCyte Genetics Corporation, Cell Therapeutics, Primus International, and American Seafoods Group. Mr. Fluke is a current trustee of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce (formerly serving as its chairman) and previously served as chairman of the Washington State China Relations Council and a trustee emeritus of the Museum of Flight. He also previously served as chairman of the Washington Technology Center at the University of Washington, which is an organization responsible for managing technology transfers from public universities in Washington state to the private sector for commercialization. Mr. Fluke has also served as chairman of the trustees of Junior Achievement of Washington and president of the Seattle Council of Boy Scouts of America.

Mr. Fluke earned an M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1966 and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Washington in 1964.

James Johnson has served on our board of directors since August 2020. Mr. Johnson previously served as the chief financial officer of Nohla Therapeutics, a cell therapy company. Prior to Nohla, Mr. Johnson served for five years as the chief financial officer of NanoString Technologies, a publicly held provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostics. During his tenure as chief financial officer at NanoString, Mr. Johnson oversaw strategic and corporate finance activities from private stage through the company’s initial public offering and additional rounds of financing, marking the third initial public offering in his career as a chief financial officer. Prior to joining NanoString, Mr. Johnson served as chief financial officer of Relypsa, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Prior to Relypsa, Mr. Johnson served for nearly 10 years as chief financial officer of ZymoGenetics, Inc., until the company was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb in October 2010. Previously, he served for seven years as chief financial officer of Targeted Genetics Corporation (now C3J Therapeutics) and as Vice President of Finance at Immunex Corporation during its evolution from product development to commercial operations.

Mr. Johnson received a B.A. in business administration from the University of Washington in 1979.

Barbara Kosacz joined our Board of Directors in March 2021, bringing over 25 years of experience in the biopharma industry. Ms. Kosacz served as chief operating officer and general counsel for Kronos Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing medicines that target deregulated transcription, the hallmark of cancer and other serious diseases, from July 2020 to February 2024, where she continues to serve as a strategic business development advisor. Prior to that she served as the head of Cooley LLP’s international Life Sciences Practice. During her years at Cooley, she served as outside counsel to scores of biopharma companies, helping them structure and negotiate their most transformative transactions. Ms. Kosacz also served multiple terms on Cooley’s management committee, overseeing the firm during its greatest growth periods. She has received numerous awards and accomplishments, including being recognized by Best Lawyers in America since 2008, and most recently as Biotechnology Lawyer of the Year for 2018, being elected to Northern California’s “Super Lawyers” annually since 2011, being listed as a “Band 1” attorney in the latest edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, and in the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America.

Ms. Kosacz is a thought leader on deal making in the industry and has served as a member of the BIO Emerging Companies’ Section Governing Board, the board of trustees of the Keck Graduate Institute, the business advisory board of Locust Walk Partners, and as a guest lecturer at both the law and business schools of UC Berkeley and Stanford University. She is also a member of the board of directors of XOMA Corporation. Ms. Kosacz received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.

Michael A. Panzara, MD, MPH joined our Board of Directors in March 2022. He is currently Chief Medical Officer, Neurvati Neurosciences.  He has over 20 years of experience developing therapies for neurological disorders having served in leadership roles at Sanofi, Genzyme, and Biogen before his most recent position as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Therapeutics and Development at Wave Life Sciences from 2016-2022.

Dr. Panzara received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, medical degree from Stanford University, trained in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital with post-doctoral training in immunology and rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and received his Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Grant Pickering has served on our board of directors since January 2022. Mr. Pickering is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder at Vaxcyte, Inc., a vaccine innovation company engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases. He previously served as CEO of Mymetics Corporation and Juvaris BioTherapeutics. Prior to Juvaris, Mr. Pickering served as Senior Vice President, Operations at Dendreon Corporation and led marketing and business development for Algos Pharmaceutical Corporation. Mr. Pickering began his career at Glaxo and Johnson & Johnson in sales, marketing, and clinical research roles.

Mr. Pickering earned his BS degree in marketing from The Pennsylvania State University and his MBA from Georgetown University with high honors.

Dr. Hans Moebius served as LeonaBio’s Chief Medical Officer from April 2019 to January 2024. Prior to joining LeonaBio, Hans co-founded Exciva GmbH, a company focusing on targeted drug rescue, and served as its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer from 2016 to 2019, and again as acting Chief Medical Officer since April 2020. Hans also served as scientific advisory board member at Rodin Therapeutics from October 2016 until the company was sold to Alkermes in December 2019. At Rodin Therapeutics, he also served as acting Chief Medical Officer from December 2016 to April 2018. Prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President of Clinical Research at CHASE Pharmaceuticals, until the company was acquired by Allergan in 2016.

Hans earned his PhD in experimental pharmacology from the University of Heidelberg in 1983 and a BS in chemistry from the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany, in 1976. He completed his medical studies at the Karls residencies at the Goethe University Frankfurt/Main from 1986-1991. During his research tenure at the Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research from 1984-1986, he lectured in neuropathology and neuroscience. Hans also holds the European Certificate in Pharmaceutical Medicine (ECPM) from the EUCOR Universities Basel/Switzerland, Freiburg/Germany and Strasbourg/France.

Dr. John Olichney is a Clinical Professor of Neurology, board-certified in Neurology and Behavioral Neurology, with expertise in dementia, cognitive electrophysiology and functional neuroimaging.

After receiving his B.A. in Neurobiology at UC Berkeley, he earned his M.D. at UC Irvine. Following his Residency in Neurology at UC San Diego, he completed post-doctoral fellowships in Geriatric Neurology and Neurosciences & Traumatic Brain Injuries at the San Diego Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center.

Dr. Olichney has co-authored over 65 peer-reviewed publications and 6 book chapters. He is an internationally recognized expert in Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias, and the electrophysiology and neuroimaging of human memory processes. His lab has developed novel electrophysiological and imaging biomarkers for early Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. He directs a cognitive neuroscience laboratory at the Center for Mind and Brain. He also serves as the Clinical Core Leader for the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center and is the Director of their Clinical Trials Unit.

Dr. Anton P. Porsteinsson is the Director of the University of Rochester Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education Program (AD-CARE) in New York, USA. In addition, he is the inaugural William B. and Sheila Konar Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuroscience, and Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.  

Dr. Porsteinsson has devoted his career to the care and study of individuals with memory disorders. He participates in the University of Rochester Memory Care Program, which serves a population with memory disorders. Internationally recognized in clinical research and considered one of the leading experts in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, he has research interests in biomarkers, imaging, and novel pharmacological agents in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, both in terms of cognitive loss and behavioral disturbances. He is a leading investigator for several prominent national and international Alzheimer’s disease prevention and treatment trials. Dr. Porsteinsson is the author and collaborator of hundreds of research publications and serves as site principal investigator for multiple research grants from the National Institutes of Health and other leading funders. 

Dr. Marwan Sabbagh is a neurologist in the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Program at Barrow Neurological Institute. He is board certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Sabbagh’s expertise includes the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.

Dr. Sabbagh earned his medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and his undergraduate degree from the University of California—Berkeley. He completed his neurology residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and a geriatric neurology and dementia fellowship at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

Dr. Sabbagh is a leading investigator of many prominent national Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment clinical trials. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. He is the editor-in-chief of Neurology and Therapy. Dr. Sabbagh is a prolific author who has written and edited books on Alzheimer’s disease and has contributed to hundreds of medical and scientific articles.

Dr. Pierre Tariot is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry with added qualifications in geriatrics. He was a Fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, then faculty at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Since 2006, he has served as Director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix and Research Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona.

His work has focused on care and study of people with and at risk for Alzheimer’s, design and implementation of clinical trials for prevention and treatment, development of biomarkers, characterization and treatment of neuropsychiatric features of dementia and demonstration of effective dementia care.

He has served as Principal Investigator on more than 50 clinical trials related to Alzheimer’s and has published over 400 papers on these topics including studies that have led to FDA approval of medications, with research support from NIA, NIMH and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Dr. Paul Winner is the Senior Director of Premiere Research Institute and Attending Neurologist at Palm Beach Neurology in West Palm Beach. He is the Founder and Director of the Palm Beach Headache Center. Dr. Winner is a Clinical Professor of Neurology at Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Dr. Winner has been appointed the Director of the Palm Beach Memory Disorder Center. He is a Principal Investigator and a Sub-Investigator for multiple Memory Disorder Studies presently being conducted at the Premiere Research Institute.

Dr. Winner received his medical degree from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed residencies in Pediatrics and Neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York. He was a Neuromuscular Fellow in the Department of Neurology at Cornell University Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He was also Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Montefiore Headache Center in New York and completed a mini fellowship in epilepsy at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. He is Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with Special Competence in Child Neurology. Dr. Winner is certified by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties in Headache Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Headache Society.

Dr. Winner is an active member in the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, American Academy of Neurology, American Headache Society, FMA and the FOMA. Dr. Winner is President of the Florida Association for the Study of Headache and Neurologic Disorders; Past-President of the American Headache Society; and a Past-President of Florida Society of Neurology.

In addition, Dr. Winner has published numerous journal articles and multiple textbooks for the medical community and the general public. He is a national speaker and educator to the medical community and the general public.