Directors
Craig H. Misrach, M.B.A., C.P.A. – Chairman
Craig H. Misrach is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Meditech and has over 10 years of finance experience with start-up and midsize organizations. Prior to Freedom Meditech, Mr. Misrach was the President and Chief Operating Officer of EyeChem, a developmental stage diabetes medical device company focused on the commercialization of an eye-related blood glucose measuring and monitoring system. At EyeChem, Mr. Misrach crafted and executed the financing, operating, and marketing strategies of the organization while simultaneously overseeing the contract manufacturing and product development activities of the company. Mr. Misrach was successful in obtaining initial start-up capital and infrastructure support for the organization.
Prior to EyeChem, Mr. Misrach was Controller and Assistant Vice President of Silvergate Capital Corporation, a $500M asset-based diversified finance organization. At Silvergate, Mr. Misrach was the primary liaison for executive management regarding the revenue and expense activities of the organization and gained extensive operational and management experience during a two year period of fast-paced corporate growth from 28 to 79 employees. Silvergate was a client of Mr. Misrach at Deloitte and Touché, where he was the Lead Senior Accountant for a $60M IPO and audited various biotechnology, medical device, and healthcare companies.
Mr. Misrach is a Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.) in the State of California and has a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Indiana University. Mr. Misrach also has an M.B.A. in General Management and Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Keith D. Ignotz, M.B.A. – Director
Mr. Ignotz is currently the CEO of DiaKine Therapeutics, a start-up biopharmaceutical company developing new, proprietary drugs for unmet diabetes medical needs. Mr. Ignotz is a senior corporate executive with over 25 years of experience in the global healthcare marketplace, with 14 such years in the diabetes space. Mr. Ignotz joined DiaKine from SpectRx, Inc., a diabetes management company which he co-founded in 1993 and where he served as President and Chief Operating Officer. While in that position, he raised over $6.5 million in venture capital funding, negotiated a $26.5 million strategic partnering collaboration and brought the Company through an IPO. Previously, he was President of Humphrey Instruments SmithKline Beckman (Japan) and Humphrey Instruments (Germany), and Senior Vice President of Allergan Humphrey. Mr. Ignotz has a B.A. from San Jose State University and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.
John Burd Ph.D. – Director
Dr. Burd has dedicated his career to researching and developing novel medical testing products, and to successfully bringing them to market. He was most recently the Founder, President & CEO of Oculir, Inc., a company developing a non-invasive glucose testing system for people with diabetes. Previously, Dr. Burd was a General partner of Windamere Venture Partners, a Venture Fund specializing in founding and funding healthcare companies.
While at Windamere, Dr. Burd founded DexCom, Inc in 1999 and served as President & CEO while the company developed a long-tem implantable glucose sensor for continuous glucose monitoring system for persons with diabetes. DexCom went public in 2005 and had it's primary product approved by the FDA in 2006.
Before DexCom, Dr. Burd was the founder, President/CEO and Chairman of LXN Corporation which was bought by Johnson and Johnson in 2001. Prior to LXN, Dr. Burd held executive positions at QUIDEL Corporation, including Vice President of Research and Development, where he directed the development of products for the clinical lab, physician's office and OTC markets. Dr. Burd began his career in medical product research and development at Bayer (formerly Miles Laboratories, Inc.)
Dr. Burd has authored and co-authored numerous scientific articles and is the owner of 23 U.S. patents. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry from Purdue and earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin.
Catherine M. Stiefel, C.P.A. - Director
Ms. Stiefel has 20 years of business experience primarily in finance and accounting. She served from 2006 to 2009 on the Board of Directors of Stiefel Laboratories, Inc., a global dermatological pharmaceutical company and leader in dermatology research. Stiefel was acquired by Glaxo Smith Kline in July 2009 for $3.6 billion. Before the Glaxo acquisition, Stiefel Laboratories was the largest private pharmaceutical company in the world with revenues approaching $1 billlion. Stiefel closed a $500 million private equity investment from Blackstone Group in 2007 and acquired Connetics Corporation in 2008 for $600 million.
Before retirement in January 2007, Ms. Stiefel was Vice President and Director of Acquisition Accounting at Science Application International Corporation (SAIC), a $6 billion revenue government contracting company, from 2001 to 2006. at SAIC she was responsible for the accounting for investments (including valuation) totaling over $100 million, acquisitions and divestitures, including the sale of SAIC's largest subsidiary for $1.35 billion. Prior to SAIC, Catherine worked for Deloitte & Touche as an auditor beginning in 1992, where she specialized in real estate and alternate energy. She left Deloitte as a Senior Manager in 2001 to join SAIC.
Ms. Stiefel is a Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A) in the State of California and graduated summa cum laude with a B.S from San Diego State University.
James E. Pinkin, M.B.A., C.P.A - Director
Mr. Pinkin is currently President and CEO of CCG Marketing Solutions, a full-service marketing support and fulfillment services provider to international pharmaceutical, health care, consumer product and technology corporations. CCG subsidiaries include an advertising agency as well as direct marketing, drug sampling, consumer promotions, internet applications design, printing and specialty packaging operations.
Prior to taking the leadership role at CCG, Mr. Pinkin already possesed a wealth of finance and operational expertise in the advertising and consumer products industries. As Senior Vice President of Benton & Bowles, Mr. Pinkin managed finances for the multi-billion dollar international diversified communications and advertising agency. As Vice President at Faberge, Inc., he assisted the President and CFO in the management and restructuring of the billion dollar consumer products manufacturer. Prior to Faberge, Mr. Pinkin was a Certified Public Accountant and Computer Audit Specialist with KPMG.
Mr. Pinkin is past chairman of the Mailing and Fulfillment Service Association, the industry's trade organization, where he provided leadership for 700 companies responsible for over $6 billion of direct market billings. He is also a Director of both PRN Lifeguard Nutriceuticals and Overlook Hospital Foundations. Mr. Pinkin is a Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.) and has a BS degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an MBA from Seton Hall University.