The following is a brief biography of each nominee and each director whose term will continue after the Annual Meeting.
Nominees for Election for a Three-Year Term Expiring at our 2028 Annual Meeting
Richard Chin, M.D., is a nominee to serve as a member of our Board. Since 2021, Dr. Chin has served as the managing director of Ascendant Venture LLC, a family office and venture studio that has incubated several life sciences companies. He has also served as the Chief Executive Officer and a board member of AdoraPet Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology startup focused on pets, since 2022. From 2012 to 2021, he served as Chief Executive Officer and a board member of Kindred Biosciences, Inc., a public biotechnology company focused on companion animals that was acquired by Elanco in 2021. From 2008 to 2011, Dr. Chin served as Chief Executive Officer of Institute for OneWorld Health, a nonprofit biotechnology company developing drugs for neglected diseases. In addition, from 2006 to 2008, he served as Chief Executive Officer of OXiGENE, Inc., a public biotechnology company developing vascular targeting drugs for oncology and ophthalmology. Prior to that, Dr. Chin served in various leadership roles in clinical development and medical affairs. He currently serves on the board of directors of several private biosciences companies, including Bio Usawa Inc., VETmAb Biosciences, Inc. and Lifeguard Biosciences, Inc., as well as two nonprofit organizations, the Center for Asian American Media and the Sand Mandala Foundation. Dr. Chin holds a B.A. in biology from Harvard College, an M.A. and B.A. in law from Oxford University and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School.
We believe that Dr. Chin's extensive experience as an executive in the biotechnology industry and as a public company board member provides him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director of our company.
Deborah Neff has served as a member of our Board since June 2022. Since 2020, Ms. Neff has served as the Principal of DJN Consulting, LLC, an executive management, business strategy and operations consulting company. Prior to that, from 2017 to 2020, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Evanostics LLC, an early-stage, private biotechnology company. From 2014 to 2016, she served as the Chief Operating Officer of Complete Genomics Inc., a business unit of BGI-Shenzhen, a publicly-traded genomic sequencing and proteomic services company. From 2006 to 2013, she served as the Chief Executive Officer at Pathwork Diagnostics Inc., a privately-held molecular diagnostics company, and from 2003 to 2006, she served as the Chief Executive Officer at Predicant Biosciences, formerly a private biotechnology company. Ms. Neff also served as President of BD Biosciences, Inc., a global business segment of Becton Dickinson, from 1995 to 2003. Since October 2021, Ms. Neff has served as a member of the board of directors of Atomo Diagnostics Limited, an Australian publicly-traded rapid diagnostics company. She served on the board of directors of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. from 2011 to 2017 and on the board of directors of Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. from 2003 to 2009. Ms. Neff currently serves as the Executive Trustee and Chair of the University of California, Davis Foundation, as chair of the board of directors of Guide Dogs for the Blind, and on the advisory board of privately funded start-up company Partillion Bioscience Corporation. Ms. Neff holds a B.S. in Physiology from the University of California, Davis and completed graduate training and licensure in clinical laboratory science. She has attended executive business programs in finance, marketing and general management at Wharton, Stanford and Harvard Business Schools.
We believe that Ms. Neff’s extensive experience as an executive in the biotechnology industry and on the board of directors of publicly-traded biotechnology companies provides her with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director of our company.
Directors Continuing in Office Until our 2026 Annual Meeting
Jack Ball has served as a member of our Board since September 2018. Since 2011, Mr. Ball has served as the President of Tyball Associates LLC, a medical device consulting firm. He has also served on the board of directors of Carterra, Inc., a biotechnology company, since 2016, and on the board of directors of KromaTiD, Inc., a biotechnology company, since 2021. From March 2016 to June 2023, Mr. Ball served on the board of directors of NanoCellect Biomedical, Inc., a biotechnology company. From October 2010 to March 2021, Mr. Ball served on the board of directors of Swift Biosciences Inc., a biotechnology company. From September 2013 to December 2019, Mr. Ball served as Chief Executive Officer and a board member at Solulink Inc., a biotechnology company. From February 2006 to July 2011, Mr. Ball was Chief Commercial Officer at Accuri Cytometers, Inc., a medical instruments company, which was sold to Becton Dickinson & Co in March 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Ball was Chief Executive Officer at Amnis Corporation, a biotechnology company, Chief Commercial Officer at Molecular Probes, Inc., a biotechnology company, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Orchid Biosciences, a DNA testing
