Management Team
The management team of Alimera consists of executives with a proven track record of product discovery, development and revenue growth in the ophthalmic pharmaceutical industry. Prior to founding Alimera, many in the management team established CIBA Vision Ophthalmics, the start-up pharmaceutical arm of CIBA Vision Corporation (now Novartis Ophthalmics).
Since the introduction of Alimera Sciences, the management team has raised almost $90 million to invest in our products to address major eye diseases. With the help of a very impressive team of venture capital firms, Alimera has accomplished a great deal in a short timeframe. This team has launched Soothe®, an over the counter (OTC) product, that provides unique relief to sufferers of dry eye, gained FDA NDA approval for an Rx to OTC switch anti allergy product, and closed enrollment of two Phase III clinical trials with Iluvien™ for the long term delivery of low doses of a steroid for the treatment of diabetic macular edema. The executive team's operational experience, regulatory expertise, clinical knowledge and industry relationships have coalesced into immediate success and built a foundation for a strong future.
Key members of the team include:
Dan Myers
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dan was a co-founder of Alimera Sciences, Inc. and has served as its CEO since 2003. Under his leadership Alimera has raised Series A, Series B and Series C venture funding totaling approximately $90M and was the Georgia Biomedical Partnerships “Deal of the Year” in 2004 and 2005.
Prior to Alimera, Dan was a founding member of Novartis Ophthalmics (formerly CIBA Vision Ophthalmics) and acted as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing and later as President from 1997 through 2002. Dan has 25 years of sales, marketing and general management experience in the ophthalmic pharmaceutical industry through tenures at Novartis, Allergan, and Johnson & Johnson. Dan is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Corporate Advisory Council and on the Board of the Georgia Biomedical Partnership. He is a former Board Member of Prevent Blindness America and has served on the Carter Foundation Board of Councilors in Atlanta. Dan has a degree in Industrial Management from Georgia Tech.
Susan Caballa
Sr. Vice President, Regulatory & Medical Affairs
Susan is Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Medical Affairs with overall responsibility for QA/Compliance, Technical Drug Development, Manufacturing and Logistics. Susan and her team are also responsible for post-marketing drug surveillance, drug safety and phase IV clinical studies. Since joining Alimera in March 2004, her team has filed three INDs, an NDA and Clinical Trial Applications in several countries (Canada, the EU and India).
Immediately prior to Alimera, Susan was the Vice President of Regulatory and Medical Affairs at Novartis Ophthalmics. She has twenty three years of ophthalmic regulatory experience having worked with Allergan, J&J, Alcon and Novartis. Her product development background is wide: drugs (human and animal), ophthalmic irrigating solutions, contact lenses and contact lens care, viscoelastics, intraocular lenses, ophthalmic surgical instruments and equipment - both US and international. Susan has been responsible for twelve NDA and several ANDA FDA approvals. Susan has a BS and Masters degrees in Chemistry.
Rick Eiswirth
Chief Financial Officer
Rick joined Alimera Sciences in 2005 and is responsible for strategic finance, accounting, human resources, and information technology. He brings a wealth of financial management experience to the team with both public and private ventures.
Prior to joining Alimera, Rick has been active in Atlanta’s business circle for more than 15 years, with experience that includes financial and accounting management, mergers and acquisitions, and initial public offerings, as well as entrepreneurial and start up operational activities. Rick is the founder of two consulting practices, Brand Ignition Group and Black River Holdings, Inc. He is also the former chief financial officer and senior executive vice president of Netzee, Inc., a provider of internet banking solutions to community banks that went public in 1999. Rick started his career in Arthur Andersen’s audit and business advisory practice where he was a senior manager and certified public accountant.
He has an accounting degree from Wake Forest University and serves on the board of directors for Seattle-based Jones Soda Co.
Ken Green, PhD
Sr. Vice President & CSO
(Chief Scientific Officer)
Ken Green, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs at Alimera Sciences, is responsible for all preclinical and clinical development activities supporting the companies portfolio. He provides input to the project teams regarding clinical and preclinical trial design and development strategy and supports the marketing and sales organizations with input to post-marketing study strategies. Additionally, he serves as a member of the executive committee helping to define the overall strategic direction of the company.
Prior to joining Alimera Sciences, Dr. Green worked with Lederle Laboratories, Storz
Ophthalmics, Bausch & Lomb, CIBA Vision and Novartis Ophthalmics. At Novartis Ophthalmics,
Dr. Green served as the Global Head of Clinical Science, where he was involved with the
development of Visudyne, Rescula and Zaditor in both the US and Europe. Dr. Green's
ophthalmology experience spans 15 years and includes clinical development experience in
the areas of allergy, infection, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic
retinopathy and myopia. In 2003, Dr. Green presented to an FDA advisory panel
convened to define a clinical endpoint for the pharmacological treatment of myopia.
He earned his B.A. degree in chemistry from Southern Illinois University and a
Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Ohio State University. He has published
several papers and is listed as an inventor on several U.S. patents.
Dave Holland
Vice President of Marketing
One of the four co-founders, Dave has been the Vice President of Marketing since June 2003. In this time he has been instrumental in obtaining the venture funding, has lead the development of the Alimera brand, has launched Soothe® Emollient (Lubricant) Eye Drops, and is in the process of developing the launch plans for Alimera’s next brands.
Prior to Alimera, Dave spent eighteen years marketing ethically-promoted OTC and prescription pharmaceuticals, including the launch of 16 new products. For five years, Dave was Vice President of Marketing with Novartis Ophthalmics following other marketing positions at CIBA Vision
Ophthalmics, which he joined in 1992. Dave also has international management experience having been responsible for the global launch of CIBA Vision's daily disposable contact lenses. Prior to Novartis, Dave spent four years in the Procter and Gamble brand management program and
was on the team that launched its first pharmaceutical product. Dave has served on the
Corporate Advisory Council for Ocular Surgery News, the industry's leading publication. He is
very active in the local sports programs as well as Cub Scouts in Alpharetta, Ga. He has a
BA in politics from Princeton University.
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