Press Release
Download PDF Version
Alimera Sciences Announces Its Board of Directors
ATLANTA (July 21, 2004) - Alimera Sciences Inc., a new kind of ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, today announced its board of directors, which includes funding partner representatives and one of ophthalmology's most distinguished professionals.
Board members include Mark Brooks, managing director at BA Venture Partners; Brian Halak, principal of Domain Associates; Steve Martin, CEO/partner of Hi Tech Partners; Terry McGuire, co-founder of Polaris Venture Partners; Dr. Calvin Roberts of Weill Medical College of Cornell University; and Phil Tracy of Intersouth Partners.
"A board of this magnitude adds to Alimera Sciences a wealth of corporate and customer knowledge that will help guide our business and product development strategies," said Dan Myers, CEO of Alimera Sciences. "Combined with our existing team, this board has the imagination and expertise to position Alimera Sciences as a market leader in the specialty ophthalmic industry."
"The fact that Alimera Sciences' management team has already developed a strong product portfolio and is only weeks away from its first product launch speaks volumes about the vision and drive we can expect from this company," said Brian Halak, principal, Domain Associates. "It is a pleasure to be part of this process, and I look forward to working with such a talented group."
Board members:
Mark Brooks, M.B.A.
Mark Brooks of BA Venture Partners applies more than 15 years of corporate development and entrepreneurial experience to building profitable, valuable companies. During his nine years at BAVP, Brooks has successfully invested in a number of industries, including communications and semiconductors. Brooks currently serves on the board of directors of Converge Medical, IPC - The Hospitalist Company, LivHome, US HealthWorks, Esurg.com and Spinal Kinetics.
Prior to joining BAVP, Brooks worked for Mercer Management Consulting, where he led projects in the healthcare insurance, lab testing and telecommunications service industries. Previously, Brooks served as a media group loan officer of Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, providing LBO and acquisition capital to cable, entertainment and publishing companies.
Brooks holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Dartmouth College and a master of business administration degree in finance and entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Brian Halak, Ph.D., B.S.E.
Brian Halak is a principal with Domain Associates. Previously, Halak worked for Advanced Technology Ventures, a venture capital firm, and for Wilkerson Group, a management consulting firm devoted exclusively to the medical industry. In this capacity, he developed strategy for leading firms in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.
Halak received a doctorate in immunology from Thomas Jefferson University and a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He has published and presented on the topic of tumor immunology. Halak serves on the Investment Advisory Council for Ben Franklin Technology Partners and BioAdvance, both of which are Philadelphia seed-stage investment groups.
Steve Martin, J.D.
Steve Martin is CEO and partner at Hi Tech Partners in Atlanta, where he advises early stage technology firms. Formerly president of CIBA Vision Corporation USA and founder of its optics and ophthalmics businesses, Martin grew sales of the combined companies to more than $1.2 billion and more than 6,000 employees.
In addition to assisting several start-ups with raising equity capital, Martin has successfully negotiated more than 70 licensing and acquisition deals with values from $1 million to $320 million. Until his June 2001 retirement, Martin served as a venture opportunity liaison to entrepreneurial life science projects for Novartis. In his role as general partner of Merritt Capital Services, Martin continues to link entrepreneurs with venture capital.
Martin is a graduate of Wake Forest University and attended the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. Martin holds six U.S.-issued and a number of European patents for his inventions. In addition, he is a former United States Marine Corps captain.
Terry McGuire, M.B.A.
Terry McGuire is a co-founder and managing general partner at Polaris Venture Partners. Prior to starting Polaris, McGuire spent seven years at Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co., investing in early stage medical and information technology companies. He began his career in venture capital at Golder, Thoma and Cressey in Chicago.
McGuire has co-founded three companies: Inspire Pharmaceuticals (ISPH); AIR (Advanced Inhalation Research, Inc.), and MicroCHIPS. He has served on several boards, including the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, MassMedic, Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, the Foster Center for Private Equity at the Amos Tuck School of Dartmouth College, and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.
McGuire holds a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School, another master's degree in engineering from The Thayer School at Dartmouth College and bachelor's degrees in physics and economics from Hobart College.
Calvin W. Roberts, M.D.
Dr. Calvin W. Roberts is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Roberts holds patents on the wide-field specular microscope, used for corneal endothelial studies, and is the developer of instruments for cataract surgery. As a consultant to ophthalmic pharmaceutical companies, including Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson and Novartis, Roberts has helped lead development and marketing efforts of several new therapeutics. He specializes in cataract and refractive surgery in his New York City private practice.
A graduate of Princeton University and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, Roberts completed his internship and ophthalmology residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. Roberts also completed cornea fellowships at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston.
Phil Tracy, J.D.
Phil Tracy has been a venture partner with Intersouth Partners since 1997. He was formerly president and CEO of Burroughs Wellcome Co., a major pharmaceutical company with $1.2 billion in sales and 5,000 employees before its merger with GlaxoSmithKline.
Tracy has served on the board of directors for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America and the Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Association. He has also served as chairman of the board of visitors for Duke University Medical Center and as a member of the visitors' board for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Tracy currently serves on the board of directors for the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and for Peace College in Raleigh, North Carolina. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska, as well as juris doctor and bachelor's degrees from George Washington University.
About Alimera Sciences Inc.
Alimera Sciences Inc. specializes in the development and commercialization of over-the-
counter and prescription ophthalmology pharmaceuticals. Founded by an executive
team with unparalleled development and revenue growth expertise, Alimera Sciences'
products address underserved and overlooked areas of the ophthalmic market.
www.alimerasciences.com
|