NEWS

Jay B Lichter

Jay B. Lichter, PH.D.

Managing Partner

Jay B. Lichter, Ph.D. is an experienced biotechnology and pharmaceutical business executive and investor with 25 years of experience in management, scientific research, and business development. Throughout his career, Dr. Lichter has applied his exceptional combination of business acumen and deep technical knowledge to creating commercially successful biotech companies and identifying the commercial potential of scientific discoveries at their earliest stages. Dr. Lichter was an Avalon entrepreneur for four portfolio companies in Avalon V, Avalon VI and Avalon VII. Prior to his work with Avalon, Dr. Lichter got his PhD from the University of Illinois and did postdoctoral research at…

Tighe M Reardon

Tighe M. Reardon, CPA

Chief Financial Officer & Managing Partner

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Sanford J Madigan

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Sergio G Duron

Sergio G. Duron, PH.D.

Managing Partner

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Kevin J Kinsella

Kevin J. Kinsella

Founding Partner - Emeritus

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Jason Roland

Jason Roland, Ph.D. joined the Accelerator in 2015 and brings over 10 years of experience leading medicinal chemistry and drug discovery programs. While at the Accelerator, Dr. Roland was involved with the creation of Nerio Therapeutics and Anexigen, where he currently serves as the Director of Chemistry and Drug Discovery. In addition, Dr. Roland was the Director of Chemistry at Calporta Therapeutics (acquired by Merck) and a part of the chemistry team at Sitari Pharmaceuticals (acquired by GSK). Previously, he served as a Principal Investigator at the California Institute for Biomedical Research (Calibr) where he led a series medicinal chemistry…

Emassari

Eben Massari, Ph.D. has a successful track record in small molecule drug discovery with more than 20 years’ experience in the biotech industry. He joined as an Advisor to the Accelerator in 2020 and currently serves as Sr. Vice President of Biology at Nerio Therapeutics. Previously, Dr. Massari was Vice President of Screening and CNS Discovery with Plexium. He also served as Director of Lead Discovery at Dart Neuroscience where he was a project leader for the PDE2 inhibitor program that advanced two molecules into the clinic for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia and stroke rehabilitation. Prior to his time…

Katie klink

Katie Klink

Controller

Katie Klink joined the Accelerator in 2021 and serves as the Controller. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California and has received a B.S. in Management Science and a Minor in Accounting from the University of California San Diego. She brings over 12 years of private and public accounting experience including the past 7 years in the biotechnology industry.

Abby Beers

Abby Beers

Sr. Financial Analyst

Abby Beers joined the Accelerator in 2014 and serves as Senior Financial Analyst, supporting all portfolio companies housed under the Accelerator’s management. She received an M.B.A. from Cornell University and a B.S. in Biology from the University of California Santa Barbara.

Fcamejo

Fernando Camejo

Sr. Accounting Manager

Fernando Camejo joined the Accelerator in 2019 and serves as Senior Accounting Manager overseeing the accounting operations. Prior to joining the Accelerator, Mr. Camejo was Lead Accountant at Beckton Dickinson, Senior Accountant at Novartis, and Accounting Manager at Astra Zeneca. He graduated from California State University San Marcos with a B.S. in Accounting. Mr. Camejo is based in the San Diego, CA office.

Stephen Elmendorf

Stephen Elmendorf

Fund Controller

Stephen Elmendorf joined the Accelerator in 2015 and serves as the Fund Controller. Mr. Elmendorf had previously held several positions at DJO in various accounting and information systems areas of focus. He received a B.S. from the University of Southern California and is a California Certified Public Accountant.

Curtis Robak

Curtis Robak

Director, Information Technology

Curtis Robak serves as Director of Information Technology. Prior to joining the Accelerator, Mr. Robak was Manager of Information Technology for COI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Director, Information Technology in 2017. Mr. Robak worked for L3Harris, a government contractor for the Department of Defense, prior to joining COI Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Robak received a Bachelor’s Degree in IS from Charter Oak State College.

Christy Sayers

Christy Sayers

Head of Human Resources

Christy Sayers joined the Accelerator in February 2016 and currently serves as the Head of Human Resources. Ms. Sayers previously served as the Executive Assistant for Avalon BioVentures for seven years and prior to joining the Accelerator, Ms. Sayers served as Administrative Assistant at Avalon Ventures for four years. Ms. Sayers holds a B.B.A in Business Administration from the University of San Diego as well as a certification in Human Resources Management from UCSD.

Lauri Sutor

Lauri Sutor

Sr. Accounting Specialist

Lauri Sutor joined the Accelerator in 2015 and serves as Sr. Accounting Specialist. She graduated from San Diego State University in 1995 with a B.S. in Criminal Justice Administration. Lauri has strong experience in similar positions with pharmaceutical and technology companies such as Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Sony Ericsson, and Intuit. Outside of the office, she is raising three teenagers, enjoys spending time with her family, and has a keen interest in nutrition and fitness. Ms. Sutor is based in the San Diego, CA office and handles all day-to-day Accounts Payable operations.

Aterrazas

Adrienne Terrazas

Executive Admin

Adrienne Terrazas joined the Accelerator in February 2023 and serves as the Executive Assistant to the Partnership as well as senior level executives of portfolio companies. Ms. Terrazas has been a legal and executive assistant in various sectors throughout Southern California for over 20 years and brings a wealth of experience to the position.

Avalon Bioventures