Management
Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is led by the following individuals:
- Ryuji Ueno, M.D., Ph.D., Ph.D.
- Ronald W. Kaiser
- Mariam Morris
- Brad Fackler, MBA
- Gayle Robert Dolecek, P.D., M.P.H.
- Kei S. Tolliver
- Charles Hrushka, MBA
- Michael J. Jeffries
- Hidetoshi Mine
- Timothy I. Maudlin
- V. Sue Molina
Founder
Chairman of the Board
Ryuji Ueno is an internationally recognized expert in the pharmacology, physiology and biochemistry of naturally occurring (endogenous) fatty acids and their related compounds.
In the 1980s, Dr. Ueno started pharmaceutical development based on his research with prostones, a class of functional fatty acids whose tremendous therapeutic potential Dr. Ueno first identified. This class of lipids is the subject of over 650 patents worldwide, which are now held by the Sucampo Group. Joined by Dr. Sachiko Kuno in the mid-1980s, after 10 years of biomedical research, Dr. Ueno founded the first Sucampo Group member R-Tech Ueno, Ltd. in Japan, a company dedicated to the research and production of his proprietary compounds.
Following R-Tech Ueno, Ltd's successful development and the commercial launch of RESCULA® eye drops for glaucoma, Dr. Ueno and Dr. Kuno founded Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as R-Tech Ueno (USA), Inc. in 1996 to pursue research and development efforts in the Americas.
As a leading expert in his field, Dr. Ueno has authored more than 100 articles in notable scientific journals. Dr. Ueno received his M.D. and a Ph.D. in medical chemistry from Keio University in Japan. Additionally, he holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Osaka University.
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Kaiser became our Chief Financial Officer in January 2007. From March 2005 to December 2006, Mr. Kaiser served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PharmAthene, Inc., a bio-defense company. From February 2003 to March 2005, Mr. Kaiser served as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of Air Cargo, Inc., a freight logistics and bill processing provider. Air Cargo filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 7, 2004. From June 2002 to January 2003, Mr. Kaiser was self-employed. From May 1998 to June 2002, Mr. Kaiser served as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of OTG Software, Inc., a software development, manufacturing, sales and distribution company. Mr. Kaiser also serves as a member of the board of directors of OPNET Technologies, Inc., and Vocus, Inc., both public companies.
Mr. Kaiser holds Bachelors degrees in accounting and multidisciplinary pre-law from Michigan State University.
Chief Accounting Officer
Mariam Morris is responsible for Sucampo’s financial reporting, related internal controls, and the overall day-to-day operations of the accounting department. Before joining Sucampo, Ms. Morris worked as an independent consultant for AuditWatch, Inc where she was involved in the technical training and education of both senior and entry level accountants for small to mid-sized accounting firms. Prior to that, she spent six years in public accounting at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, specializing in servicing the needs of privately held growth companies where she gained experience in financial reporting, auditing, consulting, tax preparation, transaction analysis, and internal control assessments and compliance.
Ms. Morris holds a BBA Accounting from Texas Tech University and a Masters in Taxation from Old Dominion University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the AICPA and TSCPA.
Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations
Brad Fackler joined the company in 2005 as the Vice President of Marketing and Sales. He comes to Sucampo with over 25 years of broad based experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining the organization, Brad was vice president of The Collaborative Group, a specialty firm providing commercial consulting for the pharmaceutical industry. His experience also includes Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation where he was a senior sales executive responsible for creating and leading advanced sales teams covering the gastroenterology specialty and Academic Medical Centers across the country.
Mr. Fackler has an M.B.A. from New York University, Leonard Stern School of Business in NY, Graduate Study in Physiological Chemistry at the Ohio State University in Columbus OH, and a Bachelors in Life Science from Otterbein College in Westerville OH.
Senior Vice President, Research and Development
Dr. Dolecek joined Sucampo Pharmaceutical Inc. in 2006 after working as a senior consultant with the AAC Consulting Group, Inc., which provides regulatory consultation to the pharmaceutical industry since 1995. During his tenure with AAC, Dr. Dolecek served as the primary consultant to Sucampo on all regulatory, chemistry, manufacturing and control matters. Dr. Dolecek joined AAC directly from the Food and Drug Administration after having completed 30 years with the Federal Government. During his tenure at the FDA, Dr. Dolecek served as the Director of Compendial Operations where he wroked as the official liaison between CDER and the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc. (USP), and in the Policy and Guidance Branch of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) with responsibility for the development and interpretation of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations for Pharmaceuticals and the development of compliance policy guides, inspection guide and guidelines regarding pharmaceutical manufacturing. Prior to joining the FDA, Dr. Dolecek served in a variety of pharmacy and health resource and service oriented positions as well as a pharmacist with the U.S. Public Health Service. Dr. Dolecek has been a frequent lecturer for the Parenteral Drug Association on the FDA and Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations and has published on a variety topics while at AAC.
Dr. Dolecek received his R.Ph., B.S./P.D. in Pharmacy from the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy; M.P.H in Health Services Administration and Planning from the University of Hawaii, School of Public Health.
Vice President of Business Development and Company Operations
Mrs. Tolliver joined the Sucampo Group in May of 1998 as the first full-time employee of the Company and assisted the Founders, Dr. Ueno and Dr. Kuno, to launch US operations for the Sucampo Group. Since May 2002, Mrs. Tolliver has worked as Associate Director of Business Development and was mostly involved in the group's global operations in Japan and Europe, including General Manager of Sucampo Pharma Europe to set up the Group's European operations. Mrs. Tolliver re-joined Sucampo Pharmaceuticals full-time as Director of Business Development in October 2004.
Mrs. Tolliver received a BA from West Virginia University, and is studying Business Management in Center for Professional Development at Georgetown University.
Vice President, Marketing
Charles Hrushka has been our Vice President of Marketing since June 2006. From December 2005 to June 2006, Mr. Hrushka was our Director of Marketing. In October 2004, he co-founded Burren Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on gastroenterology, and served as its President and COO until he joined our company in October 2005. From January 2001 to September 2004, he was the Managing Director of ScheBo*Biotech USA Inc., a diagnostics company focusing on gastroenterology and oncology.
Mr. Hrushka holds a Bachelors degree in Biology from Lynchburg College and an M.B.A. degree from Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College of Business.
Board Director
Mr. Jeffries has been a director since 2004. From January 1990 until his retirement in December 2005, Mr. Jeffries held various senior management positions at Osteotech, Inc., a medical technology company. These positions included Executive Vice President, a position he held from 1992 until his retirement, Chief Financial Officer, a position he held from 1990 until his retirement, and Secretary and director, positions he held from 1991 until his retirement. Mr. Jeffries also serves as Chair of the American Association of Tissue Banks Finance Committee, Co-Chair of the Council of Accredited Tissue Banks and is a member of its Board of Governors. He has served as the chief financial officer of both publicly traded and private companies.
Mr. Jeffries has a B.B.A. degree from the City College of New York and a M.B.A. degree in finance from Fordham University.
Board Director
Mr. Mine has been a director since 2004. Mr. Mine has been the President and Chief Executive Officer at Ridgeway Capital Partners Limited, an investment firm, since August 2004. Mr. Mine was the managing Director of Principal Investment at Investment Banking Headquarters of ORIX Corporation. He holds directorships with Alpha Purchase, Zentek Singapore, AsMediX (Chairman) and Footwork Express (Chairman). Prior to his position with ORIX, Mr. Mine was a member of the Board of Directors at Singapore Exchange Limited and the Managing Director and CEO of Tokyo-Mitsubishi International (Singapore) Ltd. He has been the Deputy Managing Director of the Bank of Tokyo International (Hong Kong) Ltd. and was the DGM and Senior Managing Officer, Project Finance Division, of the Bank of Tokyo Limited.
Mr. Mine holds a Bachelors Degree in Sociology from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.
Timothy I. Maudlin has been a director since September 2006. Since 1989, Mr. Maudlin has been a managing partner of Medical Innovation Partners, a venture capital firm. Mr. Maudlin also served as a principal of Venturi Group, LLC, an incubator and venture capital form, from 1999 to October 2001 and as chief financial officer of Venturi Group, LLC in 2002. Mr. Maudlin is a director of Website Pros, Inc., a web services company. Mr. Maudlin served on the board of directors of Curative Health Services, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company from 1984 until May 2006. On March 27, 2006, Curative filed a voluntary petition for bankruptcy under Chapter 11. In May 2006, the bankruptcy court approved Curative’s plan of reorganization under Chapter 11.
Mr. Maudlin holds a B.A. from St. Olaf College and an M.M. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
V. Sue Molina has been a director since September 2006. From November 1997 until her retirement in May 2004, she was a tax partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP, an international accounting firm, serving from 2000 until May 2004 as the National Partner in Charge of Deloitte’s Initiative for the Retention and Advancement of Women. Prior to that, she spent 16 years with Ernst & Young, LLP, an international accounting firm, the last 10 years as a partner. Ms. Molina serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors and the Audit committee Chair of Royal Neighbors of America, a fraternal insurance company.
Mrs. Molina holds a B.S. B.A. and a Masters of Accounting degree from the University of Arizona.