in an upward trajectory
Our Board comprises successful individuals whose diverse viewpoints, experiences and input continually support and inspire us.
Propella lost a dear friend and its biggest supporter when its financial founder, Milt Peterson, passed away on May 26, 2021. Milt’s traits of integrity, vision, trust, and generosity will be sorely missed as will his inviting smile and warm sense of humor. Milt would not accept ‘no’ for an answer if he believed in something, and his unwavering trust in the Propella mission strengthens our resolve to prove him right – again.
John P. Walker Chairman of the Board of Directors
John Walker has been a serial entrepreneur over his forty-five years in the Healthcare Industry. He started his career at American Hospital Supply Corporation (AHSC) where he eventually was named president of the Hospital Company, the largest operating unit of AHSC. After leaving American he became involved in translating new technologies from the bench to the bedside and has been associated with over three dozen companies in the Biotech and Medical Device sectors many of which he served as Chairman or CEO. These included Arris Pharmaceuticals, Vitaphore Corporation, Signal Pharmaceuticals, Guava Technologies, Centaur Pharmaceuticals, Novacea, Renovis, iPierian, Bayhill Therapeutics, Zosano, Neuraltus, Novacea, Kai Pharmaceuticals and others.
He is currently Chairman of Zosano and serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Puget Sound, the Board of Directors of Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital at Stanford University and is Chairman of the Packard Childrens Health Alliance.
Mr. Walker is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he was recently named a recipient of The Distinguished Alumni Award and is a graduate of the Advanced Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
Charles Birbara, MD Director, Founder
Dr. Birbara is a practicing rheumatologist in Worcester, MA, whose passions are patient care and clinical research. He is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where he has engaged in clinical research trials since 1975 and been the Medical Director of Advanced Clinical Care since 1989. Dr. Birbara has served as Principal Investigator for over 500 clinical research protocols, the majority of which have been in the areas of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and pain. Dr. Birbara has authored numerous manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Birbara is a graduate of Harvard College, received his medical degree from McGill University and completed his rheumatology fellowship at Northwestern University in Chicago. He is a fellow member of the American College of Rheumatology.
Thomas Byrne, MS, JD Director
Thomas Byrne is an experienced pharmaceutical R&D executive with special expertise in related intellectual property law. His experience includes in-house counsel positions within both Genentech and Amgen. While at Amgen, he co-invented the erythropoiesis-stimulating agent Aranesp®. From 1992-2000 he was a partner in the intellectual property law firm of Nixon and Vanderhye P.C. Since 2000, Mr. Byrne has provided expert legal counsel for numerous start-up biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies on intellectual property, contract and business issues.
Mr. Byrne holds BS degrees in Chemical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering from the University of Virginia, an MS degree in Biochemical Engineering from Yale University, and a JD degree from the University of Virginia.
Milt V. Peterson Director, Founder
Milt V. Peterson is a highly respected and innovative real estate developer and philanthropist. Milt is the Principal and Chairman of the Peterson Companies, which is known as a developer of high-quality, well-designed, cutting-edge properties throughout Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, and for its embrace of community support initiatives.
Milt has received numerous regional and national awards for his real estate industry leadership including NAIOP Developer of the Year, Fairfax (VA) Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year, and the Urban Land Institute Lifetime Achievement Award. Milt is enshrined in the Washington Business Hall of Fame.
In 1997, Milt, along with his wife Carolyn and their family, established the Peterson Family Foundation, which supports education, health and human services.
Milt is an ROTC graduate of Middlebury College and served as the Chairman of its Board of Trustees from 1985 to 1994. He previously served as a lieutenant with the US Army Corp of Engineers in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
William E. ‘Rick’ Peterson Director, Founder
William E. ‘Rick’ Peterson serves as Director of Non-Real Estate Assets (and as Chairman of its Investment Board) for the Peterson Companies. As such, Rick oversees a broad array of financial securities, private equity positions and multiple lines of businesses owned by the company outside of its real estate interests. Rick’s career at Peterson Companies includes roles as financial analyst, Residential Development Project Manager, CFO (1995 – 2003) and Sr. V.P. of Asset Management (2003 – 2009) overseeing the companies’ portfolio of Income Producing Properties. In 2010, Rick co-founded Vizuri Health Sciences LLC.
Rick served on the Board of Cardinal Financial Services Corporation, a $4 Billion regional bank, for 12 years and has been an active board member of many regional and global non-profit groups.
Mr. Peterson received a BA in Economics from Middlebury College and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
Robert J. Schotzinger, MD, PhD Director
Dr. Schotzinger is a veteran of the pharmaceutical industry with over 25 years of research, development, financing and management experience. Most recently, Dr. Schotzinger was co-founder and CEO of Viamet Pharmaceuticals where he raised significant equity capital and moved Viamet Pharmaceuticals from a seed-stage company to a successful clinical-stage company. Viamet Pharmaceuticals was acquired by NovaQuest Capital Management in 2018. Prior to founding Viamet Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Schotzinger was President and CEO of BioStratum, where he was responsible for progressing the company’s lead drug candidate from Phase 1 to Phase 3. Dr. Schotzinger began his pharmaceutical career at Abbott Laboratories where he held positions of increasing responsibility, including Director of International Medical Affairs and Vice President of Drug Development.
Dr. Schotzinger received his BS in Pharmacy from The Ohio State University. He subsequently earned his PhD degree in pharmacology and MD degree from Case Western Reserve University.
William Moore, PhD Director, President & Chief Executive Officer
A business and scientific leader in pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D, Dr. Moore has devoted his 30-year career to championing new chemical entities from discovery to the clinic (navigating the pharmaceutical industry ‘Valley of Death’) for the treatment of asthma, osteoporosis, inflammatory diseases, and with an emphasis on oncology. Before joining Propella in 2017, Dr. Moore held key positions of increasing responsibility at Merrell Dow Research Institute, Axys Pharmaceuticals, Locus Pharmaceuticals, Viamet Pharmaceuticals, and most recently at Innocrin Pharmaceuticals. At Innocrin, Dr. Moore led development activities for seviteronel, a lyase selective inhibitor of CYP17 enzyme, for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer and advanced breast cancer. Dr. Moore’s responsibilities have included corporate strategy, business development, management of external alliances, intellectual property strategy, fundraising, and all aspects of R&D and technology innovation.
Dr. Moore holds a BS in chemistry from Southeastern Massachusetts University, a PhD in chemistry from Brown University and, prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, was a Winston Fellow and Assistant Professor in Biochemistry at Cornell University Medical College.
