ADVISORY BOARD
JIM BULLOCK
Medical Devices
Jim served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Zyga Technology, Inc. (“Zyga Technology”), a privately-held medical device company focused on products that treat conditions of the lumbar spine, until January 2018, when RTI Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: RTIX) acquired Zyga Technology. Prior to that, he served for six years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Atritech, Inc. Atritech was a privately-held cardiovascular manufacturing company that was acquired by Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX). Prior to that, he served for nine years as President and Chief Executive Officer and was a member of the board of directors of Endocardial Solutions, Inc.(NASDAQ: ECSI), a cardiac-focused medical device company that was acquired by St. Jude Medical, which was itself acquired by Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT). He also served in that position at Stuart Medical, Inc., and began his career working in a variety of sales and marketing leadership positions at Baxter Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: BAX), and American Hospital Supply Corporation. In addition to his service on the board of Endocardial Solutions, Inc., Mr. Bullock has also served on the boards of directors of several private companies.
CASEY HAMMONTREE, MBA, MBEE
Finance (Co-Founder)
Casey focuses on evaluating potential investments, financial analysis, due diligence and portfolio management. He also leads the Fund’s operational and administrative functions. He began his career as an analyst at Wellington Management Company, LLC. He joined Resolute Capital Partners’ predecessor at its inception in 2005, became a partner in 2007, and has been actively involved in each of its funds. Casey earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from East Tennessee State University, an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Casey also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2003.
STEVE BUTTS
Biopharma
Steve has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry as an executive as well as various commercial roles including brand leadership, new product planning, business development and sales management. Prior to founding Arrivo, Steve was the co-founder, President and COO of Aerial BioPharma LLC (“Aerial”), a drug development company that sold its lead drug for narcolepsy to Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2014. Prior to Aerial, Steve was co-founder and Executive Vice President of Neuronex Inc. (“Neuronex”), a successful drug development company focused on developing treatments for patients with certain seizure disorders. Acorda Therapeutics acquired Neuronex in December 2012. Additionally, he was an original member of the executive team at Addrenex Pharmaceuticals (“Addrenex”), a specialty pharmaceutical development company. Steve served as Vice President of Commercial Operations and played a key role in the company’s sale to Shionogi Pharma in 2009. He has also served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at BioBehavioral Diagnostics Company, as well as assignments at Eli Lilly and Company and Braintree Laboratories.
GAIL PAGE
Medical Devices
In October of 2018, Ms Page joined Turret Capital as a Venture Partner where she leverages her years of experience and network in the Diagnostics and Clinical Laboratory sectors. This dovetails with her earlier work at Vineyard Investment Advisors, (2013-2018) which focused on partnering with entrepreneurs, businesses, and universities to transform their ideas into products and services. Prior to this venture, Ms. Page served as the President / CEO of Vermillion, Inc. from Jan 2004 thru December 2012 and was a member of the board of directors. Upon joining Vermillion in 2004 she inspired a pioneering spirit. which repositioned the company to embrace the progressive nature of its pipeline, successfully raised over $100M in funding, developed and commercially launched the first FDA-cleared novel multiproteomic/MAAA blood test to aid in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer and engaged Quest Diagnostics as an equity and commercial partner. Prior to serving Vermillion, she held executive positions at Laboratory Corporation of America and Luminex. Ms Page is a member of the board of directors for the following companies: Chembio Diagnostics, NxPrenatal, Sword Diagnostics, and Valtari Diagnostics. She has been recognized by Forbes Women and Business week for her work in the sector. Most recently, she served as Interim CEO for Chembio and led a successful transition. Ms. Page earned her degrees from Santa Fe Community College and the University of Florida. In 2003 she completed an executive management program at the Kellogg School in Chicago.
KEITH BAKER, MD, MBA
Biopharma, Strategy, Opthalmology
Keith Baker, MD, MBA is a graduate of Duke University, Dartmouth (Geisel) Medical School, and the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. Dr. Baker completed his Ophthalmology residency training at the University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, NC, where he was selected as Chief Resident during his final year of training. He completed his board certification in Ophthalmology and was elected to membership in the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Baker has participated in eye care medical mission trips to China, El Salvador, and rural Appalachia. Since 2010, Dr. Baker has worked in the life sciences industry as a strategy consultant and Medical Affairs professional. In that capacity, Keith has focused on identifying and addressing unmet clinical needs within the Ophthalmology space and has developed extensive experience in market assessment, clinical trial conception and execution, and communication of relevant data to a wide variety of stakeholders. Dr. Baker has served as an informal adviser to Dr. David Adair on multiple occasions since 2011 and joined the Solas Advisory Board in February of 2021.
LIZBETH KENNEDY, MD,
Neonatal, Women's Health
Lizbeth Kennedy, MD, MBA, is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Kennedy did her residency and fellowship at the University of Florida. She is board-certified in neonatal-perinatal medicine and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics with a subspecialty in neonatology. Dr. Kennedy has served as a faculty member at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. With a master’s degree in Business Administration and over twenty years of experience investing in life sciences, Dr. Kennedy has recently transitioned to full-time work as a serial entrepreneur with the aim of improving patient quality of life. Not only has Dr. Kennedy been a tremendous asset to our firm with diligence and deal sourcing, but our portfolio has gained greatly from her combined experience in venture capital and medicine.
ROBERT DOOLEY, PHD
Strategy, Talent
Dr. Robert Dooley is Dean of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Recently, the College of Business received a historic, $40 million gift from Gary W. Rollins and Kathleen Rollins of Atlanta. It is the largest private donation in the university’s history and marks the first time a college has been named at UTC. As Dean, Dr. Dooley has focused on supporting and enhancing student success, expanding academic programs through online offerings, working with faculty to create academic areas of excellence, developing key international partnerships, and strengthening ties with the area business community. Prior to becoming Dean of the Rollins College of Business at UTC, Dr. Dooley served as Associate Dean in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Dooley has been a visiting instructor at China European International Business School in Shanghai and served as an international advisor to schools in the UAE, Oman, and Liberia. He received an honorary doctorate from Moi University in Kenya for his work on faculty development. His research is also published in some of the top journals in the field of management. Originally from Athens, Tennessee, Dr. Dooley is an alumnus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
AMY GROGG, PHARMD
Strategy, Healthcare IT
Amy L. Grogg, PharmD, is Senior Vice President of Strategy and Commercialization for AmerisourceBergen. Dr. Grogg develops strategies to advance AmerisourceBergen's leadership in the pharmaceutical services industry and position AmerisourceBergen as the preferred commercialization partner for specialty pharmaceutical manufacturers. Additionally, Dr. Grogg holds operational responsibility for Xcenda, part of AmerisourceBergen, which provides strategic consulting services for life sciences manufacturers commercializing products in the United States, Germany, and key global markets.
FRANK BUTLER, PHD
Strategy, Portfolio Management
Frank is a UC Foundation Associate Professor of Management and Faculty Director of the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). His doctorate is in Strategic Management with a support area of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management. He has published several book chapters and numerous papers in academic journals and practitioner journals including Harvard Business Review. He has consulted with founders, top managers, and boards of directors from new ventures to large, established organizations, both for profit and non-profit. Additionally, he provides tailored leadership training, teaches executive education classes in the U.S. and Mexico, and a course on managing across borders in Germany. Frank currently serves on the board of directors for EIRSYSTEM, Inc. Prior to academia, Frank co-founded an IT networking and technical support company. After selling the company, he worked for a software development firm that provided software to the healthcare industry. He moved to Germany for several years and worked for a multinational IT company responsible for international sales, partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions. He also worked for BearingPoint as an IT consultant. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the University of Georgia and his Ph.D. from Florida State University.