Accomplished individuals who share their experience to support our efforts to bring medicines to patients.
Sharon Mates, Ph.D.
Chairman, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Intra-Cellular Therapies
As Founder, Chairman and CEO of Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. (ITCI), Dr. Mates leads Intra-Cellular Therapies, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, clinical development and commercialization of innovative drugs that address underserved medical needs in complex psychiatric and neurologic diseases.
Dr. Mates has more than 25 years of experience leading public and private companies with a steadfast commitment to cutting-edge science and research to discover innovative approaches to treating disease. Prior to co-founding ITCI in 2002, she was President and board member of North American Vaccine Inc. and its predecessor companies for almost a decade, during which time she oversaw the development and approval of pediatric vaccines. Throughout her career, she has held numerous advisory and board positions including a current board appointment to Biotechnology Innovation Organization Emerging Company Section (BIO ECS). Previous appointments include chairman of the New York Biotechnology Association, Board of Visitors of the Biotechnology Institute of the University of Maryland, and member of the Harvard School of Public Health Advisory Council of the Center for Society and Health.
Dr. Mates received her B.S. from The Ohio State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Washington. She completed her postdoctoral fellowships at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Joel S. Marcus, J.D., CPA
Executive Chairman & Founder, Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE: ARE)/Alexandria Venture Investments
Read MoreJoel S. Marcus, J.D., CPA
Executive Chairman & Founder, Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE: ARE)/Alexandria Venture Investments
Mr. Marcus has served on the board of directors of ITCI since April 2006. Mr. Marcus co-founded Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. in 1994, Alexandria Venture Investments in 1996, and the renowned Alexandria Summit in 2011. He is the Executive Chairman of the board of directors of Alexandria. He served as Chairman of Alexandria’s board of directors from May 2007 to April 2018, Chief Executive Officer from March 1997 to April 2018, President from February 2009 to April 2018, and has served as a director since the company’s inception in 1994. In addition to ITCI, Mr. Marcus serves on the boards of Accelerator Life Science Partners and AgTech Accelerator Corporation (Chairman), for which he was one of the original architects and co-founders, Applied Therapeutics Inc., Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA), Boragen Inc., MeiraGTx Limited, Yumanity Therapeutics; Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), Friends of Cancer Research, MassBio, NewYorkBIO, The Scripps Research Institute; the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Partnership for New York City, and Robin Hood Foundation, as well as on Nareit’s 2018 Executive Board.
Prior to co-founding Alexandria, Mr. Marcus had an extensive legal career specializing in corporate finance and capital markets, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions, with a unique expertise in the biopharmaceutical industry, and was one of the principal architects of the Kirin-Amgen EPO joint venture in 1984. He was also a practicing certified public accountant and tax manager with Arthur Young & Co., where he focused on the financing and taxation of REITs.
Mr. Marcus earned his undergraduate and Juris Doctor degrees at the University of California, Los Angeles, and was a recipient of the EY Entrepreneur Of the Year Award (Los Angeles – Real Estate).
Rory B. Riggs, MBA
Co-Founder and Director, Royalty Pharma; Founder and CEO, Syntax LLC, Locus Analytics; Managing Member, Scientia Ventures.
Read MoreRory B. Riggs, MBA
Co-Founder and Director, Royalty Pharma; Founder and CEO, Syntax LLC, Locus Analytics; Managing Member, Scientia Ventures.
Mr. Riggs has served on our board of directors since January 2014. Mr. Riggs is a co-founder and director of Royalty Pharma (NASDAQ: RPRX), an investment company focused on drug royalties. He served as Chairman of its investment committee from 2003 to 2020. Since April 2010, Mr. Riggs has served as founder and Chief Executive Officer of Syntax Analytics, LLC, a development stage venture focused on creating a new information technology platform for risk management. Since June 2006, Mr. Riggs has also served as Managing Member of Scientia Ventures, a healthcare venture fund. From 1996 until 2000, Mr. Riggs served as President and as a director of Biomatrix, Inc. (NYSE: BXM). From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Riggs served as President and Chief Executive Officer of RF&P Corporation, an investment company owned by the State of Virginia Retirement System.
Prior to that, he served as a managing director in PaineWebber’s mergers and acquisitions department from 1981 to 1990. In addition to Royalty Pharma, Mr. Riggs is co-founder and serves on the board of directors of FibroGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGEN); co-founder and Chairman of Cibus, LLC, a private agricultural gene-editing company; and co-founder and director of Stage Zero Therapeutics (TSE: SZLS) and co-founder and chairman of eReceivables, a private healthcare services company.
Mr. Riggs graduated from Middlebury College and holds an MBA from Columbia University.
E. Rene Salas, CPA
Former Senior Client Partner at Ernst & Young, LLP; Former CFO, Wellstat, LLC
Read MoreE. Rene Salas, CPA
Former Senior Client Partner at Ernst & Young, LLP; Former CFO, Wellstat, LLC
Mr. Salas joined our board of directors in April, 2022. He has over 35 years of experience with accounting and advisory projects in the life sciences and technology industries. From 1987 to 2019, Mr. Salas worked at Ernst & Young, LLP in a variety of roles, most recently as a senior client partner from 2010 to 2019. At Ernst & Young LLP, Mr. Salas also served in various leadership roles on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the national and regional level, including the firm’s national task force on DEI. From 2020 to 2022, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Wellstat, LLC, an early-stage biopharmaceutical company. He currently serves on the board of directors for Embody, Inc., a privately-held medical device company focused on soft tissue healing.
Mr. Salas received his B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has also completed executive education programs in strategic leadership for Ernst & Young partners at Harvard Business School and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School. Mr. Salas is a Certified Public Accountant.
Robert L. Van Nostrand
Chairman, Metabolix; Board Member, Achillion Pharmaceuticals; Former CFO, OSI Pharmaceuticals
Read MoreRobert L. Van Nostrand
Chairman, Metabolix; Board Member, Achillion Pharmaceuticals; Former CFO, OSI Pharmaceuticals
Mr. Van Nostrand has served on our board of directors since January 2014. Mr. Van Nostrand was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Aureon Biosciences, Inc., a private pathology life science company, from January 2010 to July 2010. Prior to joining Aureon Biosciences, Mr. Van Nostrand served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AGI Dermatics, Inc., a private biotechnology company, from July 2007 to September 2008 when the company was acquired. From May 2005 to July 2007, Mr. Van Nostrand served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly-traded biotechnology company, where he previously served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from December 1996 through May 2005, and as Vice President, Finance and Administration prior to that. He also served as OSI’s Treasurer from March 1992 to May 2005 and Secretary from March 1995 to January 2004. Mr. Van Nostrand joined OSI as Controller and Chief Accounting Officer in September 1986.
Prior to joining OSI, Mr. Van Nostrand served in a managerial position with the accounting firm, Touche Ross & Co., currently Deloitte. Mr. Van Nostrand serves as chairman of the board of directors of Metabolix, Inc., a publicly-traded biotechnology company, as well as chairman of its audit committee. Mr. Van Nostrand also serves on the board of directors of Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly-traded biotechnology company, where he serves as chairman of the audit committee. He also serves on the board of directors of the Biomedical Research Alliance of New York, a private company providing clinical trial services. Mr. Van Nostrand was the former chairman of (and serves on) the board of the New York Biotechnology Association and serves on the Foundation Board of Farmingdale University. Previously, Mr. Van Nostrand served on the board of directors of Apex Bioventures, Inc., a special purpose acquisition company focused on life sciences.
Mr. Van Nostrand holds a B.S. in Accounting from Long Island University, New York. He is a Certified Public Accountant.