Directors at Large

Executive Vice President - California Executive Liability Practice Leader, HUB International

Adrian Atilano

Adrian leads the HUB CA Executive Liability Practice. He is well-versed in the complex issues facing public, private and non-profit organizations in the realm of Executive Risk, strategically advising clients on a broad spectrum of management liability coverages, including directors and officers liability, employment practices liability, data security, and errors & omissions programs.
Adrian understands the stakes are higher now more than ever for his clients. He and his team take a forward-looking view of each client’s unique risk profile ensuring that not only the right coverages are put in place, but that corporate governance issues are also incorporated.
Adrian has several years of experience managing executive liability programs for companies ranging from mid-sized to Fortune 500. Prior to joining HUB, Adrian served as President of Intercare Insurance Solution’s Executive Risk Division. He also served as Practice Leader of the Marsh San Diego Financial & Professional Products (FINPRO) department.
Prior to Intercare and Marsh, Adrian gained an “insider’s” perspective of executive liability issues as Territory Manager for Chubb’s Executive Protection department in San Diego and Los Angeles.

Partner, Cooley LLP

Matthew Browne

Matt Browne’s practice focuses on transactional and general corporate matters, with Matt typically serving as his client’s first point of contact at Cooley for all matters and regularly working with them on mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings, public company reporting and disclosure issues, corporate governance matters and other commercial matters. Matt also has expertise in the drug royalty space, having advised clients on numerous drug royalty transactions involving many different transaction structures and with aggregate proceeds in excess of $2.3 billion.

Chair, Educational Enrichment Services, Inc.; (Retired) VP, General Counsel & Corp Secretary , WD-40 Company

Richard Clampitt

In February 2022, Clampitt retired as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of WD-40 Company. Rich had global responsibility for the company’s legal affairs and corporate governance. He also served as the company’s chief compliance officer.

Prior to joining WD-40 Company in 2014, Rich practiced law in San Diego for 32 years. He provided corporate and business counsel to the company for all of those years. In 1981, he joined Harmsen Carpenter Sidell & Olson, APC, which combined with Gordon & Rees LLP in 2000. At Gordon & Rees, Rich served as co-chair of the firm’s business practice group.

Currently, Rich serves as chair of the board of directors of Educational Enrichment Systems, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing state-funded and affordable quality early childhood education and development programs in San Diego County.

Rich received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Colby College.

Professor of Law, University of San Diego School of Law

Stephen Ferruolo

Ferruolo served as dean for USD School of Law from 2011-2020. From 1979 to 1987, he taught history as an assistant professor at Stanford University. Ferruolo’s publications include The Origins of the University: The Schools of Paris and Their Critics (Stanford University Press, 1985).

Ferruolo clerked for the Honorable Bruce M. Selya of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. From 2007 to 2011, he served as the founding partner and chair of the San Diego office of Goodwin Procter LLP. Prior to 2007, Ferruolo was a partner and co-chair of the Corporate/VLG Practice Group at Heller Ehrman LLP in its Palo Alto and San Diego offices. From 2003 to 2011, he served as vice president and general counsel of BIOCOM, the world’s largest regional life sciences association, and then as its vice-chairman from 2011 to 2014.

Ferruolo specializes in the areas of business, corporate and biotech law. He advises USD’s National Transactional LawMeet® team and co-teaches in-house corporate counseling and the spring semester of the experiential advocacy practicum.

Ferruolo graduated magna cum laude with high honors from Wesleyan University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He earned his PhD in History at Princeton University and his JD at Stanford University, where he graduated with honors. He is a member of the Order of the Coif. In 2006, BIOCOM awarded him with the William W. Otterson Service Award, presented for outstanding support of the life sciences industry in San Diego. In 2011, the Daily Journal listed him as one of the “Top 25 Biotech Lawyers in California.” He was also selected for inclusion in the Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, and Venture Capital Law categories of The Best Lawyers in San Diego. Ferruolo is listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the Life Sciences category and in the biotechnology law category of The Best Lawyers in America. In October 2014, the Law Library Justice Foundation honored Ferruolo with the 2014 Bernard E. Witkin Award for Excellence in Teaching of the Law. He was a recipient of the Convivio Communitas Award for Leadership in May 2017.

Office Managing Partner, KPMG San Diego

Cathy Gonzales

Cathy Gonzales was recently named the managing partner for the KPMG San Diego office. Cathy has been with KPMG for over 22 years and has over 24 years of experience in supporting clients with Internal Audit services, Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance, IPO assistance, Corporate Governance and Business Risk issues.    Cathy works with clients in the Energy, Technology, Life Sciences, Healthcare and Financial Services Industries.

Cathy started with the firm’s Los Angeles office in 1996. In 2000, she transferred to San Diego to start the San Diego based Advisory Service Practice. Since this time, Cathy has had responsibilities for Business Development and Client Service Delivery and helped grow the practice to over 90 professionals. Cathy is the leader for the San Diego Chapter of KPMG’s Network of Women and is responsible for implementation of the program and events for the office.

Cathy has been on the Athena San Diego Board for the last 6 years and currently is the Treasurer and sits on the Executive Committee. She has a Bachelor of Accountancy Degree from the University of San Diego and is a CPA in the State of California.

Director, Corporate Counsel, Jack in the Box Inc.

Matthew Hamilton

Since April 2020, Matthew has served as Director, Corporate Counsel and Assistant Secretary for Jack in the Box Inc., a San Diego based restaurant company that operates and franchises more than 2,200 restaurants. As Corporate Counsel, Matthew is responsible for the oversight of the company’s corporate governance among other responsibilities.

Prior to joining Jack in the Box, Matthew worked as Global Legal Counsel for Amobee, Inc, a digital advertising company, from May 2017 to April 2020 and as General Counsel for GlyEco, Inc., an antifreeze recycling company, from August 2012 to May 2017.

Matthew received his Juris Doctor from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, and he is licensed in Arizona and California.

Founder, CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Incitrio; Fractional CEO, Andrews Cooper; Fractional CMO, Repositax, Inc.

Angela Hill

Angela Hill is a CEO and senior marketing executive with 30+ years of experience helping to drive revenue and expand worldwide market share for Fortune 500 public companies and SMB private companies in the FinTech, Software, and Medical Device industries. Angela’s career reflects a proven track record in facilitating large-scale marketing transformation, expanding reach for global business environments, and advising M&A transactions via brand transformation as a tool to increase valuation. She also brings governance experience through extensive nonprofit board service.

Angela is the founder and CEO of Incitrio LLC a global branding & marketing agency with global clients in Europe, South American, and Asia. She has served as CEO for over 16 years and is responsible for strategic outcome planning, branding and marketing strategy, budgeting and planning, process optimization, and leveraging business intelligence from key metrics. She also serves as a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for a startup FinTech in San Diego and $25M Engineering Design firm in Oregon. Angela and her team at Incitrio have been significantly involved in prepping and facilitating client acquisitions, typically ranging in value from $50M to $200M for publicly disclosed valuations and significantly higher for private valuations.

She began her career working at multiple large marketing agencies serving Fortune 500 clients with branding and
marketing application and extension, including brands such as: Foster Farms, Pepsi, Anheuser Busch, Williams Sonoma,
Mars Candy, Visa, Sun Microsystems, Intel, Hallmark, Energizer, Ford, PG&E, Merrill Lynch, Maersk, Marsh, Alliant,
Titleist, Nielsen, and more.

She has served on the boards of: Big Brothers Big Sisters San Diego, the San Diego Social Venture Partners, the American
Institute for Graphic Artists, the American Marketing Association, the Hi-Tech Marketing Alliance, and the Association for Corporate Growth San Diego (serving as both Chair of the Marketing Committee and later as President of the Board).
Currently, Angela is a mentor for San Diego Sports Innovators and the Lavin Entrepreneurial Management Center. She is
a member of the Corporate Directors Forum, the Association for Corporate Growth San Diego, and is affiliated with
numerous professional and industry associations.

She has spoken at national and international conferences on the topics of Branding and Marketing. She is a former
national Vistage speaker on Branding, former instructor at the University of San Diego (USD) on Branding and Digital
Marketing, and a former adjunct professor at San Diego State University (SDSU) for the topic of Graphic Design. She has
advised Cal State San Marcos and the San Dieguito Unified School District with curriculum development and lectured on
the topics of Branding and Marketing at universities such as: SDSU, USD, UCSD, Cal State San Marcos, National
University, and UC Irvine.

Both she and her firm are recipients of numerous national and international awards such as being recognized as a Top 50
Influential in San Diego by the San Diego Daily Transcript and being selected as a Finalist for the San Diego “Sales &
Marketing Leader of the Year Award”, and has been spotlighted in the San Diego Business Journal, the San Diego Daily
Transcript, Process Magazine, and other publications.

Angela received her BFA in Visual Communication with an emphasis in Graphic Design and a minor in Marketing with an emphasis in Branding from Washington University in Saint Louis.

Vice President, Operations Support, San Diego Gas & Electric

Jennifer Jett

Jennifer Jett is vice president of operations support for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), one of Sempra’s regulated California utilities. In this role, Jett oversees supply management, supplier diversity, logistics, fleet, real estate, land services, tribal relations and facilities.

Prior to her current role, Jett served as vice president, governance, and corporate secretary for Sempra. In that role, she was responsible for advising the board of directors and senior management on a broad range of governance matters.

Over the past 17 years, Jett has held various positions of increasing responsibility within the law and finance departments at Sempra, where she worked on a wide range of securities, transactional, governance and financing matters for Sempra and its subsidiaries.

Jett serves as a board member of the Corporate Directors Forum.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and anthropology from the University of Vermont, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Partner, Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

Paul Johnson

Paul B. Johnson helps entrepreneurs and their investors get companies formed, funded and sold, including initial formation of corporations and LLCs, negotiation of seed, early and mid-stage equity financings and buy and sell-side mergers and acquisitions.  Paul is also adept at venture capital investments, public and private securities offering and compliance and general business counseling.  Paul has also counseled some of San Diego’s most successful companies in Securities and Exchange Commission compliance and general corporate governance.
Recognitions

• 2016 and 2017 BNY Mellon M&A Advisor of the Year (sell-side legal representation in a sale to a public company)
• Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent Rating
• San Diego Business Journal “Best of the Bar” – 2015
• “Top Lawyers,” San Diego Magazine, 2015-2017
• The Daily Transcript Top Attorney – 2012 (Corporate Transactional)

Education

• JD, BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School, cum laude, 1996 (Law Review Editor)
• MBA (International Finance), Brigham Young University, cum laude, 1996
• BS (International Finance), Brigham Young University, 1992

Publications

• Co-author with Aaron Sokoloff, “How Your Company’s Valuation Can Be Impacted by Convertible Notes,” December 7, 2017.
• Co-author with Aaron Sokoloff, “When Investors Require Side Agreements,” September 21, 2017.
• Co-author. “The Trouble with Strategic Financings,” June 16, 2015.

Managing Partner, DAL Consulting Group

David Lang

David Lang serves as the Senior Development and Community Relations Officer for Bastyr University’s California campus in San Diego. In this role, Lang connects philanthropy and organizations to the university in support of its vision to bring “health and wellness to the human community” as the nation’s leading natural health arts and sciences institution. Lang also advises early stage companies focused on environmental agriculture, natural health and wellness, and alternative and renewable energy in the U.S. and Southeast Asia. Earlier, he was the founding executive director of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, the collaborative body and collective voice for 26 cultural institutions in San Diego’s historic Balboa Park. Prior to joining the partnership, he was director of government affairs for KSA Industries, parent company of a diverse group of businesses (including the NFL’s Tennessee Titans) in Houston, Texas. Lang serves on the YMCA of San Diego County Board of Directors, Corporate Directors Forum Board of Directors, Association of Fundraising Professionals Board of Directors, and USA Triathlon Foundation Board of Trustees.

CEO & Executive Chairman, Corza Health; Managing Director, RiverRoad Capital Partners

Gregory T. Lucier

Director, Ensysce Biosciences

Steve R. Martin

Steve R. Martin is an experienced Chief Financial Officer for publicly-held reporting companies. He has managed all aspects of investor relations, financing activities and Board of Director matters, and has extensive mergers and acquisitions experience. Steve began his career at Deloitte and continued a professional career in finance focused on life science companies plus manufacturing and software entities.

In 2022, Steve retired from his duties as CFO and as Senior Vice President of Armata Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly-traded biotechnology company pioneering the development and commercialization of therapies for antibiotic-resistant infections using bacteriophage-based technology. Steve is now focused on his roles as a Board of Director member for profit oriented and not-for-profit entities.

In August 2022, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Ensysce Biosciences, a publicly-traded, life sciences company, where he serves as Chairman on the Audit Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the La Jolla Country Club.

Partner, BDO USA, LLP

Jamie Mason

Jamie Mason is an Assurance Partner in BDO’s San Diego office and has over 17 years of professional experience serving public and private audit clients in the technology, manufacturing, software, life science, pharmaceutical, medical device, automotive, insurance and service industries. Jamie has worked with a wide range of clients, from start-ups to large multinational Fortune 500 companies.

Jamie has extensive experience in revenue recognition, business combinations, share-based compensation, foreign currency translation, consolidations, non-controlling interests, accounting for exit and disposal activities, and Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) 404 audits of internal controls. He has served as a firm-wide specialist in financial accounting for income taxes and facilitates local and national trainings on a variety of topics.

Jamie currently sits on the Audit Committee of The La Jolla Institute. Prior to joining BDO, he was a Senior Manager with a Big Four firm. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Managing Director, Global Capital Markets, Donnelley Financial Solutions

Mike Metz

Mike Metz is in the Global Capital Markets segment within Donnelley Financial Solutions. He has been involved in the industry for over twenty years – with Bowne, RR Donnelley and now Donnelley Financial Solutions. Mike transitioned from the managing the Operations prior to taking on his current Sales and Business Development role. He has been actively involved with the business community, working with local legal, finance and executive professionals. He provides consulting services to public and private companies, specifically in the areas of IPOs, Mergers & Acquisitions, SEC filings, Virtual Datarooms, Translations, XBRL, Annual Reports and Proxy Statements. He has partnered with companies in many industries, including life sciences, software, telecommunications, software and defense. His clients rely upon his unique mix of financial, legal and SEC expertise, and many clients view him as a friend and a trusted member of their core decision-making team.
Mike graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Communication. Mike is an active sponsor and member of Century Club, CDF, ACG, FEI, Biocom, SDVG, NIRI, Rady Children’s Hospital and Surfrider Foundation. Mike was born in Denver, CO and grew up in Irvine, CA. He currently lives in Torrey Hills with his wife Paige, daughter and son.

Director, Jack in the Box Inc.; Retired President and Chief Executive Officer, Sharp HealthCare

Michael W. Murphy

Mike Murphy retired as president and chief executive officer of Sharp HealthCare in 2019. At Sharp, Murphy oversaw a workforce of over 18,000 employees, 2,600 affiliated physicians and 1,800 volunteers. Sharp provides care and service in a fully integrated not-for-profit system that includes four acute-care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, two affiliated medical groups, five urgent care centers, three skilled nursing facilities, home health, hospice, state-of-the-art outpatient facilities and a health plan.

Murphy, whose career in health care spanned 40 years, was appointed to his position in 1996. Under Murphy’s direction, Sharp dedicated itself to The Sharp Experience, which is transforming the health care experience for employees, physicians and customers. This focus on purpose, worthwhile work and making a difference led to increased employee, physician and patient satisfaction, as well as enhanced loyalty and improved outcomes as Sharp strives to fulfill its vision of becoming the best place to work, the best place to practice medicine and the best place to receive care.

During Murphy’s tenure, Sharp HealthCare grew from a $1 billion to a $3.5 billion organization, cash reserves increased from $143 million to $2.4 billion, and market share grew consecutively for 18 years, resulting in Sharp HealthCare being the San Diego County market share leader. Under Murphy’s aegis, Sharp received the National Malcolm Baldrige Performance of Excellence Award, multiple Magnet Designations for Nursing Excellence, named as one of the World’s Most Ethical companies, selected by Forbes magazine as one of the nation’s best employers by in America and as one of the 100 Most Wired organizations, among numerous other recognitions.

A Southern California native, Murphy is a graduate of California State University at Long Beach and is a certified public accountant. In 2005, he served as chairperson of the board of the Greater San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. In 2016, he served as chairperson of the board of directors for the State of California Chamber of Commerce and remains on the board today. In 2014, Murphy was named a San Diego Business Hall of Fame Laureate by Junior Achievement and in 2016, was named Health Care Leader of the Year by the United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego.

Partner, DLA Piper

Larry W. Nishnick

Larry Nishnick, Partner at DLA Piper, advises both private emerging growth companies and established, public company clients throughout a broad range of industries, including technology, software, life sciences and healthcare, sports, media, entertainment, consumer products and retail, consumer finance, cleantech and the internet of things. Larry also advises private equity, venture capitalists and angel investors in connection with their investments.

Larry advises clients from the initial formation and early-stage fundraisings through later-stage venture capital and private equity financings to IPOs and follow-on offerings, PIPEs and debt financings. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships, collaborations and other strategic transactions. Larry’s practice also includes SEC disclosure and reporting requirements, including 1933 Act and 1934 Act disclosure and the reporting requirements of NYSE, NASDAQ and AMEX.

Larry’s experience is extensive with deals ranging from angel investments to multi-billion dollar acquisitions. His recent representation of companies includes QUALCOMM, World Wresting Entertainment (WWE), Live Nation Worldwide, The Coca-Cola Company, ViaSat, Lufthansa, Provide Commerce, Jack-in­ the-Box, CrossFit, Barclays Bank and a vast number of private emerging growth technology companies. His recent representation of companies in the life sciences and healthcare sectors includes NuVasive Life Technologies, BioFire Diagnostics, bioMerieux, Neothetics, Cypher Genomics, Cytori Therapeutics, Mast Therapeutics, Halozyme Therapeutics, Epic Sciences, BiologicTx and a number of emerging growth companies in the therapeutics, diagnostics, aesthetics, genomics and healthcare industries.

Prior to joining DLA Piper, Larry served as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary to telecommunications company and as a general counsel at a specialty pharmaceuticals company. Based on these in-house executive positions, he gained valuable experience on day-to-day legal and business matters while managing worldwide legal operations and was responsible for worldwide business development, corporate services and operations.

Dean, Rady School of Management, University of California San Diego

Lisa Ordóñez

Lisa Ordóñez became the Dean of the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego beginning September 2019. She previously served for 25 years at the University of Arizona as a research faculty member and later as vice dean for over four years. 

As vice dean at the University of Arizona, Ordóñez significantly impacted the operations of the Eller College of Management. At Eller, Ordóñez supported the development of an online undergraduate program, an international program, and six master’s programs. Ordóñez cultivated research by increasing funds and activities, successfully restructured the college-wide financial allocation model, initiated diversity and inclusion activities, and headed a successful AACSB review. She also co-chaired the university-wide strategic plan. 

As dean of the Rady School, Ordóñez will apply her operational skills to lead the school and build on the strong foundation laid by founding Dean Robert Sullivan. As the second dean of the Rady School, she intends to transition the school from a start-up to focus on growth and further cement the school’s global business research prominence and impact as an innovation focused, economic engine within the San Diego business community and beyond.

Ordóñez’s academic interests are in the areas of decision making and behavioral ethics. Her research examines the negative aspects of goal setting. In particular, she has found that pursuing performance goals can lead to unethical behavior to meet those goals. She has published several scholarly articles and chapters in this field. She received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to support her work on ethical decision making and is a recognized expert in the field of ethical behavior in organizations. She has also examined the impact of emotions and other factors on decision making. Her research has been cited in numerous media outlets including Money Magazine, New York Times, The Economist, CNN, Forbes, Running Magazine, and Real Simple Magazine and on NPR Marketplace.

Ordóñez holds a Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology, a Master’s in Marketing, and a Bachelor’s degree all from the University of California Berkeley.

Partner, Larrabee Albi Coker, LLP

Teodora Purcell

Teodora (Teo) Purcell is a Partner with Larrabee Albi Coker, LLP and a certified specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization.  She advocates for the rights and opportunities of people of diverse backgrounds and counsels clients on immigration compliance, global mobility and citizenship issues. Teo works with companies in biotech, IT, fintech sectors and devises strategies for bringing and retaining foreign talent to the U.S.

Teo’s career has spanned Am100 Law Firms, international law firms, non-profit organizations, and working with entrepreneurs, startups, as well as Fortune 500 companies in a wide array of industries.  She is a faculty member at the University of California San Diego ABA approved paralegal program. Teo is a licensed attorney in the United States and Bulgaria and is fluent in Bulgarian, conversant in Russian and Spanish.

Teo serves or has served in various roles on the San Diego County Bar Association Board of Directors, the University of San Diego Law School Alumni Advisory Board, Women of Color in Law Advisory Board, Vassil Levski Education and Cultural Foundation Board of Directors, and the American Immigration Law Association Executive Committee (San Diego).

Recognitions

• Super Lawyers, Top 25 Women in San Diego, 2019-2021
• Super Lawyers, 2015- 2022 (Immigration Law)
• KBPS Local Hero Award, 2016
• La Mancha Award, Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Casa Cornelia Law Center, 2015
• The Daily Transcript Top Attorney – 2014 – 2015 (Immigration Law)

Education

• LLM (Comparative Law), University of San Diego School of Law, 2001
• LLM (International Law), JD, University of Sofia, Bulgaria, 1998

Director of Business Development - West Coast Region, Mintz

David Salisbury

David is the Director of Business Development for the West Coast Region at Mintz Levin, where he is responsible for managing the firm’s California branding and business development efforts.

Before joining Mintz Levin, David served as the Director of Marketing and Business Development in the San Diego office of a nationally recognized law firm, where he strategically advised the firm and its attorneys on community involvement, marketing, public relations, and business development.

David’s broad-based experience includes advertising, public relations, business development, and corporate communications campaigns. In his career, he has held several senior level marketing leadership roles in the San Diego business community, including National Marketing Manager for ARRK Product Development Group and Marketing Director of HOIST Fitness Systems.

He regularly speaks about marketing, networking, and business development topics, and he has served as a mentor to MBA students at the University of San Diego for more than six years. David is also active in the CONNECT, BIOCOM, and CommNexus community organizations as well as participates in fundraising for local charities, such as the San Diego Bar Foundation and SHARP HospiceCare – Homes for Hospice Program.

David received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of San Diego, with an emphasis in marketing and management (1995).

Professional & Community Involvement:
Former chair, University of San Diego School of Business Alumni Council
Chair, Resources Development Committee of the Center for Community Solutions
Director, Center for Community Solutions Board
Director, Corporate Directors Forum Board

Education:
University of San Diego, BBA

Chief Financial Officer, Neurana Pharmaceuticals

Kathleen Scott

Kathy Scott is a senior financial executive with 30 years of experience assisting public and privately held life science companies grow their businesses. Kathy’s career reflects a demonstrated track record in successfully building start-up companies into full scale operating companies, optimizing financial management processes, and executing M&A transactions and financings in domestic and global markets. She also brings deep corporate governance experience through her work on corporate boards, including public company audit committees.

Kathy is currently an independent board member and audit committee chair of Dermata Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRMA), which completed its IPO in 2021.  Dermata is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the treatment of multiple medical and aesthetic skin conditions.

Kathy was previously an independent board member and audit committee member at Conatus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNAT) until its merger with Histogen in May 2020.  She was brought in as a director based on her extensive experience with M&A transactions to assist the board with its review of strategic alternatives.

Kathy has spent the last 10 years as Chief Financial Officer for private companies in the life science industry.  In her current role at Neurana Pharmaceuticals, Kathy assisted with raising a $60 million Series A round and supported a successful Phase 2 clinical trial.  Kathy is currently leading an IPO for the Neurana, planned for early 2022.

Prior roles:

• Adigica Health, an e-commerce company where Kathy assisted the company in raising $20 million in equity financing and growing annual revenue from zero to over $5 million.
• Recros Medica, a development stage aesthetic medical device company, at which Kathy implemented all company infrastructure and raised over $30 million in equity.
• Clarify Medical, a medical device company, where Kathy led the efforts to raise over $5M in seed financing.
• MDRejuvena, a premium skin care products company where Kathy set up all accounting and HR systems to facilitate the efficient operations of the company.
• Oncternal Therapeutics, an oncology company focused on monoclonal antibodies, where Kathy assisted with negotiations and closing of a merger with another private company.

As CFO, Kathy is responsible for all accounting, finance, banking, human resources, legal, and insurance matters, as well as advising the CEO and boards of directors on overall company strategy.

Kathy was a formerly a Partner at RA Capital Advisors, a San Diego private investment bank providing financial advisory services. She spent over 15 years with RA Capital Advisors, completing billions of dollars of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings and IPO advisory services for a broad range of corporate clients.  Kathy started her career as an auditor in Arthur Andersen’s San Diego office, focusing on both public and private clients.

Kathy is immediate past chair of the board of directors of the YMCA of San Diego County, the largest YMCA in the United States with over $200 million in revenue and 5,000 employees.  Kathy is also on the HR Committee, Finance Committee, Audit Committee and Executive Compensation Committees at the YMCA.  In addition, she is a board member of Corporate Directors’ Forum.

A CPA and CFA charter holder, Kathy graduated magna cum laude from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in economics / business.

Audit Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP

Hiral Shah

Hiral is a partner with Deloitte and Touche LLP and has over 18 years of public accounting experience serving a wide range of clients, including both publicly held and privately owned companies.

Hiral has worked her entire career in Deloitte San Diego. Hiral is industry agnostic and has served clients in life sciences (public and emerging growth companies), healthcare, insurance for profit education, real estate and manufacturing industries. Hiral works with and advises her clients on complex or specialized accounting processes. Known for her rapid grasp of issues and quick responses, she has advised C-suite executives and audit committees on a broad spectrum of issues. Her ability to identify risks early and determine a clear path for resolution helps her clients avoid unwelcome surprises.

Hiral is passionate about the people and local community; She has led the Inclusion Council Leader for Deloitte San Diego and is involved with several WIN (women’s initiatives) in the office. She is currently serving as a Board Member of YWCA – San Diego. Hiral is the Board Readiness Program leader C-suite executives and aspiring board members to prepare them for board service and amplify Deloitte’s relationship with board members.

Hiral actively mentors’ young colleagues (especially diverse colleagues) and is respected for her direct communication style and strong coordination skills.

Hiral is a graduate of California State University – San Marcos and belongs to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP

Colleen Smith

Colleen Smith is a member of the Securities Litigation & Professional Liability Practice, representing public companies and corporate officers and directors in securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, mergers and acquisitions litigation, SEC investigations, internal investigations and other complex, high-stakes litigation.
Ms. Smith is experienced in all aspects of complex litigation, including major motion practice, fact and expert discovery, trial and appeals. In recent years, she led a six-week jury trial in federal court involving claims totaling nearly US$200 million which the jury returned a unanimous verdict for her client. Ms. Smith has successfully briefed and argued appeals in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and in the California Courts of Appeals.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Smith served as a law clerk to David R. Thompson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and to James H. Michael of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. Prior to law school, Ms. Smith served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy.
Ms. Smith is on the Business Development Committee for the San Diego office and oversees the Securities Litigation Practice Mentor Program.

Member, Mintz

Scott M. Stanton

Scott is a corporate attorney with extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, corporate governance, and general corporate matters. His experience includes: structuring and negotiating M&A deals of all sizes; leading public and private securities transactions; serving as primary outside counsel to public and private companies; and advising clients on SEC compliance and other governance matters. He represents companies, boards of directors, and board committees in a wide variety of industries, including software, medical devices, life sciences, semiconductors, manufacturing, consumer products, insurance and financial services.

In the M&A side of his practice, Scott handles public company mergers, tender offers, hostile takeovers, and many other types of strategic acquisitions and divestitures. His capital markets capabilities include representing issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings of debt and equity securities. He also guides clients through initial public offerings (IPOs), private investment in public equity (PIPE) transactions, registered direct offerings, bond offerings, private placements, and venture financings.

Prior to joining Mintz Levin, Scott was a partner in the San Diego office of a global law firm, where he served as chair of the firm’s global corporate practice group from 2010 to 2013. Earlier, he practiced at a California law firm that focused on serving technology and biotechnology clients.

Recognitions & Awards

• Recommended by The Legal 500 United States (2012–2014)
• Best Lawyers in America: Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2007-2018)
• Best Lawyers in America: Securities / Capital Markets Law (2013-2018)
• Included on the Super Lawyers list: (2007-2016, 2018)
• Hugh Friedman Director of the Year award, Corporate Directors Forum (2015)

President, Judy Thompson & Associates

Judy Thompson

Experience: 
Executive Search and Placement
Recruiting, interviewing, selecting and placing experienced accounting and financial management and executive professionals in all industries in San Diego County since 1978.  Also provide part time and full time interim professionals in the accounting and financial fields for the same marketplace since 1998.
 Board Seats:
Torrey Pines Bank – Board of Directors 2008 – 2011
San Diego State University School of Accountancy – Advisory Board 2007 – present
Corporate Directors Forum – Board 2004 – present
Membership committee – 1995 – 2015
Corporate Finance Council – Board of Directors- 1999 – 2007

• President of local 120 member chapter 2001-2002

Institute of Management Accountants (formerly National Association of Accountants)  Board of Directors 1984-1994

•  President of local 600+ member chapter 1993-1994

Speaking Engagements:     
Financial Executives International – San Diego Chapter
Institute of Management Accountants – San Diego & North County Chapters
Beta Alpha Psi (Accounting Honor Society) – Regional Conference
Accounting Day – San Diego County – annually since 1988
KCEO – Radio – Redefining the Role of the CFO
KSDO – Radio – The Business of Job Search
 Other Recognition:
2009 Most Admired CEO Award (San Diego Business Journal)
2000 Women Who Mean Business Award (San Diego Business Journal)
Athena Pinnacle Award – Annual Nominee – 1999 – 2007 + 2009 + 2015
Work Experience:    
President/Owner – Thompson Financial Search, Inc.  September 1981 – present
President – Thompson Interim Professionals, Inc. August 1998 – present
Sr. Consultant – Dunhill of San Diego, Inc. February 1978 – September 1981
Education:
BA Psychology, San Diego State University
AA Math, Colby Junior College (now Colby Sawyer)