Our Advisors
Richard King
Richard is a dynamic pharma leader with a strong track record of success in Blue Chip, Specialty and Biotech start up organizations. Served as CEO at AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Spruce Biosciences and ProLynx, Inc, and has held C-suite positions at Adamas Pharmaceuticals, The Scripps Research Institute, Tercica and Kos Pharmaceuticals. In these roles, has had strong private and public investor connectivity, resulting in raising external financing of over $1bn. Closed multiple corporate development deals, including leadership of a $250M partnering transaction, sale and merging of businesses, and other individual product or country licensing deals. Possesses Board experience in private and public company environments. Earned his MBA from the Alliance Manchester Business School and a BS with Honors in chemical engineering from University of Surrey.
Ronald L. Goode, PhD
Dr. Goode, Ph.D., is President & CEO of The Goode Group. Ron possesses considerable expertise in US and multinational operations including extensive experience in business development, clinical drug development, compliance, and regulatory affairs. Dr. Goode began his career at Hoffmann-La Roche and held key management positions at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals (Director of Marketing Research → Vice President of Clinical Research and Scientific Affairs) and at G. D. Searle & Co. (Senior Vice President of Commercial Development → President of Asia/Pacific World Area → President of Searle International). At both of these major pharma companies he had an extensive record of success in business development and was responsible for company or product acquisitions/development, which later became their largest selling drugs.
Dr. Goode served as President and Chief Executive Officer of two public companies (Unimed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and eXegenics Inc, of which he was also Chairman), both of which were ultimately successfully sold to large pharma companies. Other public companies of which he has served as a Director include Genitope Corporation, Vitro Diagnostics, Inc., Hokuriku Seiyaku, and Hikma Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Goode has supervised clinical development programs that led to the filing and approval of over a dozen successful New Drug Approval applications, including Pfizer’s Procardia XL, Searle’s Ambien, and Unimed’s Androgel.
Dr. Goode formed his own consulting company (dba “The Goode Group”) to advise Boards of Directors, CEOs, investment funds, and private individuals. He recently served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Labatec Pharma SA, a private Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company, and he sits on the Advisory Boards of several other private companies. Additionally, Dr. Goode serves as “Entrepreneur-in-Residence” at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, a role which allows him early access to technologies developed by UTSMC’s faculty, which includes 6 Nobel Prize winners, 22 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 17 members of the National Academy of Medicine and 15 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators.
Ken Johnson, PharmD
Ken currently serves as the Senior Vice President, Global Development and Medical Affairs of Xeris Pharmaceuticals where he is responsible for leading clinical and nonclinical development, regulatory, quality and medical affairs. Possesses more than 30 years of professional experience in the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical benefits management, and academia. Most recently served as Executive Director, US Medical Affairs for Hospital Specialty Products at Merck and has held senior management positions in Medical Affairs and Outcomes Research at Circassia Pharmaceuticals, Durata Therapeutics, Horizon Pharma, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, NeoPharm, Searle/Pharmacia, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Began his professional career on the faculty at the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, with a practice and research focus in therapeutic drug monitoring and clinical pharmacokinetics. Received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. Dr. Johnson holds a number of adjunct academic appointments and is a member of several professional societies.
Dr. Debra Kimless, MD
Dr. Kimless, M.D. graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Muhlenberg College with a double major in Natural Sciences and Biology. She attended medical school at Rutgers, and residency at Temple University Hospital and is a board-certified Anesthesiologist with a subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine and is board certified by the American/International Lifestyle Medicine Board. Dr. Kimless entered into the medical cannabis field in 2013. She consults within the industry as the Clinical Director of Research for Laurel Harvest Labs in collaboration with Temple University, Chief Medical Officer for Pure Green Pharmaceuticals (PGP), Medical Director for ForwardGro a medical cannabis cultivation, and the Chief Science Officer for Merida Capital Partners. Dr. Kimless is considered among a few expert physicians who understand the power and importance of the endocannabinoid system and its influence on every biologic system.