Board of Directors

Ms. Whitaker has served as a director since 2018 and has served as the Chairperson of the Aerami Board since November 2020. She also served as Aerami’s Chief Executive Officer from October 2018 to November 2020. Ms. Whitaker started her healthcare career in 1991 as a sales representative with The Upjohn Company, now Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE: PFE). She subsequently transitioned to GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE: GSK) in 1992 where she rose in the leadership ranks to become a member of the global management team as the Global Head of the Leadership and Organization Development Centre of Excellence and ultimately served as the Senior Vice President and Business Unit Head for the Cardiovascular, Metabolic, and Urology franchises from September 2009 to September 2011. Ms. Whitaker joined Sanofi SA (Euronext Paris: SAN-FR) in 2011 where she served through August 2014 as the President of the North America Region and CEO of Sanofi US, LLC. Ms. Whitaker served as the CEO and President of Synta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNTA) an oncology focused late stage pharmaceutical development company, which is now Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: MDGL), from September 2014 to April 2015. She joined Bausch Healthcare Companies (NYSE: BHC) in May 2015 and served through January 2017 as Executive Vice President and Company Group Chairman for the global branded pharmaceutical segment where she notably led the successful integration of two multi-billion dollar businesses, Salix Pharmaceuticals and Dendreon. In 2017, Ms. Whitaker transitioned to the early stage biotech sector and helped build Novoclem Therapeutics, Inc., a subsidiary of KNOW Bio, LLC, focused on developing therapies to treat people living with severe, chronic respiratory diseases. Prior to joining Aerami, starting in April 2018, Ms. Whitaker served as Managing Partner for Anne Whitaker Group, LLC, a consultant and professional service firm focused primarily on advising biotech and specialty pharmaceutical companies with commercial and product development strategy. Ms. Whitaker received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Alabama. She serves as an independent director on the board of four public companies including OraSure (OSUR: Nasdaq), a diagnostic company; Faron Pharmaceuticals (FARN: LSE), a development stage pharma company; Caladrius (CLBS: Nasdaq), a development stage biotech company; and Mallinckrodt (MKN: NYSE), a specialty pharmaceutical company. She also serves on the board of Curio Digital Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held women’s health focused digital therapeutics company; Bryn Pharma, a privately held specialty pharma company; Trinity Life Science Partners, a privately held pharma services company; and the Board of Trustees for the University of North Alabama, her alma mater. She has previously served on the board of UDG Healthcare (UDGH: LSE), Wolfspeed, Inc. (formerly known as Cree, Inc.) (WOLF:NYSE), Vectura, Plc (VEC-GB: London Exchange), Synta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SNTA: Nasdaq) now Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MDGL: Nasdaq), Novoclem Therapeutics, Inc., and the Foundation Board for the North Carolina School of Mathematics and Science. In addition to her board work, she is an active industry advisor to private equity and venture capital funds in the US and Europe.

Mr. Welch has served on the Aerami Board since January 2020. He served as Chief Technology Officer of Phillips-Medisize, a Molex Company, until his retirement in December 2021. Phillips-Medisize is a leading, global contract development and manufacturing organization focused on drug delivery devices, combination products, and connected health. Mr. Welch led their global pre-production services organization, a 900-person team spanning front-end innovation, development, and new product introduction. Mr. Welch joined Phillips-Medisize in February 2002, and has held roles in operations, development, engineering, and sales during his tenure. He was active in the company’s merger and acquisition activity, including leading the search, acquisition, and integration of locations in China and Denmark. Prior to joining Phillips-Medisize, Mr. Welch worked 12 years in the Tier 1 automotive and electronics industries, in technical, supervisory, and business unit leadership roles. Mr. Welch received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from University of Minnesota Duluth. Mr. Welch also serves on the board of Cadence, Inc., a metals-focused contract manufacturer serving the medical, automotive, defense, and industrial markets.

Ms. Deptula-Hicks has served on the Aerami Board since October 2021. Ms. Hicks has served as the Chief Financial Officer of F-star Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSTX) since May 2019. Since January 2018, Ms. Deptula-Hicks has operated Crimson Consulting LLC, a strategic and financial consulting services company, and has served as acting Chief Financial Officer for Northern Biologics, Inc. From May 2017 to January 2018, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of T2 Biosystems, Inc., (Nasdaq:TTOO) and from December 2014 to February 2017, Ms. Deptula-Hicks was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:PIRS) From 2012 until November 2014, she served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Microline Surgical, Inc. Ms. Deptula-Hicks received an M.B.A. from Rivier University and a B.S. in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University. Ms. Deptula-Hicks currently serves on the board of directors of Abcuro, Inc. and previously served on the board of directors and as audit committee chair of Xentic Biosciences (Nasdaq:XBIO), US Falcon, Inc., Technest Holdings, Inc. (AMEX:TCNH), and IMCOR Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:IMPH).

Dr. Patton has served on the Aerami Board since 2009, and is the founder, former Chief Executive Officer and former Chairman of the Board of Aerami. He is Executive Chairman of iPharma Limited, an inhalation contract development research organization and beginning in February 2020 became part-time Chief Executive Officer of Tesio Pharmaceuticals, an injectable osteoarthritis company. From 1990 to 2008, Dr. Patton served in a variety of roles at Inhale/Nektar Therapeutics, which he co-founded, focusing on inhalation and PEGylation technologies, including as Vice President of Research from 1991 to 2001, Chief Scientific Officer from November 2001 to March 2008, and a member of the board of directors from 1990 to 2008. Dr. Patton cofounded and served as a member of the board of directors of Incarda Therapeutics, Inc., an inhalation focused cardiovascular company from 2009 until 2015. In 1998, Dr. Patton was the founding investor of Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, and served as a member of its board of directors from 2004 until 2015. From 1985 to 1990, Dr. Patton served as the head of the drug delivery group of Genentech, Inc., a biotechnology company. From 1979 to 1985, Dr. Patton served as a professor of microbiology and of marine sciences at the University of Georgia. Dr. Patton previously served as a member of the board of directors of Activaero GmbH, a drug delivery company, from 2007 until its acquisition by Vectura Group plc in March 2014. Dr. Patton also serves on the advisory board of the Eberly College of Science at Pennsylvania State University and is a member of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Advisory Counsel. Dr. Patton earned a B.S. in Zoology from Pennsylvania State University, an M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Patton also has held post doctorate positions in Biomedicine at Harvard Medical School and the University of Lund in Sweden.

Mr. Thornton has served as Chief Executive Officer of Aerami since November 2020 and has served on the Aerami Board since April 2017, including serving as the Chairman of the Aerami Board from January 2020 to November 2021. Mr. Thornton also served as our Chief Executive Officer from July 2018 to September 2018.  In 2011, he became President and Chief Executive Officer of Excelsior Medical LLC, a supplier of saline and heparin pre-filled syringes and disinfection caps in the U.S., until its sale to ICU Medical and Medline Industries in late 2015.  From May 2007 to September 2010, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Bioniche Pharma Inc., a company specialized in the development, manufacture and sale of both proprietary and generic injectable pharmaceuticals. In 2002, Mr. Thornton joined SkyePharma Inc., a company developing drug delivery technology for the sustained release of injectable drugs, where he served as President until its sale in 2007, at which time he was asked to join its board of directors.  Mr. Thornton has held a number of board of director positions and has acted in advisory capacities for both private and public companies. He is currently the Chairman of the board of directors for XBolt Orthopedics, an Irish based company focused on a novel device for hip fixation.