Management

Endocyte Management

Photo of P. Ron Ellis
P. Ron Ellis
CEO / President
P. Ron Ellis is one of our founders and has served as our president and chief executive officer since January 1996, and as a member of our board of directors since December 1995. Prior to joining Endocyte, Mr. Ellis was with Hill-Rom Company, the $1.2 billion healthcare division of Hillenbrand Industries. While at Hill-Rom, he held a variety of senior management positions, including vice president of strategy/corporate development and vice president of the specialty care division. Mr. Ellis holds a B.S. in computer science, an M.B.A. from Brigham Young University and a certification in regulatory affairs from Purdue University.
Photo of Mike Sherman
Mike A. Sherman
Chief Financial Officer

Mike A. Sherman has served as our chief financial officer since October 2006. From December 1994 to October 2006, Mr. Sherman served in various executive roles, but most recently as vice president of finance and strategic planning from May 2004 to October 2006, of Guidant Corporation, or Guidant, a cardiovascular device manufacturer acquired by Boston Scientific Corporation, a medical device company, in April 2006. Mr. Sherman holds a B.A. in economics from DePauw University and an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School, Dartmouth College. Mike also serves on the Indianapolis Children's Museum Board of Trustees.

Photo of Philip Low
Philip S. Low Ph.D
Chief Science Officer

Philip S. Low, Ph.D. is one of our founders and has served as our chief science officer since April 1998, and as a member of our board of directors since December 1995. Dr. Low has served on the faculty at Purdue University since August 1976, where he is currently the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Low holds a B.S. in chemistry from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego.

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David Meek
Chief Commercial Officer

David Meek was named as chief commercial officer in August 2012.  He was previously head of oncology at Novartis Oncology for northern and central Europe. In this role, he oversaw the launches of numerous key new oncology products and indications, including Tasigna® and Afinitor®. Prior to this he served as president and CEO for Novartis Canada where he led the successful launches of key specialty products. He also served as the global business franchise head for Novartis’ respiratory and dermatology franchise in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining Novartis, Mr. Meek was at Johnson & Johnson for 15 years where he held a variety of executive sales and marketing roles across multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology.  Before beginning his pharmaceutical career, he was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army achieving the rank of captain.  David holds a B.A. in business management from the University of Cincinnati.

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Christopher P. Leamon Ph.D
Vice President of Research & Development

Christopher P. Leamon, Ph.D. has served as our vice president of research and development since April 2000. From February 1999 to April 2000, Dr. Leamon served as our director of biology and biochemistry. Prior to joining us, Dr. Leamon was employed in the pharmaceutical industry where he conducted discovery research in the field of peptide, oligonucleotide, liposome and DNA drug delivery for GlaxoWellcome, a healthcare company, and Isis Pharmaceuticals, a biomedical pharmaceutical company. Dr. Leamon holds a B.S. in chemistry from Baldwin Wallace College and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Purdue University.

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Chandra D. Lovejoy
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs

Chandra D. Lovejoy has served as our vice president of regulatory affiars since May 2010. From December 2007 to May 2010, Ms. Lovejoy served as our director of regulatory affairs. Ms. Lovejoy served in various positions at Genentech, a biotechnology company and an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of Roche Holdings, a healthcare company, including manager of regulatory affairs from October 2006 to November 2007, and as a senior associate of regulatory affairs from April 2005 to October 2006. Ms. Lovejoy holds a B.S. in organizational behavior from the University of San Francisco and an M.S. in regulatory affairs from San Diego State University.

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Binh Nguyen M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President of Clinical Affairs

Binh Nguyen, M.D., Ph.D., was named as vice president of clinical affairs in June 2011. He was previously chief medical officer at Tigris Pharmaceuticals. Prior to this he worked at Eli Lilly for 10 years, most recently as executive director, global oncology platform team, for which he was responsible for the global development of Gemzar, Alimta, and Enzastaurin. Dr. Nguyen received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Georgetown University and his M.D. from the University of Maryland. He completed fellowships at the National Cancer Institute and worked at the FDA's Division of Oncology as a medical reviewer.

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Scot Harper Ph.D.
Vice President of Clinical Operations
Scot L. Harper, Ph.D., was named as vice president of clinical operations in May 2013. He joins the company from PAREXEL International where he was the global portfolio director for oncology, overseeing clinical activities for oncology drugs ranging from Phase 1 to Phase 4 of development. Prior to this, he was the vice president of Novartis’ North American clinical operations, where he managed clinical operations of all stages of development, including products such as Gleevec, Tasigna and Diovan. Before this, he was at Eli Lilly and Company, where he held a variety of senior roles, most recently senior director of clinical operations, which included oversight of clinical trials in areas including oncology, neuroscience, diabetes and men’s health. Dr. Harper began his career at SmithKline Beecham, where he worked in new product development. Dr. Harper holds a B.S. degree in zoology from DePauw University, a master’s degree in physiology from Indiana University School of Medicine, a master’s degree in business from the University of South Alabama, and a Ph.D. in cardiovascular physiology from Indiana University School of Medicine.
Photo of Allen Ritter
Allen R. Ritter Ph.D
Vice President of Manufacturing / CMC
Allen R. Ritter, Ph.D. has served as our vice president of manufacturing and chemistry manufacturing control, or CMC, since December 2005. From May 2004 to December 2005, Dr. Ritter served as our director of development, CMC and manufacturing. Dr. Ritter holds a B.S. in chemistry from St. Olaf College, an M.S. in organic chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of Notre Dame.
Photo of Iontcho Vlahov
Iontcho Vlahov Ph.D
Vice President of Discovery Chemistry
Dr. Iontcho Vlahov joined Endocyte in 1999 and currently serves as the vice president of discovery chemistry. He received his PhD in synthetic organic and structural chemistry from Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany. Before joining Endocyte, he was the head of discovery chemistry at Ivax Corp in Miami, Florida. Prior to that, he held various positions, including visiting scientist at Hercules, Inc.; senior research scientist at the University of Konstanz, Germany; research scientist at the Institute of Organic Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; and research associate at University of Iowa. Dr. Vlahov is an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and has published more than 55 scientific articles and 15 patents. His main interest is the synthesis of complex biologically active molecules and the design of novel organic reactions. Currently, Dr. Vlahov’s research is committed to the discovery and development of novel conjugates ensuring intracellular release of folate-targeted chemotherapeutic agents.
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Matthew Call
Vice President of Business Development

Mr. Matthew Call joined Endocyte in 2003 as its director of business development. Prior to joining Endocyte, Mr. Call spent several years working in business development in information technology, where he structured and managed strategic relationships with firms such as Hewlett Packard, General Electric, First Data Corporation, and Disney. Mr. Call received a BA degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Purdue University.