Directors
Ron Najafi, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO
Ramin (“Ron”) Najafi is the founder and Chairman of NovaBay. He has served as President since July 2002, and as Chief Executive Officer since November 2004. Previously, Dr. Najafi served in various management positions within NovaBay including as Chief Scientific Officer.
Prior to founding NovaBay, Dr. Najafi was the President and CEO of California Pacific Labs, Inc., a chemical laboratory safety devices company. He has also held scientific roles at Rhone Poulenc Rorer (now Sanofi-Aventis), Applied Biosystems, a division of PerkinElmer, Inc., and Aldrich Chemical.
Dr. Najafi received a B.S. and M.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of San Francisco and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California at Davis.
Charles J. Cashion
Charles J. Cashion is co-founder, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Cashion was the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Idun. Mr. Cashion’s prior experience also includes serving as the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Quidel Corporation, a publicly owned, medical diagnostics company, and as the Senior Vice President, Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer of The Immune Response Corporation, a publicly owned biopharmaceutical company.
Mr. Cashion received his B.S. degree in accounting and an M.B.A. in finance from Northern Illinois University.
Anthony Dailley, D.D.S.
Anthony Dailley, D.D.S., has been involved in a number of start-up companies, including the 1-800-DENTIST referral service. Dr. Dailley received his B.S. degree in cell and molecular biology from San Francisco State University and D.D.S. from the University of the Pacific in San Francisco.
Paul E. Freiman
Paul E. Freiman currently serves as Chairman of Penwest Pharmaceutical Co., and serves on the boards of Calypte Biomedical Corporation, NeoPharm, Inc., Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and SciGen Ltd. Mr. Freiman was most recently the President and CEO of Neurobiological Technologies Inc. Prior to this role, he held the position of Chairman and CEO of Syntex Corporation, which was sold to The Roche Group for $5.3 billion during his tenure.
Mr. Freiman holds a B.S. degree in pharmacy from Fordham University and an honorary doctorate from the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy.
T. Alex McPherson, M.D., Ph.D.
T. Alex McPherson, MD, Ph.D., has served as a director since July 2006. Dr. McPherson was President and Chief Executive Officer of Biomira, Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in the development of products for the treatment of cancer, from 1991 until his retirement in May 2006. He is a Fellow of the Australasian, Canadian and American Colleges of Physicians and is a past President of both the Alberta and Canadian Medical Associations.
Dr. McPherson was previously Deputy Minister of the Alberta Ministry of Hospitals and Medical Care and was also Deputy Commissioner and Executive Director of the Premier's Commission on Future Health Care for Albertans.
Dr. McPherson is currently a Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta.
Robert R. Tufts, J.D.
Robert R. Tufts is a founding law partner of Tufts Stephenson & Kasper, LLP and was a partner with Jackson Tufts Cole & Black, LLP for over 35 years. Mr. Tufts specializes in corporate representation for start-up and emerging businesses, business financings, mergers and acquisitions, and in corporate taxation.
Mr. Tufts received his B.A. in history from New York University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School.
Tony Wicks
Tony Wicks has served as a director since May 2002, and was previously a director of NovaCal LLC. Since 1995, Mr. Wicks has been pursuing private investments and venture work, and participating in property investments. From 1986 to 1995, Mr. Wicks was the Chief Executive Officer of American Resource Corporation Inc., a public company in the mining industry with activities in North & South America. He also served as the Chief Executive Officer of several public and private companies in Europe and the U.S., and was directly involved in company start-up operations and public listings.
Mr. Wicks received his H.N.C. in electrical engineering from Essex Polytechnic.
