Our Team
Kari Allen
Kari L. Allen is the Director of Production Operations, overseeing the daily animal operations. She has extensive experience in the management of animal research programs after spending 10 years at Mayo Clinic in a variety of research support roles.
Anna Argo, MBA
Anna K. Argo, MBA is the Chief Business Officer, responsible for key account management, identification of new clients and collaborators, investor relations, brand development, contract negotiations, sales, marketing efforts, and more. Ms. Argo brings more than 10 years of fundraising and strategic development experience to her role.
Sam Casey, MBA
Sam Casey is Director, Program and Portfolio Management at Cytotheryx. He brings nearly 10 years of experience in biotech, entrepreneurship, and operations. He previously co-founded a dendritic cell therapy company and led the advanced technology team at a Johnson & Johnson biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility. He completed his MBA at Harvard Business School and studied Chemical Engineering at Michigan Tech.
Brian Dacken
Brian Dacken is the Chief Operations Officer for Cytotheryx, ensuring regulatory compliance with the FDA, USDA, OSHA and other regulatory agencies, and overseeing the physical plant and equipment needs of the programs. Mr. Dacken provides input on pig and hepatocyte production, while ensuring staffing is appropriate to meet the needs of pig production, cell production and support.
Benazir Kerezoudis, MBA
Benazir Kerezoudis is the Director of Quality Assurance and Quality Systems at Cytotheryx, where she oversees the regulatory needs of the company through quality assurance systems and management. She leads all aspects of Quality Assurance, including developing, implementing, and maintaining quality systems to ensure compliance with recognized regulations and guidelines. Benazir establishes quality plans and policies, reports compliance activities to Executive leaders, and maintains QA and compliance programs and infrastructure. She performs internal and external audits, ensures effectiveness in a GxP international regulatory environment, and serves as an in-house advisor on GxP compliance. Additionally, Benazir supports business development activities, leads projects from initial brainstorming through implementation, and contributes to key growth areas within Cytotheryx.
Ryan Schulze, PhD
Ryan Schulze, Ph.D., is the Chief Scientific Officer and serves as the research team leader in the area of Liver and Hepatocyte Biology. Dr. Schulze is responsible for the development, refinement, and standardization of methods regarding isolation of hepatocytes from primary tissue, in vitro testing and handling of hepatocytes, and cryopreservation and reanimation of hepatocytes.
Craig Siiro
Craig Siiro serves as the fractional Chief Financial Officer, overseeing all financial activities. Mr. Siiro is the owner of Integrated Consulting Solutions providing business assessments, financial modeling, and analytics. He brings over 20 years of experience in financial planning.
John Swart, PhD
John R. Swart, Ph.D., is the CEO of Cytotheryx and previously served as President and CEO of Exemplar Genetics. Dr. Swart has over 20 years of experience in the biomedical research industry, focusing on business development and operations management.
