Company

Elizabeth Hutt Pollard

Expertise: Bringing highly specialized products to market and scaling businesses

Elizabeth is Chair of the Board of Directors and Applied Silver’s strategic and operational leader. She manages the board and investors, overall company strategy, operations, and corporate development. Elizabeth has extensive experience in commercializing highly specialized genomic and healthcare-related products. She is a C-Suite veteran and has extensive experience bringing to market highly specialized technology and solutions for healthcare. She currently serves as a strategic advisor to several early-stage life science companies and holds leadership positions in YPO, the premier leadership organization of chief executives in the world. Prior to joining Applied Silver, Elizabeth was CEO of NuGEN Technologies, a global leader in genomic sample preparation products enabling scientists and clinicians to discover genetic signatures and predict disease risk and drug response, potentially shortening the path to treatment. Elizabeth has also held US and International management roles with Tripos, Affymetrix, and Life Technologies, during significant growth phases of these life science businesses.  Elizabeth spent three years as a research associate at the University of Michigan in the Departments of Hematology/Oncology, where she made the decision to have a broader impact on medical research by transitioning into a career within the commercial biotechnology sector. She holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Michigan State University and an M.S. in Administration from Central Michigan University.

Sean Morham

Expertise: Identifying market needs and addressing them with novel technology

Sean is the co-founder, Board Member and Applied Silver’s innovation leader. Sean manages the engineering, manufacturing and regulatory activities to drive innovation and product strategy.  Sean is a co-inventor of Applied Silver’s SilvaClean® technology and has multiple patents to his name. In April 2018, under Sean’s leadership, the company received a ground-breaking EPA product label for SilvaClean, making it the first and only antimicrobial residual laundry additive to receive public health claims including recommended use as a helpful addition to hospitals’ infection control programs.  He has expertise in materials engineering, regulatory applications and product evolution.  He graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a bachelor’s degree in materials engineering.

Daniel Fells

Expertise: Sports Market Development and Public Relations

Daniel Fells is a former professional football player who played for the Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and New York Giants over the course of his 10-year NFL career. He played collegiately for the UC Davis Aggies. In October 2015, while a member of the New York Giants, Fells was treated for a chronic ankle condition that was later discovered to be a MRSA infection. Fells endured ten surgeries to rid himself of the infection before retiring from the NFL. Fells is an advocate for education and spends time speaking to children and young adults. He also advocates for the humane treatment of animals, lending his time to groups like the ASPCA and Humane Society.

Sue Barnes

Expertise: National infection prevention thought leader and policy specialist
Sue Barnes, RN, BSN, CIC is a National Infection Prevention Consultant and previously was the National Program Leader for Infection Prevention and Control for Kaiser Permanente’s 7 regions, 35 hospitals and 431 medical offices since 1989. She is Board certified in Infection Control and Prevention and is a nationally recognized figure in the field of infection prevention. In 2013 she established a national Corporate Director’s group and coordinates meetings and communication among the members. Sue participated in the development of the APIC Guide to Elimination of CRBSI, APIC Guide to the Elimination of Infections in Hemodialysis, and APIC Training Program for Infection Prevention in Ambulatory Care. She is the author of the KP HAI Prevention Plus Measures toolkit and is a subject matter expert consultant on HAIs. Speaking engagements have included the AORN Congress 2013, APIC Conference 2012, 2013, Decennial Conference 2012, numerous local, national APIC and national KP web presentations. Presentation topics have included SSI (surgical site infection) prevention, CDI (Clostridium difficile) prevention, IP mentoring, Scope reprocessing, Hand Hygiene, Vascular Access and CLABSI (central line associated bloodstream infection) prevention, simulation as a method of teaching infection prevention principles. In addition Sue has been published in journals including AORN Journal, American Journal of Infection Control, The Joint Commission Source for Compliance Strategies and The Permanente Journal. She served on the National APIC Board of Directors from 2010 to 2012, and was selected to represent APIC on the TAP (technical advisory panel) of the National Quality Forum (NQF) on Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) and the NQF ESRD Steering Committee. She is currently (2014 – 2015) is President of the SFBA APIC chapter and Secretary for the California APIC Coordinating Council.

James Copeland

Expertise: Creating and investing in new opportunities for social good

He is a longtime resident, community leader, and philanthropist of San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast of California. Jim began his entrepreneurial career in cooperation with his brother, by taking a single retail outlet in San Luis Obispo and building it into a 36-store sporting goods chain spanning four states. After selling the company, Jim’s attention turned to Copeland Properties, a major Central Coast commercial real estate development company. Jim’s commitment to the Central Coast extends beyond real estate into efforts aimed at improving the quality of life in the community, including projects such as the Cal Poly performing arts center, theatres, restaurants, and museums. Jim has served on the Dignity Health owned French Hospital Medical Center Community Board for over 10 years including as Chairman. A new Cardiac Care Center and Health Education Pavilion bear his name. The Pavilion is a joint effort with Cal Poly University to provide real-world exposure to students studying in medical-related fields.

Priya Balachandran

Expertise: Developing and commercializing innovative products and microbiology
Priya is Applied Silver’s marketing leader.  She manages corporate and product marketing, customer collaborations and KOLs. Dr. Balachandran has deep experience in developing and commercializing genomics and diagnostic products for various applications including healthcare, food safety and pharmaceutical manufacturing.  She also has a research background with multiple patents and peer-reviewed publications to her name. She is an active member of Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, American Society for Microbiology and Infectious Disease Society of America. Prior to Applied Silver, Dr. Balachandran held leadership positions in product marketing at NuGEN Technologies, global product management at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and scientific and business roles at Life Technologies. Dr. Balachandran received her Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco.

Ronnie Lott

Expertise: Mission-Driven Sports Strategy and Thought Leadership

Ronnie Lott is a businessman, philanthropist, former professional football player and member of the Pro Football, College Football, and USC Athletics Hall of Fame. Lott attended the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a degree in Public Administration. He helped the Trojans win a National Championship and was named a consensus All-American safety in his senior year. He was selected eighth overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1981 NFL Draft. Over the course of his 14-year NFL career, he excelled as a cornerback, free safety and strong safety and concluded his playing career as a 4x Super Bowl champion, 10x Pro Bowl selection, 8x First-Team All-Pro, and 2x league interceptions leader. Lott’s post-NFL pursuits, particularly as a private equity investor, led USA Today to call him “one of the most successful athletes at making the transition to business.” He first co-founded HRJ Capital, an investment management platform, serving as managing partner until the company’s acquisition. He later founded Lott Auto Ventures, which currently operates a number of car dealerships in California. In addition to being a member of Applied Silver’s Athlete Advisory Council, Lott is on the advisory board of GSV Advisors, Saama Technologies, Inc. and Eight Partners. He is a consultant for TVU Networks and H. Barton Asset Management group. His foundation All Stars Helping Kids seeks to disrupt the cycle of poverty and encourage innovation by seed funding startup nonprofits in the Bay Area.

Shelley Machens

Expertise: Accelerating market penetration for novel products
Shelley is Applied Silver’s business development leader.  She manages Applied Silver’s commercial activities including channel partnerships and direct sales outside healthcare.  Shelley has extensive experience in introducing innovative products into the infection prevention space.  She is well-versed in navigating complex sales cycles for novel technologies to achieve accelerated customer adoption and high revenue growth. Prior to Applied Silver, Shelley led Client Services at Aerobiotix and sales leadership positions at a number of companies including Abbott Laboratories and Xenex Disinfection Services. Shelley has a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from Lindenwood University.

Leopold Selker

Expertise: Developing healthcare administration best practices and policy
Leo is a Research Scholar in Residence at Cal Poly and former President of the NorthShore University Health System Research Institute, the nation’s ninth largest comprehensive hospital-based research program (NIH Funding). Prior to NorthShore, he was Dean of the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has held over 50 national-level appointments and is a recognized authority on aging-related health policy, health promotion and disease prevention, and gerontology. A former Scholar in Residence at the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Leo has served as a member of its Committee on Health Promotion and Disability Prevention and the NAS/NRC Planning Committee on the National Information Infrastructure in Healthcare. He has held consultative appointments with numerous foundations including the Pew Charitable Trusts, The Kellogg Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund, and the Hartford Foundation. He received his MS from Duke University, Graduate Diploma (IGS) at Stockholm University, PhD from Texas A&M University, and MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management.

Trygve Mikkelsen

Expertise: Healthcare-focused finance and management

Trygve is the founder and General Partner of T+T Holdings, LLC, a private investment company focused on private equity and hedge fund investments. He has served as the Chairman of Amkai, LLC and a Director of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Slate Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Diabetica Solutions Inc. Prior to founding T+T Holdings, Trygve was a Managing Director with Citigroup (2004-2007), Deutsche Bank (1999-2002), and Credit Suisse First Boston (1987-1999). His specialty as an investment banker was M&A advisory, primarily with a focus on health care. In addition to his advisory responsibilities, he has held several management positions including Head of US Healthcare at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he was also appointed to the Investment Banking Management Committee. Prior to investment banking, Trygve worked for McKinsey & Co. in Scandinavia. Trygve graduated cum laude with a BS from University of Utah, where he was an All-American skier, and he received an MBA with Honors from Columbia University.

Cam Cameron

Expertise: Sports market development, business strategy

Cam Cameron is a strategic business leader, National Football League consultant, and real estate entrepreneur. For more than three decades, he served in a variety of capacities as an NFL and NCAA head coach and assistant, including head coach with the Miami Dolphins and Indiana University, offensive coordinator with the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens,and LSU, quarterbacks coach with the Washington Redskins, and quarterbacks/receivers coach at the University of Michigan, where he began his coaching career under legendary coach Bo Schembechler. During his various high-level coaching stops, Cameron tutored NFL Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson, as well as Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, College Football Hall of Fame finalist Antwaan Randle El, current all-pros Drew Brees, Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Odell Beckham Jr., and Jarvis Landry, and future Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates. Cameron earned a business degree from Indiana University, where he played both football and basketball, the latter for legendary Bob Knight. He and his wife, Missy, are the parents of four children and reside in Southern California.

John Tyler

Area of expertise: Global manufacturing and logistics management and ramp to volume.

John is the manufacturing leader at Applied Silver. He is responsible for scheduling and execution of the manufacturing of SilvaClean cartridges and the SC4700 and other dispensing equipment, and for the coordination and management of the requisite supply chain and logistics to support Applied Silver operations.  John has years of experience in supply chain, logistics, engineering and manufacturing in a variety of industries. He has a deep background in new product development and introduction (NPI) and has led companies in explosive revenue and shipment growth from early start up to mature enterprise. Prior to Applied Silver, John has held operations management and leadership positions at Silver Spring Networks, Gigamon, and Dell/EMC.  John Received a B.S. in Physics from Beloit College, and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

Ian Williams

Expertise: Sports Marketing and Public Relations

Ian Williams is a current NBC Bay Area Sports analyst and former professional football player who spent all five seasons of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and received a BFA in Film/Cinema/Video Studies. Williams suffered from two ankle fractures while playing in the NFL. Bacterial infections complicated his recovery, required multiple surgeries to eradicate, and ultimately ended his NFL career. He was selected to lead the Applied Silver Athlete Advisory Council and Sports Investor Syndicate in March of 2019.

Mark Neaman

Expertise: Healthcare Business Strategy
Mark Neaman is a transformative and visionary healthcare executive who built the NorthShore University Health System (NorthShore) into a $2Bn world-class healthcare system and a leader in innovation and excellence in patient care locally and nationally.  At NorthShore, Mark drove a quarter century of continuous growth (9% CAGR) and profitability by setting his focus on driving results and producing true value for all stakeholders.  He led NorthShore’s electronic medical record system and related technology as well as its Teaching Hospital to national pre-eminence – NorthShore is a 19-time winner of America’s Top Teaching Hospitals Award (the most in the country).  During his 26-year tenure as CEO, Mark oversaw NorthShore’s development into a pre-eminent, integrated healthcare delivery system with 10,000 employees, 4 acute-care hospitals, a 1,000-physician multi-specialty Medical Group practice, 100 ambulatory care centers, and a $100M translational Research Institute.  Mark also serves as a board member of several firms, including healthcare systems, tech startups, and private equity firms.

J. Trees Ritter

Expertise: Nationally recognized infectious disease and infection prevention specialist
Trees is a board-certified physician specializing in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine. He is the managing partner of Central Coast Infectious Diseases Consultants where he assists other physicians daily with challenging and complicated cases of patient infection. Trees is the Medical Director of the Infection Control Programs for five California Central Coast Hospitals (Sierra Vista Medical Center, Twin Cities Medical Center, Marian Medical Center, Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, and French Hospital Medical Center). He is trained and certified as a Hospital Epidemiologist by the CDC and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. In this role, he has oversight of the infection control programs at these 5 institutions and works closely with and provides guidance to other physicians, nursing staff, administrators, and infection control professionals. Trees also serves as the chairman of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Clinical Affairs Committee where he oversees a team that sets policy and assists members with many aspects of the clinical practice of Infectious Diseases. He is a Cal Poly Bio Science graduate where he later did graduate work prior to obtaining his medical degree from Western University of Health Sciences. Trees completed his Residency at Highland Hospital/UCSF and his subsequent training in Infectious Diseases at UC Davis in Sacramento, California.

Joanne Pasternack

Expertise: Professional Sports Industry Strategic and Market Development
Joanne Pasternack is the Head of Global Impact at ServiceNow, the cloud computing company based in Santa Clara that is poised to become an industry leader and innovator in the realm of philanthropy-driven global impact. Joanne spent 12 seasons leading philanthropic efforts for professional sports franchises, most recently serving as the Vice President of Community Relations for the Golden State Warriors and the Executive Director of the Warriors Community Foundation. She previously served as the Vice President and Executive Director of Community Relations for the San Francisco 49ers where, under her leadership, the team was named the winner of the 2015 Beyond Sport International Philanthropy Award for Outstanding Team, the 2013 Patterson Award for Sports Philanthropy for excellence in charitable involvement in the community and have been three-time finalists for the ESPN Humanitarian Sports Team of the Year Award. Prior to her success at the 49ers, Pasternack served as a Senior Analyst at the City of Mountain View where she was also Vice President and Founder of the Mountain View Police Activities League (MVPAL).  Pasternack began her philanthropic career at the Special Olympics where she focused on cultivating existing and creating new corporate partnerships. Pasternack was selected as a 2012 40 Under 40 and 2013 Woman of Influence by the San Jose/Silicon Valley Business Journal and a recipient of the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative 2013 All-Star Ambassador Award and City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley’s 2012 Moccasin Award for Service. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Santa Clara University School of Law, Pasternack also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco and George Washington University in their graduate sports management programs.

Joyce Wang

Area of expertise: HR, finance and office administration

Joyce serves as Applied Silver’s HR and administrative leader. In her role, she serves a cross-function roll for managing all administrative needs of the company including executive support, human resources, accounting, facility management, document control, sales and marketing support, and purchasing & procurement. Joyce has a diverse professional background serving multiple industries. Prior to join Applied Silver, she held management positions in the consumer product, hospitality, interior design, and luxury retail industries. Joyce received her MBA from St. Mary’s College of California.

Austin Carey

Area of Expertise: Product Design & Mechanical Engineering

Austin is Applied Silver’s lead Design Engineer.  In his role, Austin is responsible for the design, testing, and execution of all product development activities including hardware and software systems for industrial and consumer applications.  Austin works closely with Sales, Marketing, Regulatory and Legal/Intellectual Property to determine customer needs and requirements for new product development.  Austin also works closely with the Technical Support Team to ensure customer success in the field and the Manufacturing Team to ensure product quality.  He joined the engineering team at Applied Silver in 2015 after graduating from Stanford University with a B.S. Mechanical Engineering.  Outside of Applied Silver, Austin is very passionate about sports & the outdoors.  Austin played Rugby for several years both at Stanford and for the Olympic Club in SF, and spends most of his free time camping or hiking.

David Joyner

Expertise: Sports Medicine Strategy
Dr. Joyner has served as a physician, leading sports health executive, and decorated athlete. He joined Baptist Health Care in 2015, and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the orthopedic service line, including sports medicine, physician alignment, strategic business partnerships and affiliations, branding and recruitment.  Dr. Joyner is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with a sports medicine emphasis. He is a former chairman and senior member of the United States Olympic Committee sports medicine team and, most recently, was the athletic director for Penn State University and a member of the Penn State University Board of Trustees.  Dr. Joyner is a two-sport All-American and was captain of the football and wrestling teams at Penn State. He also is an Academic All-American at Penn State. Dr. Joyner earned his medical degree from the Penn State College of Medicine and served residencies in general and orthopedic surgery at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Richard DeSchutter

Expertise: Providing operational oversight
A native of Detroit, Dick has been Chairman of the Board of Incyte Corporation since 2004. He was also a director of Ecolab, Inc. from February 2004 until May 2010 and a director of Varian, Inc. from 2001 until its acquisition by Agilent Technologies, Inc. in May 2010. He was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company, from July 2000 to October 2001. He served as Chief Administrative Officer of Pharmacia Corporation between April 2000 and July 2000. From January 1999 through March 2000, Dick served as Vice Chairman and Chief Administrative Officer of Monsanto Company, which he joined as a Process Design Engineer in 1964. He served as Chief Executive Officer of G.D. Searle & Co. from April 1995 to December 1998. He has also served as a Director of ING Group NV, General Binding Corp, Reliastar Insurance, Smith and Nephew pic and the MedPointe Company. Dick is also a director of several privately held companies. He holds a B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona and completed the Executive Management program at Columbia Business School.

Frank Dargavage

Expertise: Commercial Laundry Operational Leadership
Frank is an executive with extensive achievements in the chemical and medical industries.   He has expertise in laundry chemistry industry R and D pipeline. He is a Vice President at Angelica Corporation with focus on strengthening customer relationships and supporting commercial growth in the western United States.  Prior to that, Frank served a key role as Vice President, Sales and Channel Partners at Applied Silver, cementing the relationship between Applied Silver, Medline Industries and Angelica to drive product adoption in healthcare.  With a diverse background, including sales, operations, service, and supply chain management, he has a strong history of multi-dimensional achievements.  Frank is a Pennsylvania State University graduate with a B.S in Mineral Economics.

Brandon Chadwell

Area of Expertise: Systems design and engineering

Brandon is Applied Silver’s lead Systems design and testing engineer.  He is responsible for integrating hardware and software product requirements, execution and testing of product prototypes and streamlining the transfer into manufacturing.  Brandon comes with deep knowledge in developing commercially ready product configurations, cross-product integrations, engineering-manufacturing interface, database systems integration, systems, and board designs, compliance testing, and board firmware and diagnostics.  Prior to Applied Silver, Brandon has held principal engineer positions at Oracle Corporation, Sun Microsystems, and Intel. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a degree in engineering technology with a specialization in electronics.  Brandon is an avid traveler and spends his free time exploring different parts of the world.

Scott McNealy

Expertise: Thought Leader on Technology Business Scalability and Strategic Development

Scott was a founder of Sun Microsystems in 1982 and assumed the role of CEO in 1984. In its first six years, Sun grew to over one billion dollars in annual revenue, attaining the status of the fastest growing company in the US from 1985-1989 and in 1995, it was voted one of the 100 best-managed companies in the US. In 2006, with revenues at $14 billion and nearly 38,000 employees, Scott relinquished the CEO title. Mr. McNealy continues to advise Fortune 500 companies and is Chairman of the B2B social networking company, Wayin. He has served on the boards of major multinational companies such as General Electric. Scott holds a BA from Harvard and an MBA from Stanford.

Dr. Greg Lowry

Expertise: Developing next generation materials and environmental processes

Greg is a Professor of Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and Deputy Director of the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT). Greg conducts multidisciplinary laboratory and field research in the emerging field of environmental nanotechnology. His work is aimed at understanding how a nanomaterial’s properties affect their reactivity and fate in the environment, and how these properties map onto their potential for exposure risk. He also exploits the novel properties of nanomaterials to develop new technologies for environmental remediation. Greg teaches courses on physicochemical processes of organic chemicals in aquatic systems, environmental engineering, and environmental nanotechnology. He currently serves on the National Research Council committee to develop a federal research strategy for environmental health and safety research for engineered nano materials. He earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Josh McQueen

Expertise: Developing and positioning global brands  

Josh McQueen is the founder of McQueen, Mackin & Associates and the author of “Building Brand Trust: Discovering the Insights Behind Great Brands.” He served as the Executive Vice President and Director of Research and Planning Worldwide for agency powerhouse Leo Burnett, leading one of the largest agency planning, research and database teams. He later was a member of the private Worldwide Board of Leo Burnett, until it was acquired by Publicis, a publicly traded company. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Interactive Advertising and is a member of the board of Allendale Residential Homes for disadvantaged children. He was an Advertising Research Foundation Board member from 1988-1998, and a trustee with the Marketing Science Institute from 1986-1996. He is currently on the College of Media Leadership Council at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.