PROPOSAL 1—ELECTION OF NINE DIRECTORS
The Board has nominated M. Kathleen Behrens, Ph.D., Joseph H. Capper, James L. Bierman, William A. Hawkins, III, Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., K. Todd Newton, Tiffany Olson, Dorothy Puhy, and Martin P. Sutter, to be elected as directors at the Annual Meeting for a term expiring at the 2025 annual meeting of shareholders, and in each case until such director’s successor is elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal.
Each nominee was recommended by the Board’s Nominating and Governance Committee for re-election and has agreed to serve, if elected. Although we do not know of any reason why any of the nominees might become unavailable to serve, if that should happen, the Board may recommend a substitute nominee. Shares represented by proxies will be voted for any substitute designated by the Board. Please see the biographies below for Dr. Behrens, Mr. Capper, Mr. Bierman, Mr. Hawkins, Dr. Laurencin, Mr. Newton, Ms. Olson, Ms. Puhy, and Mr. Sutter which include a description of their respective qualifications, experience, attributes, and skills.
M. Kathleen Behrens, Ph.D., 71. Dr. Behrens has worked as an independent life sciences consultant and investor since December 2009. Dr. Behrens served as the Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a director, of the KEW Group Inc., a private oncology services company, from January 2012 until June 2014. Earlier in her career, Dr. Behrens served as a general partner for selected venture funds for RS Investments, a mutual fund firm, from 1996 until December 2009. While Dr. Behrens worked at RS Investments, from 1996 to 2002, she served as a managing director at the firm and, from 2003 to December 2009, she served as a consultant to the firm. During that time, Dr. Behrens also served as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) from 2001 to 2009 and as chairwoman of PCAST’s Subcommittee on Personalized Medicine, as well as the President, director and chairwoman of the National Venture Capital Association, an organization that advocates for public policy that supports the American entrepreneurial ecosystem, from 1993 until 2000. Prior to that, she served as a general partner and managing director for Robertson Stephens & Co., an investment company, from 1983 through 1996. Dr. Behrens has served as a member of the board of directors of each of Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRPT), a medical research and drug development company, since March 2009 (Chairwoman of the Board since April 2015) and IGM Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: IGMS), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on creating and developing IgM antibodies, since January 2019. She served as a director of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly Nasdaq: AMLN), a biopharmaceutical company, from 2009 until its sale in 2012 to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Prior to that, she served on the board of directors of Abgenix, Inc. (formerly Nasdaq: ABGX), a biopharmaceutical company, from 2001 until the company was sold to Amgen, Inc. in 2006. From 1997 to 2005, Dr. Behrens was a director of Science, Technology and Economic Policy for the National Research Council. Dr. Behrens was also a Co-Founder of the Coalition for 21st Century Medicine, a trade association for new generation diagnostics companies. Dr. Behrens holds a B.S. in biology and a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Behrens has served on the Board since June 2019 and was nominated as a director because of her substantial experience in the financial services and biotechnology sectors, as well as in healthcare policy.
Joseph H. Capper, 60. Mr. Capper joined the Company as its Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board in January 2024. Mr. Capper has nearly 30 years of MedTech and Life Sciences experience. He was most recently the CEO of BioTelemetry, Inc. from 2010 to 2021 and prior to joining BioTelemetry, Mr. Capper served as President and CEO of both Home Diagnostics and CCS Medical. Mr. Capper brings with him a wealth of commercial experience, having held several leadership roles earlier in his career during the decade he spent with Bayer AG. Additionally, Mr. Capper was an officer in the U.S. Navy serving with distinction as a naval aviator. Mr. Capper has served on the board of directors of Neuronetics, Inc. since January 1, 2024. He received his undergraduate degree in Accounting from West Chester University and MBA in International Finance from George Washington University. Mr. Capper was nominated to serve as a director because of his executive experience with companies in the medical technology industry as well as his position as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.
James L. Bierman, 71. Mr. Bierman served as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of the board of directors, of Owens & Minor, Inc. (NYSE: OMI), a Fortune 500 company and a leading distributor of medical and surgical supplies, from September 2014 to June 2015. Previously, he served in various other senior roles at Owens & Minor, including President and Chief Operating Officer from August 2013 to September 2014, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from March 2012 to August 2013, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from April 2011 to March 2012, and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from June 2007 to April 2011. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bierman served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Quintiles Transnational Corp. (formerly Nasdaq: QTRN). Quintiles was a market leader in providing