Our People
At Umoja, our diverse team of scientists, researchers, and drug development experts share a common mission to transform the treatment of cancer and enhance patient’s lives. Our strategy combines world-class science with meticulous attention to detail, deliberate planning, and a bold vision to dramatically impact the lives of cancer patients everywhere.
We are led by a world class team that operates on a foundation of respect for the contributions of everyone on the Umoja team.
We strive to foster and develop a unique culture centered around the idea that a great founding team plays an integral role in shaping a successful organization. Umoja respects and values the contributions of each and every team member.
Our team is our greatest asset. We recognize and leverage our collective strengths, communicate effectively to ensure we act with efficiency and care, and we hold each other accountable—all in service of working toward a more inclusive biotech industry.
Our Leadership
Andy Scharenberg, M.D.
Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer
He/Him/His
Ryan Crisman, Ph.D.
Co-founder & Chief Technical Officer
He/Him/His
Irena Melnikova, Ph.D.
Chief Financial Officer
She/Her/Hers
Nushmia Khokhar, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
She/Her/Hers
David Fontana, Ph.D.
Chief Business & Strategy Officer
Tim Gardner, M.B.A.
EVP, Strategy and Business Development
Byoung Ryu, Ph.D.
SVP, Head of Vector Biology and Discovery Research
He/Him/His
Rich Getto, M.B.A.
SVP, Portfolio Strategy and Program Development
He/Him/His
Bruce Kerwin, Ph.D.
SVP, Head of Process and Product Development
He/Him/His
Our Team
Alissa Brandes, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
She/Her/Hers
Alyssa Sheih, Ph.D.
Scientist
She/Her/Hers
Anai Perez
Senior Research Associate
She/Her/Hers
Angel Chae
Senior Research Associate
She/Her/Hers
Anna Ting, Ph.D.
Scientist – In Vitro Modeling Group
Barbara Purmort
Operations Specialist
She/Her/Hers
Blythe Irwin
Research Associate
She/Her/Hers
Branden Salinas, Ph.D.
Sr. Dir., MSAT
He/Him/His
Brenn Nelson
Sr. Research Associate – Tissue Culture
Christopher Garbe, M.B.A.
Sr. Dir., CMC and Allogeneic Program Lead
He/Him/His
Christopher Nicolai, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
He/Him/His
Clinton Weber
CMC Fellow
He/Him/His
Daniel Wright
Associate Director Facilities and Lab Ops
He/Him/His
Elyse Beebe
Project Manager
She/Her/Hers
Erica Naibert, B.S.
Research Associate
She/Her/Hers
Gretchen Torrey
Director, Corporate Operations
She/Her/Hers
Harish Janagama
Principal Scientist
He/Him/His
Helen Kim
VP, Regulatory Affairs
She/Her/Hers
Jackie Stilwell, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Analytical Development
She/Her/Hers
Jacob Garcia
VP Clinical Development and Operations
He/Him/His
James McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Associate Dir., Medical Writing
He/Him/His
Jessica Freeman
Process Engineer
She/Her/Hers
Joanne Wong
Assistant Lab Manager
She/Her/Hers
Joshua Whalen
Research Associate
He/Him/His
Kathryn Michels, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
She/Her/Hers
Kaya Peterson
Research Associate
She/Her/Hers
Kelli Carabello, C.P.A., C.G.M.A.
Controller
She/Her/Hers
Kirk Rorrer, M.S., M.B.A.
Sr. Dir., Program Mgmt
He/Him/His
Kristen Mittelsteadt, Ph.D.
Scientist, Discovery
She/Her/Hers
Kristin Radcliffe, M.B.A.
Program Lead & Clinical Operations
She/Her/Hers
Laurie Beitz, M.D.
Principal Scientist Discovery Lead
She/Her/Hers
Mark Pankau, Ph.D.
Scientist, Vector Production
He/Him/His
Mike Fitzpatrick
Vice President of Business Development and Operations
He/Him/His
Portia Vliet-Gregg, P.M.P.
Senior Project Manager
She/Her/Hers
Ryan Larson, Ph.D.
Vice President and Head of Translational Science
Sagar Patel, M.B.A.
Head of Quality
He/Him/His
Saluwa Umuhoza, B.S.
Research Associate, Analytical Development
Samantha O’Hara, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
She/Her/Hers
Sanna Sullivan, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist
She/Her/Hers
Sara Schleh, B.A.
Senior Manager, Procurement
She/Her/Hers
Sarah Dickerson, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, Analytical Dev (MSAT)
She/Her/Hers
Sarah Gould, Ph.D.
Associate Dir., MSAT
She/Her/Hers
Seth Nolan, B.S.
Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition
He/Him/His
Seungjin Shin, Ph.D.
Sr. Scientist, Vector Process
He/Him/His
Shena Geisinger, M.S.C.
Research Associate, R&D
She/Her/Hers
Shon Green, Ph.D.
Sr. Dir., Translational R&D (In-Vivo)
She/Her/Hers
Susana Hernandez Lopez
Associate Scientist
She/Her/Hers
Teisha Rowland, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist, iPSC Team Lead
She/Her/Hers
Tonya Swick, M.A., M.B.A.
Chief of Staff & Head of DEI
She/Her/Hers
Vincent Verruto, Ph.D.
Director, Systems Integration and Data Management
He/Him/His
Way Wu, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, Vector Proc Development
He/Him/His
Yvonne Polk
Executive Administrator
She/Her/Hers
Board of Directors
Andy Scharenberg, M.D.
Umoja Biopharma
He/Him/His
Phil S. Low, Ph.D.
Purdue University
Luke Evnin, Ph.D.
MPM Capital
John Hamer, Ph.D.
DCVC Bio
Anna French, Ph.D.
Qiming Venture Partners USA
Rob Glassman, M.D.
OrbiMed Advisors
Valentin Barsan, M.D.
SoftBank Group
Advisory Board
Phil S. Low, Ph.D.
Purdue University, Co-founder, Umoja Biopharma, Scientific Advisory Board Co-chair
Michael Jensen, M.D.
Seattle Children's Hospital, Co-founder, Umoja Biopharma, Scientific Advisory Board Co-chair
Hans-Peter Kiem, M.D., Ph.D.
Fred Hutch Endowed Chair for Cell and Gene Therapy
Rimas Orentas, Ph.D.
Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer
Franklin M. Berger, C.F.A.
Co-founder and Managing Director, FMB Research
Investors
