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
Ryan Crisman, Ph.D.
Co-founder & Chief Technical Officer
Irena Melnikova, Ph.D.
Chief Financial Officer
Nushmia Khokhar, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
David Fontana, Ph.D.
Chief Business & Strategy Officer
Tim Gardner, MBA
EVP, Strategy and Business Development
Byoung Ryu, Ph.D
SVP, Head of Vector Biology and Discovery Research
Rich Getto, MBA
SVP, Portfolio Strategy and Program Development
Our Team
Alissa Brandes, Ph.D
Senior Scientist
Alyssa Sheih, Ph.D
Scientist
Anai Perez
Senior Research Associate
Angel Chae
Senior Research Associate
Anna Ting, Ph.D
Scientist – In Vitro Modeling Group
Barbara Purmort
Operations Specialist
Blythe Irwin
Research Associate
Branden Salinas, Ph.D
Sr. Dir., MSAT
Brenn Nelson
Sr. Research Associate – Tissue Culture
Bruce Kerwin, Ph.D.
SVP, Head of Process and Product Development
Christopher Garbe, MBA
Sr. Dir., CMC and Allogeneic Program Lead
Christopher Nicolai, Ph.D
Senior Scientist
Clinton Weber
CMC Fellow
Daniel Wright
Associate Director Facilities and Lab Ops
Elyse Beebe
Project Manager
Gretchen Torrey
Director, Corporate Operations
Harish Janagama
Principal Scientist
Helen Kim
VP, Regulatory Affairs
Jacob Garcia
VP Clinical Development and Operations
James McLaughlin, Ph.D
Associate Dir., Medical Writing
Jessica Freeman
Process Engineer
Joanne Wong
Assistant Lab Manager
Joshua Whalen
Research Associate
Kathryn Michels, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Kaya Peterson
Research Associate
Kelli Carabello, C.P.A., CGMA
Controller
Kirk Rorrer, M.S., M.B.A.
Sr. Dir., Program Mgmt
Kristen Mittelsteadt, Ph.D
Scientist, Discovery
Kristin Radcliffe, MBA
Program Lead & Clinical Operations
Laurie Beitz, M.D.
Principal Scientist Discovery Lead
Mark Pankau, Ph.D.
Scientist, Vector Production
Portia Vliet-Gregg, PMP
Senior Project Manager
Sagar Patel, MBA
Head of Quality
Samantha O’Hara, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Sanna Sullivan, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist
Sarah Dickerson, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, Analytical Dev (MSAT)
Sarah Gould, Ph.D.
Associate Dir., MSAT
Seungjin Shin, Ph.D.
Sr. Scientist, Vector Process
Shon Green, Ph.D.
Sr. Dir., Translational R&D (In-Vivo)
Susana Hernandez Lopez
Associate Scientist
Teisha Rowland, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist, iPSC Team Lead
Vincent Verruto, Ph.D.
Director, Systems Integration and Data Management
Yvonne Polk
Executive Administrator
Board of Directors
Andy Scharenberg, M.D.
Umoja Biopharma
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
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, CFA
Co-founder and Managing Director, FMB Research
Investors
