Entrepreneurship Advisory Council

Christopher Booker

Partner, Frist Cressey Ventures (FCV)

William Andrews, MBA

Director, Chairman of Exec. Committee CCA

Jim Stefansic, MBA, Ph.D.

Director of Corporate Development, Cumberland Emerging Technologies.

Jim Stefansic is the Director of Corporate Development at Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET). His responsibilities include sourcing, evaluating, and negotiating for new biopharmaceutical product and technology opportunities, in addition to contributing to the management and expansion of CET's university collaborations.
An accomplished healthcare entrepreneur, Dr. Stefansic has years of experience launching and growing numerous healthcare technology businesses. Dr. Stefansic was previously Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Pathfinder Therapeutics, Inc., where he helped bring two industry-leading image-guided surgical products to market. He was instrumental in raising more than $17 million in venture capital and SBIR funding to support Pathfinder’s growth, as well as in the eventual sale of the company to Analogic (NASDAQ: ALOG). Dr. Stefansic was involved in every facet of the business, from investor road shows, R&D, clinical trials and regulatory approval to business development, financial management, pricing and commercialization. He currently serves as a Director at Raiven Healthcare, an artificial intelligence healthcare company he co-founded in 2015.
His experience also includes serving as the Director of Commercialization at Launch Tennessee, where he led the statewide SBIR program and assisted numerous technology businesses in their growth and development. He was also a Research Professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques in image-guided neurosurgery, and was critical in the initiation of this technology within the Vanderbilt Vision Research Center. He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen peer reviewed scientific articles.
Dr. Stefansic received his BS degree in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and his MS and PhD from Vanderbilt University. His MBA is from Belmont University, where Dr. Stefansic was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2011 and currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor of Business.

Katie Gambill, CFA

Managing General Partner & Co-Founder Council Capital

Katie Gambill was the youngest of a small group of principals who purchased Equitable Securities from American Express in 1972. When Equitable Securities was sold to SunTrust in 1998, she was President of Equitable Securities and its second-largest shareholder.At Equitable, she was Chief Investment Officer with primary responsibility for the direct investment of the firm's capital in both public and private emerging growth companies, including both healthcare and financial services businesses.
From 1972 to 1998 Katie had primary responsibility for building and leading Equitable's equity business. When the company was acquired from American Express in 1972, revenues acquired were over 90 percent corporate and municipal bond sales and underwriting. When the company was ultimately sold to SunTrust in 1998, revenues were over 90 percent from the equity business. In addition to her position as President, Katie was a member of the Executive Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of Equitable Securities. She was Chairman of the Investment Policy Committee governing all research recommendations and investment banking underwriting commitments; the Founding Managing Director and member of the Board of Directors of Equitable Asset Management, a mutual fund management company; and member of the Board of Directors of Equitable Trust Company. Combined assets under management were over $1 billion at the time of the sale to SunTrust. After the sale to SunTrust, Katie became President and a member of the Board of Directors of the newly formed SunTrust Equitable Securities. She remained with SunTrust Equitable Securities until co-founding Council Capital in 2000.
Katie is on the Board of Directors of Council Capital portfolio companies Lancope and Reach Health and is a member of the Executive Council of the Harvard School of Public Health. She was previously a member of the board of Council Capital portfolio companies Advanced Academics, Benefit Informatics, iKobo, NotifyMD and Senior Whole Health. Katie received her BA cum laude in Economics from Vanderbilt University in 1968 and her Chartered Financial Analyst (C.F.A.) designation in 1976.

Jackie Shrago, MBA

Community Volunteer

Amr El-Husseini

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lodestone Advisory Group

Amr El-Husseini is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lodestone Advisory Group, a boutique management consulting and venture capital firm centered around business innovation and transformation, growth and acceleration, entrepreneurial ecosystem development, venture capital, international business and cross-border transactions, market-entry strategy, business and corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and business turnarounds. Throughout his career, Amr has been involved in investments and business transactions in 20+ countries covering sectors such as financial services, technology, healthcare, real estate, telecom, energy, education, and infrastructure.
Prior to founding Lodestone, Amr was Senior Executive Manager and Head of International Development at QIB, an international banking group with operations across four continents. Amr oversaw the bank’s international operations and strategic investments (M&A, Ventures and Integrations), as well as the bank’s international network stretching from the UK to Malaysia, where he led a number of successful turnaround and transformation assignments. Amr’s role with QIB also included the development and execution of the bank’s international expansion strategy, where he led market entry initiatives into European, Asian, and GCC countries, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, the UK, France, Turkey, Lebanon, China, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt and Sudan. He also led and successfully negotiated agreements with governments and multinational corporations for the development of international business enterprises.
Before QIB, Amr served as a Project Manager at Path Solutions, where he led large scale consulting projects for global and regional clients in areas of strategy, international expansion, technology transformation, product development, fund management, treasury, e-commerce, and risk management. He also held various banking and consulting roles with international groups including Fransabank, Ernst & Young, HSBC and Audi Bank.
Since 2015, Amr has been a board member at the International Business Council of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, an advisory board member to the Tennessee World Affairs Council, an investor and mentor for a number of start-ups, a mentor at Vanderbilt University’s innovation center (the Wond’ry), and has served on the selection/investment committees for a number of local and international accelerators. Recently, Amr also served a two-year term as a board member for an international bank, and was selected to Leadership Connect’s inaugural cohort.
Amr is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s General Management Program. He also received an MBA from the University of Wales and a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from RHU, where he was presented with the Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award.

Rob Readnour

Managing Partner, Mountain Group Partners

George Dunbar

Managing Partner, The Dunbar Group

Mr. Dunbar has extensive healthcare and life sciences operating experience, and has served as a Director or CEO with private and public companies in Diagnostics, Specialty Pharma, Cell Therapy, and Biologics, two where he led initial public offerings (IPOs).
George is Managing Partner of The Dunbar Group, LLC founded in 2011 to provide advisory services to the life sciences, recognizing that many venture capital or founder funded companies needed short term or interim industry expertise in order to be capital efficient. Since 2001 he has partnered with investors to mentor and focus management on creating market value and liquidity events for shareholders. His collaborative team includes the spectrum of industry experience including commercial and social media, quality assurance, regulatory, clinical/ manufacturing operations, and international partnering.
His most recent assignment was CEO with ISTO Biologics, a private equity funded orthobiologics company with the roll-up vision initially combining George's prior company, ISTO Technologies with Arteriocyte Medical Systems, and Progenicare.
Prior to joining Isto Technologies, Mr. Dunbar served as a Venture Partner with Arboretum Ventures, a leading healthcare venture capital group, and was a Director of four portfolio companies, two as Executive Chairman.
He has also held senior leadership positions with Ares-Serono, now Merck-Serono, and Amersham International, now GE Healthcare.
Earlier, George has served with companies including Stem Cells, Inc. and CytoTherapeutics, Aastrom ( now Vericel) ; and also DepoTech, Epic Therapeutics, LJL Biosystems, Metra Biosystems, Metrika, Molecular Probes, Quantum Dot, Sonus Pharmaceuticals, and Quidel. He began his career with Motorola’s Communications Division.
Mr. Dunbar is currently an independent Director with Capricor Therapeutics, a public cell therapy technology company, and Progenitor Life Sciences, a private next- gen stem cell and immunotherapy development company.
He has degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Auburn University, and serves on the Harbert College of Business MBA Advisory Board. He is member of the Entrepreneurial Advisory Council with Vanderbilt University’s Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization.
George and his spouse, Betsy live in Franklin, Tennessee and have two daughters; one is a US Navy JAG Officer on assignment with STRATCOM, and her sister, a writer and professional pastry chef living in San Jose, California. They have three grandchildren.

Joe Rando

Director of Vanderbilt’s Managerial Studies Program and Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship

Jim Monsor

CEO, Relay Life Science

jmonsor@relaylifescience.com

Mike Collins, CPA, ABV, CFF

Managing Member, Expert of Counsel PLLC

Mike Collins cofounded 2nd Generation Capital, LLC (2ndG) in 1993. He was CEO of the company until 2015 when he assumed “Of Counsel” status. 2ndG is a merchant banking firm active as an investment principal, advisor, and placement agent (through its licensed broker/ dealer subsidiary, 2nd Generation Financial (a d/b/a of BrightChoice Financial, LLC). The firm participates in private offerings both as an investor and as a placement agent. Among other services, 2ndG provides assistance in locating, evaluating and negotiating financing alternatives; fairness opinions and other business valuations; acquisition and merger transactions; general business consulting; expert witness and alternative dispute resolution; and industry and specific company investment analysis.
Mike continues to serve as compliance officer for 2nd Generational Financial. He is also managing member of Expert of Counsel, PLLC, a litigation and alternative dispute resolution firm working together with 2ndG to serve client needs. In 2016, Mike was appointed an Adjunct Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University Law School.
Mike is experienced in starting new businesses, developing and implementing their strategic and operating plans, and in obtaining necessary financing. He is a frequent speaker and author on current business and financing issues, healthcare industry investment and trends, corporate governance, negotiation, and litigation consulting and expert witness services.
Mike is an active investor. He has been engaged in the merchant banking and venture capital industries as a principal and senior executive for the majority of his business career. Mike has also served managing partner, partner, or advisory board member of several venture investment partnerships. His investment experience spans many different industries including healthcare services, biotechnology, insurance, financial and business services, aerospace and defense, distribution, manufacturing and publishing.
Mike has served on numerous corporate boards and chaired executive, compensation, audit and other key committees. Among other boards, he is a past Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute, LLC, a clinical research organization and clinical trials services company. Mike was also a member of KraftCPAs, an affiliate of and minority investor in 2ndG, from 1993 until he retired from the firm in 2015.

Glenn Perdue, MBA, CVA, MAFF, CLP

Managing Member Kraft Analytics, LLC

Stryker Warren

Business Owner

Stryker Warren, Jr. is an accomplished executive with extensive experience and accomplishments in medical device and specialty healthcare services companies to include capital formation, product and program development, strategic planning and execution, FDA compliant manufacturing and operations management, sales and marketing leadership, market research, research and development, reg/qual, regulatory filings, company and programmatic turn-arounds, and M&A. Specific business cases include physician practice management (multisite, multistate); minimally invasive medical devices; specialty pharmacy programs; prepaid health plan development, management, turn-around; specialty managed care program development, implementation and scaling; HCIT innovation and deployment; ancillary services development and management in Stark compliant structures; business process outsourcing; cost containment; innovative "value proposition healthcare" (eg. Medical tourism/off-shore surgical centers-of-excellence); provider relations; quality assurance program management; legal/regulatory oversight; and, investor relations and public markets reporting.
Mr. Warren has always sought to introduce innovative methods to address unique health care issues, beginning with one of the earliest “population health” programs for Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic diseases in greater Oakland, CA; he also founded a novel, nationwide specialty workers’ compensation medical and disability management company acquired by United Healthcare, and created a first-of-its-kind nationwide corporate on-site primary care and occupational health care company working directly with Fortune 500 companies which was acquired by Walgreens; he is an advocate of evidence-based medicine, best practices, clinical research, and properly aligned incentives for all constituents in the delivery and receipt of healthcare; he received the Upjohn Achievement Award for leadership, academic achievement and undergraduate research; the McKesson & Robbins President’s Award; and, received his BS from the Oregon State University School of Pharmacy.

Barbara Cannon, MBA

Chief Operating Officer, NuSirt Biopharma

Mark Harris, MBA, Ph.D.

CEO of HeroWear LLC

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