on transforming the lives of patients with rare genetic diseases, since February 2021 and held various other positions with the company between March 2020 and February 2021. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of a publicly traded pharmaceutical company, Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REXN), from November 2018 until November 2020, when Rexahn merged with Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. He served as Rexahn’s President, Chief Financial Officer, and Corporate Secretary from January 2018 to November 2018. Prior to joining Rexahn, Mr. Swirsky was President, CEO and a director of GenVec, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company, a position he held from 2013 through the sale of the company in 2017. He joined GenVec in 2006 as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining GenVec, Mr. Swirsky was a Managing Director and the Head of Life Sciences Investment Banking at Stifel Nicolaus from 2005 to 2006 and held investment banking positions at Legg Mason from 2002 until Stifel Financial’s acquisition of the Legg Mason Capital Markets business in 2005. Mr. Swirsky also previously held investment banking positions at UBS, PaineWebber and Morgan Stanley. Mr. Swirsky currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Cellectar Biosciences, Inc., a publicly traded clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. Within the last five years, Mr. Swirsky also served on the boards of directors of then-publicly traded life sciences companies Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. and Fibrocell Science, Inc. Mr. Swirsky is a certified public accountant and a CFA® charterholder. He has been recognized as NACD Directorship Certified™ by the National Association of Corporate Directors. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University and his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Our Board believes that Mr. Swirsky’s experience serving as President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of a publicly traded pharmaceutical company, Rexahn, qualifies him to serve as a director.
Dr. Richard Kang has served a member of our Board since December 2019. He has served as our President, Chief Executive Officer, Interim Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer, effective January 1, 2020. Previously, he served as an officer of NeoImmuneTech, Inc., a biotechnology company developing T cell-centered novel immunotherapeutics, from May 2014 to December 2019, most recently as Co-President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors. Dr. Kang held various officer positions at Private NeuroBo, including as President and Chief Operating Officer from September 2017 through February 2019, and also served on Private NeuroBo’s board of directors from July 2017 to February 2019. He was reappointed to Private NeuroBo’s board of directors in December 2019. Dr. Kang also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of JK BioPharma Solutions, Inc. from January 2013 to February 2019. Dr. Kang received a Ph.D. in Molecular Plant Pathology from The University of Edinburgh, an M.S. in Plant Molecular Genetics from Seoul National University and a B.S. in Horticultural Science from Seoul National University. Our Board believes that Dr. Kang’s business experience, executive officer positions at the Company and prior experience as Private NeuroBo’s former President, Chief Operating Officer and director qualifies him to serve as a director.
Mr. Michael Salsbury has served a member of our Board since December 2019. He has served as Counsel to Verisma Systems, Inc., a provider of cloud-based automated disclosure management systems, since September 2017. From February 2013 to July 2017, he served as Secretary and General Counsel to Best Doctors, Inc., a provider of expert medical opinions. Mr. Salsbury has more than 25 years’ experience as a senior executive with public and private companies and private law practice. Mr. Salsbury received a J.D. and M.B.A. from University of Virginia and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. Our Board believes that Mr. Salsbury’s legal expertise and his experience serving as general counsel and secretary of a Fortune 100 corporation qualifies him to serve as a director.
There are no familial relationships among any of our directors, director nominees and executive officers.
Bankruptcies
Mr. Koven was, until his retirement on January 30, 2019, the President and Chief Business Officer of Aralez and served in that role with the company’s predecessor, Pozen Inc., commencing on June 1, 2015. On August 10, 2018, Aralez and its affiliates each filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.
In September 2011, Mr. Koven was appointed President and Chief Administrative Officer and a member of the board of directors of Neurologix, Inc. Mr. Koven resigned from Neurologix, Inc. in November 2011, primarily due to the company’s inability to raise sufficient capital to continue its operations (including its inability to compensate Mr. Koven for his services). Neurologix, Inc. filed for protection under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on March 16, 2012.