Management

B. Lynn Allen-Hoffmann, Ph.D.
CEO & CSO
Dr. Allen-Hoffmann is the Founder, CEO, President, Chief Science Officer and a Director of Stratatech. Dr. Allen-Hoffmann obtained her doctorate from Cornell University and trained with Dr. James Rheinwald at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Allen-Hoffmann has been Professor of Pathology at the University of Wisconsin Medical School since 1988 and has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for her research program. She has extensive leadership experience and previously directed a multi-college Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Recently Dr. Allen-Hoffmann’s research and business contributions have been recognized by the 2005 Harold Rusch Translational Research Award and 2006 TEMPO Business Women of Distinction.

Russell R. Smestad
President
Russell R. Smestad joined Stratatech as its president in December 2010. Most recently, he was president of Mirus Bio Corporation for five years, a privately held biotech company focused on gene expression and silencing technologies. In 2008, Hoffman-La Roche acquired the company for $125 million to gain access to Mirus Bio’s world-class technology for siRNA delivery. Previously, Mr. Smestad was an executive with PowderJect Vaccines Inc., a unit of PowderJect Pharmaceuticals PLC, where he was responsible for strategic planning and business development. During his six year tenure, PowderJect grew from a privately held startup entity to become the 6th largest vaccine company in the world, ultimately being sold in mid-2003 to Chiron Corporation for $878 million. From 1982 to 1997, Mr. Smestad held a variety of executive management positions in predecessor organizations to PowderJect Vaccines (Auragen Inc., Agracetus Inc. and Cetus Madison Inc.), including serving for six years as co-general manager of Agracetus and president of Auragen. Mr. Smestad is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been an active advocate for Wisconsin’s biotech community, having served as a past president and board member of the Wisconsin Biotechnology Association (now BioForward), and created BiotechProfiles, a website and consulting practice devoted to enhancing the visibility and vibrancy of the Madison biotech industry.

Robert T. Barnard, CPA
Vice President & Treasurer
Mr. Barnard has been serving as Vice President & Treasurer for Stratatech since 2001. Mr. Barnard is a CPA and a former Managing Partner and member of the Board of Directors of a large national CPA firm. He has thirty-six years of experience in public accounting. Mr. Barnard has held leadership positions in numerous professional associations and on not-for-profit community boards.

Allen R. Comer, Ph.D.
Director Research & Development
Manager, Quality Control
Dr. Comer joined Stratatech in 2000 and currently serves as the Director for Research and Development. Dr. Comer is the Principal Investigator on numerous SBIR grants awarded to Stratatech Corporation over the past ten years. Dr. Comer has also been instrumental in developing the Quality Control department at Stratatech and heads this department as Quality Control Manager. Dr. Comer earned a Ph.D. in Genetics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining Stratatech, Dr. Comer continued his training as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin.