Gerald J. Vardzel, Jr., B.A. - CEO - has over 17 years of corporate experience in healthcare related businesses, including niche pharmaceutical applications, clinical and non-clinical pharmaceutical business segments, medical testing and device markets. Mr. Vardzel's operational expertise includes strategic planning, business intelligence, mergers and acquisitions and new market development in both start-up and established corporate settings. He has most recently served as acting Vice President of Business Development for Gene Express and has been instrumental in its strategic direction and initial growth. Previously, Mr. Vardzel was Vice President of the Pharmaceutical Development Center, where he doubled growth and positioned its acquisition by aaiPharma. He has held many key management positions at Becton Dickinson including Worldwide Marketing Manager. Mr. Vardzel has consulted for small to mid-size equity firms as an executive affiliate in the healthcare business to determine acquisition feasibility and growth. He currently is on the board of directors for JKM Group, a consulting, acquisitions, divestures and real estate holding company. Mr. Vardzel received his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and has taken graduate courses towards an MBA.

Nick Lazaridis, Ph.D., President of Operations (Bio and Picture to Come)

David S. Lester, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development - Dr. Lester has over 14 years of pharmaceutical development experience and extensive knowledge as it relates to molecular diagnostics. He has served as New York Site Head Global Clinical Technology at Pfizer Global R&D, Director of Pfizer Human Health Technologies at Pfizer Global R&D, Director of Clinical Technology, New Product Development Medical at Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals, and Director of Clinical Technologies Experimental Medicine at Pharmacia. Moreover, Dr. Lester held many roles at the FDA, which included Acting Associate Director of Interdisciplinary Science, Office of Testing and Research and Senior Science Advisor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Currently, Dr. Lester is booked for multiple nationally and internationally 2007-2008 speaking engagements, and while serving on numerous conference advisory boards, is frequently asked to chair sessions and workshops. In addition, Dr. Lester has published over 60 refereed scientific publications, edited five volumes and has been included in numerous book chapters and reviews. 

John Anders, Ph.D.,  Vice President of Operations - Dr. Anders has spent 26 years in the drug development sector for both small and large molecules in both government and private sector scientific organizations. Prior to joining Gene Express, Dr. Anders held various positions from Senior Scientist to Director in the Biotechnology Laboratory at AAI Pharma, where he was responsible for building and staffing a state-of-the-art cGMP Biotechnology analytical lab. In addition, Dr. Anders was charged with characterization and release of marketed products and development of investigational drugs in all phases of development.  From 1991 to 1993, Major Anders, Ph.D. served as the Chief of Applied Pharmacology Branch at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. During his tenure, he led a staff of 19 military and civilian personnel in the research and development of various antidotal and pretreatment regimes against chemical warfare agents. Prior to this, Dr. Anders served in various capacities at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research developing anti-malarial drugs and vaccines. Dr. Anders has authored and co-authored more than 20 publications and abstracts.

Elizabeth Herness Peters, Ph.D., Vice President Science & Platform Innovation - Dr. Peters received her Ph.D. in Molecular Basis of Disease with an emphasis in Reproductive Immunology from the University of Toledo Medical Center Health Science Campus (formally known as Medical University of Ohio) in 2002.  Dr. Peters was the Assistant Director of Operations and Manufacturing for Gene Express, Inc. from June 2002 until October 2005. In this capacity, she played a key role in establishing the Toledo-based manufacturing laboratory for the company. In October of 2005, she was appointed Technical Director of Business Development where she provided scientific consultation to the executive team, presented scientific information to clients with the sales/business development team, and made available quality control assessments to the technical operations team. In September 2007, she was promoted to Vice President Science & Platform Innovation.

Brad Austermiller - SEM Center Manager - Mr. Austermiller has been an employee of Gene Express since June of 2006, but was involved with the SEM Center^TM at the Medical College of Ohio since 2003.  He graduated from the University of Toledo with a degree in Bioengineering.  Brad continues to play a key role in the development of the SEM Center^TM and its software, including the recent upgrades to bring the HT S-GEM Suite software package closer to 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.  In July of 2007, Brad was promoted to SEM Center^TM Manager.

David J. Oldfield - Production Center Team Leader - Mr. Oldfield obtained an A.C.S. accredited bachelors degree in Biochemistry from Eastern Michigan University in 1997.  He worked for two years with the environmental company ENCOTEC in Ann Arbor, Michigan which included soil, oil and water extractions of pesticides, herbicides and PCBs for large industrial companies and for EPA testing.  In 1999 David started working for a research lab at the University of Michigan Medical Center where he was an associate researcher and ran the Radioimmunoassay Core facility for the Michigan Gut Peptide Center.  He also became the lead research associate for the Center's Real-Time PCR core and became known as an excellent source of information and troubleshooter for real-time PCR techniques.  David continued working for the University of Michigan managing a large Internal Medicine Research lab where he supervised the day to day operations of the lab and helped to update the labs equipment and computer systems.  Early in 2007 David was offered a position with Gene Express Inc. and in June he was appointed as the Production Center Team Leader.

James C. Willey, MD - Co-Founder, Inventor, and Chief Science & Medical Consultant - Dr. Willey is the George Isaac Professor for Cancer Research at the University of Toledo College of Medicine (formerly Medical University of Ohio) in Toledo, Ohio. Dr. Willey also is a Scientific Director of the UT Cancer Institute. Dr. Willey previously was Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toledo (1994-2000). He currently holds a faculty position of Professor of Medicine with a joint appointment in Pathology. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Toledo, Dr. Willey completed training in pulmonary Medicine at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York (1994) and was Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester (1990-1994). Dr. Willey did his research post-doctoral training in the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis at the National Cancer Institute (1981-1990) after completing a residency in Internal Medicine with the Georgetown University-V.A Hospital program in Washington, D.C. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Toledo College of Medicine in Toledo, Ohio in 1978. Dr. Willey received his B.A. degree in Zoology from the University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont in 1974. Dr. Willey has had NIH funding since 1994. From 1999-2004 he was funded as a member of National Cancer Institute's Director's Challenge Group working, 'Toward a Molecular Classification of Cancer'. This was a prestigious nationwide group of 22 top academic investigators working to develop molecular diagnosis for cancers. In 2003-3004 Dr. Willey served on a Center for Disease Control (CDC) panel organized to assess approaches to "Developing Quality Control Materials for Genetic Testing". He has been a member of the FDA-led Microarray Quality Control Consortium (MAQC) since 2005. Dr. Willey is Editor-in-Chief of the recently established journal "Gene Regulation and Systems Biology". Dr. Willey has been awarded four patents, including three for the StaRT-PCR technology, and has several patents for related technology pending. Gene Express has contracted with Dr. Willey for 20% of his time as a consultant. He will supervise staff in his laboratory in the training of Gene Express personnel to operate a SEM Center . In addition, he will work to identify genes for which preparation of StaRT-PCR reagents will have high commercial value. In that capacity, he will make presentations to academic and pharmaceutical groups as well as potential investors. In addition, he will help implement the intellectual property he developed and that is now licensed to Gene Express.