Managed a team of six with direct oversight of external and internal communications, corporate marketing, event planning, and administration. Acted as Chief of Staff and served as member on Merrimack Executive Team. Responsible, with CEO, for board communications, meetings, and strategy.■ Set strategy and developed communications plan for game-changing announcement of successful Phase 3 pancreatic cancer trial and launch of ONIVYDE®, Merrimack’s first commercial drug. Led team that aligned and flawlessly executed internal, media, and investor announcements and coordinated positive patient advocacy response. Won extensive media coverage while avoiding then-prevalent focus on drug pricing.■ Set overall public relations strategy, working with PR firm to win valuable coverage, including CEO appearances on Bloomberg Radio, CNBC Power Lunch, and Squawk Box; coached CEO with messaging and interview preparation. ■ Led award-winning company rebranding around the “Cures are Built” tagline, representing Merrimack’s uncommon approach to drug discovery. The new brand resonated strongly with physicians and patient groups and proudly engaged usually skeptical employees. Trained field force on messaging link between brand, Merrimack’s scientific approach, and drug pipeline.■ Set agenda for the executive team and senior leadership. Managed board communications and streamlined meeting agendas, information packages, and presentations, winning positive director feedback. ■ Played a key administrative, team dynamics, and cultural integration role on behalf of the executive team, including through monthly offsite staff and field team meetings. Partnered with HR on creative and interactive off-site exercises to build enthusiastic buy-in to company mission, values, and culture.■ Built dedicated, universally respected communications team that worked seamlessly across all functions and produced timely, cost-effective, and high-quality results.

Headed staff of two with responsibility for all internal and external communications including investor relations through private funding and IPO.■ In support of the IPO, developed company messaging, including S-1 business content, shareholder outreach, management of investor road show, and presentation and Q&A preparation of executive team. Partnered with CEO on individual outreach to investors, shaping messaging around IPO pricing and garnering $80 million in re-investment from all shareholders and new investors, finally achieving critically needed cash and analyst coverage.■ Played critical investor relations role in quarterly reporting drafting of news release, CEO script, and Q&A documents and preparation. Led planning of analyst days, public company financings, and corporate presentations.

Served as one-person team handling all internal and external communications and shareholder relations.■ Partnered with CEO and CFO to close $240 million over four rounds of private funding, including several high quality public company investors. ■ Handled all internal and external communications, including crisis communications response to negative clinical trial data and deprioritzation of lead asset. Partnered with HR on annual company-wide off-site meetings. Annual meetings included several productive approaches to employee engagement including developing a creative role-playing exercise for staff building an inclusive approach to strategy and confidence in company’s future.

As one of the early-stage company’s first employees, played multiple administrative, communications, operations, and fundraising roles.