Team Categories: Board of Directors

Thong Q. Le
President and Chief Executive Officer
Thong Q. Le serves as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Accelerator Life Science Partners. With more than 20 years of experience in identifying, investing, managing, and successfully exiting numerous seed and early-stage investments, Mr. Le is positioned to grow and expand the Accelerator investment model. He currently serves as CEO and Director of all Accelerator Life Science Partner I portfolio companies, which currently includes ApoGen Biotechnologies, Lodo Therapeutics, Magnolia Neurosciences, Proniras Corporation, and Rodeo Therapeutics.

Prior to becoming CEO at Accelerator, Mr. Le served as a Managing Director at WRF Capital, the venture capital investment arm of Washington Research Foundation in Seattle, WA. During his 13-year tenure at WRF Capital, Mr. Le played a significant role in the early sourcing, financing, and development of numerous start-up companies, including Alder Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALDR), Corus Pharma (acquired by Gilead Sciences), Halosource (LSE: HALO.L), Hyperion Therapeutics (Nasdaq: HPTX), Lumera (NasdaqNM: LMRA), Performant (acquired by Mercury Interactive), Pathway Medical Technologies (acquired by MEDRAD), and VLST (asset acquisition by major international pharmaceutical company). He also led WRF Capital’s investments in Accelerator, AnswerDash, ARZEDA, Cardeas Pharma, Resolve Therapeutics, and Uptake Medical, all companies where he was actively involved in establishing as a founding or early investor.

Prior to joining WRF Capital, Mr. Le was the founder, president and CEO of MiniMeals, Inc. and a consultant for Capital Management Consulting, Inc. Earlier, he was at Raymond James & Associates, Singer & Xenos Investment Management Company and Capital Management Group LLC, a private investment firm specializing in biomedical ventures.

Mr. Le completed post-graduate studies at the Templeton College of Oxford University and earned a bachelor of arts cum laude in government from Harvard University. He currently serves on the advisory board for the Alexandria Seed Capital Platform and on the executive committees of the Evergreen Venture Capital Association (EVCA) and Washington Global Health Fund. He was previously named one of the region’s “40 Under 40” by the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Margarita Chavez, J.D.
Abbvie Ventures

Margarita is Managing Director at Abbvie Ventures.  Margarita has lead investments in over a dozen biotech companies in the US and Europe and is responsible for AbbVie’s investments in Morphic Therapeutics, Palleon Pharmaceuticals, eFFECTOR Therapeutics, CARISMA Therapeutics, Jnana Therapeutics and Paragen Bio. Margarita brings over 20 years of dealmaking experience, with over a decade in biotech M&A, licensing, and venture.

Margarita was previously a Director with Abbott’s Global Pharmaceutical Licensing & Acquisitions.  Among others, Margarita was involved in the in-licensing of Elagolix, the acquisition of Immuven, and the acquisition of the Lupron franchise. Before joining Abbott, Margarita practiced as a corporate and securities lawyer in Silicon Valley with the firm of Brobeck Phleger & Harrison, advising in equity financings, M&A and IPOs.

Margarita currently serves as a Board Member of the New England Venture Capital Association and the MidAmerica Healthcare Investors Network and on the Advisory Board of the Santa Clara University School of Law.

M. Johnston Erwin, Jr.
Vice President, Corporate Business Development – Eli Lilly and Company
Johnston serves as Vice President, Corporate Business Development at Eli Lilly and Company. As a member of the Company’s Corporate Business Development operation, he works with the Lilly team and external partners to advance innovation by driving scientific breakthroughs through collaboration. He works closely with regional investment funds and provides oversight and strategic guidance to these efforts.

Most recently, Johnston served as Global Brand Development Leader Bone, Muscle and Joint Molecule Clinical Development. He was named Global Brand Development Leader, Osteoporosis Products in 2003. This was an expansion of the role he held since 2002 as Product Team Leader, Arzoxifene. Johnston led the clinical team responsible for the global regulatory submissions of EVISTA and FORTEO. Under his leadership, both brands were approved in more than 80 countries and reached blockbuster status with >$1 Billion in worldwide sales each. Prior to 2002, he served as Director, Strategy and Business Development, Primary Care Product Group, for Lilly where he was responsible for Cardiovascular Disease, Women’s Health, and Infectious Disease therapeutic areas. He also oversaw the product-CIALIS, another blockbuster.

Prior to joining Lilly in 1985, Johnston spent three years as a sales representative in Idaho and held leadership roles in Corporate Strategic Planning, Human Resources, Sales, Strategic Asset Management, and Corporate Business Development.

Johnston previously served on the boards of the Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association of Texas, the Young Philanthropists for Vision in Indiana, and the Cornea Research Foundation. He currently serves on the executive boards of the Western Golf Association / Evans Scholars Foundation, Indiana State University (Board of Governors), Purdue University, and the Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana.

Joel S. Marcus
Executive Chairman & Founder – Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc./Alexandria Venture Investments
Joel S. Marcus is the Executive Chairman and Founder of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an urban office REIT uniquely focused on collaborative life science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations. Mr. Marcus co-founded Alexandria in 1994 as a garage startup with $19 million in Series A capital and, as Chief Executive Officer from March 1997 to April 2018, has led its growth into an S&P 500 company with an approximately $18 billion total market capitalization and a total shareholder return of approximately 1,300% since the company’s IPO in 1997. Today, Alexandria, which celebrated its 20th anniversary as an NYSE listed REIT in May 2017, is the only publicly traded pure-play office/laboratory REIT.

Mr. Marcus has built Alexandria’s unique business model around four business verticals — real estate, venture investments, thought leadership, and corporate responsibility. With its core focus on real estate, Alexandria has a proven track record of developing Class A buildings on urban life science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including Greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle Park. In 1996, Mr. Marcus founded the company’s venture capital arm, Alexandria Venture Investments, to provide strategic investment capital to innovative life science and technology entities developing breakthrough therapies and technologies. Mr. Marcus introduced the company’s thought leadership platform in 2011, when he co-founded the renowned Alexandria Summit®. The Alexandria Summit convenes a diverse group of visionary partners and key stakeholders — from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agribusiness, technology, medical, academic, venture capital, private equity, philanthropic, patient advocacy, and government communities — to address the most critical challenges in global healthcare, agriculture, and the environment. Focusing on sustainability and philanthropy, Alexandria’s corporate responsibility business vertical affirms the company’s commitment to making a positive impact on the world. Mr. Marcus is also personally engaged in numerous mission-critical philanthropic efforts, including through his service as Chair of the Navy SEAL Foundation’s 2017 New York City Benefit, which raised $12.8 million to help support the Naval Special Warfare community and their families.

Mr. Marcus was one of the original architects and co-founders of Accelerator Life Science Partners, for which he serves on the board of directors, and AgTech Accelerator Corporation, for which he serves as Chairman of the board. He also serves on the boards of Applied Therapeutics Inc., Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA), Boragen Inc., Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITCI), MeiraGTx Limited, and Yumanity Therapeutics; Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), Friends of Cancer Research, MassBio, NewYorkBIO, and The Scripps Research Institute; the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Partnership for New York City, and Robin Hood Foundation; as well as on Nareit’s 2018 Executive Board.

Prior to co-founding Alexandria, Mr. Marcus had an extensive legal career specializing in corporate finance and capital markets, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions. During that time, he acquired an expertise in the biopharmaceutical industry and was one of the principal architects of the Kirin-Amgen EPO joint venture in 1984. He was also a practicing certified public accountant and tax manager with Arthur Young & Co., where he focused on the financing and taxation of REITs.

He was named one of Real Estate Forum’s 2017 Best Bosses in commercial real estate and was previously a recipient of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award (Los Angeles — Real Estate). Mr. Marcus earned his undergraduate and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Steven Gillis
Managing Director – ARCH Venture Partners
Steven Gillis is now a Managing Director at ARCH Venture Partners. Dr. Gillis was a founder and director of Corixa Corporation and served as the company’s Chief Executive Officer since inception and as its chairman since January of 1999. Corixa Corporation was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in July of 2005. Prior to starting Corixa, Dr. Gillis was a founder and director of Immunex Corporation. From 1981 until his departure in 1994, Dr. Gillis served as Immunex’s Director of Research and Development, Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Immunex’s Research and Development subsidiary. Dr. Gillis was interim Chief Executive officer of Immunex Corporation following its majority purchase by American Cyanamid Company. Dr. Gillis remained on the Board of Directors of Immunex until 1997. Immunex was acquired by Amgen in 2002. Dr. Gillis is an immunologist by training with over 300 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of molecular and tumor immunology. He is credited as being a pioneer in the field of cytokines and cytokine receptors, directing the development of multiple marketed products including Leukine, (GM-CSF), Prokine (IL-2) and Enbrel (soluble TNF receptor-Fc fusion protein) as well as the regulatory approval of Bexxar (radiolabeled anti-CD20). Dr. Gillis received his B.A. from Williams College in 1975 and his Ph.D. from Dartmouth College in 1978.

Dr. Barbara J. Dalton
Vice President Venture Capital, Worldwide Business Development Pfizer Inc
Dr. Dalton is responsible for Pfizer’s Venture Investments, managing the current private equity portfolio and advising on equity transactions. Dr Dalton was a founding member of EuclidSR Partners, a private venture capital firm. She began her business career as a research scientist at SmithKline before moving to their venture capital subsidiary, S.R. One, Limited. Barbara has managed diverse fund and company investments throughout the world. She is an advisor to the Dean of the Penn State Eberly College of Science, where she received her undergraduate degree, and a member of The Penn State Research Foundation Board of Directors. She leads the Healthcare Investing Group of the New York City Investment Fund and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Foundation, NY Biotech Association and the National Venture Capital Association. Dr Dalton received her PhD in Immunology and Microbiology from The Medical College of Pennsylvania.