A.J. Kazimi
Chairman
Gordon R. Bernard, M.D.
Director
Kenneth J. Krogulski
Director
James R. Jones
Director
Caroline Young
Director
Joseph C. Galante
Director
Martin S. Brown
Director
A.J. Kazimi
Chief Executive Officer
James L. Herman
Executive Vice President, National Accounts & Chief Compliance Officer
Todd Anthony
Vice President, Organizational Development
Cheow Choon
Senior Director, International Business
Barry Lee
Senior Director, Hospital Products
Adam S. Mostafa
Managing Director
Chris Bitterman
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Kenny Acevedo
Senior Director, Field Sales
John Hamm
Director, Finance & Accounting and Chief Financial Officer

Leadership Team

A.J. Kazimi

Chairman

 

Mr. Kazimi founded our company in 1999 and has served as the Chairman of our Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer since inception. His career includes 30 years in the biopharmaceutical industry. At Cumberland, he has overseen the development and FDA approval of the company’s Acetadote® and Caldolor® brands, while also leading the acquisition of the Company’s five other commercial products. He was responsible for Cumberland’s initial public offering and listing on the NASDAQ stock exchange. He also serves as Chairman and Chief Executive of Cumberland Emerging Technologies. Prior to joining our company, he spent eleven years helping to build Therapeutic Antibodies Inc., an international biopharmaceutical company.

As President and Chief Operating Officer, he made key contributions to that company’s growth from its start-up phase through its initial public offering and listing on the London stock exchange. Mr. Kazimi started his career at Brown-Forman Corporation, rising through a series of management positions and helping to launch several new products. Mr. Kazimi serves on the Board of Directors for the Nashville Health Care Council, an association of the largest concentration of healthcare companies in the U.S. He also serves on the Boards of the Tennessee Historical Society and the Gettysburg Foundation which partners with the National Park Service to preserve the historic military park.

Mr. Kazimi is a member of the Board of Visitors at the Vanderbilt University Business School and the Visiting Committee at the Loyola University New Orleans’ College of Business. He previously served on the board of Aegis Sciences Corporation, a federally certified forensic toxicology laboratory, which has sold twice to large private equity investors. He holds a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. The board believes that Mr. Kazimi brings strategic insight, leadership and a history of successful execution to the Company along with a wealth of experience in both the biopharmaceutical industry and the development of emerging companies.

Gordon R. Bernard, M.D.

Director

 

Dr. Bernard served as our Medical Director from 1999 until 2010 and currently serves as Chair of our Medical Advisory Board. He has served on our board of directors since 2010. Dr. Bernard is the Executive Vice President for Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and also the Melinda Owen Bass Professor of Medicine and former Chief of the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Vanderbilt. In addition, he is Executive Vice President for Research, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Sciences and Chairman of Vanderbilt’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, which is responsible for approving the Vanderbilt Medical Center Formulary of approved drugs and therapeutics. Dr. Bernard has been conducting national and international trials of pharmaceuticals since 1980 and he has been steering committee chair of the National Institutes of Health, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Clinical Trials Network since its inception in 1994 through its conclusion in 2014. This network is the only federally supported ongoing system for the conduct of research in the hospital Intensive Care Unit, or ICU. He holds a B.S. from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and an M.D. from Louisiana State University.

Dr. Bernard maintains an active practice as an Intensivist in the Medical ICU at Vanderbilt and is therefore in a position to observe, first hand, the pharmaceutical management issues surrounding the care of a wide variety of the most severely ill patients and identify their unmet medical needs. The board believes Dr. Bernard’s medical background is extremely valuable as the Company seeks to continue expanding its pipeline with promising products that offer advancement to patient care and are well-positioned competitively.

Kenneth J. Krogulski

Director

 

Mr. Krogulski joined Cumberland’s Board of Directors in 2017. He has over 40 years of experience in security analysis and portfolio management and is currently the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Berkshire Asset Management, LLC. Berkshire is an independent SEC registered Pennsylvania based investment advisory firm with over $3.5 billion in assets under supervision as of December 31, 2022. In addition, Mr. Krogulski is currently on the board of Allied Services Integrated Health System. He previously served as a Director of Landmark Community Bank (LDKB: NASDAQ) and numerous nonprofit organizations. Mr. Krogulski holds a B.S. in finance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and earned his M.B.A. from Wilkes University. In addition, he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

James R. Jones

Director

 

Mr. Jones has served as a member of our Board of Directors since 2010 and is Chair of our Audit Committee. Mr. Jones’ 36 year career in professional accounting at KPMG LLP included the role of Managing Partner at their Nashville, Tennessee office from 1999 to 2006. He served in various capacities during his career at KPMG which also included positions at their offices in Jackson, Mississippi, Washington, D.C. and Greenville, South Carolina. During his tenure with KPMG, Mr. Jones led a team of more than 100 individuals providing accounting services for an extensive client base. Following retirement in 2006, he has served as an advisor as well as provided various consulting services to several companies, including acting as liaison between management and the board of directors of a long-term care facility and serving as interim CEO of a charitable organization. He is currently a board director and member of the audit committees of Argent Trust Company of Tennessee and Belmont University. Mr. Jones also serves as a member of our Audit Committee and is our Audit Committee financial expert. Mr. Jones holds a B.S. from Mississippi College and an M.B.A from Mississippi State University. The board believes Mr. Jones’ significant accounting background will strengthen Cumberland’s existing financial capabilities and play a key role as the company is subject to increasingly stringent accounting and auditing regulations as a public entity.

Caroline Young

Director

 

Ms. Young joined the Board of Directors of Cumberland Pharmaceuticals in 2016. She serves as Cumberland’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Board Director. Ms. Young brings two decades of health care and life sciences experience to the role.  Currently, she serves as Vice President of Partnership Development with Frist Cressey Ventures (FCV), where she focuses on accelerating value for FCV’s partnerships and enhancing relationships with health care industry-wide stakeholders. Before joining FCV, Ms. Young partnered with Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to launch NashvilleHealth, a first-of-a-kind initiative to drive community-level health improvement. Prior to that role, Ms. Young led one of the nation’s premier health care industry associations, the Nashville Health Care Council, where she cultivated a national network of executives in support of leadership and innovation. She joined the council as President, and under her leadership membership grew to encompass 300 diverse organizations in the nation’s leading health care community. She also held prior positions as the founding Executive Director of Life Science Tennessee in communication roles for the State of Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD). Ms. Young currently serves on the board of Hint Health, is a member of the advisory boards of Belmont University College of Health Sciences and Washington, DC-based Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Healthcare Industry.  She holds an MS from the University of Tennessee and a BA from the University of Mississippi.

 

Joseph C. Galante

Director

 

Mr. Galante is a music industry executive with extensive experience that scans a celebrated career. He is accredited with developing the careers of Alabama, Dave Mathews Band, Dolly Parton, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Clint Black, Miranda Lambert, and the Judds, among others. His successful business track record, entrepreneurial and public company experience make him a valuable member of our board. Mr. Galante began at RCA Records in New York, followed by a transfer to RCA Nashville where he served as a director at the label, followed by the role of Vice President of Promotion and Marketing. At the age of 32 he became the youngest person ever named to run a major country record label. In 1990 he was appointed President of RCA Records US based in New York. He returned to Nashville as Chairman to run the RCA and BNA labels in Nashville. Under his leadership, RCA Records was the number one country label for eleven consecutive years. He then served as Chairman of Sony Music Nashville for six years. He was presented with the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award by the Opry Trust to honor his work for country music. Mr. Galante is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Pinnacle Financial Partners whose shares are listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, the Country Music Association, and serves as the Chair of the CMA Foundation.

Martin S. Brown

Director

 

Martin S. Brown is an attorney at Adams and Reese LLP, a multi-disciplinary law firm with over 270 attorneys and advisors located throughout the United States. He previously served for 10 years on the Board of directors of Brown-Forman Corporation, a large American wine and spirits company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The brands in Brown-Forman’s portfolio include Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve whiskeys, Benriach scotch, Herradura tequila and Finlandia vodka  Brown has nearly 30 years of legal experience representing privately held businesses, counseling owners in complex business transactions, intellectual property licensing, international commerce, mergers and acquisitions, and estate planning. He has been listed since 2009 in the corporate law category of in Best Lawyers®. Additionally, he has served since 2018 on the board of directors of the parent company of Aegis Sciences Corporation, a federally certified health care laboratory headquartered in Nashville.. Brown has been an active board member for many community organizations, including the Land Trust for Tennessee, Nashville Public Radio, Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville Public Television, Centerstone Mental Health Center, Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, and Tennessee chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Brown earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his juris doctor from Vanderbilt University. The Board believes Mr. Brown’s broad corporate development governance and legal experience will be valuable as the company continues to consider business and corporate development opportunities. 

A.J. Kazimi

Chief Executive Officer

 

Mr. Kazimi founded Cumberland Pharmaceuticals in 1999 and has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since its inception. Prior to forming Cumberland, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Therapeutic Antibodies Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. During his 11 years with the company, Mr. Kazimi oversaw operations in three countries and played a key role in the company’s product development strategies, licensing and distribution agreements, and the raising of more than $100 million through equity and debt financings, as well as its initial public offering. Earlier in his career, he worked at Brown-Forman Corporation, rising through a series of management positions. Mr. Kazimi currently serves on the board of directors for the Nashville Health Care Council, an industry association representing the largest concentration of healthcare companies in the United States and has served on the board for Aegis Toxicology Sciences Corporation, a federally certified forensic toxicology laboratory. He also serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cumberland Emerging Technologies, Inc. (CET). He holds a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.

James L. Herman

Executive Vice President, National Accounts & Chief Compliance Officer

  As Executive Vice President of National Accounts, Mr. Herman handles all national sales, including wholesalers and retail chain buying offices, managed care home offices and federal government accounts. He also oversees corporate compliance efforts. Previously, he was with Solvay Pharmaceuticals where he served as Director of Managed Care, as well as Director of Trade Affairs and Customer Service. Earlier in his career, Mr. Herman spent eight years with Schwarz Pharma, where he held national sales leadership positions. He holds a B.S. from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from Cardinal Stritch University.

Todd Anthony

Vice President, Organizational Development

  Mr. Anthony joined our company in 2010 and is Vice President, Organizational Management." He is responsible for all training activities related to product knowledge and selling skills for our Sales Organization, as well as sales management, corporate training, and leadership development. He began his pharmaceutical career with Berlex Laboratories Inc. in 1991 and spent 19 years at that company which is now Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals following the 2006 acquisition of Schering AG. While there he held positions of increasing responsibility including roles in Sales, Sales Training, Sales Management and Corporate Management/Leadership development. He has a BSN degree from D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY.

Cheow Choon

Senior Director, International Business

 

Mr. Choon is the Senior Director of International Business Development for Cumberland Pharmaceuticals. His responsibilities include identifying new partnership opportunities and managing those relationships in the Asian market. Prior to joining Cumberland, he was Vice President of Southeast Asia & Korea at Hospira Inc. His career also includes roles in banking & finance with the United Overseas Bank, Singapore as well as the establishment, development & management of pharmaceutical partnerships across Asia as General Manager, Asia for Mayne & Faulding Pharmaceutical of Australia. Mr. Choon is an Accountant, earning his Bachelor of Accountancy from the National University of Singapore and an MBA from Monash University in Australia. .

Barry Lee

Senior Director, Hospital Products

  In his role as Senior Director, Hospital Products, Mr. Lee is responsible for all marketing activities associated with the commercialization of Caldolor®, the company’s intravenous formulation of ibuprofen. Prior to joining the company in 2008, he spent 24 years with Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. There he held a variety of pharmaceutical sales and marketing positions and, most notably, was responsible for the launch of Yasmin® in 2001—one of the most successful industry product launches at that time. He earned a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University.

Adam S. Mostafa

Managing Director

  In his role as consulting Managing Director, Mr. Mostafa is responsible for managing our investment banking activities and supporting our institutional investor interactions. Adam is an experienced biopharmaceutical investment banker who has worked for over 17 years in corporate finance. Prior to joining Cumberland in 2017, Mr. Mostafa worked on Wall Street at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. as Managing Director, Healthcare Investment Banking. There, he was involved predominantly in financing life sciences companies in the specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. He also served as a senior healthcare investment banker at both Needham & Company and CRT Capital, where at the latter he was also involved in life sciences private equity investments. Earlier in his career, Adam was a portfolio management associate at AQR Capital and a healthcare investment banking analyst at Salomon Smith Barney. Mr. Mostafa graduated from Brown University with a degree in Economics.

Chris Bitterman

Vice President, Sales and Marketing

  Mr. Bitterman joined Cumberland in 2018 with a distinguished career in Acute Care and pharmaceutical sales management spanning over 25 years. Highlights include his roles as National Sales Director for Daiichi Sankyo and Regional Sales Director for Sanofi Aventis. As Cumberland's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, he is responsible for leading our veteran Hospital Sales division, the development & execution of team business priorities, and delivering the financial objectives for our Hospital products. Mr. Bitterman earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Business from Central Michigan University.

Kenny Acevedo

Senior Director, Field Sales

  Prior to joining Cumberland 2011, Mr. Acevedo served in several roles including Hospital District Manager and Senior District Manager for Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Acevedo has been involved in the launching of several noteworthy pharmaceutical products. He also spent 5 years at ICN Pharmaceuticals as Regional Director for the West Coast. He is a graduate of New York State University at Stony Brook and he also received his Master’s in Health Administration from Long Island University.

John Hamm

Director, Finance & Accounting and Chief Financial Officer

 

In his role as Director Finance & Accounting and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Hamm manages all of Cumberland’s finance and accounting activities while continuing to oversee corporate development and legal matters. He has more than 25 years of executive finance and accounting experience, including 20 years in health care. Prior to joining Cumberland in 2019, Hamm served in senior executive positions in the health care, broadcasting and telecom industries. Hamm is the former Chief Operating Officer at HealthSpring and Chief Financial Officer for their pharmacy business. HealthSpring, a managed care organization, now operates as Cigna-HealthSpring. John holds both a bachelor's and a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting.

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