Board of Directors
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A.J. Kazimi
ChairmanChairmanMr. 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.
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Gordon R. Bernard, M.D.
DirectorDirectorDr. 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.
Independent Director -
Joey A. Jacobs
DirectorDirectorMr. Jacobs joined Cumberland’s Board of Directors in 2011 and is Chairman of our Governance and Nominating Committee and Lead Independent Director. A healthcare veteran with more than 44 years of industry experience, Mr. Jacobs is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Acadia Healthcare, a rapidly growing behavioral health company. Mr. Jacobs is the former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nashville-based Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI), which he co-founded in 1997 and grew into a $2 billion behavioral healthcare system before the company’s sale to Universal Health Services in 2010. Prior to founding PSI, Mr. Jacobs spent 21 years at Hospital Corporation of America, or HCA, where he served in various capacities. In addition to serving as the former Chairman of the Nashville Health Care Council, he is also a past director of the Federation of American Hospitals, the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, Mental Health Management and Envision Corporation. He is currently a board member of the Monroe Carell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Middle Tennesse State University.
Mr. Jacobs holds a B.S. degree from Middle Tennessee State University. The board believes Mr. Jacobs’ extensive hospital industry experience as well as his experience as chairman and CEO of a publicly traded healthcare company will be critical as the Company continues to develop its hospital acute care product line and navigate the responsibilities associated with being a public company.
Independent Director -
James R. Jones
DirectorDirectorMr. 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.Independent Director -
Caroline R. Young
DirectorDirectorMs. Young joined the Board of Directors of Cumberland Pharmaceuticals in 2016 and is also Cumberland’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Board Director. Ms. Young was previously the President of the Nashville Health Care Council, a position she held from 2008 to 2015. Under her leadership, the Council’s membership grew to encompass 300 diverse organizations and launched the one-of-a-kind Fellows initiative designed to further the skills of business executives. Additionally, the Council’s innovative Leadership Health Care program expanded to consist of 1,000 members. Ms. Young joined the Council in 2004, serving as vice president. Prior to the Council, Ms. Young was the founding Executive Director of Life Science Tennessee from 2002 to 2004. She also served in communications roles for the State of Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) from 1998 to 2002. Ms. Young is currently the Executive Director of NashvilleHealth, an initiative focused on improving the health of the citizens of Nashville-Davidson County. NashvilleHealth addresses area health equity issues and ensures Nashville continues to be a great place to live and work. Ms. Young has been recognized by the Nashville Business Journal as a “Healthcare Hero,” and the Nashville Medical News as a “Woman to Watch.” Currently, Ms. Young is a member of the Advisory Board of the Washington, DC-based Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Healthcare Industry. Ms. Young holds a B.A. from the University of Mississippi and a M.S. from the University of Tennessee.
Independent Director -
Kenneth J. Krogulski
DirectorDirectorMr. 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 President and Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Asset Management, LLC, as well as the company’s Chief Investment Officer. Berkshire is a 33-year-old independent SEC registered Pennsylvania based investment advisory firm with over $2.2 billion in assets under supervision. Prior to Berkshire, Mr. Krogulski began his career in financial services in 1979 at First Eastern Bank, N.A., now PNC Financial, as an investment analyst and portfolio manager, where he advanced to Chief Investment Officer of the Trust Department. He then joined Berkshire in 1990 and later led a management buy-out acquiring the company from Legg Mason. Under his leadership Berkshire’s assets under supervision have grown from $600 million in 2006 and are now over $2.2 billion. Currently Mr. Krogulski serves on the board of Allied Services Rehabilitation Hospital and is a Director of Landmark Community Bank (LDKB: NASDAQ). Previously he served as the Director of the Wyoming Valley Health Care System, on the board of the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, the Luzerne Foundation and on various other community boards. 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.
Independent Director -
Joseph C. Galante
DirectorDirectorMr. 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.
Independent Director