Guiding Strategy,
Overseeing Operations,
Ensuring Good Governance
Board of Directors
A.J. Kazimi
Chairman
Mr. Kazimi is the Chairman of our Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer who founded Cumberland in 1999. His career includes over 30 years in the biopharmaceutical industry. At Cumberland, he has overseen the development and FDA approval of key Company brands, while also leading the acquisition of the Company’s other commercial products. He was responsible for Cumberland’s initial public offering and listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Mr. Kazimi also serves as Chairman and Chief Executive of Cumberland Emerging Technologies, a joint initiative with Vanderbilt University and the state of Tennessee, designed to support the development of early-stage life sciences programs and companies. Prior to joining Cumberland, 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. He is Chairman of the Board for the Gettysburg Foundation which partners with the National Park Service to preserve that historic military park. He is also a member of the Board of the Tennessee Historical Society. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the Nashville Health Care Council, an association of the largest concentration of healthcare companies in the U.S. and the Board of Aegis Sciences Corporation, a federally certified forensic toxicology laboratory, which has sold twice to large private equity investors. Mr. Kazimi 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 Board along with a wealth of experience in both the biopharmaceutical industry and the development of emerging companies.
Kenneth J. Krogulski
Director
Mr. Krogulski joined Cumberland’s Board of Directors in 2017. He has 45 years of experience in security analysis and portfolio management and is currently the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Berkshire Asset Management, LLC, an independent SEC registered investment advisory firm. Prior to Berkshire, Mr. Krogulski began his career in financial services at First Eastern Bank, N.A., now PNC Financial, where he advanced to Chief Investment Officer of their Trust Department. 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. The Board believes Mr. Krogulski’s extensive financial experience plays a significant role in guiding the Company’s strategy and offers valuable services in directing Cumberland’s growth.
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 currently the Melinda Owen Bass Professor of Medicine and former Chief of the Division for Allergy, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine for Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). In addition, he was formerly the Executive Vice President for Research at VUMC and former Chairman of VUMC’s Pharmacy, Therapeutics and Diagnostics Committee, which is responsible for approving their formulary of approved drugs and therapeutics. Dr. Bernard has been conducting national and international trials of pharmaceuticals since 1980 and has been the 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 one of the few federally supported ongoing systems for the conduct of research in the hospital Intensive Care Unit. He holds a B.S. from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and an M.D. from Louisiana State University. As an intensivist, and former Medical Director for the Medical ICU, Dr. Bernard is in a strategic position to observe 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.
James R. Jones
Director
Mr. Jones has served as a member of our Board of Directors since 2010. 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 R. Young
Director
Ms. Young joined our Board of Directors in 2016. She brings two decades of health care and life sciences to the role. Currently, she serves as Vice President of Partnership Development at Frist Cressey Ventures, where she focuses on accelerating value for their partnerships and enhancing relationships with industry-wide stakeholders. Previously Ms. Young partnered with Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to launch NashvilleHealth, a first-of-a-kind initiative to reduce disparities and drive community-level health improvement. Prior to that role, Caroline 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 industry leadership and innovation. She also held prior positions as the founding Executive Director of Life Sciences and Director of Communications and Advertising at the State of Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development. Ms. Young holds an M.S. from the University of Tennessee and a B.A. from the University of Mississippi. The Board believes Ms. Young’s national healthcare industry experience and strategic innovation initiatives are valuable as the Company continues to build a strong portfolio of products that serve the medical community.
Joseph C. Galante
Director
Mr. Galante became a member of our Board of Directors in 2018. He 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. 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. In 2022, Mr. Galante was given the esteemed honor of being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Mr. Galante is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Pinnacle Financial Partners whose shares are listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, Fishbowl Spirits, LLC and serves as the Chair of the Country Music Association Foundation. He holds a B.S. in finance and marketing from Fordam University. The Board believes his successful business track record, entrepreneurial and public company experience make him a valuable member of our board.
Martin S. Brown
Director
Mr. Brown, Jr. has served on our Board of Directors since 2022. He previously served for ten years on the Board of Directors of Brown-Forman, which is a New York Stock Exchange listed company. For more than thirty years, Mr. Brown has also been a practicing attorney in Nashville with Adams and Reese, LLP, and its predecessor firm. Adams and Reese is a multi-state law firm with nearly 250 attorneys located in 20 offices. His clients primarily are privately held businesses and their owners. He has been listed in Best Lawyers® national peer review guide in the corporate law category since 2009. Since 2018 he has served on the Board of Directors of the parent company of Aegis Sciences Corporation, a widely acredited forensic toxicology laboratory. Mr. Brown also has served as a board member or officer 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 the Tennessee chapter of the Nature Conservancy. He is a member of the Economic Club of Nashville and the Nashville Capital Network. Mr. Brown earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University after receiving his undergraduate degree from Yale University. The Board believes Mr. Brown’s significant legal knowledge and experience with a public listed company are critical as the Company continues to navigate the responsibilities associated with being a public company.