Aclaris Therapeutics ACRS

Neal Walker co-founded our company and has served as our Chief Executive Officer since February 2025. He previously served as our Interim Chief Executive Officer from January 2024 to February 2025, as our President from January 2024 to November 2024, and as our Chief Executive Officer and President from our inception in 2012 until December 2022. Dr. Walker has also served as a member of our Board since our inception and currently serves as its Chair. Dr. Walker co-founded NeXeption, LLC, a biopharmaceutical assets management company, in 2012. Dr. Walker co-founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Vicept Therapeutics, Inc., a dermatology-focused specialty pharmaceutical company, from 2009 until its acquisition by Allergan, Inc. in 2011. Previously, Dr. Walker co-founded and led a number of life science companies, including Octagon Research Solutions, Inc., a software and services provider to biopharmaceutical companies (acquired by Accenture plc), Trigenesis Therapeutics, Inc., a specialty dermatology company, where he served as Chief Medical Officer (acquired by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Inc.), and Cutix Inc., a commercial dermatology company. He began his pharmaceutical industry career at Johnson and Johnson, Inc. Dr. Walker is a director of Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly held biotechnology company, as well as several private companies. Dr. Walker received an M.B.A. degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and a B.A. degree in Biology from Lehigh University.

Kevin Balthaser has served as our Chief Financial Officer since January 2023. Mr. Balthaser has served in roles of increasing responsibility at our company since 2017, most recently as Vice President, Finance from January 2022 until his appointment as Chief Financial Officer. Before joining our company, he held positions of increasing responsibility within the accounting and finance department at Lannett Company, Inc., a publicly traded generic pharmaceutical company, where he was also a member of the team responsible for executing capital market transactions and acquisitions. Mr. Balthaser began his career with the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Mr. Balthaser is a certified public accountant in Pennsylvania. He received his B.S. degree in finance from Pennsylvania State University and his M.B.A. degree from Villanova University.

James Loerop has served as our Chief Business Officer since January 2022. From 2019 to January 2022, Mr. Loerop served as Executive Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Planning at Anika Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly held company focused on products for joint preservation, where he was responsible for global business development activities. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Loerop served as Chief Corporate Development Officer for Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was a member of the company's Executive Leadership Team and was responsible for global business development and corporate development activities. Prior to joining Lupin, Mr. Loerop held senior leadership roles at various companies in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry, including at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as Senior Vice President of Global Business Development, GlaxoSmithKline as Vice President of North America Business Development, and Stiefel Laboratories, Inc. as Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Development, prior to GSK's acquisition of Stiefel. Mr. Loerop received a B.S. degree in marketing from Western Michigan University.

Christopher Molineaux has served as Lead Independent Director of our Board since January 2023, having previously served as Chair since June 2019. He has served as a member of our Board since 2014. Since 2010, Mr. Molineaux has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Life Sciences Pennsylvania, formerly Pennsylvania Bio, a pharmaceutical and biotech industry advocacy organization, and previously served as its Senior Vice President, Membership Services. Mr. Molineaux previously served as worldwide Vice President of Pharmaceutical Communications and Public Affairs for Johnson & Johnson, a global healthcare company. Mr. Molineaux also served as Vice President for Public Affairs at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). He received a B.A. degree from the College of the Holy Cross.

Anand Mehra, M.D. has served as a member of our Board since 2014. Dr. Mehra has served as a founding partner of Forge Life Science Partners, a biotech investment firm, since its inception in May 2023. Dr. Mehra joined Sofinnova Investments, Inc. (fka Sofinnova Ventures, Inc.), a biotech investment firm, in 2007 and served as a managing general partner until 2020. Prior to joining Sofinnova, Dr. Mehra worked in J.P. Morgan's private equity and venture capital group, and before that, Dr. Mehra was a consultant in McKinsey & Company's pharmaceutical practice. Within the past five years, Dr. Mehra served as the chair of the board of directors of the publicly held company Merus N.V. Dr. Mehra received a B.A. degree in political philosophy from the University of Virginia and an M.D. degree from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Vincent Milano has served as a member of our Board since January 2020. Mr. Milano most recently served as Chair of the board of directors of Aceragen, Inc. (formerly known as Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), a publicly held biopharmaceutical company, from 2022 to August 2023, having previously served as Idera's President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of Idera's board of directors since 2014. From 1996 to 2014, Mr. Milano served in increasingly senior roles at ViroPharma Inc., a pharmaceutical company acquired by Shire plc in 2014, most recently as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer from 2008 to 2014. From 1985 to 1996, Mr. Milano served in increasingly senior roles, most recently as a senior manager, at KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. Mr. Milano currently serves on the boards of directors of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly held company, and Life Sciences Cares Philadelphia, a non-profit organization. Within the past five years, Mr. Milano served on the board of directors of Venatorx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company. Mr. Milano received a B.S. degree in Accounting from Rider College.

William Humphries has served as a member of our Board since 2016. Mr. Humphries has served as the Chief Executive Officer of MedPharm, a contract development and manufacturing organization, since January 2025. From June 2023 to January 2025, he served as the Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors of Alcami Corporation, a contract development and manufacturing organization. From May 2021 to May 2023, Mr. Humphries served as the Chief Executive Officer of Isosceles Pharmaceuticals Inc, a biotechnology company. From 2018 to 2020, Mr. Humphries served as President of Ortho Dermatologics, the dermatology division of Bausch Health Companies, Inc., and previously served as its Executive Vice President, Company Group Chairman for Dermatology and OraPharma from 2017 to 2018. From 2012 to 2016, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the North American business of Merz, Inc., an affiliate of Merz Pharma Group, a specialty healthcare company. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Humphries served in a number of leadership positions with Stiefel Laboratories, Inc., a dermatology pharmaceutical company, including as its Chief Commercial Officer and then as President beginning in 2008. Stiefel was acquired by GSK in 2009, after which Mr. Humphries served as the President of Dermatology for Stiefel from 2009 until 2012. Mr. Humphries previously held multiple senior executive roles in sales and marketing, business development and international marketing for Allergan, Inc., concluding as Vice President of its U.S. skincare business. Mr. Humphries currently serves as a director of the publicly held company Clearside Biomedical, Inc. Within the past five years, he served as a member of the boards of directors of the publicly held companies PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and STRATA Skin Sciences, Inc., as well as the privately held companies Bryn Pharmaceuticals and SKNV. He received a B.A. degree from Bucknell University and an M.B.A. degree from Pepperdine University.

Maxine Gowen has served as a member of our Board since July 2019. Dr. Gowen previously served as the part-time Chief Executive Officer of TamuroBio Inc., a biotechnology company, from 2019 to December 2021. Dr. Gowen founded Trevena, Inc., a publicly held biopharmaceutical company, and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer from 2007 until 2018. Prior to this, Dr. Gowen held a variety of leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) over a period of fifteen years. Dr. Gowen was previously President and Managing Partner at SR One, the venture capital subsidiary of GSK, where she led its investments in, and served on the board of directors of, numerous companies. Until 2002, Dr. Gowen was Vice President, Drug Discovery, Musculoskeletal Diseases at GSK, responsible for drug discovery and early development for osteoporosis, arthritis and metastatic bone disease. Dr. Gowen held a tenured academic position in the School of Pharmacology, University of Bath, UK from 1989 to 1992. Dr. Gowen currently serves as the chair of the board of directors of the publicly held company Passage Bio, Inc. Within the past five years, Dr. Gowen served as a director of the publicly held companies Merus N.V., Trevena, Inc., Aceragen, Inc. (formerly known as Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) and Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Gowen received a B.Sc. in biochemistry from the University of Bristol, UK, then received a Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of Sheffield, UK, and received an M.B.A from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gowen also received a D.Sc. from the University of Bath, UK.

Andrew Schiff has served as a member of our Board since 2017. Dr. Schiff joined Aisling Capital, an investment firm, in 1999 and currently serves as one of its managing partners. Prior to joining Aisling Capital, Dr. Schiff practiced internal medicine for six years at The New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he maintains his position as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine. Dr. Schiff currently serves on the board of directors of the publicly held company Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Schiff also currently serves on the board of directors of the privately held company Dren Bio. He is a board member of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, as well as other charitable organizations. Dr. Schiff received an M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College, an M.B.A. degree from Columbia University, and a B.S. degree with honors in Neuroscience from Brown University.

Hugh Davis has served as our President and Chief Operating Officer, and as a member of our Board, since November 2024. He previously held various roles at Biosion, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, beginning in 2020, including as Chief Operating Officer of Biosion Inc., President of Biosion USA, Inc., and, most recently, as Biosion's Chief Business & Development Officer and President. Dr. Davis also previously served as a member of the board of directors of Biosion, Inc. from 2020 to March 2026. From 2018 to 2020, Dr. Davis served as Chief Business Officer at Frontage Laboratories, Inc. He previously served in a series of leadership roles at Janssen R&D/Johnson & Johnson, including as Vice President & Head, Biologics Development Sciences, Biophysics and Laboratory Operations. Dr. Davis's previous biopharmaceutical experience includes leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer. Dr. Davis received Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Biochemistry from Villanova University and a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Gannon University.

Jesse Hall, M.D. has served as our Chief Medical Officer since April 2025. He most recently served as Chief Medical Officer for AltruBio from September 2021 until April 2025. Prior to AltruBio, from 2018 to April 2021, Dr. Hall served as Chief Medical Officer and EVP of Scientific and Clinical Affairs at Sublimity Therapeutics. Prior to Sublimity, Dr. Hall served as Chief Medical Officer of Aristea Therapeutics, and prior to that in roles of increasing responsibility at companies including Ardea Biosciences (a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca), Amgen, and Abbott Laboratories. Dr. Hall received a B.A. degree from the University of San Diego, an M.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and conducted his surgical training at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University.

Roland Kolbeck, Ph.D., has served as our Chief Scientific Officer since July 2025. He most recently served as Chief Scientific Officer for Spirovant Sciences from 2020 to April 2025, where he directed the company's strategy related to new indications, targets, and investments. Previously, Dr. Kolbeck was Vice President, Head of Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmune Research (RIA) at MedImmune, AstraZeneca's global biologics organization. Prior to Medimmune, he served in senior scientific roles at Peptimmune and Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Kolbeck received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Regensburg and Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology (now the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence), in Munich, Germany.