At CenExel we care when it comes to the science of life.

Ryan Brooks serves as the Executive Chairman of the Board and Interim CEO for CenExel, bringing extensive expertise and a track record of transformative achievements in the healthcare industry.

As Executive Chairman of the Board, Ryan architect’s CenExel’s broader strategies and oversees its long-term trajectory, collaborating closely with the board.

In his role as Interim CEO, he guides CenExel’s strategic direction, manages operations, and ensures the company meets its objectives with precision and effectiveness. Ryan’s leadership fosters innovation and a commitment to advancing life-changing therapies through exceptional medical research, driving the company’s growth and performance.

In addition to his roles at CenExel, Ryan’s career includes significant positions at Abbott, Boston Scientific, and St. Jude Medical, along with considerable experience in healthcare venture capital and public equities. In 2018, he played a key role with Webster Equity Partners in founding CenExel, following the sale of his interest in a clinical research site that became the first in CenExel’s expansive network.

Ryan’s dynamic leadership and visionary approach will continue to propel CenExel’s success and impact on clinical development. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Gonzaga University Graduate School of Business.

Steve Killian leads and contributes to highly effective healthcare organizations. He is dedicated to being a forward-thinking senior executive and committed to work efforts that allow cultivation of expertise in all aspects of operational and financial management. Steve possesses excellent financial, communication, and problem-solving skills with a team-driven focus. He’s a big picture and results-oriented, visible leader with success in building up executive teams for execution of growth strategies.

Patrick McLaughlin, Chief Operating Officer, is a highly experienced leader in the life sciences sector, with nearly 30 years of expertise.

In his current role, Patrick is responsible for driving the development of organizational and cross-entity strategic plans that promote growth, integration, and collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders. He directs organizational development activities with a focus on standardization, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, continuous performance improvement, and regulatory compliance, while also adapting to innovations in clinical research.

Patrick’s career in clinical research began in 1996 when he was appointed President of the Institute of Clinical Research (ICR), a full-service, multi-specialty dedicated research site. During his tenure, Patrick played a pivotal role in negotiating the sale of ICR to Protocare, a Site Management Organization, which recognized ICR as one of its premier sites, setting a standard for other Protocare sites.

In the same year, Patrick was recruited as the Executive Director of Advanced Clinical Research Institute in Anaheim, CA, where he successfully led the organization into the Phase I clinical research sector, expanding its focus beyond Phase II-IV studies. In 2007, Patrick was instrumental in the purchase of an 8,800-square-foot, dedicated Phase I facility and rebranded the company as Anaheim Clinical Trials (ACT). ACT grew into a leading and innovative player in the industry, ultimately being acquired by CenExel in 2019.

Patrick earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Ereshefsky is an internationally recognized key opinion leader in clinical translational central nervous system research with a proven track record in designing and performing first-in-human, proof-of-concept, and a broad range of Phase I clinical pharmacology studies. With over 30 years’ experience leading early phase research sites, he is utilized as a global resource within CenExel, providing support to ensure consistency and quality across sites. Dr. Ereshefsky is actively involved in strategic planning for compound development. He helps design translational research programs and define the critical path towards regulatory approval. He has extensive experience working with regulatory agencies and developing strategic plans to address compound differentiation and reimbursement challenges.

Dr. Diana Shuster, PhD, serves as Vice President of Clinical Sciences at CenExel, bringing over a decade of expertise in Translational and Early Phase central nervous system research. Her role encompasses the design and execution of first-in-human, proof-of-concept, and diverse Phase I clinical pharmacology studies. With a background spanning big pharma, CROs, and TechBio, Dr. Shuster has significantly contributed to advancing rare disease compounds.

In her capacity as Vice President, Dr. Shuster is dedicated to integrating her multifaceted expertise to ensure consistency and quality across global research sites. Actively engaged in strategic planning, she specializes in designing translational research programs and navigating the critical path to regulatory approval. Driven by a commitment to de-risking early phase drug development, she employs innovative strategies, including continuous CSF sampling, QEEG, ERPs, PSG, fMRI, PET, and cognitive paradigms.

Andrew is a strategic finance professional with experience spanning Fortune 10 public companies to growth-stage, private-equity-backed businesses. His experience includes mergers and acquisitions, business development, operational financial modeling, budgeting, and analysis. Most recently, he was a manager of finance at Alignment Healthcare, an innovative, information-enabled Medicare Advantage company where he provided detailed operational modeling, forecast scenario analysis, analysis for new market expansion, and M&A opportunity evaluation. Prior to Alignment, he was a mergers and acquisitions Senior Associate at UnitedHealth Group’s Corporate Development & Strategy Team.

Mark is a Human Resources Executive with 20+ years of experience in HR operations and management. Throughout his career he has provided leadership and guidance in the conceptualization, implementation, and management of HR strategies, organizations, programs, and policies. Mark has held several corporate HR leadership positions within the HR outsourcing, life sciences, and healthcare industries.

In his most recent role, prior to joining CenExel, Mark held the position of Regional Vice President of HR Operations for Oasis Outsourcing, a global leader in the Professional Employer Organization industry. In this position, Mark drove positive change through day-to-day operational and financial leadership and competitively evolved HR service offerings for clients in the healthcare and manufacturing industries.

As an HR executive with a strong business acumen, Mark has successfully implemented people-based solutions and the HR function to ensure achievement of corporate business goals. As both an HR strategist and hands-on practitioner, Mark’s areas of expertise include culture alignment and change management, employment law and regulatory compliance, compensation planning, team building, business process and policy formation, talent engagement, and HR consulting.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from BYU and is also certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Hollie DeSmet serves as the Vice President of Regulatory and Quality Assurance at CenExel. In her role she leverages her knowledge of CFR, ICH GCP, and FDA Guidance to ensure good clinical practice, focusing on safe, ethical, and high-quality research across CenExel sites.

Hollie joined the Cenexel team from the first site acquired where she held the position of Director of Quality and Compliance. She has a deep familiarity with all CenExel sites and enjoys collaborating with key personnel to oversee the development and implementation of CenExel Standard Operating Procedures, including consistent training practices, quality assurance procedures, and best regulatory practices. She firmly believes that communication is the key to consistency and consistency is the key to quality. Hollie has a passion for swift regulatory processing to ensure a fast-paced study start-up and producing the highest quality data possible for successful study execution.

David Chia oversees IT strategy, implementation, and operations at CenExel – as well as driving the adoption of new technologies, information security, data analytics, and system industry compliance.

David is a 26-year technology leader experienced in IT consulting, development, analytics, and operations. Over the last 13 years he has worked in progressive leadership roles at HCA Healthcare, overseeing IT hospital operations and division application development for 19 hospitals and physician practices over 5 western states. He has received several accolades for his efforts including Innovator of the Year for development of several IT applications and data tools.

David is a graduate of Brigham Young University with degrees in MIS and an MBA. His passion, execution and servant leadership drive him to partner across CenExel to improve the delivery of studies and care through innovation and technology.