Craig Barbarosh
Mr. Barbarosh serves as Chairman of the Board of Landec and serves as an ex-officio member of the Curation Focus Committee and the Lifecore Focus Committee. Mr. Barbarosh has served as a director since October 2019. Mr. Barbarosh brings broad strategic leadership experience with deep healthcare knowledge, having served on several public companies’ boards of directors, including current board positions with NextGen Healthcare, Inc. (where he is chair of the compensation committee), Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (where he is chair of the audit committee) and Evolent Health, Inc. (where he is co-chair of the strategy committee). He has been recognized for successes in business strategy, operational excellence, corporate governance and capital markets transactions. Mr. Barbarosh is also a partner at the international law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and previously was a partner of the international law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Mr. Barbarosh received a Juris Doctorate from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, with distinction, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Dr. Albert D. Bolles, PH.D.
Dr. Bolles serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Landec and serves as an ex-officio member of the Curation Focus Committee. Dr. Bolles has served as a director since May 2014. Dr. Bolles served as Executive Vice President, Chief Technical and Operations Officer at ConAgra Foods until his retirement in August 2015. Dr. Bolles had been with ConAgra Foods, one of North America’s largest packaged food companies, since 2006 and led the Research, Quality & Innovation and Supply Chain organizations. Dr. Bolles has led innovation programs for multiple new products, generating incremental sales and a multi-year pipeline to sustain and advance future growth. In advancing innovation at ConAgra, Dr. Bolles developed two external scientific advisory boards comprised of nationally recognized leaders to shape strategy and create industry leadership for ConAgra in Health & Wellness and Food Safety. As an industry partner with the FDA and USDA on influencing and crafting public policy that benefits consumers, Dr. Bolles was instrumental in the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2010. Prior to joining ConAgra Foods, Dr. Bolles led worldwide research and development for PepsiCo Beverage and Foods. Dr. Bolles holds six patents and has won numerous awards for his contribution to the world of food science. He is a graduate of Michigan State University with a B.S. in Microbiology plus an M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science.
Debbie Carosella
Ms. Carosella has served as a director since March 2017. Currently, Ms. Carosella serves as the chair to the Compensation Committee and serves as a member of the Curation Focus Committee. Ms. Carosella, a recognized innovation leader in the natural and organic food industry with over 20 years of experience, was most recently the CEO of Madhava Natural Sweeteners, focused on innovating honey and agave-based products that provide an alternative to highly processed refined sugars and artificial sweeteners. Previously, Ms. Carosella was the Senior Vice President of Innovation and a member of the Executive Operating Team at Whitewave Foods. Previous to Whitewave, she led the innovation efforts at Dean Foods, where she built the innovation function, capabilities and processes used at both Whitewave and Dean Foods. Prior to Dean Foods, Ms. Carosella was Vice President and General Manager as well as Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Innovation at ConAgra Foods. Accomplishments at ConAgra included driving double-digit revenue and profit growth and creating, developing and commercializing one of the company’s most successful product launches in its history, which delivered over $100 million in sales in its first year. Before ConAgra, Ms. Carosella was Vice President Consumer Nutrition Brand Strategy at Monsanto Company. Ms. Carosella is a graduate of the University of Missouri.
Raymond H. Diradoorian
Mr. Diradoorian has served as a director since January 2022. Mr. Diradoorian is a member of the Lifecore Focus Committee. Mr. Diradoorian is a seasoned operations executive with over 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Mr. Diradoorian retired from Allergan Inc. in 2015, which he joined in 1983. Mr. Diradoorian held numerous positions and served as Executive Vice President of Global Technical Operations from 2006 to 2015. Most recently, Mr. Diradoorian served as an independent industry consultant, working with a number of public and privately held companies as well private equity firms in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Mr. Diradoorian holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California at Irvine and a Masters of Science Degree in Technology Management from Pepperdine University.
Jeffrey L. Edwards
Mr. Edwards has served as a director since October 2020. Currently, Mr. Edwards serves as a member of Compensation Committee and the Lifecore Focus Committee. Mr. Edwards is a member of the Board of Directors of FibroGen, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGEN), a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, and currently serves as a chairman of its Audit Committee. Mr. Edwards serves on the Board of Directors of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO), a publicly traded life sciences research and clinical diagnostic products company, and is a member of its Audit Committee and Compliance Committee and Chairman of its Compensation Committee. Mr. Edwards also serves on the Board of Directors, Audit Committee and Compensation Committee of Clearside Biomedical Inc. (NASDAQ:CLSD), a publicly traded, clinical stage pharmaceutical company. Additionally, Mr. Edwards serves on the Board of Directors of BioTheryX, Inc., a privately owned, clinical-stage biotechnology company. In 2015 Mr. Edwards retired from Allergan Inc., which he joined in 1993 and where he served as Executive Vice President, Finance and Business Development, and Chief Financial Officer from September 2005 to August 2014. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Edwards served as Allergan’s Corporate Vice President, Corporate Development, and previously served as Senior Vice President, Treasury, Tax, and Investor Relations. Prior to joining Allergan, Mr. Edwards was with Banque Paribas and Security Pacific National Bank, where he held various senior-level positions in the credit and business development functions. Mr. Edwards received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Muhlenberg College and completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.
Katrina Houde
Ms. Houde has served as a director since August 2019. Currently, Ms. Houde is the Chair of the Curation Focus Committee and a member of the Audit. Ms. Houde currently sits on the board of directors for SunOpta Inc., where she previously served as interim CEO. Ms. Houde brings extensive senior leadership experience with 30 years in the consumer products industry and a proven track record of achievements in the food industry contributing to enhanced corporate performance through effective P&L management, as well as leading successful teams and strategic initiatives in manufacturing, agribusiness and operations. Ms. Houde has also held operations management roles with Cuddy Food Products Ltd., Johnson Controls, and Scotiabank. Ms. Houde earned her Honors Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Windsor.
Nelson Obus
Mr. Obus has served as director since October 2018. Currently, Mr. Obus is a member of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Curation Focus Committee. Mr. Obus is a co-founder, President and Chief Investment Officer at Wynnefield Capital, Inc. He co-founded the firm with Joshua Landes in November 1992. Mr. Obus manages the firm, oversees its investment portfolio and is a board member at Layne Christensen Company. Previously, he was the director of research at Schafer Capital Management, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Obus was a director of sell side research in the equity sales department at Lazard Frères & Co. Before that, he was a manager at Massachusetts department of environmental management. Mr. Obus holds a BA in Politics from New York University as well as an MA in Political Science and an ABD in Politics from Brandeis University.
Tonia Pankopf
Ms. Pankopf has served as a director since November 2012. Currently, Ms. Pankopf serves as Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and the Lifecore Focus Committee. Ms. Pankopf has been managing partner of Pareto Advisors, LLC since 2005. Previously, she was a senior analyst and managing director at Palladio Capital Management from January 2004 through April 2005. From 2001 to 2003, Ms. Pankopf served as an analyst and portfolio manager with P.A.W. Capital Partners, LP. Ms. Pankopf was a senior analyst and vice president at Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1999 to 2001 and at Merrill Lynch & Co. from 1998 to 1999. Ms. Pankopf serves on the Board of Directors of TICC Capital Corp. and served on the Board of the University System of Maryland Foundation from 2006 to 2012. Ms. Pankopf is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and has been designated an NACD Governance Fellow in recognition of her ongoing involvement in director professionalism and engagement with the director community. Ms. Pankopf received a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from the University of Maryland and an M.S. degree from the London School of Economics.
Andrew K.W. Powell
Mr. Powell has served as director since October 2018. Currently, Mr. Powell is the Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and is a sitting member of the Compensation Committee and the Lifecore Focus Committee. Mr. Powell is an experienced director and senior executive with 25 years of global life sciences experience and 12 years of public company boardroom experience. Mr. Powell is an accomplished lawyer and acted as General Counsel for a series of publicly traded life sciences companies throughout his career, culminating with a position as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Medivation Inc., which was acquired by Pfizer in 2016. Mr. Powell currently serves on a number of boards, including Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:ACRS). He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School.
Joshua E. Schechter
Mr. Schechter has served as a director since October 2020. Currently, Mr. Schechter is a member of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and the Curation Foods Focus Committee. He is a private investor and public company director. Mr. Schechter has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ:BBBY) since May 2019 and is Chairman of its Audit Committee. He has also served as a director of Viad Corp (NYSE:VVI), an S&P SmallCap 600 international experiential services company, since April 2015, and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Support.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPRT), a leading provider of cloud-based software and services, since June 2016. From April 2018 to January 2020 he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SunWorks, Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW), a premier provider of high-performance solar power solutions. From 2001 to June 2013, Mr. Schechter served as Managing Director of Steel Partners Ltd., a privately – owned hedge fund sponsor, and from 2008 to June 2013, served as Co-President of Steel Partners Japan Asset Management, LP, a private company offering investment services. Mr. Schechter earned a Masters of Public Administration in Professional Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin.
Catherine A. Sohn, Pharma. D.
Dr. Sohn has served as a director since November 2012. Currently, Dr. Sohn is a member of the Audit Committee and the Lifecore Focus Committee. Dr. Sohn brings significant industry experience in pharmaceutical and consumer health-related sectors based on her leadership and achievements in business development and new product commercialization over 28 years at GlaxoSmithKline (“GSK”). Most recently, Dr. Sohn was Senior Vice President of Worldwide Business Development and Strategic Alliance for GSK’s $8 billion consumer healthcare division. Previously, Dr. Sohn established the U.S. vaccine business unit for SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals and subsequently led the commercialization of one of GSK’s top five largest pharmaceutical products. Dr. Sohn is Dean’s Professor at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and concurrently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for Drexel University School of Public Health and the Close School of Entrepreneurship, the Ben Franklin Technology Partners Investment Advisory Committee, Springboard Enterprises Life Science Council and was formerly a Member of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Advisory Board. Dr. Sohn is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Governance Fellow and a Certified Licensing Professional. Dr. Sohn received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from University of California in San Francisco and a Certificate in Professional Development from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.