About Us :: Management

Management
Board of Directors
Investors
Scientific Advisory Board

Tragara has assembled an expert team of entrepreneurs to carry out its mission. These individuals have extensive experience in essential areas of the Tragara mission: market-driven cancer product development, marketing, business development, biotechnology and specialty pharmaceutical management, and finance.

Executive Management


Thomas M. Estok
President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Estok is a Biotech entrepreneur who brings nearly 25 years of experience in the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals to his leadership role at Tragara. Mr. Estok is also co-founder of Aarden Pharmaceuticals and serves as its Chairman. Prior to Tragara, Mr. Estok was the founding President and CEO of Cabrellis Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pharmion for $104 million) and Chief Commercial Officer of Conforma Therapeutics (acquired by Biogen-Idec for $250 million). During his 19-year tenure at Schering-Plough, Mr. Estok held a number of positions with progressing responsibility in R&D, in both international and domestic marketing, sales, and commercial development. Mr. Estok has led the development and/or commercialization efforts of several oncology products including temozolomide, liposomal doxorubicin, amrubicin, flutamide, and the interferon franchise. Mr. Estok received a BS degree in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech and was awarded an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.


Tracy Lawhon, J.D.
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Development Operations

Ms. Lawhon joins Tragara from Cabrellis Pharmaceuticals where she was Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Development Operations until the merger with Pharmion Corporation. She has over 20 years experience and has contributed to the development, registration and commercialization of key products including Gemzar, Temodar, Tasigna, Zyprexa and Evista. Previously, she was Executive Director, Project Management at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation in Florham Park, New Jersey. In that role, she led the development, registration and commercialization strategy for Tasigna, ranked 2nd priority program within Novartis, from First-In-Man through global regulatory submission. Under her leadership, development from FIM to submission was completed in 29 months. This was a new milestone for a NCE development timeline and was used as a benchmark for future accelerated programs within Novartis. From 1997 to 2004, she was with Schering-Plough Research Institute in Kenilworth, New Jersey, where she led programs to establish compliance with 21 CFR Part 11 and to redevelop analytical methodology for marketed products across global manufacturing sites. Additionally, she represented the organization in global health authority meetings and contributed to strategy development and licensing for oncology and CNS products. Prior to that, she worked with Warner Lambert Company, Eli Lilly and Company, and Abbott Laboratories. Ms. Lawhon has a B.S. in microbiology from Indiana University and a Jurisprudence Doctorate from the Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association.


Chris LeMasters
Chief Business Officer

Mr. LeMasters joins Tragara after serving as Chief Business Officer and co-founder of Cabrellis Pharmaceuticals. While at Cabrellis, Mr. LeMasters was responsible for negotiating the $104 million acquisition by Pharmion Corporation. Previously, he served as Vice President, Business Development of Conforma Therapeutics where he was responsible for the in-licensing of Amrubicin from Dainippon Sumitomo and for negotiating the $250 million acquisition by Biogen Idec. Mr. LeMasters earlier worked for six years in Corporate Business Development at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis. In that role, he was responsible for the successful negotiation of numerous partnerships and licenses across diverse therapeutic areas. Additionally, he led or contributed to multiple strategy development projects, and was instrumental in the redesign of Lilly's licensing processes and organization. Mr. LeMasters was also a management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand Consulting in Chicago for four years, where he led strategy consulting projects for Fortune 500 clients. He began his business career as an operational auditor with Owens Corning Fiberglas in Toledo, Ohio. Mr. LeMasters has a B.A. in Finance from Indiana University and an M.B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago. Mr. LeMasters is a member of the board of directors of the Hoosier Oncology Group in Indianapolis, and Aarden Pharmaceuticals, where he is also a co-founder.


Sara Zaknoen, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Zaknoen joins Tragara from Cabrellis Pharmaceuticals where she served as Chief Medical Officer until the acquisition of Cabrellis by Pharmion Corporation in November 2006. Prior to joining Cabrellis, she was employed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation in Florham Park, New Jersey, where she had been executive director of Clinical Oncology Research since 2002. From 1998 to 2002, she was with Schering-Plough Research Institute in Kenilworth, New Jersey, where she was director, Clinical Oncology Research. In addition to her work in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Zaknoen has led a distinguished academic and clinical career. Previously, she was assistant professor of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine in Ohio, medical director at the Barrett Cancer Center at the Univeristy of Cincinnati Hospital, and director of Experimental Therapeutics at the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pennsylvania. Dr. Zaknoen has a B.S. with distinction from Valparaiso University and an M.D. from the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, where she graduated summa cum laude. She completed her residency in internal medicine and her fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Minnesota. She continued her research work at the National Cancer Institute where she served as a Medical Staff Fellow.

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