Willis C. Lee, MS - Chief Executive Officer, Director
Mr. Lee has more than 30 years of management and consulting experience with influential companies in the semiconductor and healthcare industries. Prior to joining Emmaus, Mr. Lee led worldwide sales and business development of Yield Dynamics’ product group at MKS Instruments. He joined the Company in 2009 and has served as Chief Operating Officer since May 2011.
He has held various managerial and senior positions at companies including HPL, Syntricity and Reden & Anders, a subsidiary of United Healthcare that provides actuarial services including capitation and risk assessment analyses for healthcare insurance carriers. Mr. Lee received his B.S. and M.S. in Physics from University of Hawaii and University of South Carolina, respectively. He was a member of the American Physical Society, completed TQM/SPC programs, and has published papers in Nuclear Instruments and Methods.
Yasushi Nagasaki, CPA - Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Nagasaki joined Emmaus in 2011 and is the Senior Vice President, Finance of the company. Prior to joining Emmaus, Mr. Nagasaki was the Chief Financial Officer and served on the board of directors at Hexadyne Corporation, an aerospace and defense supplier. Previously, he was the Controller at Upsilon Intertech Corporation, an international distributor of defense and aerospace parts and subsystems.
Mr. Nagasaki is a Certified Public Accountant and received a B.A. in Commerce from Waseda University and an M.A. in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, a graduate school of Middlebury College.
Charles W. Stark, Pharm.D. - Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs, Clinical, Regulatory
Dr. Stark has served as Emmaus’ Senior Vice President of Research and Development since 2013, bringing more than 30 years of experience in medical affairs, research and academia. Previously, Dr. Stark was Director of Clinical Development at Bavarian Nordic, an immunotherapeutic company, and prior to that Associate Director of Medical Affairs for the Dendreon Corporation, an immunotherapeutic company. He has served as, Director, Medical Science Liaisons (cardiovascular, metabolic and oncology) at Pfizer, Inc., a pharmaceutical company.
Dr. Stark has served as the Director of Investigational Drug Services and Clinical Research at LABioMed at Harbor UCLA and at the Health Research Association at USC Medical Center. He has also served as a faculty member at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. Dr. Stark received his Pharm.D. from the University of Southern California and completed his residency at the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in West Los Angeles.
Dale E. Short, JD - Legal Consultant and Corporate Secretary
Mr. Short joined Emmaus in September 2018 as the company’s first General Counsel and currently serves as a legal consultant and Corporate Secretary.