Bevil Hogg has had more than 30 years of P&L responsibility and has focused during the last 14 years on the manufacture and sale of technologically advanced equipment for the healthcare marketplace. Mr. Hogg has a long track record in commercializing innovative technologies, having founded or co–founded three successful companies, including Trek Bicycle Corporation and Kestrel. Prior to joining Stereotaxis in 1997, Mr. Hogg was President and CEO of Everest & Jennings International Ltd. from 1994 to 1997, where he effected a turnaround from a loss of more than $50 million to operating breakeven within two years, and successfully negotiated the sale of the company. Mr. Hogg graduated from the Sorbonne (University of Paris, France) in 1969 with a Diplôme Supérieur d’Études Françaises.

Michael Kaminski joined Stereotaxis in April 2002 after nearly 20 years with Hill-Rom Company (Hillenbrand Industries). In his last position as Senior Vice President of North American Sales and Service, he was responsible for 150 service centers, and revenue exceeding $750 million. Mr. Kaminski began his career at Hill-Rom in a manufacturing management position and then worked in several functional departments, including sales, marketing, purchasing, new product development, and general management of multiple businesses. Over this 20-year period, Hill-Rom grew from $80 million to over $1.2 billion in total worldwide revenues. Mr. Kaminski earned an M.B.A. from Xavier University and a B.S. in Marketing from Indiana University. 

James M. Stolze has served as our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since he joined Stereotaxis in May 2004. Prior to joining Stereotaxis, Mr. Stolze spent eight years as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., from 1995 to 2003. Prior to MEMC, Mr. Stolze was an audit partner with KPMG LLP where he had responsibility for numerous publicly traded companies and served as a member of KPMG’s SEC Reviewing Partners Committee. Mr. Stolze currently sits on the board of directors and audit committee of ESCO Technologies, Inc., a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Stolze earned an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and is a certified public accountant.

Doug Bruce has served as our Senior Vice President, Research & Development since he joined Stereotaxis in May 2001. Prior to joining Stereotaxis, Mr. Bruce was Vice President, Product Development and Marketing, for Intuitive Surgical, a developer and manufacturer of computer-enhanced minimally invasive surgery systems, from 1997 to 2001. Prior to Intuitive Surgical, Mr. Bruce was a Vice President of Engineering at Acuson Corp, a manufacturer of diagnostic ultrasound systems, and has held positions in mechanical, process and manufacturing engineering at Tandon Corp, ISS Sperry Univac and IBM. Mr. Bruce received a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Santa Clara and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Melissa Walker, Senior Vice President, Regulatory, Quality, and Compliance, joined Stereotaxis in March of 2001. Prior to joining Stereotaxis, she led the global regulatory team at Bausch & Lomb Surgical, Inc., a subsidiary of Bausch & Lomb, Inc., and a leading manufacturer of refractive lasers and surgical instruments for the eye, from 1997 to 2000. Prior to Bausch & Lomb Surgical, Inc., Ms. Walker was Director of Regulatory Affairs at Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Company and a recognized leader in the manufacture of surgical instruments used for minimally invasive surgery, from 1992 to 1997. She served on the board of directors for the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society from 1997 to 2002 and was formerly the Board Chairman. Presently, she serves as the industry representative on FDA’s Medical Device Dispute Panel, reviewing and resolving scientific disputes between FDA and device companies. Melissa received a M.S. degree in Zoology and a B.S. in Biology and Animal Science from East Texas State University.

Dr. J. David Burkhardt is the Chief Medical Officer for Stereotaxis. Dr. Burkhardt is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine and Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology. He received his Bachelor's and Medical degrees from the University of Louisville. Following graduation, Dr. Burkhardt received special training in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine. He spent two years in specialized Cardiac Electrophysiology training at the Cleveland Clinic under Dr. Andrea Natale. After completing his training, he accepted a staff position in Cardiovascular Medicine as an Electrophysiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. His specialties include remote navigation, new technology assessment and optimization of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy. In 2005, he was appointed Associate Program Director at the Cleveland Clinic. He has authored or co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications, 10 book chapters, 100 abstracts and he has presented at numerous national and international professional meetings.

Fred A. Middleton has been Chairman of the Board of Stereotaxis since 1990, and also served as CEO from 1994 to 1997. Mr. Middleton has been a General Partner in Sanderling Ventures since 1987. From 1984 to 1986, Mr. Middleton was Managing General Partner of Morgan Stanley Ventures. He joined Genentech, Inc. in 1978 and was a part of the management team in the company’s early formative period, assisting in developing its strategy and holding a variety of roles including Vice Presidencies of Finance, Administration, and Corporate Development, and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Middleton also served as President of Genentech Development Corporation. Prior to that time, he served as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a Vice President of Chase Manhattan Bank. Mr. Middleton holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University and a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Acharya has over 30 years experience in the scientific and business aspects of the medical device field. His primary focus is in U.S. and International device laws, regulations and clinical trial strategies. Dr. Acharya has previously held numerous senior-level positions over a 16-year period beginning in 1977 at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including Director of the Division of Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Neurological Devices, where he directed the review and approval of PMA, IDE and 510(k) submissions during a period of rapid evolution for device technologies that included the Artificial Heart and Implantable Defibrillators, Rate-responsive Pacemakers, Aneurysm Implants, Laser Catheters, and Coronary Stents.

From 1994 until 1997, Dr. Acharya was also Vice President Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance and Clinical Research at Target Therapeutics, which developed, manufactured and marketed neurovascular devices prior to being acquired by Boston Scientific Corporation in 1997. As a member of the senior management team at Target, he was responsible for the design and development of product and business strategies for the company’s competitive advantage and rapid growth. Other former positions include senior assignments at EndoTex Interventional Systems, which is focused on developing a less invasive therapeutic solution to treating carotid artery disease, and the Biometric Research Institute, which offered development planning, clinical trials management, data management, and statistical analyses.

Dr. Acharya currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Neomend, Inc., which was founded to design, develop, manufacture, and market resorbable biomaterials and minimally invasive medical devices in the areas of wound and soft tissue repair, and InfraReDx, Inc., which is involved in developing catheter based photo-medical technologies to diagnose vulnerable plaques. In addition, he also currently sits on the Board of Directors at Regen Biologics, which develops and markets tissue-remodeling technologies for knee injury repair. Dr. Acharya previously served on the Board of Directors of Somnus, Inc., which designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed medical devices for the treatment of upper airway disorders prior to being acquired by Gyrus Group PLC in 2001.

Dr. Acharya holds a B. Tech. Degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomaterials Engineering from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. 

Christopher Alafi, Ph.D., has served as a director since August 2000. Dr. Alafi has been a General Partner of Alafi Capital Company, LLC, a venture capital firm, since 1995. He was previously a Physiology and Anatomy teacher at Santa Monica College, a visiting scholar at Stanford University (Chemistry Department) and a researcher at DNAX. Dr. Alafi received a B.A. in Biology from Pomona College and a D.Phil. in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford. 

Mr. Benfer has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Saint Raphael Healthcare System (SRHS) and the Hospital of Saint Raphael, New Haven, Connecticut, since 1999. SRHS provides a comprehensive spectrum of care, including wellness and health promotion activities, acute care, long-term care, and home care. The Hospital of Saint Raphael is a 511-bed academic health science center, and the fourth largest hospital in Connecticut.

Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Provena-Saint Joseph Medical Center and Chief Executive Officer of the Provena-Saint Joseph/Morris Health Network, a two-hospital joint operating company in Joliet, Illinois, from 1992 to 1999. Prior to this, Mr. Benfer served the Henry Ford Health System, a regional health system in Detroit, as Senior Vice President for Hospital and Urban Affairs for the years 1985 through 1992. He was also Chief Executive Officer of the Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, during this time.

Mr. Benfer also formerly served as Chief Executive Officer at both the Bon Secours Hospital, a 320-bed for-profit hospital in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and the Medical College of Ohio Hospital, a 319-bed teaching hospital in Toledo. He began his career in 1969 at George Washington University Hospital, Washington, D.C., as an assistant to the administrator.

Mr. Benfer served as Chairman of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), an international professional society of more than 30,000 healthcare executives, from 1998 through 1999. He also served on ACHE’s Board of Governors from 1992 to 2000. Mr. Benfer was named a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) in 1981. He currently serves on the Board of the Catholic Health Association, which represents over 2,000 Catholic healthcare facilities in the U.S.

He received his B.S. degree in Business Administration from Wittenburg University, Springfield, Ohio, and his M.B.A. from Xavier University, Cincinnati.

Ralph G. Dacey, Jr., M.D., has served as a director since March 2003. Dr. Dacey has been the Chairman of Neurosurgery at Washington University in St. Louis since 1989. Prior to joining Washington University, he was an Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington and a Professor and Chief of the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Dacey received his B.A. from Harvard University and his M.D. from the University Of Virginia School Of Medicine. He has served as the Chairman of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons, President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Neurosurgery. He is a member of the National Advisory Council of NIH’s National Institute for Neurological Diseases and Stroke. His research and clinical interests are focused on vascular diseases of the brain including aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and stroke. Dr. Dacey served as Principal Investigator of our first Human Clinical Trial (frontal lobe biopsy).

Gregory R. Johnson, Ph.D., has served as a director since October 1994. Currently, Dr. Johnson is a Managing Director of Prolog Ventures, LLC, a life sciences focused venture capital management firm based in St. Louis. Dr. Johnson organized Prolog in 2000 following 13 years as a General Partner with Gateway Associates. Prior to joining Gateway, Dr. Johnson served as Vice President of Monsanto Venture Capital Company. Dr. Johnson is currently a director of Everest Biomedical Instruments Company, Singulex, Kereos, Akermin and EraGen BioSciences, Inc. Dr. Johnson received a Ph.D. and M.A. in Physics from the University of Rochester and a B.S. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

William M. Kelley has served as a director since January 2003. Mr. Kelley is the past Chairman of Hill-Rom Company, and is currently consulting for Hill-Rom on a part-time basis. While at Hill-Rom, Mr. Kelley also served as President and CEO from 1992 to 1995, Sr. Vice President, Sales and Operations from 1989 to 1992 and Sr. Vice President, Sales and Marketing from 1980 to 1989. He currently serves on the Board of National Committee for Quality Health Care and is a member of HRDI (Healthcare, Research & Development Institute) and Health Insights. He has been honored numerous times for his contributions to the healthcare industry including as an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives. He was educated at Hanover College and George Washington University.

Abhijeet J. Lele has served as a director since April 2004. Mr. Lele is a General Partner of EGS Healthcare Capital Partners, a venture capital firm based in Rowayton, Connecticut, focusing on investments in medical device, biopharmaceutical and specialty pharmaceutical companies. He joined EGS in 1998, after spending four years in the health care practice of McKinsey & Company. Before McKinsey, Mr. Lele held operating positions with Lederle Laboratories, Progenics Pharmaceuticals and Clontech Laboratories. He is currently a director of EP MedSystems, CryoCath Technologies, OptiScan Biomedical and Ekos Corporation. Mr. Lele received his M.A. in molecular biology from Cambridge University and his M.B.A. with distinction from Cornell University.

Bob Messey has served as senior vice president and chief financial officer of Arch Coal, Inc. since December 2000. Arch Coal is the nation’s second largest coal company, with more than 140 million tons of annual coal production. Prior to Arch Coal, Messey served as vice president of financial services of Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. He also has served as vice president and chief financial officer of Sverdrup Corporation and as a partner with Ernst & Young, LLP.

Messey graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.S. B.A. in Accounting in 1968. He became a certified public accountant in 1971.

In addition to his responsibilities with Arch Coal, Messey serves on the board of Baldor Electric Company where he is Chairman of the Audit Committee. He is also a member of the Stereotaxis Audit Committee.

William C. Mills III has served as a director since June 2000. In August 2004, Mr. Mills became a managing member of a new management company being formed by EGS Healthcare Capital Partners to manage EGS Private Healthcare Partnership III. Before joining EGS, Mr. Mills was a Partner in the Boston office of Advent International, a venture capital firm, for five years. At Advent, he was co-responsible for healthcare venture capital investments and focused on investments in the medical technology and biopharmaceutical sectors. He has over 25 years of venture capital experience. Before joining Advent, Mr. Mills spent over 11 years with the Venture Capital Fund of New England where he was a General Partner. Prior to that, he spent seven years at PaineWebber Ventures/ Ampersand Ventures as Managing General Partner. Mr. Mills received his A.B. in Chemistry, cum laude, from Princeton University, his S.M. in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his M.S. in Management from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Dr. Prystowsky has been a member of Cardionet board of directors since March 2001. Dr. Prystowsky is currently Director, Clinical Electrophysiology Laboratory at St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis Indiana and Consulting Professor of Medicine at Duke University. He has co-authored two textbooks, Cardiac Arrhythmias: An integrated Approach for the Clinician and Clinical Electrophysiology Review with Dr. George Klein and authored over 625 articles and abstracts concerning cardiac arrhythmias. He is Chairman of the ABIM test writing committee for the Electrophysiology Boards, past Chairman of the American Heart Association's Committee on Electrocardiography and Electrophysiology, and past President of the Heart Rhythm Society.