Request for Capabilities

Team

Stephanie C. Diaz
President and CEO

  • Significant experience in biotechnology/health science finance and communications
  • Focus on investor relations, financing strategy and corporate/business development
  • Significant biotech/health science operations experience including:
    • Fundraising (private and public financings)
    • Finance and accounting
    • Corporate/business development
    • New product commercialization
  • Communications expertise in the following areas:
    • Supporting stock value through targeted analyst outreach
    • Strategic positioning
    • Financial community events and communications

Ms. Diaz began working in the biotechnology/health science industry in 1987 and founded Vida in September 2002. Prior to founding Vida, Ms. Diaz served as senior vice president and director, West Coast operations for Burns McClellan, a national healthcare communications agency. With responsibility for heading Burns McClellan´s West Coast operations, Ms. Diaz directly managed public and investor relations programs for all West Coast clients.

Prior to joining Burns McClellan, Ms. Diaz held a number of senior financial positions with several life science companies, serving as vice president and chief financial officer of Shaman Pharmaceuticals, Inc., director of finance of Hyseq, Inc. (renamed Nuvelo, Inc.), and director of finance of Martek Biosciences Corporation. During her career, Ms. Diaz has managed finance and accounting functions, directed public and private financings, managed business development efforts, worked with manufacturing and marketing teams to initiate production and commercialization of new products, and supervised public and investor relations programs.

Ms. Diaz completed a Master of Business Administration in finance at Georgetown University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Stanford University.

Tim Brons
Executive Vice President

  • Extensive experience in life science and healthcare public relations, corporate communications and marketing
  • Communications experience across a broad range of life science and healthcare companies:
    • Start-up groups’ first  forays into public communication (TVAX Biomedical, Intradigm Corporation, Apexigen)
    • Development-stage corporate/product positioning (Silence Therapeutics, Opexa Therapeutics, Pharmacopeia, MacuSight)
    • Medical device and diagnostics navigating 510k regulatory pathway (LENSAR Laser System, Chiron Corp’s Procleix® Assay)
    • Revenue-generating specialty pharmas (SciClone Pharmaceuticals)
  •  Expertise in the following areas:
    • Public relations/corporate communications program development and implementation
    • Company/product position (Early-stage preclinical research to late-stage clinical trials to FDA approval/clearance to product commercialization)
    • Media outreach to target audiences (Print, online, broadcast and radio)
    • Collateral material development (print, video and website)
    • Third-party relationship building/maintenance

With nearly 15 years of experience in life science public relations and marketing communications, Mr. Brons spearheads the development and execution of public relations and media outreach initiatives in support of Vida's clients.  At Vida, he has worked with life science companies spanning all sizes, stages of development and therapeutic areas of focus, successfully shaping corporate and product messaging platforms, coordinating all external communication efforts and securing high levels of visibility in traditional and emerging media outlets.

Prior to joining Vida, Mr. Brons worked in the pharmaceutical and West Coast divisions of Burns McClellan. During his tenure at Burns McClellan, he oversaw public relations program development and implementation, as well as day-to-day management of account activities for all group clients including: Chiron Corporation's Blood Testing Division, ISTA Pharmaceuticals and Eyetech Pharmaceuticals. Before his time with Burns McClellan, Mr. Brons was a member of the Health Sciences Division at Makovsky & Company, a Manhattan-based public relations firm. In this role, he was responsible for the management and implementation of public relations programs for a variety of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Celgene Corporation (commercial launch of Thalomid®) and Cephalon Corporation (post-approval support of Provigil®). Mr. Brons also supervised an award-winning campaign for Rhone-Poulenc Rorer's Rilutek®, recipient of the 1999 CIPRA Award for National Media Relations.

A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, Mr. Brons has earned bachelor's degrees in both broadcast journalism and political science.