Meet the Team
Meet our team of scientists, formulators, researchers, and technical experts crafting the finest quality CBD ingredients and products.
Executives
Dave Neundorfer
CEO
Tech and cannabis entrepreneur with deep channels to capital in Ohio, Silicon Valley, and Europe. Executed exclusive, royalty-based software licensing partnerships with leading semiconductor and industrial partners.
Dartmouth and Stanford GSB
Oscar Hackett, J.D.
President
New venture formation and capitalization expert with multiple start-ups built and exited. A strategic CFO and GC with deep fundraising (equity and debt) and regulatory experience.
Georgetown and Harvard Law
Scott Thorn
Chief Strategy Officer
Experienced business and cannabis executive. Formerly President and COO of the 12th largest vertical cannabis company in the U.S.; directed the exclusive distribution relationship that achieved #1 market share in the Colorado vape market in less than 12 months.
Boston College
Nicole Brown
Chief Innovation Officer
Seasoned marketing executive in the consumer and lifestyle space, including LVMH and Shiseido Cosmetics. Founded and sold a mapping technology company to TripAdvisor. Known for her keen sense of ever-changing consumer wants to drive huge growth.
Harvard University
David Stopher, M.S.
CIO
Operations executive who has overseen strategic partnerships with fortune 100 companies; skilled communicator who implements systems that leverage technology, team members’ unique abilities and partner synergies.
Princeton & Case Western Reserve University
Gang Tian, M.S.
CTO
Tech leader with extensive experiences on IT and industry. Commercialized a Cleveland State University technology. Authored 10+ patent portfolios acquired by one of the global leading drive companies.
BUPT & Cleveland State
Joe Keil
COO
Keil joins OBX from Medterra, where he served as Vice President of Operations, leading Medterra’s global operations, supply chain, procurement, quality, and customer care for consumer packaged goods across retail, wholesale, and e-commerce channels in the USA, EU, India, Japan, and South America. Keil helped Medterra grow through key global partnerships including CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Sprouts, Publix, Holland & Barrett, FlipKart India, Amazon India, and Megalabs Latin America. Prior to joining Medterra, Keil held executive roles in operations and procurement at Cummins and Colfax including a 6 year expat assignment in Beijing, China. He is a certified Lean Kaizen Black Belt, 6 Sigma Green Belt and 6 Sigma Sponsor. Prior to receiving his MBA in Supply Chain, Keil served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy and Senior Instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Ryan Schroeder
Chief Financial Officer
Ryan is an operationally-minded Chief Financial Officer with a successful track record scaling both small and large companies, from Medterra to Callaway Golf. He is responsible for increasing company enterprise value by building a strong foundation for growth, driving significant sales and margin expansion, and maximizing operational efficiencies to support profitability and reinvestment opportunities.
Operations
Andrea Baillo
Vice President of Product Innovation and Research
Baillo is an experienced scientist with a demonstrated history of working in cannabis research, development, and manufacturing, cancer research, and food and beverage industries. Baillo most recently served as Senior Director, Research & Development, Quality at Green Thumb Industries (GTI), and she is known for her focus on product safety and stability of cannabinoid focused formulations in highly regulated markets.
Wayne State University & Wayne State Medical School
Chelsea Pipkin
VP of Quality Assurance
Pipkin is a lo Quality Professional in the food production industry. Pipkin served as Vice President of Quality Assurance at Gencanna, and has held previous quality roles at Bunge North America and SEMO Milling. In these roles, she successfully completed Global Food Safety Initiative audit schemes BRCGS and SQF, 21 CFR 110, 111, and 117, U.S. Hemp Authority Grower and Processor, YUM brands QSA and FSA, and led a team recommended for accreditation against IS0 17025. She holds a Master’s Degree focused in Masters of Natural Sciences.
Southeast Missouri State University
Alexandra DePalma
Director of Product Innovation
DePalma is a cannabis product developer and scientific researcher with 10 years’ experience in analytical chemistry, material science engineering, and product development across multiple industries. DePalma spent the last 4 years as Research and Development Manager and Product Developer at Green Thumb Industries (GTI). leading product development, enhancements, and redesign with a focus on production, quality management systems, and strategic technology for multiple cannabis brands.
Chestnut Hill College & University of Maryland
Trevor Gentry, Ph.D.
Senior Product Development and R&D Scientist
Food Scientist with published research from Cornell University. 20+ years product development & formulation expertise for Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Givaudan Flavors, and Phillip Morris.
Cornell & University of Florida
Edward Nikitin, Ph.D.
Chemist
PhD Organic Chemist with numerous peer-reviewed articles. Expert in a wide variety of complex organic transformations and multi-step syntheses. Specialist in developing synthetic paths to advanced materials and high-value specialty chemicals across a variety of industries.
Moscow State University, University of Nevada
David Temelkoff, M.S.
Director of R&D and Quality Control
Analytical chemist with extensive quality control, instrumentation, and R&D background during his 15-year career at GlaxoSmithKline. Expert in analytical techniques using NMR spectrometry, GCMS, HPLC, LCMS, IR, TLC et al.
Youngstown State University
Gabriel Smith, M.S.
Production Manager
Innovative chemist with 14 years experience in analytical chemistry, and experimental design and implementation at BASF and Catalent Pharma. Plant extraction and purification R&D background with method development and validation expertise.
UNC Wilmington & East Tennessee State
Daniel Koons
Equipment & Facility Manager
Seasoned engineer with a 30+ year career at Revlon, Inc. responsible for managing, designing, fabricating, and modifying its custom manufacturing equipment and product line automation. cGMP compliance, Lean Manufacturing, and cost reduction expert.
Wake Tech, Vance Granville CC and Manatee CC
Chris Hewat
Filling & Packaging Manager
Management professional with 20+ years experience, with a diverse background ranging from film & tv production to the cannabis industry.
UNC Asheville
Alex Kneier
Inventory Manager
Detail-oriented polymath with a track record for creating strategic objectives and implementing road maps to achieve milestones. Focused on fulfilling OBX’s mission through the execution of our industry-leading tracking system, guiding team members throughout the process.
Ohio University
Sales
Brad Jones
Technical Sales Manager
Jones brings almost a decade of strategy, operations, and technical sales expertise in the cannabis industry to the team at OBX. Jones is a technical expert in extraction, purification, & separation technologies, and skilled in navigating complex operations in nascent markets and intricate regulatory environments. Previously, Jones served as Vice President of Technical Sales for Folium Biosciences as well as Director of Production at Folium Biosciences, where he designed, implemented and managed all production processes.
Zach Edge
Director, Global Strategy & Corporate Development
Seasoned cannabis executive and ingredient sales professional. Subject matter expert in cannabinoid extraction & separation, with a proven track record of finding and commercializing cutting edge technology.
The University of Texas at Austin
Steve Concilla
Business Development
Early hemp entrepreneur with a background in Finance and over a decade of experience in cannabis extraction, formulation, and product development. He has won awards as an extractor, has a patent pending processing methodology, and has long supported the development of the US CBD industry.
Franklin University
Jake Puckette
Sales Operations Manager
University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University
Kelly Burkhart
Sales Lead
Results driven sales professional with over 10+ years in B2B and B2C sales and leadership experience. Prior to transitioning into the hemp industry, Kelly lead 12 stores as a district manager for Premier Salons, helped established a US presence for London-based fashion brand, LK Bennett and worked in the PEO industry where she provided HR solutions for small and medium sized businesses.
Virginia Marti College of Art and Design
Adam Bushey
Director of Strategic Growth
After years in the medical field working on both the human & veterinary sides, Adam made the jump into the Cannabis/CBD industry. Adam started with a major vertically-integrated company and then branched out in the manufacturing space and as VP of Sales, led a team of sales rep to grow revenue by over 700%. Skilled in Sales, Project Management, Service, Sales Operations, Film Production, Video Marketing, and Biomedical Engineering.
Sacramento State
Marketing, Human Resources & Finance
Jeremy Amos
Creative Director
Seasoned Designer & Creative Director with over a decade of experience building and managing a boutique creative agency. Dedicated to creating art and designs that work in the real world. Seeks simple solutions to complicated problems and believes in building brands that don’t just look beautiful, but have functional value with lasting impact.
Wheaton College
Justyn Bostic
Marketing & Innovation Manager
Business professional with experience in management consulting, finance, operations, and marketing. He is experienced in leading teams and developing people. Founded of a podcast studying health, entrepreneurship, leadership, and human optimization.
The Ohio State University
Will Eyman
Marketing Associate
A budding business professional with experience in social media brand building, video production, and marketing. Focused on creative ways to share a compelling message. Has experience in content creation with Margaritaville University. And has helped establish an active audience base with Airtime Inc.
The Ohio State University
Joe Ackerson
Controller
Versatile Finance Executive with deep experience in manufacturing accounting and FP&A reporting.
Demonstrated record of improving operational efficiencies, leading cost saving initiatives, and enhancing the financial reporting processes.
State University of New York at Albany
Manuela White
Senior Accountant
Alternative medicine and eco enthusiast, formally educated in accounting with a forensic concentration. Big Four public accounting experience in external audit ranging from small start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.
Penn State University
Georgia Southern University
Elizabeth Garver
HR Manager
During her 15-year career at the University of Southern California, Elizabeth supported EEO investigations and analyzed data for the Office of Equity & Diversity. With a degree in music business, she then managed orchestral recording productions, operations, and finances for USC’s film music program.
University of Southern California
Summer Henderson
Purchasing & Payables Associate
Lab & Facilities
Deanna Elio
Associate Scientist, Lab
Peyton A Daly
Associate Scientist, Product
Francesco Alagna
Product Development Consultant
Jennifer Glawson, MPH, PCQI
Quality Assurance Assistant
Passionate quality assurance professional with a background in biology, chemistry, and public health. Right out of graduate school, Glawson began her career in the hemp industry, starting with sales and then joining the OBX team; first as a lab technician, then working her way into quality assurance. Since then, she has become the safety coordinator for OBX, a PCQI, lead/internal auditor, and has been HACCP trained.
East Carolina University
Donnie Gillis
Facility Technician
Benjamin Lewis
Facility Maintenance & Equipment
Lawrence Overbey
Easy Snap & Facilities Technician
Bart Vickers
Lab Associate
Calvin Sims
Lab Associate
Christy J Cross
Lab Associate
Dalia E Davis
Lab Associate
Dominic Fuller
Lab Associate
Jaime Castro
Lab Associate
Jonathan Taylor
Easy Snap & Facilities Technician
Travis Vickers
Lab Associate
Vickie Barnes
Lab Technician
William Wilkins
Easysnap Associate
Sarah Lundfelt
Associate Scientist, Stability Program Manager
Growing industry professional with experience in product manufacturing and managing extensive product stability of cannabis products for Green Thumb Industries (GTI) with emphasis on thorough and accountable data acquisition and reporting. Additional work in R&D implementing quality control measures in cannabis production including product specifications, sanitation, and microbial assessment procedures.
Salisbury University
Advisors
Dr. Martha Hackett, M.D.
Medical Advisor
Director of Integrative Medicine for Lake Health, Lead Practitioner of Hackett Medical, a family medicine practice, and Founder of LivAwareMD, a lifestyle medicine program that marries Eastern and Western medicine.
Wooster, B.S.
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, M.D.
Jackie Williams, M.S.
Advisor
An experienced executive with deep expertise in public policy, economic development, marketing and public relations; leadership in business, financial services and government.
Miami University (Ohio) B.A. and M.S.
Dr. Engdawork Engda, Ph.D.
Advisor
With a Ph.D. in chemistry, Dr. Engda is an expert in separation sciences and mass spectrometry. He has worked in product development with Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline and has extensive experience designing and implementing SOPs for pharmaceutical-grade product development.
Ghent University
Chuck Dietzel, Ph.D.
Advisor
Seventh generation North Carolina farmer overseeing a 200 year-old family agricultural and forestry operation. Breadth of executive experiences including leading billion-dollar global operations, with a passion for developing strategic planning and data-driven decisions.
Washington & Lee University, Duke University, University of California at Santa Barbara
