Executive Team
Young K. Park
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Park serves as CEO for both GeneOne Life Science, Inc. (KOSPI: 011000) and VGXI, Inc., a GeneOne company. Over the past 15 years, he has overseen the explosive growth of VGXI into the global leader in the manufacture of cGMP DNA plasmids central to gene-based biomedicines, including cell and gene therapies, and DNA vaccines.Read More »
Dorothy Peterson
Chief Operating Officer
Ms. Peterson joined the VGXI team in 2007 as the Director of Quality, responsible for both Quality Assurance/Compliance and Quality Control. She played an integral role in implementing the company’s Quality System and was promoted to Vice President of Operations in 2011 and COO in 2018. Ms. Peterson came to VGXI with over 20 years of experience in the medical device industry, complying with FDA regulations in both startup and established organizations. Read More »
Jim Smith
Chief Accounting Officer
Mr. Smith joined VGXI as Chief Accounting Officer in 2023. Prior to VGXI he worked in public accounting, industry and consulting. Mr. Smith has over 15 years of experience in accounting and leadership roles across a variety of industries and disciplines, including healthcare and manufacturing. Mr. Smith obtained a B.A in Business Administration-Accounting from West Virginia University, and currently holds designations for Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA), and Certified Forensic Accountant (CrFA).
Jeff Whitmore
Chief Commercial Officer
Mr. Whitmore joined VGXI in 2023 as Chief Commercial Officer to expand commercial operations and the services offered to the molecular therapeutic marketplace. Jeff recently served as CCO at Genezen, a Cell & Gene Therapy CDMO focused on viral vector production. Prior to this, he has held a multitude of leadership positions such as Vice President of Commercial Operations at mRNA therapeutic CDMO, TriLink BioTechnologies Read More »
Management Team
Brenda Reichert, SHRM-CP
Sr. Director, Human Resources
Ms. Reichert joined VGXI in 2001 and served as the Human Resources Specialist and Manager before being promoted to Director in 2016. As one of the original employees she possesses a wealth of knowledge on the company’s history and has played a key role in developing VGXI’s corporate culture. She is responsible for all areas of Human Resources for VGXI Read More »
Jeffrey Darnell
Sr. Director, Facilities
Mr. Darnell joined the VGXI team in 2001 as the Facilities Manager. He designed VGXI’s production facilities and oversaw construction of 4 cGMP suites as well as the Process Development and Quality Control Laboratories. In Mr. Darnell’s current position as Sr. Director of Facilities, he oversees all aspects of facilities maintenance and operations, repair, building code compliance, renovations, and construction activities for VGXI. His experience includes 20+ years in facilities management, construction, and maintenance of equipment, machinery, buildings and other facilities. Read More »
Jared Nelson
Director, Manufacturing
Mr. Nelson joined VGXI in 2007 and has served as VGXI's Manufacturing Manager since 2012. During his time at VGXI he has held multiple manufacturing positions and currently oversees all activities related to the production of clinical grade plasmid DNA pharmaceuticals. His responsibilities include coordinating and managing processes related to GMP cell banking, microbial fermentation, harvest and downstream purification, and GMP fill/finish operations for vialed products.Read More »
Stephen Rodriguez
Director, Process Development
Mr. Rodriguez joined VGXI in 2007 and has extensive experience in plasmid DNA manufacturing. As a core member of both the Process Development and Manufacturing teams, his focus has been towards increasing plasmid yield and quality in both upstream and downstream facets of production. He has played a critical role in identifying, testing, and implementing disposable technology and executing scale up into the cGMP manufacturing facility. Read More »
Christy Franco, Ph.D.
Director, Business Development
Ms. Franco joined VGXI as Business Development Manager in 2014. Prior to VGXI she worked for several years as Director of Research and Product Development for an early stage gene therapy platform company, Twister Biotech. Ms. Franco has over 8 years of laboratory experience covering areas of gene and cell therapy, fermentation process development, and biomaterial design and characterization.Read More »
Ramu Rameswaran
Director, Quality Control
Ms. Rameswaran joined VGXI in 2007 and has overseen VGXI’s Quality Control team since 2012. She has 18 years of previous experience in the Pharma and medical device industries, working in a GMP environment at companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Kensey Nash Corporation.Read More »
Shane Johnson
Director, Quality Assurance
Mr. Johnson joined VGXI in 2003 and has overseen VGXI’s Quality Assurance team since 2012. He came to VGXI from Tanox where he served as a Quality Control Analyst. Mr. Johnson’s primary responsibility is maintenance of the VGXI Quality system. Read More »
Justin Smith
Director, Marketing
Mr. Smith joined VGXI as the Director of Marketing in 2023. Prior to VGXI, he led Discovery Life Sciences’ global marketing efforts for their cell and gene therapy business unit, AllCells. Justin has over 13 years of experience in leading marketing programs and commercial operations within the life sciences, including 5 years of active-duty military service in the United States Marine Corps. He specializes in positioning cell and gene therapy solutions as well as launching highly technical CDMO products and spearheading collaborative partnerships across the biotechnology industry. Read More »
Greg Cogburn
Sr. Manager, Manufacturing
Mr. Cogburn joined VGXI in 2010 and has served as VGXI’s Manufacturing Manager since 2019. He has held multiple positions within the manufacturing department and currently oversees all GMP processes for production of plasmid DNA, from cell banking, upstream and downstream production, to fill/finish operations. Mr. Cogburn maintains a heavy focus on cGMP compliance to ensure VGXI produces the highest quality clinical grade plasmid DNA. Read More »