About Us
Leadership
Donald Payne, President and CEO
Mr. Payne is the President and CEO of GreenJay. He has been a part-time member of management of GreenJay since December 2022, and became President in August 2023. He has held various senior management positions in the Life Science Industry since 1992. He currently is a member of the Board of Directors of Ansun Biopharma, which is engaged in the development of fusion proteins for the
treatment of viral diseases, and is a management and financial consultant to various organizations.
Mr. Payne most recently (2011 to early 2019) was responsible for managing clinical, regulatory, manufacturing and accounting matters for Oncolix, an oncology biotherapeutic engaged in the treatment of gynecological cancers. During this period he authored the IND and an Orphan Drug Application for ovarian cancer. Oncolix became a public reporting entity in 2017.
Mr. Payne previously was the founding President, CEO, and a Director of Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc. from 2001 to 2011. Nanospectra was a private company developing nanotechnology-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Mr. Payne guided the company through preclinical
development, US and foreign regulatory filings, and the commencement of human trials in prostate and head and neck cancers.
Mr. Payne has extensive experience with public and private financings and reporting. He received an MBA from Rice University in 1992, a BBA from Texas A&M University in 1976, and was a licensed CPA (Texas, 1978). He is a co-author of nine scientific publications and is a co-inventor of three issued or pending patent applications. He also held various advisory positions to academic and econmic development entities.
Steve Pondell, Manufacturing Consultant
Mr. Pondell is a consultant to GreenJay, providing expertise in the manufacturing, compliance and regulatory aspects of product development from clinical manufacturing, through global clinical regulatory approvals and into commercial production. As an expert consultant, he has served a variety of small to medium sized pharma and biotech companies with projects that include GMP Gap Analyses, IND/NDA compilations, product development programs, cGMP compliance and supplier audits, and technical transfer projects.
He has experience in working with small biotech companies as well as multi-national pharmaceutical companies. He has served as a contract manufacturer and as a virtual manufacturing outsourcing manager. He specializes in enabling companies to work across the sponsor/contract manufacturing relationship, creating high performing partnerships on a global basis.
Most recently, Steve was Vice President of CMC and Operations for ImmunoMet Therapeutics in Houston, Texas, leading the company’s manufacturing and operations activities through product technical transfer and scale-up in support of their Phase 2 clinical studies. Prior to his roles in small companies, Steve was at Abbott Laboratories in Chicago with assignments in various manufacturing, quality and engineering positions.
Steve received his MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and his BS in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Mitzi Montgomery DVM PhD, Preclinical Consultant
Dr. Mitzi Montgomery is a consultant to GreenJay, providing expertise in
preclinical drug development and toxicity testing. She has worked for a number of biotechnology companies and has over 20 years experience in the biotechnology industry and over 15 years experience in laboratory animal medicine and preclinical testing in both small animals and primates. Her experience includes all
aspects of early drug development, including IND filings and managing clinical trials.
Dr. Montgomery most recently (2021) was with Genprex, developing a tumor suppressor gene therapy for cancer. She served for several years as Vice President of Compath Biomedical, a company that provided preclinical development and pathology services for the biotech industry, universities and government institutions.
From 2006 to 2011 Dr. Montgomery was Vice President of Scientific Affairs for Oncolix, a biopharmaceutical company developing a protein therapeutic for ovarian cancer and a cell therapy for melanoma. She was responsible for preclinical development, regulatory affairs, technology optimization and technology transfer.
Prior to joining Oncolix, Dr. Montgomery served in a number of capacities with Opexa Therapeutics, including Vice President of Discovery and Preclinical Development and VP of Development. She was responsible for technology transfer and optimization of an autologous T cell vaccine for multiple sclerosis, including formulation, stability, assay development and manufacturing cost reductions. She served as the project manager directing clinical research activities and managing contract research organizations involved in clinical trials for the T cell vaccine. Dr. Montgomery was largely responsible for taking the drug to Phase IIb clinical trials. She also managed the production and research staff of the company.
She received her Ph.D. from Auburn University in 1992, a DVM from the University of Tennessee in 1981 and a BA from Vanderbilt University in 1976. She was a co- inventor of one now-expired US patent.
Tom Lee, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Mr. Lee is a Founder and member of the Board of Directors of GreenJay. During a career spanning over 43 years, he has been actively involved in managing, shaping and expanding pharmaceutical and biotechnology, medical imaging technologies/companies. From 1999 to 2016, Mr. Lee was Director of the Active Venture Development Office (Technology Commercialization) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. During his tenure, he reviewed approximately 2,800 invention disclosures and he was instrumental in creating over 45 companies. Collectively, these companies raised over $1.0 billion from outside funding or follow-on investments.Several of the early-stage companies emanated from within the Active Venture Development Office were internally developed to Series A financing.
Mr. Lee currently is a co-founder and President of the Medical Innovators Company, LLC (MIC), a Cooperative Venture with the University of Texas Health Science Center. The mission of this venture was to aid and assist academic scientists to seek SBIR and STTR funding and bridge them from the
bench to commercialization.
During his career, Mr. Lee was also employed in various capacities including sales, sales management, marketing and senior management by A.H. Robbins, Mallinckrodt Diagnostics, Kardiothor, Optex Biomedical, Inc., Positron, Inc., Zonagen. Inc. and Race Oncology.
Mr. Lee received his bachelor degree in Economics from The University of Texas in Austin in 1973, and later received a Management Study Program degree from Washington University St. Louis, Missouri, in 1981. Moreover, he is a co-inventor of one now-expired US patent
Borje S. Andersson, MD, PhD, Scientific Founder and Member of Board of Directors
Dr. Andersson is the scientific founder and a founding member of the Board of Directors of GreenJay and principal inventor of patents related to GreenJay’s technology. He is a Professor, Department of Stem Cell
Transplantation, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and is Director of the Molecular Pharmacology and Translational Drug Development program. He also holds an appointment as Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy.
After obtaining his MD (1977) and PhD (1981), both from the Karolinska Institute Medical University in Stockholm, Sweden, Dr. Andersson accepted an invitation to a clinical research fellowship in Developmental Therapeutics at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1981. Upon completion of the fellowship, he was recruited to the faculty.
Dr. Andersson is the principal inventor of Bulanta, the reformulated version of busulfan that is GreenJay’s therapeutic drug, as well as numerous other patents. He is the co-author of peer-reviewed publications and scientific articles, including the clinical side-effects of busulfan as formulated.
Michael T. Redman, Founder and Member of Board of Directors, Founding CEO of GreenJay
Mr. Redman is a Board Member of GreenJay, and formerly served as President and CEO since inception to August 2023.
Prior to GreenJay, Mr. Redman was the COO of Genprex, Inc., a gene therapy company focused on cancer and diabetes. During his tenure, he made changes to the manufacturing process that resulted in more than $14 million in savings due to substantial increases in yield (5 grams per lot to more than 62 grams of the DNA plasmid). Mr. Redman also recruited and set up the Company’s first clinical advisory board. Furthermore, he is the sole inventor of two new gene therapy drugs in development for indications in lung, colorectal cancer and malignant melanoma. Prior to GreenJay, Mr. Redman served as the CEO of Oncolix, Inc., a company focused on breast and ovarian cancer. During his tenure, he raised approximately $15 million to fund operations. The company also went public under his leadership. The Company’s lead drug was suspended due to site reactions observed in human clinical trials although evidence of efficacy was observed.
He also served as CEO of Bone Medical, an Australian-based public company focused in the area of oral peptide delivery of products related to musculoskeletal disorders. Immediately prior to Bone Medical, Mr. Redman was the CEO and co-founder of Opexa Pharmaceuticals, which commenced operations in February of 2001, and was successfully sold to PharmaFrontiers Corporation in November of 2004 after leading the company through Phase II clinical trials. PharmaFrontiers later reorganized the company, which was named Opexa Therapeutics, a NASDAQ-listed company. The lead drug was subsequently licensed to Merck Serono in a $225 million deal that included upfront and milestone payments with a potential double-digit royalty.
His career spans over 30 years in the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industry and encompasses leadership in sales, marketing, business, and commercial development. In addition to the three companies in which he served as CEO, Mr. Redman also held key management positions with Zonagen, Aronex Pharmaceuticals, Biovail, and American Home Products.
Mr. Redman has been instrumental in closing multiple pharmaceutical licensing deals, both domestic and international. These deals include in-licensing of university and NIH intellectual property, acquisitions, and divestitures. He is a former member of the Licensing Executives Society and served on its Executive Committee. Mr. Redman earned a BA in Biology from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
John Paulos, Seed Round and Series A investor
John J. Paulos is an active Angel Investor and past Board Chair of the Central Texas Angel Network with prior experience in technical and business management and academia. As an angel investor, Dr. Paulos has invested in more than 70 companies since 2010, including two unicorns. More than half of these companies are still active and private. He has served on the Board of 20 early-stage companies, including six successful exits. Dr. Paulos holds B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.