Mr. Gaffney brings deep health sector insight, extensive operational experience, and proven strategy and capital markets expertise to Cellphire Therapeutics. His 30-year career includes serving in executive leadership positions, including as Executive Chairman and interim CEO for over 10 healthcare organizations. In these roles, he oversaw and contributed to strategy development and execution, talent recruitment, business development, growth, and capital raising.
Prior to joining Cellphire, Mr. Gaffney founded Bancroft Group, LLC, a strategy and operational consulting business focused on middle market companies and their investors. In addition to founding Bancroft Group, he is a co-founder of EDG Partners, LLC, a healthcare-focused private equity firm. Prior to Bancroft Group and EDG Partners, Mr. Gaffney was a partner at Allied Capital (NYSE: ALD) where he led the healthcare investment strategy. Before joining Allied, he was a consultant at McKinsey & Co., Inc. Mr. Gaffney also served in the U.S. Navy as a Submarine Officer.
Mr. Gaffney received a Master of Arts from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy, where he serves on the A&S Board of Trustees.
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Dr. Bates is a board-certified reconstructive surgeon and senior healthcare industry executive specializing in preclinical and clinical development, medical affairs, marketing authorization and lifecycle management of biologics and devices. His therapeutic expertise spans hemostasis, tissue repair, neurology, cardiac & transplantation immunology and he also brings a strong scientific foundation in regeneration biology, stem cells, angiogenesis, axonal guidance and tissue engineering. Over the last 20 years Dr. Bates has held scientific & medical leadership positions in multiple US, European & Australian companies including Baxter, Organogenesis, Allergan, SanBio, BioCurate and Novo Nordisk and has had a successful track record obtaining multiple INDs, CTNs, CTAs and BLAs for allogeneic cell-based products in a variety of surgically related indications globally.
Dr. Bates received his medical degree from the University of Sydney, his PhD in Developmental Biology from the University of Melbourne, his Fellowship in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and his MBA from the Wharton Business School.
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Dr. Fitzpatrick has more than 40 years of military and civilian blood banking and biomedical experience. He joined Cellphire in 2006 and has led the development of the company’s first line of hemostatic products.
Prior to joining Cellphire, Dr. Fitzpatrick served as Chief Operating Officer of America’s Blood Centers, North America’s largest network of non-profit community blood centers. Previously, he served 29 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Colonel in 2003.
Throughout his military career, Dr. Fitzpatrick was involved in clinical transfusion medicine, blood collection and delivery, and clinical research. He also provided oversight and planning of blood support operations to ensure delivery of blood and blood products to deployed troops. From 1999–2003, Dr. Fitzpatrick served as Director of the Armed Services Program, the sole provider of blood products to the U.S. Armed Forces. His other assignments included serving as the Korea Area Blood Program Officer; United States European Command Blood Program Officer; and Chief of Transfusion Services and Blood Donor Center for Madigan Army Medical Center, Tripler Army Medical Center, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also served as the Director of the Tri-Service Blood Bank Fellowship at Walter Reed.
The Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) awarded Dr. Fitzpatrick with the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contributions to the ASBP and the warfighter.
Dr. Fitzpatrick received a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Immunohematology from Bowling Green State University.
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Shireen Bate brings more than 25 years of global commercial leadership across biotechnology and specialty pharmaceuticals, with a proven track record of driving growth, leading product launches, and building high-performing organizations. Her experience spans the full product lifecycle—from early development through commercialization—across the U.S., Europe, and international markets.
Shireen has held senior leadership roles with full P&L responsibility, overseeing €100M+ global franchises and leading multiple successful product launches across immunology, neurology, vaccines, women’s health, and specialty care. She has driven double-digit revenue growth, shaped Phase 3 and launch strategies, and partnered closely with executive teams and investors to support value creation.
Previously, she served as Global Franchise and Commercial Excellence Head at Theramex and held leadership roles at Biogen, AstraZeneca, MedImmune, and Sanofi Pasteur. She holds a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from American University.
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Mr. Woods brings over 15 years of experience in the biotechnology industry and is a seasoned executive known for his exemplary leadership in business operations. He spent a decade spearheading and optimizing business activities at Cellphire, where he played a pivotal role in the company's growth. He has spent his whole career building small businesses while working closely with government sponsors to accelerate growth in the logistics, government scheduled accounting, and biotech industries. As a founding member of BodeVet Inc, a subsidiary of Cellphire, he demonstrated his operational leadership and entrepreneurial spirit. With a strong foundation in business management and an undergraduate in Business Management from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and an MBA from Johns Hopkins, he combines academic excellence with real-world expertise.
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Dr. Coles brings over 20 years of extensive experience in program leadership and management in the academic and biotech industries.
Prior to joining Cellphire, Dr. Coles served in a variety of roles at companies focused on product development leadership and management for oncology, autoimmune, and orphan diseases with multiple modalities, including biologics, small molecules, and gene therapy. Most recently, Dr Coles served as the Executive Director, Program Lead and Head of Program Management, at Georgiamune Inc; Senior Director of Product Development Team Lead and Program Manager at Regenxbio, Inc.; and various program/pipeline management roles of increasing responsibility at MedImmune/AstraZeneca.
Dr. Coles conducted his postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and holds a Ph.D. in developmental neurobiology from University College London (UCL) and UK’s Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research. He received a BSc in molecular biology from Nottingham Trent University.
Ms. Howerton brings extensive accounting and finance experience to the Cellphire Therapeutics team, with over twenty-five years’ experience working in accounting/finance with progressive leadership, including significant experience in the biotech industry. She has an active CPA license.
Ms. Howerton is an experienced finance professional with a continuous improvement mindset who leverages business acumen and process knowledge to create efficiencies and constructive change. Prior to joining Cellphire, Ms. Howerton held leadership roles at ExeGi Pharma, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and MTI-GlobalStem. “We’re very pleased to have Angie join the Cellphire team,” said Mike Gaffney, Chief Executive Officer. “She joins us at an exciting time, and her strong finance background and experience with growth stage companies broadens our team at an important time in our evolution.”
Ms. Howerton received her undergraduate degree at Sullivan University, where she studied business administration/accounting.
Linda S Barnes, DrPH, MHA, RAC, CABP(H), serves as Vice President of Quality and CMC. Dr. Barnes contributes decades of quality, regulatory, and technical expertise in regional blood transfusion services, healthcare services delivery, and lifecycle development for innovative biologicals and regenerative medicines. She is an industry leader for integrating essential medicines into health systems internationally.
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Dr. Johns has diverse, in-depth regulatory experience in pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices and combination products. She brings over 14 years of comprehensive regulatory experience across disciplines spanning clinical, nonclinical, clinical pharmacology/ biopharmaceutics, and chemistry, manufacturing, and controls. She has previously held principal consulting roles and strategic leadership at Enable Injections, Hoth Therapeutics, Kymanox, Camargo Pharmaceutical Services, and Meridian Biosciences. Dr. Johns has provided strategic guidance across a broad range of product indications that have led to successful significant regulatory milestones and product approvals including blood-derived biologics, hematology, cardiovascular and renal, dermatology, neurology, pulmonary, rare and genetic diseases, gynecology, gastroenterology, oncology, inflammatory, ophthalmology, psychiatry, infectious diseases, and anesthesia/addiction/pain.
During her career, Dr. Johns has been listed as an inventor on 2 patents related to new drug products and authored peer-reviewed journal articles and informative regulatory blogs. She has also served as a course instructor at the University of Cincinnati graduate program teaching fundamentals of medical device and combination product development.
Dr. Johns graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine with a Doctorate degree in Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, and Microbiology. She graduated from the Wright State University magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences.
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Elisabeth Schrader is a high-impact Clinical Operations Executive with more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and CRO sectors, including over 15 years in senior leadership roles. She is a proven expert in driving global clinical operations strategy across all trial phases (I-IV), with specialized focus in rare diseases, pediatrics, cardio-metabolic, and oncology indications.
Ms. Schrader most recently served as the Head of Project Management Delivery and Business Operations at Syneos Health. In this role she spearheaded transformational activities on behalf of Global Project Delivery and oversaw the global teams of Project Managers/Associates, TMF Operations and Supply Chain and Logistics. Prior to her most recent role, Ms. Schrader held several executive positions of increasing responsibility at Syneos Health, Synteract (now Syneos), and QuintilesIMS (now IQVIA). She is a recognized expert in transformational leadership, operational standardization and excellence, and development of high performing teams. Earlier in her career, she gained foundational experience in clinical operations through progressive roles at PPD and Health Decisions (now Premier Research).
In recognition of her leadership and contributions to the industry, Ms. Schrader received the Luminary Award from the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) in 2023.
Ms. Schrader received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health, with a concentration in Health Policy and Administration, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
