Executive Team
William D. Johnston, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors
Dr. Johnston joined InVasc in April 2009 with more than 35 years of experience in executive management of biotechnology and medical companies. Most recently he was President and CEO of InhibiTex, Inc., where he took the company from the university laboratory to the public markets raising $220 million. Prior to Inhibitex, Bill spent twenty-two years at Baxter Healthcare where he was recognized for building technology based organizations and leading the development of several products that today have annual sales approaching $1 billion. For six years he was the vice president of Baxter’s central research organization and initiated their scientific and business efforts in stem cell isolation, transplantation and gene therapy research. Subsequently, Bill was promoted to general manager of Baxter's gene therapy business unit. He has served as an advisor or a member on numerous corporate, community, industrial and academic boards. Bill earned his B.S. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Brigham Young University.
William D. Schaeffer
Chief Operating Officer
Joining InVasc in March 2009, Mr. Schaeffer brings 35 years of operations and quality assurance leadership within the industry. Most recently he was Vice President, Global Head of Quality for Ciba Vision Inc. (a Novartis company) where he co-led their global quality improvement initiative. Prior to Ciba Vision, Bill was President of the American Cardiovascular Research Institute, a non-profit, translational medical research organization focused on accelerating the development of improved & cutting-edge therapies for cardiovascular patients. Bill is also very experienced with start-ups. As Chief Operating Officer for Ortec International, Inc., he led them to two FDA product approvals and first stage product commercialization. Bill began his career with Johnson & Johnson where he spent 27 years in a variety of senior management positions. Prior to leaving JNJ, he was Vice President, Quality Assurance Worldwide for Cordis, Inc. and a member of its Management Board. He has also served as an advisor to several small companies and charitable organizations.
