Our nominees will bring the life sciences expertise, capital allocation experience, and independent investor perspectives required to protect the interests of all shareholders, maximize the long-term value of Dynavax’s assets, and help eliminate hepatitis B.
Mr. Erkman would bring to the Company an extraordinary long-term investor perspective on the value of Heplisav, dating back to Deep Track’s first investment in Dynavax in April 2010 and significant investment experience in biotechnology companies.
Since October 2022, Brett Erkman has served as a Managing Director of Deep Track Capital, an investment firm focused on the life sciences. Prior to Deep Track Capital, he was a biotechnology investor at Great Point Partners from October 2006 through April 2022. Previously, Mr. Erkman was a sell-side associate at ThinkEquity Partners and a financial analyst at Abbott Laboratories. Mr. Erkman holds a B.S. in Finance from DePaul University.
Mr. Erkman has been analyzing investments in biotechnology companies for 20 years. As such, he would bring many skills to his service on the Board of Directors including financial acumen, strategic thinking, an understanding of risk management, and insight into the health care markets. In particular, Mr. Erkman’s history with Dynavax as an investor dates back to the middle of the HBV-16 trial, giving him a long-term perspective on the history of the company’s lead asset. This history, combined with his experience as an investor in other vaccine-focused companies, gives him a deep understanding of the difficulties and complexities of vaccine development from technical, regulatory, and commercial perspectives. Furthermore, Mr. Erkman’s long history as a buy-side investor would offer a unique opportunity for other directors to hear precise and highly informed guidance on how public market investors would interpret and react to disclosures, forecasts, strategies, and expectations issued by the Company.
Mr. Farrow’s significant financial background, including as a Chief Financial Officer in the healthcare industry, would bring substantial financial expertise and an experienced perspective to the Company.
Jeffrey Farrow has served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since April 2023. Mr. Farrow also serves as a board member of Clover Biotherapeutics, a position he has held since September 2021. Mr. Farrow previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from April 2016 until December 2022 when it was acquired by Pfizer. At Global Blood Therapeutics, he was part of the team responsible for the successful regulatory approval and commercial launch of Oxbryta for the treatment of sickle cell disease. Prior to that, Mr. Farrow served as Chief Financial Officer of ZS Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, which was acquired by AstraZeneca in December 2015. Prior to ZS Pharma, he served as the Chief Financial Officer at Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc., a commercial pharmaceutical company, from July 2010 until May 2015 which was acquired by Horizon Therapeutics in May 2015. He previously served as Vice President of Finance at Evotec AG, a drug discovery and development company. Prior to Evotec, Mr. Farrow served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer at Renovis, Inc., a drug discovery and development company, which was acquired by Evotec AG. Earlier in his career, Mr. Farrow spent seven years working in the audit practice of KPMG LLP. Mr. Farrow holds a B.A. in business administration with a concentration in corporate finance from California State University at Fullerton and is a certified public accountant (inactive).
As a Chief Financial Officer in the pharmaceutical industry for over 10 years, Mr. Farrow has an understanding of financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting and financial analysis and how these are carried out in the healthcare industry. He also has a deep understanding of the regulatory environment in the pharmaceutical industry and knowledge of the drug development process, making him a valuable addition to the Dynavax Board.
Mr. Mullette would bring to the Company strong leadership and day-to-day operational experience, and a deep understanding of business risks, based on his leadership positions in the healthcare and biotechnology space.
Michael Mullette is an experienced drug development and commercialization professional with decades of experience growing businesses. Mr. Mullette has most recently been serving as interim CEO of Lykos Therapeutics since September 2024 and Chief Operating Officer since March of 2022. Before that, Mr. Mullette served as Vice President of North America Commercial Operations for Moderna from July 2020 to March 2022, where he oversaw commercialization of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before Moderna he spent almost 20 years with Sanofi Pasteur working in vaccine, commercial, business development, operations, strategy, planning, marketing and sales in roles of increasing levels of responsibility in the U.S., France, Australia, Japan, and Canada. Mike earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Villanova University and an M.B.A. from Lehigh University.
As an interim Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and executive in the healthcare industry, Mr. Mullette would bring insight into operational matters, along with industry knowledge and experience in healthcare and pharmaceuticals to the Dynavax Board.
Mr. Santel’s extensive experience as a healthcare chief executive officer and director would bring to the Company strong leadership and human capital management skills, including experience managing significant mergers and acquisitions activity.
Donald Santel currently serves as chairman of the board of a private biotechnology company, Tentarix Biotherapeutics, since March 2022, as an independent director of private biotechnology company, Inograft Biotherapeutics, since December 2023 and independent director of private biotechnology company March Therapeutics since August 2024. Mr. Santel served on the board of Aerovate Therapeutics, a public biotechnology company (Nasdaq: AVTE), from January 2023 through its merger with Jade Biosciences in April 2025. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Hyperion Therapeutics (Nasdaq GM: HPTX) from June 2008 until the sale of the company to Horizon Pharma (Nasdaq: HZNP) for $1.1 billion in May 2015. Previously, Mr. Santel was the Chief Executive Officer of CoTherix, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTRX) from January 2000 through its sale to Actelion for $419 million in January 2007. Prior to joining CoTherix, Mr. Santel was employed by several medical device companies, including Cardiac Pathways Corporation (acquired by Boston Scientific) and Medtronic, Inc. Mr. Santel holds an M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota and a B.S.E. in biomedical engineering from Purdue University.
Mr. Santel’s many years working in the life sciences industry, particularly as the chief executive during the sale of two such companies, would provide critical managerial and operational perspective to the Dynavax Board.
