Board Committees

Christopher Melton was appointed as a director of the Company upon consummation of the Merger on November 4, 2011. Mr. Melton is a licensed real estate salesperson in the State of South Carolina and until June 2019 was a principal of Callegro Investments, LLC, a specialist land investor investing in the southeastern U.S., which he founded 2012. Since June 2019 he has served as a specialist Land Advisor with SVN. Mr. Melton also serves on several public and private boards, including Jupiter Wellness, Inc. since August 2019 and has served since February 2018 as chief investment officer and analyst at TNT Capital Advisors, a capital advisory firm based in Florida. He also served as a sales agent as MSK Commercial Services, a commercial real estate company, from February 2018 to June 2019. From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Melton was a Portfolio Manager for Kingdon Capital Management (“Kingdon”) in New York City, where he ran an $800 million book in media, telecom and Japanese investment. Mr. Melton opened Kingdon’s office in Japan, where he set up a Japanese research company. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Melton served as a Vice President at JPMorgan Investment Management as an equity research analyst, where he helped manage $500 million in REIT funds under management. Mr. Melton was a Senior Real Estate Equity Analyst at RREEF Funds in Chicago from 1995 to 1997. RREEF Funds is the real estate investment management business of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management division. Mr. Melton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995. Mr. Melton earned Certification from University of California, Los Angeles’s Anderson Director Education Program in 2014.

Mr. Hawkins was appointed as a director of the company in December of 2022. Shafron Hawkins’ career spans the industries of financial services, government and nonprofits. Hawkins started his career working for TD Waterhouse Securities in its active investors division before moving to Credit Suisse First Boston. In June 2002, Hawkins founded Hawkins Capital Group, where he served as Principal while helping raise acquisition capital for small companies. In 2016, Hawkins became a legislative fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, advising a Way and Means Committee member and helping push forward the Simplifying America’s Tax System (SATS) plan. Soon after, Hawkins served as a U.S. Senate Tax and Trade Counsel where he worked to expand the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to include the Opportunity Zones provision. Hawkins also served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, having previously served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth. Upon leaving Capitol Hill, Hawkins founded the Opportunity Funds Association, an organization that helps advocate for Opportunity Zones and drive investments into underserved areas. In 2022, Hawkins worked with Congress to introduce the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Opportunity Zones Transparency Extension and Improvement Act which achieves the OFA member policy goals of increased investment and greater transparency in Opportunity Zones. Mr. Hawkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from The Ohio State University, his MBA from Columbia Business School as a Credit Suisse First Boston Fellow, and his JD from the Moritz College of Law at OSU. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Cleveland State University College of Law.

Ms. Cormier-May serves and has served since Jan 2022 as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of IV Bioholdings, LLC, a privately held bio-innovation platform seeking to conceive, create and develop first-in-category precision health technologies and companies that radically improve detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease, serves and has served since March 2021 as a director and Chief Executive Officer of Mammogen. Inc.,a privately held Women’s health diagnostics start-up, part of the IV BioHoldings, LLC bio innovation studio, and serves and has served since April 2019, as Chairman of the Board, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dragonfly Data Ventures, Inc., a privately held data influence platform, seeking to create a gamified consumer platform that allows users to own, manage, and monetize their health, wellness, fitness, and transactional data. From May 2016 to March 2019, Ms. Cormier-May served as Vice President and Head of Commercial Diagnostics of Exosome Diagnostics, Inc., a personalized healthcare company acquired by Bio-Teche in August 2018. From June 2004 to May 2016, Ms. Cormier-May served in a number of management capacities with various multi-national and other companies in the healthcare and drug development industries. Ms. Cormier-May earned her undergraduate degree in organic chemistry from Wheaton College.

David Villarreal was appointed as a director of the Company on May 28, 2021. Mr. Villarreal’s career spans over 40 years in various management, business and leadership capacities, beginning in 1977 when he served as Deputy Mayor and Senior Deputy Economic Development Advisor, under Mayor Tom Bradley in the City of Los Angeles. He has served since August 2014 as the Chief Administrative Officer of Affinity Partnerships, LLC, a Costco national mortgage services platform provider, with annual closed loan production of $8+ billion through a network of ten national mortgage lenders. From March 2011 to August 2014, he served as the President -Corporate Business Development, of Prime Source Mortgage, Inc. From September 2008 to September 2012, he served as a Consultant to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Mr. Hawkins was appointed as a director of the company in December of 2022. Shafron Hawkins’ career spans the industries of financial services, government and nonprofits. Hawkins started his career working for TD Waterhouse Securities in its active investors division before moving to Credit Suisse First Boston. In June 2002, Hawkins founded Hawkins Capital Group, where he served as Principal while helping raise acquisition capital for small companies. In 2016, Hawkins became a legislative fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, advising a Way and Means Committee member and helping push forward the Simplifying America’s Tax System (SATS) plan. Soon after, Hawkins served as a U.S. Senate Tax and Trade Counsel where he worked to expand the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to include the Opportunity Zones provision. Hawkins also served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, having previously served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth. Upon leaving Capitol Hill, Hawkins founded the Opportunity Funds Association, an organization that helps advocate for Opportunity Zones and drive investments into underserved areas. In 2022, Hawkins worked with Congress to introduce the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Opportunity Zones Transparency Extension and Improvement Act which achieves the OFA member policy goals of increased investment and greater transparency in Opportunity Zones. Mr. Hawkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from The Ohio State University, his MBA from Columbia Business School as a Credit Suisse First Boston Fellow, and his JD from the Moritz College of Law at OSU. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Cleveland State University College of Law.

Ms. Cormier-May serves and has served since Jan 2022 as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of IV Bioholdings, LLC, a privately held bio-innovation platform seeking to conceive, create and develop first-in-category precision health technologies and companies that radically improve detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease, serves and has served since March 2021 as a director and Chief Executive Officer of Mammogen. Inc.,a privately held Women’s health diagnostics start-up, part of the IV BioHoldings, LLC bio innovation studio, and serves and has served since April 2019, as Chairman of the Board, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dragonfly Data Ventures, Inc., a privately held data influence platform, seeking to create a gamified consumer platform that allows users to own, manage, and monetize their health, wellness, fitness, and transactional data. From May 2016 to March 2019, Ms. Cormier-May served as Vice President and Head of Commercial Diagnostics of Exosome Diagnostics, Inc., a personalized healthcare company acquired by Bio-Teche in August 2018. From June 2004 to May 2016, Ms. Cormier-May served in a number of management capacities with various multi-national and other companies in the healthcare and drug development industries. Ms. Cormier-May earned her undergraduate degree in organic chemistry from Wheaton College.

Mr. Hawkins was appointed as a director of the company in December of 2022. Shafron Hawkins’ career spans the industries of financial services, government and nonprofits. Hawkins started his career working for TD Waterhouse Securities in its active investors division before moving to Credit Suisse First Boston. In June 2002, Hawkins founded Hawkins Capital Group, where he served as Principal while helping raise acquisition capital for small companies. In 2016, Hawkins became a legislative fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, advising a Way and Means Committee member and helping push forward the Simplifying America’s Tax System (SATS) plan. Soon after, Hawkins served as a U.S. Senate Tax and Trade Counsel where he worked to expand the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to include the Opportunity Zones provision. Hawkins also served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, having previously served as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth. Upon leaving Capitol Hill, Hawkins founded the Opportunity Funds Association, an organization that helps advocate for Opportunity Zones and drive investments into underserved areas. In 2022, Hawkins worked with Congress to introduce the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Opportunity Zones Transparency Extension and Improvement Act which achieves the OFA member policy goals of increased investment and greater transparency in Opportunity Zones. Mr. Hawkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from The Ohio State University, his MBA from Columbia Business School as a Credit Suisse First Boston Fellow, and his JD from the Moritz College of Law at OSU. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Cleveland State University College of Law.

Christopher Melton was appointed as a director of the Company upon consummation of the Merger on November 4, 2011. Mr. Melton is a licensed real estate salesperson in the State of South Carolina and until June 2019 was a principal of Callegro Investments, LLC, a specialist land investor investing in the southeastern U.S., which he founded 2012. Since June 2019 he has served as a specialist Land Advisor with SVN. Mr. Melton also serves on several public and private boards, including Jupiter Wellness, Inc. since August 2019 and has served since February 2018 as chief investment officer and analyst at TNT Capital Advisors, a capital advisory firm based in Florida. He also served as a sales agent as MSK Commercial Services, a commercial real estate company, from February 2018 to June 2019. From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Melton was a Portfolio Manager for Kingdon Capital Management (“Kingdon”) in New York City, where he ran an $800 million book in media, telecom and Japanese investment. Mr. Melton opened Kingdon’s office in Japan, where he set up a Japanese research company. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Melton served as a Vice President at JPMorgan Investment Management as an equity research analyst, where he helped manage $500 million in REIT funds under management. Mr. Melton was a Senior Real Estate Equity Analyst at RREEF Funds in Chicago from 1995 to 1997. RREEF Funds is the real estate investment management business of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management division. Mr. Melton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995. Mr. Melton earned Certification from University of California, Los Angeles’s Anderson Director Education Program in 2014.

David Villarreal was appointed as a director of the Company on May 28, 2021. Mr. Villarreal’s career spans over 40 years in various management, business and leadership capacities, beginning in 1977 when he served as Deputy Mayor and Senior Deputy Economic Development Advisor, under Mayor Tom Bradley in the City of Los Angeles. He has served since August 2014 as the Chief Administrative Officer of Affinity Partnerships, LLC, a Costco national mortgage services platform provider, with annual closed loan production of $8+ billion through a network of ten national mortgage lenders. From March 2011 to August 2014, he served as the President -Corporate Business Development, of Prime Source Mortgage, Inc. From September 2008 to September 2012, he served as a Consultant to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.