The Resilience Team

Robert Nelsen

Chairman, Resilience Founder ARCH

Robert Nelsen is among the most successful biotechnology investors globally. His efforts have helped propel ARCH to be one of the top early-stage biotech venture groups. He joined ARCH at its founding and played a significant role in the early sourcing, financing, and development of more than 100 companies, including thirty that have reached valuations exceeding $1 billion. His seed and early-stage investments include Illumina (ILMN), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Juno Therapeutics (JUNO, acquired by Celgene-CELG now BMS), Beam Therapeutics (BEAM), Karuna Therapeutics (KRTX), Array BioPharma (ARRY, acquired by Pfizer-PFE), Unity Biotechnology (UBX), Hua Medicine (2552:HK), Vir Biotechnology (VIR), Agios Pharmaceuticals (AGIO), Sage Therapeutics (SAGE), CStone Pharmaceuticals (2616:HK), Gossamer Bio (GOSS), Ikaria (acquired by Mallinckrodt-MNK), Kythera Biopharmaceuticals (KYTH, acquired by Allergan-AGN now ABBV), Receptos (RCPT, acquired by Celgene-CELG now BMS), Aviron (AVIR, acquired by MedImmune-MEDI now AZNCF), Denali Therapeutics (DNLI), Rubius Therapeutics (RUBY), Syros Pharmaceuticals (SYRS), Sana Biotechnology, Lyell Immunopharma, GRAIL, Nutcracker Therapeutics, Bit Bio, Brii Biosciences, Happy Healthcare, Insitro, Maze Therapeutics, Encoded Therapeutics, Encodia, EQRx, Mindstrong, Omniome, Prime Medicine, RBNC Therapeutics, KSQ Therapeutics, SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals, Singular Genomics, Sironax, Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Transcenta Holding, Verve Therapeutics, Volastra Therapeutics, NetBot (acquired by Excite), Bluebird Bio (BLUE), R2 Technology (acquired by Hologic-HOLX), Genomica (GNOM, acquired by Exelixis-EXEL), XenoPort (XNPT, acquired by Arbor Pharmaceuticals), Fate Therapeutics (FATE), Caliper Life Sciences (CALP, acquired by Perkin Elmer-PKI), Trubion Pharmaceuticals (TRBN, acquired by Emergent Biosolutions-EBS), Adolor (ADLR, acquired by Cubist Pharmaceuticals-CBST now MRK), deCODE Genetics (acquired by Amgen-AMGN), Editas (EDIT), 10x Genomics, Semma Therapeutics (acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals-VRTX), IDUN Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer-PFE), Classmates.com (acquired by United Online-UNTD), and Everyday Learning Corporation (acquired by Tribune Corp. now NXST).

Mr. Nelsen is a director of Vir Biotechnology, GRAIL, Sana Biotechnology, Beam Therapeutics, Unity Biotechnology, Denali Therapeutics, and serves as Chairman of Hua Medicine, among others. He previously served as a Trustee of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute, the Institute for Systems Biology, and was a director of the National Venture Capital Association. Mr. Nelsen holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.S. from the University of Puget Sound with majors in Economics and Biology.

William S. Marth

President & CEO

William S. Marth, RPh., MBA is an industry leader with an extensive record of commercial success and is currently the President & CEO at Resilience. Prior to joining Resilience, he served as the Global President and Chief Executive Officer of North America and Europe for the Emcure Pharmaceutical Company based in Pune, India (a Bain Capital investment) until December of 2021.  

Previously, William led the $1.6 billion take-private deal of AMRI, now known as Curia (formerly NASDAQ: AMRI), in September 2017, following seven acquisitions over four years that helped build one of the top five global CDMOs. He had been with the company since 2012 and served as its President and CEO starting in 2014. In 2013, he also served as Chairman of the Board. Before AMRI, William was President and CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. for the Americas, as well as CEO of Teva North America and Teva USA through years of unprecedented growth. He was a member of Teva’s global executive management from 2007 to 2012, previously holding roles such as Executive Vice President and Vice President of sales and marketing for Teva USA. Before Teva, he held various positions at Apothecon, a division of Bristol-Myers Squibb. 

William earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Illinois, an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (D.H.L.) from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He currently serves as a Non-Executive Director at Rosemont Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in the UK and is a member of the Advisory Board for Lupin Pharmaceuticals, a global pharmaceutical company. He is also involved in several non-profit boards. Previously, William was Chairman of the Board at Sorrento Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ: SRNE), an Independent Director at Galmed (NASDAQ: GLMD), Teligent (NASDAQ: TLGT), and Chairman of the Board for the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (now AAM). Additionally, he served on the Board of the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists. William serves as the Managing Partner of North Ocean Ventures, LLC, a consulting/investment firm that assists Private Equity clients, since September 2020.  

Drew Oetting

Co-founder & President, 8VC Co-founder Affinity

Drew Oetting is co-founder and President of 8VC, where he oversees the internal company incubation efforts in addition to investing. He is a co-founder of Affinity Technologies. Previously Drew served as a partner at Formation 8, and started his career as Chief of Staff to Joe Lonsdale. Drew serves on the Competitiveness Council for Cerberus Capital Management. He is also a Trustee to LivingOnOne, a non-profit impact production studio; WeAreThorn, a NGO which leverages technology to eliminate child trafficking; and the Claremont McKenna College Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Drew graduated with degrees in Mathematics and Economics from Claremont McKenna College. He was a Robert Day Scholar, two-time Bill Gates Investment Asset Management Fellow, and served as CEO of the Student Investment Fund. In college he played varsity golf and sang in The Claremont Shades a capella group. Drew is originally from Iowa City, Iowa.

Frances Arnold, PH.D.

Nobel Prize Laureate, CalTech Professor

Dr. Frances Arnold is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology.

Dr. Arnold pioneered directed enzyme evolution, for which she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018; she has used directed evolution to solve problems in alternative energy, chemicals, and medicine. Dr. Arnold received the Charles Stark Draper Prize of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2011, the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Obama in 2013, and the Millennium Technology Prize in 2016. She has been elected to the U.S. National Academies of Science, Medicine, and Engineering and was appointed to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 2019. She co-founded three companies in sustainable chemistry and renewable energy (Gevo, Provivi, Aralez Bio) and serves on several private and public company boards, including Alphabet and Illumina.

Dr. Arnold earned a B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

George Barrett

Former Chairman & CEO, Cardinal Health

George Barrett is a nationally recognized healthcare industry leader, with a distinguished career as an executive in global corporations and advisor on public policy. As the founder of The Overtone Group, he advises companies and nonprofit organizations, mentors senior executives, teaches our next generation of leaders, and is a frequent speaker on leadership and healthcare.

Barrett is a director on multiple boards, including Target Corporation, National Resilience, Digital Diagnostics, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He is vice chair of The Conference Board and co-chairs the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector. A lifelong performing musician and songwriter, he is a trustee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

He is a visiting professor of practice and senior fellow at New York University’s Stern School of Business, an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, serves on the board of Brown University’s Corporation Committee on Medical and Health Affairs, and as a Governor on Brown’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

Barrett served as chairman and CEO of Cardinal Health, a Fortune 20 multi-national healthcare services and products company, for nearly a decade, ending in November 2018. Under his tenure, Cardinal Health was recognized as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, Forbes America’s Best Employers, and received numerous awards for its public health, corporate social responsibility, and philanthropic initiatives.

Prior to Cardinal Health, Barrett held senior positions, including president, at multiple global pharmaceutical companies. He previously served on the boards of the Fourth District of the Federal Reserve Bank and Eaton Corporation, and as a member of President Obama's White House Business Council.

Barret is a graduate of Brown University with a dual concentration in history and music and earned an M.B.A. from New York University. He is a trustee emeritus of Brown and is the recipient of multiple honorary doctorates. Barrett is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and Peter G. Peterson Business Statesmanship Award, among others, for a life dedicated to community service and the public good.

Mitchell Daniels

Former President, Purdue University, Former Governor of Indiana

Governor Mitchell Daniels was elected Governor of Indiana in 2004. He spearheaded a host of reforms aimed at improving the performance of state government. These changes and a strong emphasis on performance measurement have led to many state agencies, including the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Department of Child Services and Department of Correction winning national awards.

In 2005, he led the state to its first balanced budget in eight years and, without a tax increase, transformed the nearly $800 million deficit he inherited into an annual surplus of $370 million within a year. Governor Daniels’ innovations include the 2006 lease of the Indiana Toll Road. This is the largest privatization of public infrastructure in the United States and generated nearly $4 billion for Major Moves, the state’s record-breaking 10-year transportation and infrastructure program.

Daniels first became interested in public service while serving as chief of staff to Senator Richard Lugar. He has also served as a senior advisor to President Ronald Reagan and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush.

Daniels also comes from a successful career in business, holding numerous top management positions. From 1987-1990, Daniels served as the CEO of the Hudson Institute.  In 1990, he accepted a position at Eli Lilly and Company, the largest corporation headquartered in Indiana at that time, and eventually held the role of president of the company’s North American Pharmaceutical Operations. Daniels also serves on the corporate boards of Cerner Corporation and Interactive Intelligence.

In recognition of his leadership both as Governor and as president of Purdue University, Fortune Magazine named President Daniels to its list of the top 50 world leaders in March 2015. In June 2016, he was named a Living Legend by the Indiana Historical Society.

Many other organizations also have recognized his leadership. In May 2012, the Manhattan Institute presented the governor with its Alexander Hamilton Award.

The governor’s conservation efforts set aside record acreages of protected wetlands and wildlife habitats. In January 2012, he received the Chancellor Award for Conservation and Wildlife Protection from the Weatherby Foundation, and in March 2012, he also was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Award from the Indiana Wildlife Federation.

Daniels received the Woodrow Wilson Award from Princeton University in February 2013. The award recognizes an alumnus whose career embodies the call to duty in Wilson’s famous speech, “Princeton in the Nation’s Service.” He was also the recipient in June 2013 of the Bradley Prize from the Milwaukee-based Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. The award recognizes accomplishments that “strengthen American institutions.”

Daniels is also the author of three books, including best-seller “Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans.” He is a contributing columnist in the Washington Post, and his writings are regularly featured in other publications. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1971 and his law degree from Georgetown University in 1979.

Chris Darby

Global Head of Venture Investments Cerberus Capital Management 

Christopher Darby serves as Global Head of Venture Investments at Cerberus Capital Management. He served as President and CEO of In-Q-Tel 2006-2023. He is also a member of its Board of Trustees. In January 2019, Chris was nominated as a Commissioner on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. He is also a Director on the Board of the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation.

Prior to joining In-Q-Tel, Chris was a Vice President and General Manager at Intel, where he oversaw the Middleware Products Division. At Intel, Chris had responsibility for the corporation’s Infrastructure Software business, including open source and commercial products. He joined Intel in August 2005 with the acquisition of Sarvega, a venture-backed supplier of XML networking and security products, where he served as President and CEO.

Prior to Sarvega, Chris was the Chairman and CEO of @stake, the well-known Internet security consulting firm ultimately acquired by Symantec (SYMC). While at @stake, he assembled the world’s leading collection of security researchers and built a business that spanned North America and Europe.

Before that, Chris served as President and CEO of Interpath Communications, which was later acquired by US Internetworking (USIX). Earlier in his career, he held several executive positions at Digital Equipment Corporation (now Hewlett-Packard) and Northern Telecom (now Nortel Networks) with responsibility for telecom industry sales initiatives, corporate strategy, and alliances. Chris began his career at Bell Northern Research.

He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario.

Susan Desmond-Hellmann, M.D., M.P.H.

Former CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Susan D. Desmond-Hellmann is a physician scientist who has spent the past four decades as an innovator and leader in life sciences.

Dr. Desmond-Hellmann most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, stepping down in January 2020 to become Senior Advisor and Board Member of the Gates Medical Research Institute. She joined the Board of Directors of Pfizer in April 2020 and began serving as a Senior Advisor at Google Ventures in May 2020. She has served as a Senior Advisor at BDT Capital, LLC, a private investment firm, since October, 2017. Prior to joining The Gates Foundation in May 2014, she was the Chancellor at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) from 2009-2014 where she remains an Adjunct Professor.

From 2004 through 2009, Dr. Desmond-Hellmann served as President of Product Development at Genentech, where she was responsible for pre-clinical and clinical development, business development, and product portfolio management. She joined Genentech in 1995. Prior to joining Genentech, Dr. Desmond-Hellmann was associate director of clinical cancer research at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute. Dr. Desmond-Hellmann previously served as a member of the board of directors of Facebook 2013-2019 and The Procter & Gamble Company 2010-2016. Dr. Desmond-Hellmann holds a B.S. in Pre-Med and an M.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno, and an M.P.H. from the University of California, Berkeley. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.

Kaye Foster

HR Leader, Onyx, J&J, Pfizer

Kaye Foster is currently an independent consultant, working with CEOs and leadership teams focusing on business transformations, talent management strategy and Human Resources strategy development and implementation. She serves as a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and is a guest lecturer at Columbia University Graduate School of Business and Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Kaye joined Onyx from Johnson & Johnson where she served as Vice President of Global Human Resources, and a member of the Executive Committee. In that role, she led the global Human Resources organization, and also served as a member of the Management Compensation Committee and the Pension Committee, partnering with the chair of the Compensation Committee of the Johnson & Johnson outside Board of Directors. Prior to Johnson & Johnson, she held several Human Resources executive positions with Pfizer Inc. supporting its pharmaceutical businesses in Japan, Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America, and she led the integration of both the Warner-Lambert and Pharmacia mergers for these countries.

Kaye received her undergraduate degree from the City University of New York, Baruch College, and an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University in New York City.

Scott Gottlieb, M.D.

Partner, NEA, Former Commissioner, FDA

Scott Gottlieb is a physician and served as the 23rd Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Gottlieb’s work focuses on advancing public health through developing and implementing innovative approaches to improving medical outcomes, reshaping healthcare delivery, and expanding consumer choice and safety. He is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a partner at the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates.

Dr. Gottlieb is an aggressive advocate for advancing the health of patients, promoting healthcare access, and driving innovation. The agency’s historic and prolific advances in new policy distinguished his tenure as the FDA’s commissioner, in addition to a record-setting number of approvals of novel drugs, medical devices, and generic medicines. Under his leadership, the FDA advanced new frameworks for the modern and safe and effective oversight of gene therapies, cell based regenerative medicines, targeted drugs, and digital health devices. The FDA implemented new reforms to standardize drug reviews and make historic improvements of post market data collection and the use of real-world evidence. They promoted policies to reduce death and disease from tobacco, improve food safety, and aggressively confront addiction crises.

Previously, Dr. Gottlieb served as the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs and before that, as a Senior Adviser to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he helped advance policies to improve healthcare quality and promote the effective use of new medical technologies. Dr. Gottlieb is widely published in leading medical journals and periodicals, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He has held editorial positions on the British Medical Journal and the Journal of the American Medical Association and is a regular contributor to CNBC. Fortune Magazine recognized him as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” in 2018 and again in 2019. In 2018, 2019 and again in 2020, Modern Healthcare named Dr. Gottlieb the “Most Influential Physician Executive and Leaders” in its annual survey of 50 physician executives, and Time magazine named him one of its “50 People Transforming Healthcare in 2018.”

Dr. Gottlieb was a practicing hospitalist and he is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. He lives in Westport, Connecticut with his wife and three daughters.

Joseph Robert Kerrey

Former United States Senator

Bob Kerrey is Managing Director at Allen & Company. He is also Executive Chairman of the Minerva Institute for Research and Scholarship, supporting The Minerva Project, an exceptional liberal arts and sciences education.

From 2001 to 2011 Mr. Kerrey was President of The New School, a university founded on democratic ideals and daring educational practices. On his watch, The New School experienced unprecedented growth in enrollment, faculty, scholarships, capital projects, research, and international engagement.

From 1989 to 2001 Mr. Kerrey represented Nebraska in the Senate, where he promoted equity for rural communities, led in farm and environmental legislation, strengthened taxpayers’ rights, led in restructuring our intelligence agencies, and partnered with local leaders to build projects of lasting value to Nebraskans.

His public service since leaving the Senate includes: the 9/11 Commission, advisory board of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, co-chair of the Concord Coalition, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Prior to his Senate service, Mr. Kerrey served one term as Nebraska’s Governor.  Before entering politics, he was a businessman who helped build a chain of restaurants and health clubs employing over 1000 people.

Mr. Kerrey served as a U.S. Navy SEAL during the Vietnam War. For his service, he received the Medal of Honor. While in Vietnam, he was wounded, permanently disabled, and received from this injury a great gift:  sympathy for those who are suffering and an appreciation for the capacity of government to save your life.

Mr. Kerrey earned a BS degree in Pharmacy from the University of Nebraska.

Denice Torres

Former CEO, J&J McNeil

Denice Torres is CEO of The Ignited Company change management firm and Founder of The Mentoring Place, an organization dedicated to helping women advance in their careers. She has over 25 years of management and P&L experience in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer healthcare. She served as president for several multi-billion-dollar Johnson & Johnson companies including Janssen Pharmaceuticals, CNS, and J&J Consumer Healthcare. Denice was also chief strategy and transformation officer for the medical device sector. Denice is credited for successfully leading and transforming the Tylenol company through an unprecedented time period marked by product recalls, manufacturing challenges, and a consent decree. She was named the Healthcare Businesswoman of the Year in 2015.

Prior to joining J&J, Denice had a highly successful, 14-year career at Lilly where she served in leadership roles of increasing responsibility including executive director for women’s health and head of global marketing for a multi-billion portfolio.

Denice has served on multiple boards and is currently a director of bluebird bio (Blue). She holds an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan, a J.D. from Indiana University, and a B.S. in Psychology from Ball State. She is a member of the Michigan Bar Association.