Driven by diversity and empowered by inclusivity, we lead by example.
Our people are enabled to set high standards, take the initiative and deliver incredible outcomes. They are professionals in an informal culture, encouraged to play their part in doing the work to achieve our mission.
Along the way, they enjoy opportunities for lifelong learning and supported development.
Individually and altogether, we’re proud to be Emmes.
Executive Committee
Peter Ronco
Chief Executive Officer
Why I joined Emmes
I am excited to be CEO of Emmes because of its scientific track record and credibility in clinical research. Emmes has an incredible history, addressing some of the most complex health issues of our time. Emmes has an exciting future as we partner with patients, clinical sites, government agencies and biopharmaceutical companies to advance the next phases of scientific innovation and change the trajectory of health care.
Why I chose a career in life sciences
My first role in life sciences was as a consultant for Pfizer. Although I was working far away from patients (I was conducting computer training), I was inspired by collaborating with brilliant people and working as part of a bigger cause. And that’s what kept me in life sciences and expanded my career path. Every day, everyone on our team, our customers, others we partner with, we are all united in our purpose to make a difference in the lives of patients around the globe. This is what makes me proud to work in this industry.
My professional background
Over the course of my career, I’ve had opportunities to serve in senior leadership roles across the drug development spectrum from first-in-human studies through the medical affairs. I have also contributed at an industry level as a founding member of the Transcelerate board of directors and board member of the Drug Information Association. I’ve gained extensive global experience across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, neuroscience, vaccines, anti-infectives, cardiovascular and retinal gene therapy.
Earlier in my career, I worked as a consultant with Accenture, supporting the post-merger integration of R&D organizations. Following that, I spent 14 years at Bristol Myers-Squibb and served as positions of increasing scope, including senior vice president of global clinical operations. Before joining the Emmes team, I was the head of global development at Janssen R&D responsible for leading the global development organization (including statistics, clinical pharmacology, clinical operations, data operations, project and portfolio management, etc.) in support of delivering a broad ranging portfolio of 450+ studies across all therapeutic areas and all phases from PhI -IV. This role gave me the opportunity to manage a team of more than 10,000 colleagues around the globe. We were focused on the design of innovative drug development programs and the implementation of innovative approaches to trial design and execution including trial virtualization, digital health, patient-centered research, and diversity in clinical trials.
What I’m excited about right now
The opportunities that technology, including generative artificial intelligence (AI), are opening up. Technological advances offer huge potential to make clinical research even faster and more patient focused. Embracing and accelerating the uptake of these approaches will let us have a greater impact on global health and biopharma innovation in the discovery and development of new medicines.
A bit about me
My wife and I live in New Jersey and have three grown children, who are all pursuing their own purposes and passions. I love spending time doing almost anything active and outdoors – from hiking to snowboarding to biking.
Education
Nottingham University, United Kingdom
Paul VanVeldhuisen, Ph.D.
President, Public Sector
Why I joined Emmes
What appealed to me was the chance to apply biostatistics to clinical trials, and Emmes was involved in all aspects of research. Once I met some people here, I knew it would be a good fit. It was my first job after graduate school.
How I describe our firm to other people
We do clinical research that makes a difference in public health.
A bit about me
Between three children and all our activities involving sports, we stay very busy. We’re also active in our church.
A challenge I’ve overcome
Balancing a full-time job here, a part-time Ph.D. program and being a new father. I’m glad to say that combination of activities is behind me!
Something I’m most proud of
Publishing a key result from a research study. Sometimes projects can last five years or more, and being able to share for the first time the highlights of that research is a real joy. I also received the Emmes Public Health Impact Award for our team’s research on the safety of cesarean sections.
My background
When Emmes hired me in 1993, I thought I’d be doing data analysis. As I got more experience, I moved into designing and conducting clinical trials. One of my first projects related to a glaucoma study that lasted a number of years. Those results truly made a difference in the treatment of patients. I decided to get my doctorate degree, and I’m now a principal investigator for both government and privately funded research projects. I’ve also served on Emmes’ Institutional Review Board and supported our Quality Assurance department.
Education
Ph.D., epidemiology, The George Washington University
M.S., biostatistics, University of Washington
B.S., mathematics, Calvin College
Becky Marson
Chief People and Performance Officer
Why I joined Emmes
A top priority and motivating factor for me in my career choices has always been the purpose and mission of an organization. Having spent 13 years in the healthcare industry with pharma and medical equipment companies, I was initially drawn to the purpose and mission of the organization to improve human health. I am also energized by where Emmes is in its lifecycle as a company and the growth opportunity that lies ahead. Lastly, as I became acquainted with the people, the leadership team and stories of employees on the website, I became even more confident that the culture would be a good fit for me.
How I chose my career
I definitely have a non-traditional career path. While it may sound cliché, I would have to say my career chose me. I have worked hard, enjoyed my work, remained focused while taking advantage or opportunities and have likely encountered a bit of luck. I have never had one thing that I always wanted to do. My career has span 4 functions (HR, Sales, Marketing and Teaching) and multiple industries (healthcare, technology, banking, real estate and manufacturing). I am driven by learning and having a positive impact on the world. I spent the first half of my career in a general management development program with Eli Lilly- a program where I had rotational assignments in multiple functions such as sales, marketing and eventually HR. In my “HR assignment” I realized that people are the “secret sauce” and power lever to building a successful organization and decided to become an HR professional.
A career highlight
Ironically, one of the things that I am most proud of was my first “job” ever as a volunteer English teacher in Costa Rica. At 21, I paid a small fortune , for me at the time, to live with a family that I did not know and travel to Costa Rica to partner with the Ministry of Education and the Harvard Institute of International Development teaching English to 1st-3rd graders in Grecia, Costa Rica as part of a program called World Teach. I had 4 goals in mind: 1)I wanted to finally become fluent in Spanish after studying it for 8 years and living in Mexico for a summer 2) apply my field of study in Latin American Development to contribute to advancement in a Central American country 3) volunteer and 4) gain experience as a teacher. Both my parents were teachers and this was a field that I wanted to explore. This was one of my most favorite, meaningful career experiences to date.
How I describe myself
I have often described myself as a “do-gooder.” From my early days as a volunteer teacher to growing-up professionally in big pharma and most recently to non-profit board leadership roles that I have served-in for the past 10 years, I thoroughly enjoy contributing to meaningful causes. As my varied career background indicates, I love to learn both personally and professionally which draws me to travel, adventure and Audible! I am a high energy optimist that is motivated by achieving results that positively contribute to the world with great teams of people.
My background
Following my volunteer experience in Costa Rica, I was fortunate to benefit from quality academic and practical training by receiving my MBA in International Business from Thunderbird, American Graduate School of International Business and by participating in 13 years of rotational leadership development training both at Citibank and Eli Lilly. These experiences established a strong foundation from which to progress into more global senior leadership roles. Leveraging my experience in business, my HR experiences began in generalist and HR Business Partnership roles. Over the past 16 years in HR, I have developed expertise in the areas of change management, employee engagement, talent management, mergers and acquisitions and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility within the broad field of HR. These cumulative experiences have prepared me to take on the top HR role with oversight over the entire function in 2 organizations prior to Emmes.
A bit about me
Friends and family are everything to me. My parents have been amazing role models through my life. As coincidence would have it, my entire nuclear family has migrated from California to South Carolina over the past 20 years. It is wonderful to all live in the same city again! I have 2 amazing teenage kids, Stella and Liam that keep me very busy with all sorts of extracurricular activities namely soccer, gymnastics and basketball. My biggest passion in life is to learn about culture, politics, economics, geography, history, music, languages, religions and arts through travel. I caught the travel bug from my parents at a very young age and have never looked back. I have visited 52 countries primarily for pleasure. I have served on two non-profit boards in the areas of cancer and education over the past decade and thoroughly enjoy this work. In my very limited free time, I enjoy exercise, hiking, live music and watching house-hunter international.
Education
MBA in International Business, Thunderbird
B.A,. Sociology: Comparative Studies and World Development emphasis in Latin America and minor in Spanish, University of California at Davis
SPHR: Senior Professional in Human Resources
SHRM-Senior Certified Professional (SCP)
Matt Bond
Chief Financial Officer
Kristin Judge
Chief Growth Officer
Why I joined Emmes
What attracted me to Emmes was the fact that it is considered best-in-class in the niches it has selected. Plus, having worked with some of the company’s leaders in my prior roles also made this a very compelling opportunity. The company’s passion for the role it plays in clinical research, the long-held client relationships, and commitment to authenticity were major selling points for me.
My professional background
Kristin has over 15 years of experience in the Life Sciences industry across CROs and Software, and has consistently led her teams in surpassing annual sales goals and building a workplace environment that fosters teamwork, collaboration and success.
Before joining Emmes, Judge was the head of CRO and clinical data management systems sales at Veeva Systems, leading a global team responsible for more than 200 customers across both the CRO and biotech sectors. Prior to her position at Veeva, she worked for Labcorp Drug Development, leading a global sales team focused on building large pharmaceutical relationships. Judge was also responsible for the expansion of one of Labcorp's largest full-service partnerships. She began her career at PPD, where she gained clinical operations and sales experience during her eight-year tenure. After creating the company’s first inside sales group, her role was expanded to leading sales for PPD’s full-service offerings to all industry segments. There, Judge managed one of the largest partnerships at the company and received numerous awards for her significant contributions to the company’s growth.
What I’m excited about right now
I, like many others in the industry, am very excited about the future of clinical development with the application of technology. With AI, ML, and other technological advances, the way that we develop drugs is truly on the precipice of a new era. I truly believe technology will allow us to develop drugs much faster, more safely, with less patients. Initiatives such as developing synthetic control arms, and using technology to reduce and/or potentially eliminate animal models in clinical development is a really exciting peek into the future. Also, the massvie opportunity for evolution in the translation industry will bring clinical trials to more people across the world, remove language barriers, and help patients feel safer on their clinical trial journey.
A bit about me
I was born and raised in the south, but consider myself a proud New Englander these days. I live in a beautiful small, coastal town in Rhode Island, and am lucky to have been able to raise my children here. I’m a massive Boston Red Sox fan, I love to cook, am a huge CrossFit fan, and am doing my best to become a snowboarder.
Education
NC State University,
Major: Communications
Minor: Spanish
Jose Jimeno
TA Lead VID and CEO of Vaxtrials
Steffanie Wilson
TA Lead Neuroscience
Why I joined Emmes
As a freshly minted PhD Biostatistician, I was unsure whether I wanted to start my career in government, academia, or industry so I interviewed all over. After speaking with many Emmes statisticians and leaders, Emmes struck me as a place where I would have the opportunity to be involved in impactful clinical research and grow professionally.
How I describe our firm to other people
Although Emmes is similar to other CROs in terms of service offerings, what sets us apart is the people. I think in large part because we are engaged in truly meaningful work, Emmes staff have a level of intellectual curiosity and a commitment to their projects that is unmatched. We have the opportunity to be involved throughout the entire clinical study lifecycle from study concept through clinical study report and manuscript generation. Since we’re so intimately involved every step of the way – our projects end up becoming our babies, so to speak.
A bit about me
Most of my non-work hours are spent enjoying time with my husband, two spunky girls, and doofy yellow lab. My favorite place is a quiet summer evening on the pontoon or paddle board at my family’s lake cabin in Minnesota. I am known in some circles for my loud and poorly executed karaoke renditions of Journey songs.
How I chose my career
As part of my undergraduate training, I took a course in Global Public Health in Geneva, Switzerland. We did a project with the World Health Organization on world tobacco use that opened my eyes to public health research. That course steered me away from my original law school plans and in the direction of pursuing a PhD in Biostatistics and a career in clinical research.
The best part about working here
I’ve loved the opportunity to form long-lasting productive working relationships with study sponsors and investigators over the years. I have been able to learn so much about the science of a variety of therapeutic areas in Neurology and Mental Health and also impart my knowledge of clinical trial design, execution and analysis.
Education
BA, St. Olaf College, Political Science
MS, University of Pennsylvania, Biostatistics
PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Biostatistics