Working in partnership with investors, innovators, and pharmaceutical companies, Arrivo is always seeking out solutions for unmet medical needs. We strive to be the new standard for strategic asset selection and to develop novel products through a process that is both highly efficient and thoughtful.

Arrivo has built a portfolio of diverse late-stage drug candidates with the potential to be first-in-class or best-in-class. It is not just the products that are novel. Our entire approach is novel. Our unique form of drug development has resulted in a history of product successes and excellent returns.

The company stands on a solid foundation as our team has an average of more than 25 years of experience in drug development. We are propelled forward by our insatiable curiosity and drive to solve complex problems and help millions of patients globally.

Management Team

Steve E. Butts

Steve is a co-founder and the CEO of Arrivo BioVentures, LLC, a drug development company.  He has over 25 years of experience in the pharma/biotech industry with and a track record of successful fund raising, product licensing and M&A with start-up companies.  Most recently, Steve was CEO of Velo Bio, a start-up company with a drug in development for severe preeclampsia.  Velo was sold to AMAG Pharmaceuticals in 2018.  Prior to Velo, he was co-founder, President and COO of Aerial BioPharma LLC, a drug development company that sold its lead drug for narcolepsy to Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2014.  Prior to Aerial, Steve was co-founder and Executive Vice President of Neuronex Inc, acquired by Acorda Therapeutics in December 2012.  Additionally, he was an original member of the executive team at Addrenex Pharmaceuticals and played a key role in the company’s sale to Shionogi Pharma in 2009.  He has also served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at BioBehavioral Diagnostics Company, as well as assignments at Eli Lilly and Company and Braintree Laboratories.

Steve is currently a member of the Board of Directors and on the Audit Committee of Areteia Therapeutics.  He is also on the Board of Directors of Knopp Biosciences and Otologic Pharmaceutics.

Steve holds a BS degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Michael F. AckermannMichael is the co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer for Arrivo Management LLC. Michael is also the founder of Magnatas, LLC, which supports healthcare companies and venture firms in strategy development, business planning, organizational effectiveness, and process improvement. His clients have included Elan and Baxter as well as multiple start-up companies. In addition, he serves as the Managing Director of Solas BioVentures and is the co-founder and president of AB Collaborative Investments, an Angel Investment firm, which focuses on local and regional healthcare and IT start-ups.

Previously, Michael served as Senior Vice President for Global Commercial Solutions at Quintiles (IQVIA) leading the integration of clinical and commercial activities around pharmaceutical product development while guiding the Medical Communications Division through an organizational, operational and skill upgrade to significantly improve profitability and efficiency.

Prior to Quintiles, Michael spent more than 18 years at Eli Lilly and Company where he served as the leader of the US Neuroscience Business Unit. He grew revenue to over $4B and led the unit’s performance improvement, including the turnaround of major product, while overseeing two successful product launches. During his tenure at Lilly, he built and led sales organizations in both primary care and neuroscience. In addition, Michael held leadership positions in market research, global and US pricing and global health outcomes to support Lilly’s strategic initiatives.

Michael holds a BS degree in biology from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, a PhD in immunology from the Drexel University College of Medicine, and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, he served as the Fogarty International Post-Doctoral Fellow at the National Institutes of Health/NIEHS where his research focus was in immunotoxicology and tumor immunology. He is a guest lecturer at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University. Outside his professional activities, he enjoys spending time with his wife, five children and four grandchildren.

In addition, he enjoys volunteer work with his church and small start-up companies.

Karen AdamsKaren is the CFO of Arrivo BioVentures LLC.  She has over 35 years in a career as a finance professional working with companies across a broad range of industries with the last 20 years focused on life sciences and technology. After starting her career as an Internal Auditor with International Paper Company, Inc., Karen has held financial leadership positions with companies in the retail, software, professional services, manufacturing and biotechnology industries.

Prior to Arrivo BioVentures, Karen was the CFO for Aerial (asset acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2014), Neuronex (acquired by Accorda Therapeutics in 2012), and Addrenex (acquired by Shionogi Pharma in 2009). While Karen’s life sciences experience has been primarily focused on early-stage, privately funded companies she was brought on as Assistant Controller at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. during its merger with COR Therapeutics – among the largest such mergers in the history of the biotech industry at that time. After Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Karen went on to work with several early stage biotechnology and medical device ventures including Micell Technologies, Bioptigen, Contego Medical, VeloBio, Midnight Pharm, Emergo Therapeutics and Target PharmaSolutions (now Target RWE).  Karen’s contributions were concentrated on the creation of dynamic, integrated financial forecasting models used for fund raising efforts and operational budgets as well as the implementation of core business structure and oversight of risk management activities. Karen graduated from Boston College earning a BS in Management, majoring in Finance.

Joel brings over 35 years of clinical, academic and pharmaceutical research and medical affairs experience to his role as Chief Medical Advisor to Arrivo.  Joel was a community and academic psychiatrist, consultant to public and private industry, and the Head of the Depression Clinic and Clinical Trials Specialist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto before joining Eli Lilly in 1999. During his 20 years at Eli Lilly, Joel held various global team roles in neuroscience drug development and commercialization, working in mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, chronic pain, Alzheimer’s, and migraine. He also directed the Intercontinental Neuroscience Medical Organization for 4 years. Joel has engaged with governments, regulators, payers, scientific organizations, physicians, educators and advocacy groups. He has published nearly 100 articles and has presented at international conferences and academic institutions.

Most recently Joel was the CMO of MindCure, a psychedelic research company. He is on the scientific review board of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, served as a scientific advisor to the Weston Family Foundation Brain Institute, and serves as an advisor to drug, device and technology development companies.

Greg Rigdon

Dr. Greg Rigdon is Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs. Greg’s drug development experience includes discovery through phase 3 clinical trials and his regulatory experience includes IND and NDA filings. Prior to Arrivo, Greg served as Director of Clinical Research at Salix Inc., where he designed clinical trials and worked with regulatory authorities for multiple gastrointestinal indications as well as hereditary angioedema.

Greg was previously Vice President, New Product Development for Icagen, Inc, a small pharmaceutical company in Research Triangle Park, NC where he built and developed teams performing drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, in vivo pharmacology, clinical research and toxicology.  Greg began his career in the pharmaceutical industry at Burroughs Wellcome (then Glaxo Wellcome) as a Wellcome Fellow, then Head of the Neuropharmacology Laboratory. He was project leader for antidepressant, central muscle relaxant and antipsychotic programs that resulted in IND filings.  Greg transitioned to clinical research and became International Product Development Team Leader for a new antiepileptic drug, managing a large international group of scientists from various disciplines including clinical pharmacology, toxicology, pharmaceutics and drug metabolism.

Greg has authored/co-authored over 30 journal articles in pharmacology, neuroscience and clinical research. He is also an inventor with 4 patents and has guest lectured at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Campbell University.  Greg earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1985.

Kelly Abernathy Kelly is the Vice President of Clinical Development.  Kelly has over 25 years of experience managing Phase I – IV clinical development programs in both adult and adolescent populations, with the majority of those programs involving products for the treatment of CNS diseases and disorders.  Prior to joining Arrivo, Kelly was the Director of Clinical Affairs at Aerial BioPharma, a successful drug development company that out-licensed its lead product for excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy to Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2014.  Kelly was previously the Manager of Clinical Affairs at Neuronex Pharmaceuticals, a specialty drug development company focused on developing treatments for patients with certain seizure disorders, acquired by Acorda Therapeutics in 2012.   In addition,  Kelly was an original member of the management team at Addrenex Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical development company, sold to Shionogi Pharma in 2009.  While at Addrenex, Kelly managed the clinical program and NDA submission of the company’s lead product for ADHD.  Kelly was previously Section Head of Clinical Operations at Lineberry Research Associates, a contract research organization, where she managed clinical trials for a variety of pharmaceutical companies, from small start-up to large pharma, and provided line leadership to a department of clinical trial project managers and research associates.  Kelly graduated magna cum laude with a BS in biology, minoring in chemistry from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC.

Yuki Prescott

Yuki is the Director of Clinical Operations.  She has 19 years of experience managing and monitoring Phase I – III clinical development programs in adult populations, with the majority of those programs involving products for the treatment of CNS diseases and disorders.

Prior to Arrivo, Yuki was the Assistant Director of Clinical Affairs at Aerial BioPharma, a successful drug development company, where she oversaw the clinical development of multiple products, including the company’s lead product for narcolepsy, acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2014.  Prior to that, Yuki was a member of the study management team for three large Phase III studies involving a product for the prevention of gastric ulcers while working as an independent consultant at Pozen. Yuki was also an original member of the clinical team at Addrenex Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical development company, sold to Shionogi Pharma in 2009.  While at Addrenex, Yuki managed the clinical program of the company’s product for hypertension.  Yuki was previously a Project Manager at Lineberry Research Associates, a contract research organization, where she managed and monitored clinical trials for a variety of pharmaceutical companies.  Yuki earned a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, and a BA in Biology from Binghamton University in Binghamton, NY.

Dawn TalleyDawn is the Director of Operations.  She has over 30 years of experience supporting the start-up and management of clinical trials in the areas of CNS, Dermatology, Pain, Addiction and Cardiovascular.  She has negotiated well over 500 investigator and vendor contracts, assisted with site start-up and management, vendor management, FDA compliance and data integrity.   Dawn also has extensive experience with multiple start-up ventures, developing policies and procedures to ensure sustained growth of the company. Dawn’s previous responsibilities have included human resources management, facilities management, employee training and supervision.

Board of Managers

Steve E. Butts

Steve is a co-founder and the CEO of Arrivo BioVentures, LLC, a drug development company.  He has over 25 years of experience in the pharma/biotech industry with and a track record of successful fund raising, product licensing and M&A with start-up companies.  Most recently, Steve was CEO of Velo Bio, a start-up company with a drug in development for severe preeclampsia.  Velo was sold to AMAG Pharmaceuticals in 2018.  Prior to Velo, he was co-founder, President and COO of Aerial BioPharma LLC, a drug development company that sold its lead drug for narcolepsy to Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2014.  Prior to Aerial, Steve was co-founder and Executive Vice President of Neuronex Inc, acquired by Acorda Therapeutics in December 2012.  Additionally, he was an original member of the executive team at Addrenex Pharmaceuticals and played a key role in the company’s sale to Shionogi Pharma in 2009.  He has also served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at BioBehavioral Diagnostics Company, as well as assignments at Eli Lilly and Company and Braintree Laboratories.

Steve is currently a member of the Board of Directors and on the Audit Committee of Areteia Therapeutics.  He is also on the Board of Directors of Knopp Biosciences and Otologic Pharmaceutics.

Steve holds a BS degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Michael F. AckermannMichael is the co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer for Arrivo Management LLC. Michael is also the founder of Magnatas, LLC, which supports healthcare companies and venture firms in strategy development, business planning, organizational effectiveness, and process improvement. His clients have included Elan and Baxter as well as multiple start-up companies. In addition, he serves as the Managing Director of Solas BioVentures and is the co-founder and president of AB Collaborative Investments, an Angel Investment firm, which focuses on local and regional healthcare and IT start-ups.

Previously, Michael served as Senior Vice President for Global Commercial Solutions at Quintiles (IQVIA) leading the integration of clinical and commercial activities around pharmaceutical product development while guiding the Medical Communications Division through an organizational, operational and skill upgrade to significantly improve profitability and efficiency.

Prior to Quintiles, Michael spent more than 18 years at Eli Lilly and Company where he served as the leader of the US Neuroscience Business Unit. He grew revenue to over $4B and led the unit’s performance improvement, including the turnaround of major product, while overseeing two successful product launches. During his tenure at Lilly, he built and led sales organizations in both primary care and neuroscience. In addition, Michael held leadership positions in market research, global and US pricing and global health outcomes to support Lilly’s strategic initiatives.

Michael holds a BS degree in biology from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, a PhD in immunology from the Drexel University College of Medicine, and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, he served as the Fogarty International Post-Doctoral Fellow at the National Institutes of Health/NIEHS where his research focus was in immunotoxicology and tumor immunology. He is a guest lecturer at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University. Outside his professional activities, he enjoys spending time with his wife, five children and four grandchildren.

In addition, he enjoys volunteer work with his church and small start-up companies.

Bruce currently serves as the President & CEO of Neurvati Neurosciences, a Blackstone Life Sciences company. He brings deep-rooted, wide-ranging experience to this role spanning clinical neuropsychiatry, biotechnology equity research, healthcare investment banking, and drug development. Across his many roles in academia, clinical medicine, financial services, and industry, Bruce has maintained a passion for knowledge and serving patients and families in need.

A physician by training and neuropsychiatrist by specialty, Bruce completed residency training in Neurology and Psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Bruce served as Director of Clinical Neuropsychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and maintains a voluntary faculty appointment in the Department of Psychiatry. Previously, Bruce was a Partner at PJT Partners where he provided M&A and capital markets advisory services to biotechnology companies. He also held roles in equity research and investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse, respectively.

Bruce is a Co-founder and Senior Advisor of Click Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing software as prescription medical therapeutics. He serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Daedelus Fund for Innovation at Weill Cornell Medical College, as a member of the Life Science Institute Leadership Council and Michigan Drug Discovery Advisory Board at The University of Michigan, and as a Business Advisory Board member at FOXG1 Research Foundation.

Dave Co-Founded Solas BioVentures based upon the desire to bring much needed innovation to the patient’s bedside.   This patient centric focus came from his long academic medical career providing care and solutions to leverage the healthcare equation of Value = Quality /Cost.  He has operated a startup MedTech, co-founded a large regional medical specialty group, as well as grown angel investing into a full fledge venture fund targeting MedTech, pharma, diagnostics, and special healthcare situations.  Dave was the Southeast Medical Device Association member of the year in 2017.   He has served on Life Science Tennessee Association Board previously.   He is a widely published author with over 100 articles and a frequent speaker to academic venues throughout the U.S. and E.U.   He retired as professor emeritus from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. His prior board experience is notable for Veran Medical acquired by Olympus Medical, NxThera acquired by Boston Scientific, Aegea Medical acquired by Cooper Surgical, and Aerial BioPharma acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals.   Besides serving on the board of Arrivo BioPharma he serves on Veranex Solutions, Francis Medical, Knopp BioSciences, Intershunt Technologies, and Vesalio.

Dave earned a BS in Biology from Morehead State University, a MD from The Joan C Edwards School of Medicine of Marshall University, Residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology from The University of Florida, Maternal Fetal Medicine from Wake Forest University, and an MBA from The Gary W. Rollins College of Business of The University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

Bobby serves as Managing Director for Orlando Health Ventures (OHV), the corporate investment arm of Orlando Health.  Prior to OHV, Bobby was Managing Director for Rex Health Ventures and has worked in corporate development at BlueCross BlueShield Tennessee along with prior positions at Citigroup and KPMG.

Currently Bobby serves on the Board of Directors of B-Secur Technologies, Vesalio and Emergo Therapeutics as well as serving as a Board Observer for 410 Medical, Bio 54 and Vergent Biosciences.

Bobby holds a BS in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and an International MBA from the Moore School of Business at University of South Carolina.

Chris is the Head of Corporate Development at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, where he has been a member of the Corporate Development team since 2012 and has worked on over $10B in total transactions across neuroscience and oncology during his time there. Prior to Jazz, he worked in a variety of operational roles at Azur Pharma and started his career at Deloitte, focused on life science and non-profit clients. Chris holds a bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance from The Ohio State University.