Dr. Elke Lipka is the President and Chief Executive Officer of TSRL, Inc., having been with the company for more than 20 years. Under her leadership, TSRL has built a reputation becoming the preclinical CRO of choice by strategically moving complex drug candidates toward the clinic. Dr. Lipka has secured nearly $20 million in non-dilutive funding to advance TSRL’s portfolio and expand partnerships with academic, government, and industry innovators across the United States and Europe. She has shaped TSRL’s collaborative model to give early‑stage developers access to seasoned pharmaceutical scientists, state‑of‑the‑art facilities, and integrated preclinical services.

Her career spans leadership roles at Parke-Davis, Pfizer, and Esperion Therapeutics, where she developed deep expertise in pharmacokinetics, formulation, and drug safety evaluations for small molecules and biologics. She is recognized for her ability to build multidisciplinary teams, forge strategic partnerships, and manage the operational and financial growth of life sciences organizations.

Dr. Lipka earned her B.S. in Pharmacy and Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the Johann-Wolfgang-von-Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, and an MBA from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. She is committed to empowering women, minority scientists, and entrepreneurs to reach their fullest potential and strengthen the life sciences ecosystem.

Ms. Dawn Reyna joined TSRL, Inc. in 2007 as Quality Assurance Unit Manager and was named Senior Director of Laboratory Services in 2014. She was promoted to COO in November 2018. Prior to her joining TSRL Inc., Dawn held management positions within quality assurance at Pfizer, a global drug development firm, and MPI Research, an early clinical-stage contract research organization. Dawn brings over 18 years of research and quality assurance expertise to TSRL, Inc., having managed GLP-compliant quality systems in fast, results-driven environments. Dawn is a registered Quality Assurance Professional in Good Laboratory Practices and received her B.S. in Biology from Western Michigan University. Dawn’s leadership skills and experience are evident by her ability to deliver high-quality results that meet internal and collaborator objectives.

Ms. Shelly Sowers is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Michigan for the last 20 years. She obtained her undergraduate accounting degree from Michigan State University and an MBA from Wayne State University.

She was with Plante & Moran in Southfield for approximately 8 years doing audit and tax related assignments for privately held companies, primarily in the manufacturing and life sciences sector. After Plante & Moran, she worked for 8 years as Controller and then CFO of Ash Stevens, a contract/development manufacturing organization that specialized in small molecule API manufacturing and research and development contracts with the US government.

She has been through five ERP implementations including Epicor, SAP, and Microsoft Dynamics. Shelly also has experience in human resources, including but not limited to employee benefits, 401k, and pension plans.

Dr. John Domagala has worked with TSRL as a consultant and scientific advisor since 2010. John was trained as a synthetic medicinal chemist and has 45 years of experience in antiinfective drug design, microbiology and drug development. John spent 30 years at Warner-Lambert/Pfizer working on multiple drug classes and mechanisms. He became the Senior Director of Infectious Diseases with responsibility for over 30 projects from screening to IND submission.

He served on the In-License Team evaluating over 100 drug opportunities at all stages of development, leading to the acquisition of several compounds and two companies. After Pfizer closed its doors in Ann Arbor, John became a consultant guiding universities and biotech companies through the process of antibacterial and antiviral drug development.

With Pfizer and as a consultant, John has served on multiple interdisciplinary teams tasked with taking compounds from lead to IND, learning the importance of fit-for-purpose development studies within budget constraints. John brings this knowledge and experience with leadership capabilities to TSRL.

Dr. Dawn Kuszynski joined the TSRL team in June 2022 after completing her Doctorate of Philosophy, Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Biomedical Toxicology from Michigan State University. Dawn is TSRL’s In Vivo Research and Project Scientist. Dawn has a strong background in cardiovascular and cancer research. Her work has encompassed drug discovery and development of both antiplatelet drugs and chemotherapeutics.

During her Ph.D. program, Dawn was awarded an F31 training grant from NHLBI to examine the adverse bleeding effects of the antiplatelet drug, clopidogrel (Plavix®). Her work led to multiple peer-reviewed publications. Dawn brings excellent teamwork, collaboration, leadership, and communication skills to TSRL. In the next few years, Dawn will be training to serve as PI on grants at TSRL.

Ms. Emily Oliver joined TSRL in March 2023. Emily graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan. Emily has distinguished herself academically with an Honors Designation from the University of Michigan, alongside several technical certificates from Washtenaw Community College.

Her professional expertise encompasses compliance with SOPs, proficient handling of biological samples in compliance with safety protocols, and execution of molecular diagnostics procedures, such as DNA/RNA extractions and RT-PCR analysis. Emily demonstrates a strong work ethic and organizational skills, contributing significantly to team efficiency and productivity.

Dr. Gregory E. Amidon is currently Research Professor Emeritus of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Michigan. Dr. Amidon has 28 years of industrial experience holding various positions in R&D at leading pharmaceutical companies with experience in discovery support, lead selection, and formulation development for preclinical and clinical testing. He is recognized for his expertise in the physical, chemical, and mechanical property characterization of active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients, and products as well as the development of scientific strategies for dosage form development and oral bioperformance. Following his industrial career, he was Research Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Michigan for 14 years (2007-2021) where his research interests included cocrystal performance,physical and mechanical property characterization of excipients and active pharmaceutical ingredients, spray-dried materials, and formulations as well as the development of in vivo relevant dissolution methodologies related to oral bioperformance.

Dr. Amidon has served on the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Council of Experts (1990-2015), the USP Board of Trustees (2015-2025), and currently is a member of the USP Dosage Forms Expert Committee (2025-2030). In 2015, he was elected President of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS). He is a recipient of the Ebert Prize from the American Pharmacists Association, the USP Champion of Quality Award in 2015, and the 2014 AAPS Research Achievement Award in Physical Pharmacy and Biopharmaceutics. Greg received his BS in Medicinal Chemistry and his PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Michigan.

Gerry Cox brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries to the TSRL Board of Directors. He began his career at Pfizer, where he served as Senior Finance Director, overseeing operations, financial strategy, and business development initiatives. Gerry later co-founded Velesco Pharmaceutical, a contract development and manufacturing organization, where he served as Chief Operating Officer and played a central role in building and scaling the company’s operations. Most recently, he held senior executive positions with Pace Analytical Life Sciences, further broadening his expertise in the biopharma services sector.

Gerry’s background spans finance, operations, and strategic leadership, with a proven track record of guiding organizations through growth and transformation. Based in Boston, he also provides TSRL with enhanced connectivity to the East Coast biotechnology and life sciences ecosystem, complementing the company’s Ann Arbor headquarters. Gerry’s appointment strengthens TSRL’s ability to support pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic, and government partners with early-stage development strategies and science-driven solutions.

Dr. Elke Lipka is the President and Chief Executive Officer of TSRL, Inc., having been with the company for more than 20 years. Under her leadership, TSRL has built a reputation becoming the preclinical CRO of choice by strategically moving complex drug candidates toward the clinic. Dr. Lipka has secured nearly $20 million in non-dilutive funding to advance TSRL’s portfolio and expand partnerships with academic, government, and industry innovators across the United States and Europe. She has shaped TSRL’s collaborative model to give early-stage developers access to seasoned pharmaceutical scientists, state-of-the-art facilities, and integrated preclinical services.

Her career spans leadership roles at Parke-Davis, Pfizer, and Esperion Therapeutics, where she developed deep expertise in pharmacokinetics, formulation, and drug safety evaluations for small molecules and biologics. She is recognized for her ability to build multidisciplinary teams, forge strategic partnerships, and manage the operational and financial growth of life sciences organizations.

Dr. Lipka earned her B.S. in Pharmacy and Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the Johann-Wolfgang-von-Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, and an MBA from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. She is committed to empowering women, minority scientists, and entrepreneurs to reach their fullest potential and strengthen the life sciences ecosystem.

Dr. Munk is experienced in drug discovery, development, and manufacturing both as a scientist and as a manager. He was the CEO and President of Ash Stevens Inc., a full service Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) development and manufacturing organization. From 1997-2017 Ash Stevens received twelve FDA approvals to manufacture innovator drug substances under his leadership. These approvals include the oncology drugs bortezomib (Velcade), busulfan (Busulfex), clofarabine (Clolar), and 5-azacitidine (Vidaza), ponatinib (Iclusig) and ixazomib (Ninlaro). Ash Stevens received six NIH research contracts under his leadership including four competing contract renewals.

Prior to joining Ash Stevens in 1997, Steve worked at Allergan, Inc. initially as a medicinal chemist and subsequently, the co-team leader of the adrenergic drug discovery team.

Steve’s work has been summarized in a number of publications and patents. He is a co-author of the 2016 book "Managing the Drug Discovery Process: How to Make It More Efficient and Cost-Effective." Additionally, he has served as an Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at Wayne State University and on the Henry Ford Community College Biotechnology Advisory Board.

Steve has also served on the Steering Committee of the Chemistry in Cancer Research Working Group of the American Association for Cancer Research (CICR-AACR; 2008-2010; 2011-2013; Chairman, 2014), the Board of Directors of MichBio (2008 - 2014; Chairman 2010 - 2014), the Michigan Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) affiliate. He received his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.