OUR TEAM

Dana Marshall co-founded Cutting Edge Electronics in 1992, which developed and manufactured lasers for industrial and scientific use. He later became the president of Laser Institute of America in early 1999. After a major company reorganization of Applied Energetics in 2008, Mr. Marshall joined BacterioScan in 2011 as CEO using his strategic vision and innovation skills in developing technology-driven product lines and businesses. He holds over thirty US patents for medical devices and IVD products, lasers and optics, photonic products, and precision instrumentation and process technologies in clinical, aerospace, defense, research, and precision manufacturing markets. Dana obtained his BSE in Naval Architecture from the University of Michigan. Following his departure from BacterioScan in June 2018, Dana served as Chief Execution Officer for Specific Diagnostics, which was acquired by bioMérieux in April 2022.

David Smoller is a General Partner of Cultivation Capital Life Sciences Fund, a venture fund focused on life science investing with 26 portfolio companies ranging in areas of therapeutics, diagnostic instruments, healthcare IT, research tools and agriculture; and an Entrepreneur in Residence at St. Louis BioGenerator, the investment arm of BioSTL, an evergreen fund that creates, grows, and invests in promising companies and entrepreneurs in the St. Louis region. David sits on the board of several technology startups. In 2016, he co-founded Canopy Biosciences in partnership with the team at BioGenerator. Canopy is a venture and private equity-funded life science tools and services company, which grew from 2 founders to over 50 employees in less than 5 years and was acquired in 2020 by Bruker Corporation (BRKR).

Juan Lopez has over 35 years of experience in management and engineering. He has spent the previous 20 years of his career with Illinois Tool Works serving multiple positions from General Manager to Vice President of ITW’s Marking and Coding Division. He has been responsible for ITW’s Global Division, comprised of 11 Business Units with over $175 million in revenue and over 850 employees. Responsible for multiple facilities including R&D and Manufacturing, Domestic and International sales offices, including global distribution/OEM channels, Juan has a successful track record of over 15 years in a leadership role driving organic growth, mergers, acquisitions, re-engineering, and innovation with a focus on talent acquisition and/or development of next-generation leaders. Juan earned his BS in electrical engineering and his MS in electrical engineering from the University of Bridgeport.

Pam Boone joined the Company in 2016 and brings a track record of success building and growing manufacturing companies. Prior to joining BacterioScan, Pam held the position of CFO at Maverick Tube Corporation and Synergetics USA, Inc., both public companies, leading them through their IPO phase, their growth phase including several acquisitions, and their successful sale to larger, strategic buyers. Pam began her career with Ernst & Young and progressed through Senior Manager. She holds a B.S.B.A in Accounting from the University of Missouri Columbia and has completed the Certified Public Accountants examination. Pam brings with her 35 years of financial expertise and 17 years in the medical device industry, including 13 years in ophthalmology.

Herb Steward has more than 25 years of extensive hands-on expertise in business development and in vitro diagnostic product commercialization. He has grown companies successfully to over $400 million. Herb is a highly experienced global life sciences executive and principled leader; his focus is to mobilize talent around a common vision. He does this by fostering consensus- based alignment to drive company objectives for success. He analyzes products for their intended use and recommends the most cost-effective, strategic approach for the go-to-market and sales enablement process. Herb is known for his strategic insight in assessing an organization’s needs and introducing solutions that optimize performance and establish market leadership with a particular focus on competitive advantage, thereby creating platforms for sustainable growth and profitability.

Bert Berla has been using plant and microbial sciences to build a healthier, more sustainable future over the last 20 years. He began as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Illinois, where he studied the impact of rising carbon dioxide levels and other climate changes on crop plants. During his Ph.D. studies in Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, he engineered photosynthetic bacteria to produce liquid fuels that could replace diesel. During his post-doctoral studies at Washington University School of Medicine, Bert analyzed the impact of antibiotic use in infants on their developing gut microbiomes. During stints in the St. Louis start-up scene, he worked to produce sustainable biopesticides from microbes that offer growers safe, non-toxic methods to protect their crops from pests and diseases. Throughout his broad R&D experience in basic and applied microbiology across biomedical and agricultural areas, Bert has been passionate about communicating top-notch science to key stakeholders with accuracy and integrity.