Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
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about us - corporate governance / board of directors
Our business is managed by the Board of Directors. It is the paramount duty of the Board of Directors to oversee the Chief Executive Officer and other senior management in the competent and ethical operation of the Company and to assure that the long-term interests of the stockholders are being served. To satisfy this duty, our directors take a proactive, focused approach to their position, and set standards to ensure that the Company is committed to business success through maintenance of the highest standards of responsibility and ethics. The Board of Directors is kept advised of our business through regular verbal or written reports, Board of Directors meetings, and analysis and discussions with the Chief Executive Officer and other officers of the Company.

Members of the Board of Directors bring to us a wide range of experience, knowledge and judgment. These varied skills mean that governance is far more than a “check the box” approach to standards or procedures. Our governance organization is designed to be a working structure for principled actions, effective decision-making and appropriate monitoring of both compliance and performance.

Stephen K. Carter, M.D., a Director of the Company since 2003, is the former Senior Vice President, Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, of Sugen, Inc. (ownership of Sugen has since passed to Pfizer, Inc. as part of its acquisition of Pharmacia in April 2003). Dr. Carter previously was the Senior Vice President, Research and Development of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., now independently owned. Prior to this, he served 13 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., including, as its Senior Vice President, Worldwide Clinical Research and Development. Dr. Carter is a former Deputy Director at the National Cancer Institute (NCI)’s Division of Cancer Treatment and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He received his Medical Doctorate from New York Medical College. He is currently a member of the boards of directors of Alfacell Corporation, Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cytogen Corporation, Sopherion Therapeutics, Inc., and Vion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Michael M. Goldberg, M.D., had served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and as Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company until January 2007. In addition, Dr. Goldberg was President of the Company from August 1990 to October 1995. Dr. Goldberg holds a B.S. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an M.D. from Albany Medical College of Union University and an M.B.A. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
John D. Harkey, Jr., a Director of the Company since 2006, is Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Restaurant Companies, Inc. Mr. Harkey also serves on the Board of Directors and Audit Committees of Leap Wireless International, Inc., Pizza Inn, Loral Space & Communications, Inc., and Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C. He also serves on the President’s Development Council of Howard Payne University, and on the Executive Board of Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Harkey is one of the managing directors of Cracken, Harkey & Company, L.L.C., a private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Harkey obtained a B.B.A. with honors and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University School of Business.

Howard M. Pack has been a Director of the Company since its inception in 1986 and served as Executive Vice President of Finance from the Company's inception until his retirement in October 1988.

Mark H. Rachesky, M.D., a Director of the Company since 2005, is the founder and President of MHR Fund Management LLC. He previously held the position of managing director and acting chief investment advisor of Icahn Holding Corporation. He serves as a director of Neose Technologies and NovaDel Pharma Inc. Dr. Rachesky is a graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford University Business School. He received his B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Michael Weiser, M.D., Ph.D., a Director of the Company since 2005, is the founder and co-chairman of Actin Capital, LLC and Actin Biomed, a New York based healthcare investment firm. Dr. Weiser completed his Ph.D. in Molecular Neurobiology at Cornell University Medical College and received his M.D. from New York University School of Medicine, where his also completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Physiology and Neuroscience. Dr. Weiser currently serves on the Board of Manhattan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: MHTT), a publicly traded biotechnology company, Hana Biosciences, Inc. (HBX), Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd. (CHTP), VioQuest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VQPH), Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. (ZIOP) and several other privately-held biotechnology companies.