About Us

Our goal is to simplify and streamline the treatment experience. It's about making a difference in people's lives.

our mission

Solutions for many therapeutic areas

We're currently developing innovative, ready-to-use solutions for various therapeutic categories in order to remove multiple associated treatment burdens and ultimately improve patients' lives.

leadership

We’re people people.

We’ve handpicked our team to ensure each individual’s strengths further the pursuit of our shared goal of changing patients’ lives.

Get to know us

Meet the Executive Team

Headshot of John Shannon
John Shannon
Chief Executive Officer

John Shannon was appointed Chief Executive Officer in August 2024.  He joined Xeris in 2017 as Chief Operating Officer and was promoted to President in 2020.  Mr. Shannon has 35+ years of pharmaceutical and healthcare experience with a diverse background in sales, global and US marketing, operations and manufacturing, strategic planning, and business development.

Prior to Xeris, Mr. Shannon spent two years as Chief Executive Officer for Catheter Connections, Inc., a company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative vascular access products designed to protect patients from acquiring infections during intravenous infusion therapy. Catheter Connections, Inc. was acquired by Merit Medical in January 2016.

Before Catheter Connections, Mr. Shannon spent three years as Chief Commercial Officer for Durata Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of differentiated therapeutic solutions to advance patient care in infectious disease and acute illnesses. Durata was acquired by Actavis (now Allergan) in November 2014. Mr. Shannon spent 10 years (2001–2011) at Baxter Healthcare, where he was General Manager, Global Hemophilia and Global Commercial Excellence; General Manager, US Biopharmaceuticals; Vice President, Marketing US Bioscience; and Vice President, Marketing US Renal. During his time at Baxter, he led the commercialization and drove the growth of two Baxter brands, ADVATE® and GAMMAGARD®, both of which now exceed revenues of $1 billion.

Prior to coming to Baxter, Mr. Shannon was Vice President, Marketing for Caremark. Before that, he was at Searle for 10 years; there, he held several positions, most notably Executive Director, Cardiovascular Global Commercialization, in which he was responsible for the commercial development and marketing of new cardiovascular products worldwide, and Senior Director of Cox-2 Global Commercialization, in which he led the worldwide launch and global marketing of Celebrex®. In addition, he spent 7 years at Bock Pharmacal Company, where he held various positions including Sales Representative, Sales Trainer, Sales Operations, Marketing, Strategic Planning, and Business Development.

Mr. Shannon holds a BS in Biology with an emphasis in Microbiology from Western Illinois University.
Headshot of Beth P. Hecht
Beth P. Hecht
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Beth P. Hecht serves as the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Xeris Pharmaceuticals. She has over 25 years of experience as a corporate executive in the life science industry, most recently serving as Managing Director and Chief Legal and Administrative Officer for Auven Therapeutics, a global biotechnology and pharmaceutical private equity firm. Beth is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Iterum Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ITRM) and a member of both the Audit and Compensation Committees there. She was previously on the Board of Directors of Neos Therapeutics where she chaired the Nominating and Governance Committee.

Ms. Hecht is a graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School; she began her career as an attorney specializing in intellectual property and corporate transactions at Willkie Farr & Gallagher (NY) and later Kirkland & Ellis (NY). She has established and led legal, compliance, licensing, human resource, and security departments at companies including Durata Therapeutics, Sun Products, MedPointe Inc. (formerly Carter-Wallace Inc.), Warner Chilcott PLC, ChiRex Ltd., and Alpharma Inc.
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Kevin McCulloch
President and Chief Operating Officer

Kevin McCulloch was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Xeris in August 2024.  He joined Xeris Pharmaceuticals in October 2018 as Senior Vice President, Global Operations and Business Development and was named Chief Commercial Officer in September 2021. Mr. McCulloch has spent more than 35 years in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry in diverse leadership and general management roles spanning sales, marketing, and business operations for both US and international entities.

Prior to joining Xeris, Kevin was the President of Global Solutions at Hill-Rom and earlier, as Chief Business Officer for Water Street Healthcare Partners Pharmaceutical Holdings. Mr. McCulloch spent 15 years with Baxter Healthcare in successive management roles including GM/President of the Global Services, Global Fluid Systems (GFS), Infusion Systems (IS), and Fenwal business units. While the leader of GFS, he created Celerity Pharmaceuticals, one of the industry’s first R&D externalization ventures that has since successfully generated multiple new product launches. As leader of the IS business, he oversaw the acquisition and integration of Sigma International into the IS portfolio while successfully navigating the business out of a long-standing consent decree. As the President of Fenwal, a global leader in blood collection and apheresis technology, Mr. McCulloch led its successful divestiture to TPG in 2007. He started his Baxter career as a Vice President of Global Marketing in the Renal division. Prior to Baxter, Mr. McCulloch spent 9 years at GD Searle in roles of increasing responsibility in business development, marketing, and sales. He began his career as a territory sales representative with the Upjohn Company.

Mr. McCulloch holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BS in Biology from the University of Michigan.
 
Headshot of Steve Pieper
Steve Pieper
Chief Financial Officer
Steve Pieper is the Chief Financial Officer of Xeris Pharmaceuticals, having previously served as Vice President of Finance since he joined the company in 2017. Mr Pieper brings over 20 years of experience working in the life science industry in various financial leadership roles.

Prior to Xeris, Mr. Pieper served as the CFO and COO of Catheter Connections Inc., a company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative vascular access products designed to protect patients from acquiring infections during intravenous infusion therapy. Catheter Connections, Inc. was acquired by Merit Medical in January 2016. Mr. Pieper also held the position of Director of Finance at Durata Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, which was acquired by Actavis (now Allergan) in November 2014. Mr. Pieper started his career in healthcare at Baxter Healthcare Corporation, where he held a variety of commercial and corporate decision support finance roles.

Mr. Pieper received an MBA from Loyola University, Chicago and BS in Finance from DePaul University.
Headshot of Allison Wey
Allison Wey
Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Allison Wey serves as Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications of Xeris Pharmaceuticals. She brings 30+ years of experience in investor relations, corporate communications, media relations, and investment banking to Xeris leadership. Prior to joining Xeris, Ms. Wey served as Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Regulus Therapeutics, Durata Therapeutics, and Par Pharmaceuticals. Prior to these positions, Ms. Wey was VP, Investor Relations at Boron, LePore & Associates; Senior Vice President at Edelman Financial Worldwide; Managing Director, Financial Communications at Hill & Knowlton; and Associate Director, Equity Capital Markets at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. Ms. Wey is a graduate of Drake University.
Headshot of Kendal Korte
Kendal Korte
Senior Vice President of Human Resources

Kendal Korte is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Xeris Pharmaceuticals and has led the function since its inception in 2017. In addition to Human Resources, during her tenure she has led multiple functions for the Company, including IT and Corporate Administration. 

Ms. Korte brings 20 years of multi-faceted human resources experience across multiple industries including professional services, real estate, steel manufacturing and most recently, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Ms. Korte has previously served as the head of human resources at Catheter Connections, Inc, which was acquired by Merit Medical Systems, Inc in 2016. Prior to this engagement, Ms. Korte served in various human resources roles at Durata Therapeutics, EVRAZ North America, Equity Residential, and SmithBucklin Corporation.

Ms. Korte received her master’s degree in human resources management from North Park University in Chicago, IL and holds various certifications in the field of human resources.
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Brian Conner
SVP, Quality and Chief Compliance and Risk Officer

Brian Conner serves as Senior Vice President of Quality and Chief Compliance and Risk Officer of Xeris Pharmaceuticals. He brings 30+ years of biopharmaceutical industry experience within the areas of corporate ethics and compliance, quality, regulatory affairs, general management, basic R&D, manufacturing, sales/marketing and medical advertising.  

Prior to joining Xeris, Mr. Conner served as Chief Compliance Officer at Strongbridge Biopharma prior to being acquired by Xeris in the Fall of 2021. Prior to these positions, Mr. Conner served as the Assistant Compliance Officer for the U.S and Canada at Shire Pharmaceuticals. During his career, Mr. Conner has established and led compliance, quality, regulatory teams and /research facilities, and held an array senior level positions at Stiefel Laboratories, Genzyme, Biogen, Saatchi and Saatchi and Merck. Mr. Conner is a graduate of Drexel University.
 
Headshot of Anh Nguyen, MD, MBA
Anh Nguyen, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Anh Nguyen serves as Chief Medical Officer, leading clinical development, regulatory strategy, and medical affairs to advance innovative therapies for patients with rare diseases and complex conditions. With a strong focus on translational medicine and patient-centered drug development, Dr. Nguyen drives cross-functional collaboration to bring next-generation therapies from discovery to commercialization.  

Dr. Nguyen has more than 20 years of experience spanning biopharmaceutical leadership across small molecules, biologics, RNA therapeutics, and cell and gene therapies. His experience spans early through late-stage drug development and commercial launch - including drug discovery, translation medicine, CMC, regulatory affairs, clinical development, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance, and market access. He led multiple IND submissions for first-in-class therapies, including circular RNA treatments for oncology, immuno-oncology vaccines, gene-edited solid organ xenotransplants, and allogeneic CAR-T therapies. Prior he was Vice President, Therapeutic Sector Lead at Asklepios Biopharmaceutical (AskBio), where he guided the IND clearance and early-phase clinical trials for AAV gene therapies targeting heart failure and neuromuscular rare disease.  

Dr. Nguyen also held key leadership roles at Xeris Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Program Medical Lead for Gvoke®’s NDA and MAA approvals and multiple IND clearances in endocrine and rare disease indications. Earlier in his career, he served as Global Medical Director at Baxter Healthcare, where he oversaw clinical trials and regulatory submissions for drugs, devices, and biologics across immunology, nephrology, pulmonology, cardiovascular, and digital health.  

Dr. Nguyen has deep expertise in federal regulatory and policy development, having served as a Medical Officer and clinical reviewer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). At the FDA, he contributed to regulatory strategy, combination product approvals, and policy guidance for digital health and combination products. While at CMS, he conducted coverage analyses for novel therapeutics and helped shape Medicare policy. As a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow and Senate Committee Staffer, Dr. Nguyen played a pivotal role in drafting components of the landmark "21st Century Cures Act", which strengthened U.S. biomedical innovation and became law in 2016.  

Dr. Nguyen’s commitment to advancing medical science was further recognized during his tenure at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he led the establishment of an ambulatory surgical service to expedite pediatric orphan disease and oncology trials. His contributions in developing and executing early-stage pediatric trials in oncology, neurology, and rare metabolic disorders earned him the prestigious NIH Director’s Award.  

Dr. Nguyen holds an MD from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He completed his residency and fellowship training in anesthesiology and cardiovascular anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
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Meet the Board of Directors

Headshot of Marla S. Persky
Marla S. Persky
Independent, Non-executive Chairperson of the Board

Marla Persky is CEO and President of WOMN LLC, a company dedicated to helping women succeed in the business of law by increasing their knowledge of and acuity with financial drivers, client development, and leadership. Throughout her professional life, Ms. Persky has had the opportunity to understand and practice business principles that lead to personal and company success. Ms. Persky retired in 2013 as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Boehringer Ingelheim USA, where she oversaw a department of over 70 individuals. She also was a member of Boehringer’s executive management team and a director of the company and several of its subsidiaries.

Prior to joining Boehringer Ingelheim, Ms. Persky spent 19 years at Baxter International Inc. where she held numerous business and legal positions, the most recent of which was Acting General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. During her career at Baxter, Ms. Persky managed global legal services, was General Manager of an international medical device business, led international crisis management teams, acquired and integrated international businesses, and designed/implemented strategies to manage global mass torts.

Ms. Persky is currently a member of the board of directors of Revolo Biotherapeutics, a venture funded biotechnology company engaged in the development of therapies that reset the immune system to achieve long-term disease remission. Previously, she served on the board of directors of Cytyc Corporation (Nasdaq listed diagnostics company) Panavance Therapeutics Inc (clinical-stage pharmaceutical company). She was also on the board of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, the world’s largest privately owned pharmaceutical company. Ms. Persky was a director of Watermark, Inc., a private publisher and broker of children’s literature.

In addition to her corporate activities, Ms. Persky is on the board of several not-for-profit organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Primary Stages (an off- Broadway theater company), and the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Persky is a frequent speaker on a variety of subjects, including leadership principles, mentoring, diversity, crisis management, and negotiation techniques.

Throughout her career, Ms. Persky has focused on improving diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. She has been awarded for her contributions by elite organizations such as the Lawyer's Collaborative for Diversity and the Connecticut Appleseed Foundation. She was recognized as one of the 10 most innovative in-house counsels for her strategy and efforts to increase the opportunities and visibility of women in high-profile litigation

She is a graduate of the Washington University School of Law and Northwestern University.


Committee Roles:
Chair of the Board
Member of the Audit Committee
Member of Nominating Governance Committee
 
Headshot of James Brady
James Brady
Independent, Non-executive Board Member

James Brady is an experienced international business executive who served in multiple leadership roles of increasing responsibility for AstraZeneca prior to his retirement. His more than thirty years of progressive experience at AstraZeneca included successful national, regional and global finance roles in corporate operations, manufacturing, commercial, marketing, market access, audit, international business, and biologics discovery & development. James most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of MedImmune, the biologics discovery and development division of AstraZeneca. During his tenure at MedImmune, biologics grew to represent more than half of the product development portfolio of AstraZeneca and five biologics were successfully brought to market. Throughout his career at AstraZeneca, James had P&L and management responsibilities for significant operating units and finance functions including MedImmune, the Asia Pacific Region, US Government, Policy and Managed Markets, and Global Marketing. James also served as the Chief Audit Executive for AstraZeneca. His experience spans the full product development cycle from early research and clinical development to sales and product contracting. James currently serves on the Board of Directors and as a Member of the Audit Committee of Verona Pharma plc (Nasdaq: VRNA).

James is a CPA and holds a B.S in Accounting from Saint Joseph University and an MBA from Drexel University.
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Dawn Halkuff
Independent, Non-executive Board Member

Dawn Halkuff was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Protein, a wellness company focused on medically developed weight loss protocols.

Ms. Halkuff has held numerous senior-level commercial and marketing positions over 20 years, most recently as Chief Commercial Officer at TherapeuticsMD, Prior TherapeuticsMD, she was Senior Vice President of the Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Wellness Organization and a member of the Consumer Global Leadership Team. Ms. Halkuff was also commercial lead for sales and marketing of the Pfizer Women’s Health Division, focusing on the company’s reinvestment in hormone therapy treatment, including Premarin® Vaginal Cream and oral hot flash treatments. From 2005–2010, Ms. Halkuff was Head of Global Innovation at Weight Watchers International, where she created new weight-loss products, services, and solutions for women worldwide.

She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from Pennsylvania State University.

Committee Roles:
Member of the Compensation Committee
Chair of Nominating Governance Committee
Headshot of Garheng Kong, MD, PhD
Garheng Kong, MD, PhD
Independent, Non-executive Board Member
Garheng Kong founded and has served as managing partner of HealthQuest Capital, a healthcare venture growth fund, since 2013. He brings more than 25 years of clinical, technical, and business experience in creating and building high-growth and innovation- based healthcare businesses.

He currently serves on the board of directors of Venus Concept, Alimera Sciences, Inc., and Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings. Dr. Kong previously served as the Chairman of the Board of Strongbridge BioPharma until its acquisition by Xeris Pharmaceuticals. He also served on the board of directors of Histogenics Corporation, and Avedro, Inc. Dr. Kong’s early career included positions at GlaxoSmithKline, McKinsey, and TherOx before he started his investing career.

Dr. Kong earned his MD, PhD, and MBA from Duke University and received a BS in chemical engineering and a BS in biological sciences from Stanford University.

Committee Roles:
Member of the Audit Committee

 
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BJ Bormann
Independent, Non-executive Board Member

BJ Bormann is a professional with nearly 30 years of experience in academic and pharmaceutical science and biotechnology and pharmaceutical business development. She most recently served as the Vice President of Translational Science and Network Alliances for the Jackson Laboratory. In this role, Dr. Bormann worked to bring the innovations from the Jackson Laboratory faculty closer to patients by generating a series of collaborative relationships with industrial partners. Dr. Bormann’s previous work in the biotechnology area includes serving as CEO of Pivot Pharmaceuticals (OTC: PVOTF) as well as CEO of Supportive Therapeutics, LLC, a company developing a drug for the treatment of oral mucositis, a severe side effect to chemoradiation treatment in oncology patients.

Dr. Bormann has previously served as the CEO of Harbour Antibodies, based in the Netherlands, licensing transgenic mice that make human antibodies, as well as the Chief Business Advisor for NanoMedical Systems, Inc. of Austin, Texas, which licenses a unique implantable drug delivery device. Prior to these engagements, from 2007–2013, Dr. Bormann was Senior Vice President at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., responsible for worldwide alliances, licensing, and business development. From 1996– 2007, she served in a number of positions at Pfizer, Inc., the last one being Vice President of Pfizer Global Research and Development and the worldwide Head of Strategic Alliances.

Dr. Bormann currently serves on the board of directors of various companies, including Supportive Therapeutics, LLC, the Institute for Pediatric Innovation, and Bioline RX (Nasdaq: BLRX). Dr. Bormann received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Connecticut Health Center and her BS in Biology from Fairfield University. Dr. Bormann completed postdoctoral training at the Yale School of Medicine in the department of Pathology.

Committee Roles:
Chair of the Compensation Committee
Member of the Nominating Governance Committee
Headshot of Jeffrey W. Sherman
Jeffrey W. Sherman
Independent, Non-executive Board Member

Jeffrey (Jeff) W. Sherman, MD, FACP, has more than 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry.  He was most recently the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President at Horizon Therapeutics until its acquisition by Amgen.  Dr. Sherman also served on the Board of Directors of Strongbridge prior to its acquisition by Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc in 2021. Additionally, Dr. Sherman served previously on the Board of Directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Larimar Therapeutics and of Sorriso Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He is a member of a number of professional societies, a diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine, and on the Board of Advisors of the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation. He previously held positions at pharmaceutical companies such as IDM Pharma, Inc., Takeda Global Research and Development, NeoPharm Inc., G.D. Searle, LLC/Pharmacia Corporation, and BristolMyers Squibb, and is a past board chair of the Drug Information Association.

Dr. Sherman received a B.A. in Biology from Lake Forest College and earned his M.D. from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/The Chicago Medical School. Dr. Sherman completed internship and residency programs at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where he currently serves as an adjunct assistant professor, and a fellowship program at the University of California, San Francisco.

Committee Roles:
Member of the Compensation Committee
Member of the Nominating Governance Committee
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John H. Johnson
Independent, Non-executive Board Member: Reaction Biology Corp.

John H. Johnson is a recognized leader in the biopharmaceutical industry with more than three decades of experience. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer if Reaction Biology, a biotechnology company. Prior to Reaction Biology, he was the CEO of Strongbridge Biopharma plc prior to its acquisition by Xeris Biopharma Holdings. Mr. Johnson has held executive management roles at leading global corporations, including Johnson & Johnson, where he spent the majority of career. He served as the Company Group Chairman of Biopharmaceuticals within Johnson & Johnson, where he was responsible for the Johnson & Johnson Biotechnology, Immunology and Oncology commercial businesses. Mr. Johnson also served as President of Eli Lilly & Company’s Worldwide Oncology Unit, following the company’s 2008 acquisition of ImClone Systems, Inc., where he served as CEO and a member of ImClone’s Board of Directors. John is also an experienced Director having served on numerous boards across industry, biotech, and biopharmaceutical services companies. Mr. Johnson serves on the Boards of Axogen (AXGN), and Verastem Oncology (VSTM).

Mr. Johnson holds a BS from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.

Committee Roles:
Member of the Nominating Governance Committee
Headshot of John Shannon
John Shannon
Chief Executive Officer

John Shannon was appointed Chief Executive Officer in August 2024.  He joined Xeris in 2017 as Chief Operating Officer and was promoted to President in 2020.  Mr. Shannon has 35+ years of pharmaceutical and healthcare experience with a diverse background in sales, global and US marketing, operations and manufacturing, strategic planning, and business development.

Prior to Xeris, Mr. Shannon spent two years as Chief Executive Officer for Catheter Connections, Inc., a company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative vascular access products designed to protect patients from acquiring infections during intravenous infusion therapy. Catheter Connections, Inc. was acquired by Merit Medical in January 2016.

Before Catheter Connections, Mr. Shannon spent three years as Chief Commercial Officer for Durata Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of differentiated therapeutic solutions to advance patient care in infectious disease and acute illnesses. Durata was acquired by Actavis (now Allergan) in November 2014. Mr. Shannon spent 10 years (2001–2011) at Baxter Healthcare, where he was General Manager, Global Hemophilia and Global Commercial Excellence; General Manager, US Biopharmaceuticals; Vice President, Marketing US Bioscience; and Vice President, Marketing US Renal. During his time at Baxter, he led the commercialization and drove the growth of two Baxter brands, ADVATE® and GAMMAGARD®, both of which now exceed revenues of $1 billion.

Prior to coming to Baxter, Mr. Shannon was Vice President, Marketing for Caremark. Before that, he was at Searle for 10 years; there, he held several positions, most notably Executive Director, Cardiovascular Global Commercialization, in which he was responsible for the commercial development and marketing of new cardiovascular products worldwide, and Senior Director of Cox-2 Global Commercialization, in which he led the worldwide launch and global marketing of Celebrex®. In addition, he spent 7 years at Bock Pharmacal Company, where he held various positions including Sales Representative, Sales Trainer, Sales Operations, Marketing, Strategic Planning, and Business Development.

Mr. Shannon holds a BS in Biology with an emphasis in Microbiology from Western Illinois University.
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medical affairs

Supporting independent medical education, contributing to advancements in medical and scientific research, and supporting initiatives that enhance both patient experiences and the diabetes care community.

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