BIO

XCELERATE Directors

Michael O'Shea, CEO and Director

Mike O’Shea is a forensic accountant and a licensed private investigator. He has worked closely with such agencies as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Resolution Trust Corporation, FBI, Office of the Controller of the Currency, US Secret Service and ATF. He has been admitted, on numerous occasions, as an expert witness in forensic accounting in both Federal and State court as well as foreign jurisdictions. He has on several occasions, been appointed as a Receiver by the State Court in South Carolina.

Since 1999, Mike has been the Director of Forensic Research Group, Inc. and has been responsible for implementing and supervising its forensic accounting, financial investigation, and corporate due diligence programs. From 1985-1998 Mike served as Director of Investigations for Investigative Research Group, Inc., a firm that specialized in corporate due diligence, asset searches, bankruptcy review, and loan recovery. The Company had Bank of New York, Chemical Bank, Summit Bancorp, and the New Jersey Economic Authority among its long list of noteworthy clients.

Jason Householder, Director

Jason Householder, Co-Founder and CEO of Charlotte based LenDRgroup Consulting, has more than a decade of experience in the healthcare banking field and specializes in assisting medical, dental, and veterinary practices to devise strategies that run their businesses effectively and achieve peak performance. LenDRgroup has financed over $300mil in practice loans to dentists, physicians, and veterinarians.

Jason has experience helping private practice owners, DSO, MSO, corporations, group practices, and hospital systems improve cash flow and profit margins, pursue expansion, acquire real estate, and devise exit strategies. He ranked as the #1 sales producer seven times when working for Bank of America Practice Solutions, Affinity Bank, and NuGrowrh Solutions

Steve Gravely, Director

Steve Gravely, President of the Consulting Group of Jocassee, Inc, has been responsible for the start-up of 25 manufacturing plants around the world and over 300 new product introductions for large corporations such as Michelin, AT&T, NCR, Fluor/Maruti (India), and General Motors. As the Director of Operations for AT&T’s Global Information Solutions (NCR) for both North American and South America, he was responsible for the operation of manufacturing facilities in Brazil, California, and South Carolina.  

Formerly, Steve led a high-level corporate acquisition team in the takeover of the third largest computer operation in Brazil. He also owns the computer industry record for computer R&D Development by designing, testing, and delivering a new PC in just 8 weeks while managing a Business Unit for AT&T. Steve is a graduate of Clemson University with a BS in Industrial Engineering.

XCELERATE ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Dilan B. Ellegala, MD, FAANS

Dr. Ellegala has been at the forefront of clinical care and medical technology development for two decades. An honors graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine, he served academic leadership roles as Director of Neurotrauma and Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery at major universities, a founding Dean for Global Health, and has had collaborations with the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at MIT/Harvard, Clemson Bioengineering, and private industry. He has authored over 50 peer reviewed research publications and holds multiple patent claims in ultrasound technology. Dr. Ellegala has successfully commercialized medical technology and applied it to advance clinical care. He has founded several successful medical companies including Sonospine LLC, a pioneer in ultrasonic spine surgery, and a virtual health company recently acquired by AdviNOW, LLC which applies artificial intelligence to healthcare. 

Dr. Ellegala has received numerous academic and clinical honors and has been consistently recognized for his excellence in patient care. In addition to his pioneering work in the US, he is a testament to the transformational power of teaching and the ever-present potential for change in the world, as demonstrated through his training of health care workers in remote Tanzania to perform brain and spine surgery. His groundbreaking work in global medical education is documented in the book, “A Surgeon in the Village: An American Doctor Teaches Brain Surgery in Africa”, which was written by Pulitzer-nominated journalist Tony Bartleme. NBC’s Tom Brokaw described the work as “A lyrical, inspirational and altogether rewarding account of first- and third-world surgeons working together to perform neurosurgery miracles in the heart of Africa.” 

Dr. Barry Marshall, AC. FRACP, FAA,FRS,MBBS-UWA

Professor Barry Marshall is a Nobel Prize Laureate, Professor of Clinical Microbiology at The University of Western Australia. Professor Marshall (1974 UWA graduate) was awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. This discovery has benefited millions of people, maybe saving a million lives over the last 10-20 years.
Professor Marshall returned to Perth and UWA in 1996 after a tenure at the University of Virginia. Today, Professor Marshall is the Director of The Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training, which was founded in his honor. In addition to H. pylori research, the Marshall Centre is at the forefront of infectious disease identification and surveillance, diagnostics and drug design, and transformative discovery.
Professor Marshall has several projects including studying the relationship H. pylori has with the immune system. Recent research has found children with H. pylori are 45 per cent less likely to develop asthma. With this as a basis, Professor Marshall and his team are developing a medication that uses the bacteria to rebalance an overactive immune system and prevent asthma and food allergies.
The Helicobacter pylori Research Group is taking up the challenge to develop new diagnostics and treatments to target H. pylori across the globe. The research team is focused on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of H. pylori using clinical microbiology, molecular biology, immunology, genomics and systems biology.

Cathy Scangarella

Cathy Scangarella is the Chief Business Development Officer and sector lead for Life Sciences at Choose New Jersey, New Jersey’s leading nonprofit economic development organization. Cathy leads the business development team and oversees the organization’s national and international lead generation, prospect management and business development strategy for all key industries. She also oversees the Choose New Jersey India and Europe offices and has enhanced New Jersey’s relationships with key multipliers and trade associations around the globe.

During her tenure at Choose New Jersey, Cathy developed a new tactical business development approach for business attraction efforts to concentrate efforts in key domestic and international markets. She had a leading role in the strategic planning of Choose New Jersey’s business attraction missions to Israel, Germany, Ireland, and India. While abroad, she helped established international university collaborations and industry partnerships for many of New Jersey’s research universities including Rutgers University, Princeton University, New Jersey City University and Rowan University. Notable clients include Ascelia Pharma, BAP Pharma, CSL Plasma, Fordoz Pharmaceuticals, Minerva Biolabs and Biofarma US.

Cathy is a veteran of New Jersey State government, having served six administrations. With over 25 years of experience in marketing, outreach, and business development, she has served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Guadagno, Director of State Marketing at the New Jersey Business Action Center, Director of Outreach Programs for Business Retention & Attraction at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, and Vice President of Marketing & Communications for the New Jersey Commerce Commission. Cathy is a member of the Research With New Jersey Advisory Board, the Innovation New Jersey Coalition, and an E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Judge 2019-2021. She was named among the ROI-NJ Influencers: Women in Business – Economic Development in 2021.

Cathy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Ramapo College of New Jersey. Cathy brings a valued new skill set to our Advisory Board. Cathy’s’ experience business development, along with her years of relationships with research institutions, should prove invaluable to Xcelerate as we begin to advance the development of the portfolio of patents recently acquired from HS Pharmaceuticals as well as our continued development of patentable med-tech.

XCELERATE Science Officer

Dr. Anja Glisovic, Chief Science Officer

Dr. Glisovic received her PhD in X-Ray and Material Physics from Germany’s Georg-August Universitat in 2007. She went on to become the head of the R&D Laboratory, Chief Science Officer, and R&D Project Leader for the Fraunhoffer Institute, the world’s leading applied research organization. 

Dr. Glisovic will be bringing her vast experience in scientific research and development, as well as project leadership at the highest levels, to the Xcelerate Team. She holds numerous patents in the fields of medical devices, chemical engineering, and small arms and munitions. Her primary initial responsibility with the Xcelerate  will be identifying and developing business combinations and high growth opportunities in the medical arena. 

XCELERATE Counsel

Andrew I. Telsey, Securities Attorney

Andrew Telsey is an “AV” rated attorney (the highest rating) and has been practicing law in the State of Colorado since 1980. Since 1984, Mr. Telsey has been President and sole shareholder of Andrew I. Telsey, P.C., Centennial, Colorado, a law firm emphasizing securities law, business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, cannabis transactions and general corporate matters for developmental stage and emerging growth companies both nationally and internationally. 

Since July 2017, Mr. Telsey has been Of Counsel to the Hoban Law Group, the largest cannabis law firm in the US, where he has been the lead attorney in the securities department. 

Mr. Telsey received a Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 1979 and a Bachelor of Arts degree Magna Cum Laude, from Ithaca College in 1975. He was also named as one of Denver’s Top Lawyers by the Denver Post from 2015-2018.