Who We Are

Tom Shea is the founding President of Xentria overseeing all aspects of business development, clinical, regulatory, and commercial operations. Tom is also the founding CEO of Meitheal Pharmaceutical, Inc., a generic pharmaceutical company focused on development, manufacture and supply of generic injectable products, which was established in January 2017.

Prior to joining Xentria and Meitheal, Tom was Vice President of Global Alliance Management for Sagent Pharmaceuticals and was responsible for global partnerships, supply chain and product development. Before his work at Sagent, Tom held various roles at APP, now Fresenius Kabi North America, in Commercial Operations and Business Development, focusing on Portfolio Management and National Accounts.

Tom started his pharmaceutical career as a Sales Rep at Fougera, now Sandoz. During his tenure at Fougera, he held positions of increasing responsibilities eventually attaining the position of National Sales Manager. Tom earned an M.B.A. from Notre Dame University and a B.A. in Philosophy from Marquette University.

Lidia is the organization’s senior financial executive, overseeing all aspects of finance, accounting, and strategic planning.

Noopur Singh is the Vice President, Marketing & Patient Affairs overseeing Xentria’s advocacy efforts and fostering collaborative relationships with patient experts, key opinion leaders and clinical investigators. Motivated to eliminate challenges to drug access, Noopur is focused on strategic patient-centered drug development that bridges scientific gaps and cuts through the red tape across the drug supply chain.

Prior to Joining Xentria, Noopur was the Research Director at the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research and played a key role in the development and execution of the organizations scientific research agenda. Before her time at FSR, Noopur was Clinical Site Manager Synexus Clinical Research in Chicago, responsible for the direction and execution of clinical trials. Prior to that, Noopur held various roles at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago where she managed over 25 industry-sponsored trials and was an active participant in the Therapeutics Development Network with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. With over 10 years of both lab and clinical research experience in genetic and autoimmune-related rare diseases, her research interests focus on patient-centered outcomes and integrating the patient journey into drug development. Noopur earned a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan.

Tom has held various positions in clinical research in industry and academic settings. Prior joining Xentria, Tom served as a Senior Researcher at Olympus Corporation, focusing on interventional pulmonology solutions. His research career began at Northwestern University and Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, primarily focused on asthma and cystic fibrosis therapeutics. Previous to this, Tom practiced as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in adult and pediatric critical care settings at various hospitals in Chicago and Indianapolis.

Tom holds a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care from Indiana University and a Master of Public Health, focused in Epidemiology and Healthcare Management, from Benedictine University. His research interests are centered in pulmonology, inflammatory disorders, critical care medicine, and rare diseases. His professional interests are centered in building and supporting efficient clinical development programs to fulfill unmet needs for suffering patients.

Amit Pithadia is the Director of Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) and Clinical Supply. He is responsible for the development of global CMC regulatory strategy and provides guidance to cross-functional teams on CMC regulatory strategy and regional regulatory requirements. Additionally, he provides strategic direction for scale up and clinical supply management to successfully support early and late-stage clinical trials.

Amit earned his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and his B.S. from Indiana University- Bloomington. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship at U of M, he transitioned to CMC medical and regulatory writing where he worked at MMS Holdings before joining Xentria.

Dionne Howe is the Director of Clinical Operations and provides clinical operations leadership and oversight for all study activities, and determines operational processes, systems, and standards to support effective clinical program management and compliance across trials and locations.

Dionne earned an M.B.A. from Foster School of Business at the University of Washington Seattle and a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She started her career working for a CRO as a bench scientist, then transitioned to Quality Assurance, R&D and Clinical Operations. Since 2003 Dionne has held positions in clinical research as a Clinical Research Coordinator, Clinical Research Associate, Clinical Study/Trial Manager and Clinical Project Manager. Prior to joining the Xentria Team in April 2022, Dionne was a Senior Clinical Project Manager at ICON – Biotech/Oncology.

Kathleen Shanahan is the Associate Director of Human Resources managing employee relations, benefits, training and onboarding, recruiting, and developing company policies. Prior to joining Xentria, Kathleen worked in the staffing industry as a Program Manager supporting the HR and Talent Acquisition functions for various clients in multiple industries through the US.

Kathleen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from Marquette University and is active in The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Chicago chapter of Women in Bio (WIB). 

Alex Villarreal is a Manager of Business Development and Strategy at Xentria. Initially tasked with developing a robust partnership evaluation and tracking workflow, Alex now collaborates with the business development team to identify, validate, and facilitate cohesive partnerships with early-stage preclinical biotech groups, with the goal of guiding their assets forward to clinical trials and beyond. Alex leverages his expertise in the life sciences to generate tangible deliverables for partners.

Alex holds a BS in microbiology and global health from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. Following his doctorate, he received entrepreneurial training through the Chicago Biomedical Consortium.

Chris Schroth is a Clinical Project Manager and provides sponsor oversight of operational functional activities (e.g. study management, clinical monitoring) to ensure performance expectations are met. Chris is currently assigned to all XTMAB-16 studies.

Chris has a background in Psychology with a BA in Cognitive Psychology from the University of California Irvine and a MS in Social Psychology from the University of Washington. His passion for research (e.g. depression/anxiety, PTSD, prostate cancer, etc.) has led to varied positions in multiple academic and government settings, including several years working with the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Regardless of the research topic, Chris has a keen interest in working with research team members to clearly outline research project/clinical trial protocols, refining study processes, and collaborating with internal & external stakeholders. 

Erin Paynich is the Senior Medical Writer overseeing the development and management of clinical and regulatory documents supporting drug development and approval. Before joining Xentria, Erin gained experience in medical writing and communications at leading healthcare organizations, including UnitedHealth Group and Therapeutics, Inc., primarily focused on oncology and dermatology. She has a proven ability to translate complex scientific data into clear, actionable content and contributes to internal resource development, including templates and style guides, to streamline processes and ensure consistency. Erin earned a Doctor of Pharmacy from Purdue University.

Faith Eriks is the Business Development Associate at Xentria, where she collaborates with the Medical Affairs and Strategic Portfolio Teams to expand early-stage clinical trial partnerships. She is responsible for shaping the company’s branding and positioning, implementing digital and social strategies to enhance its industry presence. Dedicated to fostering collaborations, both within Chicago’s life science ecosystem and on a global scale, Faith is committed to improving the lives of patients in need.

Faith earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Purdue University. She is passionate about fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for women in STEM and advancing pediatric healthcare. As an active member of the Chicago Chapter of Women in Bio (WIB), Faith is excited to welcome new members and continue to grow the community. Her commitment extends to significant contributions in pediatric health through her leadership and mentorship roles with a nonprofit organization supporting Riley Hospital for Children.

Lesley Baxter is Clinical Trial Liaison at Xentria. In this position, Lesley works with the Xentria Clinical Development Team to grow customized referral pathways to current XTMAB-16 sites. Lesley assists the principal investigator and study team in planning referral events and personalized outreach activities, to effectively grow patient recruitment.

Prior to joining Xentria, Lesley was Clinical Engagement Manager at the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research. In this role, Lesley spent 10+ years building relationships with sarcoidosis specialists around the globe, developing clinical education programs, and sustaining partnerships with sarcoidosis researchers and clinics. Lesley remains committed to supporting those relationships and fostering growth in the sarcoidosis community.

Lesley holds a B.S. in Psychology and Education from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and M.A. in Education. 

Taryn is a Senior Clinical Study Manager overseeing clinical operations of multiple biosimilar studies at Xentria. She is focused on developing and maintaining dashboards for all Xentria studies to analyze study metrics and communicate key study data to relevant stakeholders.

Prior to joining Xentria, Taryn held progressive roles in Project Management and Clinical Study Management at Aptinyx, Inc. Taryn holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University, a M.S. in Regulatory Affairs from Northeastern University, and is pursuing a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She is passionate about developing treatments that improve patient outcomes and address public health inequities.