miRagen’s Leadership Team
William S. Marshall, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, member of the Board of Directors, miRagen Therapeutics
President and Chief Executive Officer, miRagen Therapeutics
William S. Marshall, Ph.D., is miRagen’s President, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder and Director. Prior to establishing miRagen, Dr. Marshall was Vice President of Technology and Business Development for Bioscience at Thermo Fisher Scientific. In this role, he was responsible for leading technology assessment and strategic planning for the Thermo Fisher Biosciences Division, a unit with revenues of approximately $1 billion that manufactures and supplies a wide range of products and services across the general-chemistry and life-sciences arenas.
Dr. Marshall was one of the scientific founders of Dharmacon, Inc., which was acquired by Fisher Scientific International, serving as the Executive Vice President for Research and Operations and General Manager. Prior to joining Dharmacon, Dr. Marshall served in many capacities at Amgen, Inc., most recently as Associate Director of Research, Site Head for Research and Head of the Nucleic Acid and Peptide Technology Department. In these positions, he participated in a wide variety of therapeutic development approaches throughout the drug discovery process leading to the development of clinical candidates.
Dr. Marshall earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. in Chemistry in the laboratory of Professor Marvin Caruthers at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is author and co-author of over 50 research papers and 80 patents. Dr. Marshall currently serves on the Board of BiOptix, Inc.
Eric N. Olson, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor, miRagen Therapeutics
Eric N. Olson, Ph.D., miRagen’s Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor, has dedicated his career to deciphering the mechanisms that control muscle gene regulation and development. His most recent work has focused on the genetic pathways responsible for congenital and acquired cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Olson attended Wake Forest University receiving a B.A. in Chemistry and Biology, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and an honorary doctorate. After postdoctoral training at Washington University School of Medicine, he joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1984 and became Professor and Chairman. He later founded the Department of Molecular Biology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas where he holds the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair.
Dr. Olson’s honors include: the Basic Research Prize, the Founding Distinguished Scientist Award, and the Research Achievement Award from the American Heart Association; the Pasarow Medical Research Award in Cardiovascular Disease; the Gill Heart Institute Award; the Lucian Award for Research in Cardiovascular Disease; the Outstanding Investigator Award from the International Society for Heart Research; and the Pollin Prize for Lifetime Contributions to Pediatric Research. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Medicine.
Dr. Olson is a member of numerous editorial boards including Circulation, Circulation Research, and Science and belongs to the Scientific Review Board of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He was a Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor of Myogen, Inc., a biotechnology company focusing on therapies for heart muscle disease, acquired by Gilead Pharmaceuticals in 2006.
Jason A. Leverone, C.P.A.
Vice President, Head of Finance and Operations, miRagen Therapeutics
Jason A. Leverone, C.P.A., is miRagen’s Vice President, Head of Finance and Operations and has been with the Company since November 2008. Prior to joining miRagen, Mr. Leverone was Senior Director of Finance and Controller for Replidyne, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company based in Louisville, Colorado, from 2005 until 2009. At Replidyne, Jason played a role in completing the Company’s initial public offering and executing its strategic sale to Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
Prior to joining Replidyne, Mr. Leverone was the Corporate Controller for CreekPath System, Inc., an international software development company based in Boulder, Colorado, from 2002 until 2005. He commenced his professional career with the accounting firm of Ernst and Young LLP in Manchester, New Hampshire, and, between 1998 and 2002, served as an Audit Manager for public accounting firms Arthur Andersen LLP and KPMG LLP in Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Leverone is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.
