Ron Thornton joined the company in January 2010. He is responsible for setting TOPAZ’s strategy and vision; and in aligning the company, internally and externally, with this strategy. Mr. Thornton brings to TOPAZ several years of “Big Four” firm experience as well as over 20 years of software industry experience. He is acknowledged by peers for driving the cultural change that builds organizational effectiveness and propels revenue growth.
Mr. Thornton’s expertise includes new market identification and development, post-merger integration, human capital management, company sales and acquisitions, and corporate consulting. His personal center of influence boasts a network of accomplished leaders and innovators across diverse corporate cultures. Mr. Thornton graduated from Washington and Lee University with a degree in Accounting and Business Administration.
Mick Peters joined the company in 1997. As Vice President, Mr. Peters is responsible for ensuring that all TOPAZ products match customer needs from a quality and product roadmap perspective. Mr. Peters was the Vice President of Product Development for the predecessor company, TOPAZ Technologies, Inc.
Mr. Peters has 23 years of experience in the medical research industry, 12 of which were at Pharmaco LSR (a “contract research organization”). While at Pharmaco, he was the Director of Information Systems and responsible for the development of software applications for collection of pre-clinical and clinical trials data. He also worked as a toxicologist and study director. Mr. Peters holds a BS with honors in biology from Coventry University in England and a BA in Systems Analysis from the Open University in England.
Melinda Dalton joined the company in September 2002. As Vice President of Client and Project Services, Ms. Dalton is responsible for client growth, client project planning, client implementation of TOPAZ software, and ongoing client support.
Ms. Dalton is the leader in industry knowledge and product implementation for TOPAZ Technologies. She has worked extensively with over 80 pharmaceutical, governmental, academic and private organizations engaged in research as their trusted advisor. Her focus is on managing engagements in program compliance and operational improvement. She regularly works with organizations to improve their operational effectiveness by identifying risks, taking actions to limit their impact, and designing strategies that protect clients’ compliance interests while enhancing staff efficiency and performance.
Aaron Plante joined the company in July of 2009. He is responsible for the planning, launching, monitoring, and delivering TOPAZ products.
Mr. Plante has 11 years of experience in operations, project coordination/management, communications, and compliance issues relating to biomedical research administration and its technology-based solutions. His previous employers include top tier research organizations such as Temple University and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer). While working at Wyeth, he was responsible for global, multi-site IACUC functions including standardization, harmonization and coordination efforts and served as a member of global IT project teams as subject matter expert and technology solutions liaison. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Masters of Laboratory Animal Science from MCP Hahnemann University, School of Medicine, and a Masters of Journalism from Temple University.
Katie Phillips Andersson joined the company in September 2009. As Director of Sales, Ms. Andersson is responsible for overall company sales strategies, sales execution, and growth.
Ms. Andersson has over 7 years of experience developing customized solutions for organizations globally. Prior to joining TOPAZ, she led sales and service teams to tremendous success, providing start-up companies profitability in their first year. Her commitment is to provide customers and prospects the right solution to help them increase efficiency while lowering their overall compliance risk. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Learning and Development.