Officers and Directors

Tom I. Davis

President and Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder

Mr. Davis co-founded arGentis Pharmaceuticals, LLC in October 2005. Prior to founding arGentis, Mr. Davis spent 25 years in senior management positions within the healthcare services industry. From 2000 - 2005, Mr. Davis was Chief Executive Officer of BEP Services LP, an operator of 35 healthcare services businesses in 12 states. Prior to BEP, Mr. Davis spent seven years as Chief Operating Officer of ServiceMaster Diversified Healthcare Services, LP. Previously, Mr. Davis spent over 10 years as CEO of The Brian Center Corporation, a privately owned group of 60 companies including a multi-state nursing home operation, pharmacy services, and rehabilitation facilities which merged with Living Centers of America in 1995. Mr. Davis has served on numerous corporate, industry, and philanthropic boards. Mr. Davis holds a B.S. in Business Administration from East Carolina University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

J. Edward Townsend III (Ted)

Chief Operating Officer, Co-Founder

Before co-founding arGentis, Mr. Townsend was the founder of AgileMinds, a bioscience professional services firm that provided consulting to emerging and growth stage biotech companies. Prior to AgileMinds, Mr. Townsend was Vice President for TeamStaffRx, a publicly traded healthcare staffing and services company. His appointment to Vice President at TeamStaffRx came after the acquisition of Nursing Innovations, Inc. where Mr. Townsend served as Vice President of Operations. Mr. Townsend received a B.P.S. in Healthcare Administration from the University of Memphis. Mr. Townsend has served on the Executive Committee of the Memphis BioWorks Development Council via the Memphis Regional Chamber and is a member of the Memphis Economic Club, ARVO, Tennessee Biotech Association, Scleroderma Foundation and Jacob’s Ladder Community Redevelopment.

William E. Cochran, O.D.

Executive Director

Dr. Cochran served as President of the Southern College of Optometry (SCO) from 1984 to 2007. He is a 1968 graduate of SCO and during his term as President of the college, SCO became one of the premier optometry schools in North America with SCO graduates consistently performing in the top three schools on national board examinations. SCO's reserve fund increased from $2.8 million to $37 million while tuition has continuously decreased. Dr. Cochran's leadership resulted in many advances and milestones for SCO, notably the opening of a 55,000 square foot Eye Center in 2002. This Eye Center is the largest facility of its kind in the country, seeing more than 60,000 patients per year. In addition to his position at SCO, Dr. Cochran has served as the president of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry; on the National Board of Examiners in Optometry; and as president of the Memphis Association of Colleges and Universities. In June 2007, the SCO Board of Trustees announced its unanimous decision to confer the title President Emeritus upon Dr. Cochran in his retirement. In July 2007, Dr. Cochran was named an Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of arGentis Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a specialty pharmaceutical company located in Memphis.