MEET THE Event Speakers
Ken Birdsong
CEO/Managing Partner of Odyssey Medical Technologies
Ken Birdsong
CEO/Managing Partner of Odyssey Medical Technologies
Since acquiring Odyssey Medical Technologies, Ken Birdsong and his partner group have facilitated the investment and growth in both Odyssey and other medical device-related operating companies. His engineering design and product production knowledge, coupled with his international business experience, uniquely equips Birdsong for the growth and expansion of Odyssey. Odyssey was recently awarded the 2024 Medium Sized Business of the Year by the Memphis Business Journal. The founding member and CEO of Paxeon Reconstruction, which sold to DJO Global in 2019, Birdsong has over five years’ experience managing a $100+ million international medical device contract manufacturer that supplied products for all six major OEMs. Prior to that, he spent more than 20 years in global operational roles for a $5.5 billion medical device manufacturer and has been active in many acquisitions within the space. In total, Birdsong has over 40 years of medical device experience that ranges from roles in manufacturing medical devices to surgeries and sales to surgeons. Birdsong has been happily married to Donna for nearly 40 years, has two children and five grandchildren. His faith and his family are central to his focus as he guides Odyssey Medical into the future.
Thomas Black
Director of OEM Sales at Baxter Healthcare
Thomas Black
Director of OEM Sales at Baxter Healthcare
Thomas Black is director of OEM Sales at Baxter Healthcare, a position he’s held since 2024. With more than 40 years of medical device industry experience, Black served in similar sales roles at B. Braun Medical, Command Medical, and 889 Global Solutions. A graduate of the University of South Carolina and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Black is a frequent speaker at medical device conferences and a contributor to industry trade media.
Monica Burt
Founder of MB&A
Monica Burt
Founder of MB&A
Monica Burt is the founder of MB&A and a pioneer in Audit Intelligence, a new category of AI-driven quality assurance that transforms compliance data into predictive business insight. With over 20 years of experience in the medical device sector, she has become a trusted partner to private equity firms, investors, and innovators, guiding them through the complex landscape of global regulatory strategy and operational excellence. Recognizing that traditional, manual auditing could no longer keep pace with the industry's rapid growth, Burt shifted her focus from simply managing quality systems to modernizing them. She now leads the development of AuditNova, the industry’s first Audit Intelligence platform designed to help manufacturers and suppliers move from reactive "snapshot" audits to continuous, data-driven risk monitoring. Prior to this, Burt built MB&A into a premier boutique consulting and recruiting firm, helping medtech companies worldwide navigate product commercialization, due diligence, and talent acquisition. Her work bridges the gap between quality and operations, helping leaders view compliance not as a cost center, but as a strategic asset for supply chain continuity and growth. To explore her work in Audit Intelligence and consulting, visit burtandassociates.com.
John Clark
CEO of MTD Micro Molding
John Clark
CEO of MTD Micro Molding
As CEO of MTD Micro Molding, John Clark leads the company's operational performance, customer partnerships, and long-term strategic direction. With more than 20 years of experience in high-precision medical manufacturing, he is known for his cross-functional leadership approach and expertise in tooling, molding, and engineering. Clark first joined MTD in 2008 as a toolmaker and later led the facility expansion that doubled the company's manufacturing footprint. After spending several years in leadership roles within the molding industry, he returned to MTD in 2026 as CEO, where he continues to drive innovation, technical excellence, and growth in precision micro medical manufacturing.
Kelvyn H. Cullimore, Jr.
President and CEO of BioUtah
Kelvyn H. Cullimore, Jr.
President and CEO of BioUtah
Kelvyn H. Cullimore Jr. was named president and CEO of BioUtah, the state trade association for life science companies in Utah, in October 2018. He is a member of the board or on the advisory board for the World Trade Center Utah, the Center for Medical Innovation at the University of Utah, BYU’s Life Sciences Leadership Council, and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology at Utah Tech University. From 1992 to 2018, Cullimore was the president and CEO of Dynatronics Corporation, a leading manufacturer of physical therapy devices and products. Dynatronics was a publicly traded company originally founded by Cullimore and his father in 1979. He also served on the board of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association from 2003 to 2016. Cullimore was elected the first Mayor of Cottonwood Heights, UT, in November 2004 and served in that capacity until January 2018. He graduated cum laude from Brigham Young University in 1980 with a degree in Financial and Estate Planning.
Sara E. Dyson
Senior Vice President of Underwriting & Risk Management for Medmarc
Sara E. Dyson
Senior Vice President of Underwriting & Risk Management for Medmarc
Sara Dyson, Esq., MPH CPCU, is the senior vice president of Underwriting & Risk Management for Medmarc, a specialty insurance carrier that provides products liability insurance to the life sciences industry. Dyson oversees Medmarc’s underwriting unit, including its strategy and operations, as well as the company’s risk management team, which advises life sciences companies on products liability risk mitigation and assists with related specialty areas, such as FDA compliance, post-market surveillance, product safety, and recalls. She is the author of numerous articles on products liability risk management that have appeared in industry media outlets, such as Medtech Intelligence and Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry (MDDI) magazines. In 2017, Dyson joined the Editorial Advisory Board of Medical Product Outsourcing (MPO) magazine. She earned her certification as a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) in 2018 and is a member of the CPCU Society. Dyson received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and is a member of the Wisconsin and Virginia Bar Associations. She holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Missouri’s College of Health Sciences. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.
Bill Ellerkamp
CEO of VitalPath
Bill Ellerkamp
CEO of VitalPath
Bill Ellerkamp is a 40+ year veteran of the global medical device industry, primarily engaged in contract development and manufacturing organizations. He is currently CEO of VitalPath, a leading provider of design-to-manufacturing services for complex catheters to electrophysiology, vascular, and structural heart markets. Ellerkamp’s focus on medtech has been on collaborative new product development and scaling global manufacturing and supply chains since the 1980s, when he was based in Europe for over a decade, traveled extensively throughout Asia in the 2000s, and has more recently been active in Costa Rica. Ellerkamp also sits on several boards and advises private equity firms on strategies and transactions in the medtech contract manufacturing space.
Anthony S. Freeman
President of A.S. Freeman Advisors LLC
Anthony S. Freeman
President of A.S. Freeman Advisors LLC
Tony Freeman leads A. S. Freeman Advisors, a transaction advisory firm focused on the precision manufacturing and specialty materials industries. With a focus on supply chain companies, Freeman Advisors offers buy-side and sell-side services as well as strategic consulting on market selection and value enhancement. Clients range from Fortune 500 firms to small, privately held companies in the life sciences, aerospace, electronics, and specialty chemical industries. Freeman also serves as executive director of mdmX, an industry organization for medical supply chain executives. He is a regular contributor to MPO and other industry publications. He holds a BA from the University of Chicago and an MBA from Columbia University.
Brett Freeman
President of Providence Enterprise USA Inc.
Brett Freeman
President of Providence Enterprise USA Inc.
Brett Freeman is the president of Providence Enterprise USA Inc., located in Irvine, Calif., and the chief sales officer for Providence Enterprise. In addition to overseeing global sales and marketing, he is responsible for the operations of the U.S. company. Providence Enterprise USA Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Providence Enterprise Ltd., a medical device contract manufacturer with headquarters in Hong Kong, China, and manufacturing locations in China, Vietnam, and Mexico. Before joining Providence Enterprise in 2005, Freeman spent three years living and working in China and has been involved with the Chinese manufacturing industry since 1998. Time spent in China included developing sales, marketing, and manufacturing initiatives. His prior experience includes working at such companies as Ingram Micro, Accenture, and T-Mobile. He received his MBA from UC Irvine, Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) certification from APICS, and a BS from Miami University (Ohio).
Brent Hahn
Co-Founder and CEO of Gram Medical
Brent Hahn
Co-Founder and CEO of Gram Medical
Brent Hahn is an entrepreneur and drug delivery executive with nearly three decades of experience commercializing innovative medical technologies. As co-founder and CEO of Gram Medical, he is leading the development of a patented oral drug delivery platform designed for protected and targeted small intestine delivery with increased bioavailability. Over the past 30 years, Hahn has built a career at the intersection of engineering, manufacturing, and commercialization, helping transform innovative medical concepts into successful and sustainable products. His expertise spans miniaturization, precision manufacturing, advanced materials, and drug delivery, with leadership roles that have contributed to more than $1 billion in sales to medical and drug delivery OEMs. Prior to co-founding Gram Medical, Hahn served in executive leadership roles, including as CEO of Isometric Micro Molding during its acquisition, where he helped scale organizations and commercialize highly engineered medical technologies. Hahn holds a degree in Plastics Engineering and an MBA, bringing together technical depth with strategic business leadership.
Lane Hale
President & CEO at ECA Medical
Lane Hale
President & CEO at ECA Medical
Lane Hale is president and CEO of ECA Medical. ECA is the premier single-procedure instrument and surgery-ready procedural kit developer and manufacturer for the medical device industry. ECA is a proven partner, demonstrated by its 43 years in the cardio and neuro sectors, designing and manufacturing single-procedure instruments to secure medical implants. The company’s core technology and knowledge have been effectively applied to the orthopedics sector. ECA offers a portfolio of single-procedure instruments, including precision torque limiters that are hand- or power-operated, and develops and manufactures implant-specific surgery-ready instrument and implant systems. These systems allow implant companies to deliver instruments and implants more efficiently to hospitals and outpatient surgery centers throughout the world. Hale has held leadership positions in medtech, serving in operations, business development, and product development roles during his 20+ year career in the medical device industry. Earlier in his career, Hale worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and the business consulting industry. He holds a BA and an MBA from Brigham Young University.
Clayton Hall
EVP for Government Affairs at MDMA
Clayton Hall
EVP for Government Affairs at MDMA
Prior to joining MDMA, Clayton Hall spent 12 years working on Capitol Hill and served as chief of staff to three Members of the U.S. House of Representatives: former Congressmen Jim McCrery (LA) and Anh "Joseph" Cao (LA), and Congressman Tim Griffin (AR). McCrery and Griffin both served on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, the chief tax-writing committee in the House, which has significant jurisdiction over federal healthcare policy. Hall managed a diverse portfolio of political and policy issues while he was on the Hill, playing a major role in drafting numerous pieces of legislation, including legislation to reform the federal regulatory regime and Medicare payment policies. Hall received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Washington and Lee University in Virginia.
Mike Hardock
Chief Commercial Officer for Resonetics
Mike Hardock
Chief Commercial Officer for Resonetics
Mike Hardock is the chief commercial officer for Resonetics, a contract development and manufacturing organization serving the medical device OEM space. Resonetics is a pioneer in advanced engineering and manufacturing solutions that specializes in laser processing, nitinol manufacturing, thin-wall stainless steel, nitinol & precious metal tubing, and photochemical machining. Hardock joined Resonetics in 2024 and currently leads the global Sales, Account Management, Customer Service, and Customer Operations groups. He has over 35 years of experience in the CDMO space, most of which focused on the medical market. He has extensive experience in running large, global sales organizations that manage complex customer relationships, including negotiating and signing major manufacturing service agreements with large medical OEMs. Prior to joining Resonetics, Hardock was vice president of Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service at Nordson Medical, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of complex medical devices and components. Prior to Nordson, he was vice president of Global Account Management at Flex Health Solutions, a provider of medical equipment, device, and drug delivery manufacturing and design services. Hardock earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and Economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Jeff Kenitz
Vice President of Global Supply Chain & Operations at KARDION
Jeff Kenitz
Vice President of Global Supply Chain & Operations at KARDION
Jeff Kenitz is a senior medtech operations and supply chain executive with extensive experience leading global supply chain, manufacturing, sourcing, and commercialization initiatives across the medical device industry. His career includes leadership roles at Stryker and serving as chief operating officer of Exalta, formerly Tyber Medical. Today, Jeff leads supply chain operations for an innovative cardiac medical technology company, where he focuses on building resilient, scalable, and highly technical supply chains that support growth, quality, and patient outcomes. He brings a practical perspective on outsourcing strategy, supplier consolidation, and the evolving role of partners across the medical device ecosystem.
Paul Melnychuck
Chief Commercial Officer at Clayens
Paul Melnychuck
Chief Commercial Officer at Clayens
Paul Melnychuck is a global operating executive and strategic advisor with four decades of leadership across contract manufacturing, medical devices, data center infrastructure, and technology. He currently serves as chief commercial officer at Clayens, a $720M leading thermoset composite manufacturing partner backed by One Equity Partners, where he leads revenue growth strategy across 28 plants in 9 countries. Prior to Clayens, Melnychuck was SVP and general manager at Spectrum Plastics Group, a DuPont business, overseeing a $300M P&L and 1,650 employees across global CDMO operations serving the world’s leading medical device OEMs. His career spans executive roles at Philips Electronics, Eastman Kodak, and several venture-backed technology startups, including a pioneering digital music platform and one of the nation’s top-ranked charter school networks. Melnychuck holds advanced degrees in Electrical Engineering and Imaging Science from RIT and NTU, completed graduate programs at Harvard Business School and Harvard Medical School, and is the holder of eight U.S. patents. He has been recognized as RIT Alumnus of the Year, College of Science.
Marie O’Malley
Chief Commercial Officer at PiSA USA
Marie O’Malley
Chief Commercial Officer at PiSA USA
Marie O’Malley currently serves as the chief commercial officer for PiSA USA, representing Centerpiece and PiSA—companies that offer world-class contract manufacturing and EtO sterilization processing. O’Malley joined Centerpiece in 2021, where she partners with her experienced and professional colleagues supporting top-tier OEMs along with startup companies for their development, manufacturing and sterilization needs. Prior to joining PiSA USA, O’Malley worked at Medtronic for over 27 years, where she held several executive leadership roles, including leading Global Sourcing for the CardioVascular business and Responsible Supply Management at an enterprise level. O’Malley has deep expertise in supplier relations and contracts and has negotiated complex multi-million-dollar royalty and licensing agreements as well as hundreds of supplier agreements during her time at Medtronic. She managed critical and sometimes challenging supplier relationships during her tenure at Medtronic. She led a Supplier Advisory Board to further develop true partnerships with Medtronic’s trusted supply base. O’Malley has an MBA from Bentley University and an undergraduate Finance degree from Binghamton University. She also earned an Executive MBA certification from Wharton University. She’s also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and holds CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory Management) and CPSD (Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity) credentials.
Dr. Paul Nash
Engineer/Polymer Science at Hewlett Packard
Dr. Paul Nash
Engineer/Polymer Science at Hewlett Packard
Dr. Paul Nash has degrees in Chemistry and Biological Science from UC Irvine and a Ph.D. in Polymer Science & Engineering from the University of Akron. Early in his career, he worked six years in the appliance industry for Frigidaire Company before transitioning to Hewlett Packard, where he has spent the last 30 years specializing in Polymer Science and Sustainability for HP Inkjet Printing Applications. Dr. Nash maintains a busy schedule as a faculty member at four universities, where he teaches Polymer Science courses to graduate students, and has been a member of the Cinova Medical Scientific Advisory Board since 2023, where he advises Cinova’s global medical device customers on materials selection, troubleshooting, and custom formulations for specific medical device or drug delivery applications.
Noah Pearson, Ph.D.
COO at Bloom Surgical
Noah Pearson, Ph.D.
COO at Bloom Surgical
As chief operating officer at Bloom Surgical, Dr. Noah Pearson oversees the company's operations, engineering, and execution strategy, bringing together expertise in medical devices, advanced manufacturing, and biomechanics research to advance innovative technologies from concept through commercialization. With a background spanning consumer products, aerospace, and medical technology, Dr. Pearson has led the development of innovative products and manufacturing solutions across multiple industries. He holds a Ph.D. in Biomechanics from the University of Utah and previously served as an Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Pearson combines operational leadership, engineering expertise, scientific rigor, and practical product development experience to help drive organizational growth and advance next-generation medical technologies.
Jörg Purkhart
Data Scientist at Weidmann Medical Technology
Jörg Purkhart
Data Scientist at Weidmann Medical Technology
Jörg Purkhart is a data scientist at Weidmann Medical Technology, where he works at the intersection of customers, production, quality, and suppliers. He develops data models for process digitalization, advances measurement and testing systems, applies statistical methods and artificial intelligence, and implements Six Sigma projects to optimize manufacturing processes. His multidisciplinary background spans data technology, forestry, geomatics, and statistics, complemented by further training in Six Sigma and artificial intelligence. Before moving into medical plastics, he worked in cartography, aerial and satellite image analysis, and measurement image analysis for advanced optical inspection systems in the pharmaceutical industry. Today, Purkhart uses complex production and quality data to identify process variations, improve process robustness and efficiency, and support reliable decision-making in regulated manufacturing environments.
John Shegda
CEO of KMM Group
John Shegda
CEO of KMM Group
John Shegda has spent nearly four decades in manufacturing, beginning in a small family grinding shop where every machine, every process, and every customer challenge mattered personally. Today, as CEO of KMM Group, that hands-on foundation still shapes his leadership with a focus on solving difficult problems and building an organization where technical and human capability grow together. Under his leadership, KMM evolved from three specialized job shops into a boutique contract manufacturing organization, designed to fill the gap between agile small shops and large multinational CMOs created by years of industry consolidation. Shegda is also active in workforce development, industry mentoring, and regional manufacturing leadership, with a strong belief that great companies are built on purpose as much as process.
Steve Speranza
Global IT Leader of Product & Innovation at Gore Medical
Steve Speranza
Global IT Leader of Product & Innovation at Gore Medical
Steve Speranza is a global IT leader in the medtech industry with deep experience enabling R&D and medical functions, including clinical, regulatory, and medical affairs. He’s known for aligning technology strategy with product and patient-focused outcomes while accelerating product development, strengthening compliance, and modernizing digital capabilities across the value chain. Speranza has 15 years of experience in the technology industry with eight years of dedicated focus in healthcare.
David White
Vice President Global Procurement at Merit Medical Systems Inc.
David White
Vice President Global Procurement at Merit Medical Systems Inc.
David White is vice president of Global Procurement at Merit Medical Systems Inc., where he oversees global direct and indirect spend supporting Merit’s medical device manufacturing operations. Merit develops, manufactures, and markets disposable medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures across several clinical specialties. Prior to joining Merit, White spent 16 years in finance and commercial equipment leasing. He holds a business degree from the University of Utah. Outside of work, he enjoys backpacking, hiking, and mountain biking with his wife and three children.
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