Lonnel Coats has been our chief executive officer and a director since October 2021, previously serving as president and chief executive officer and a director since July 2014. Mr. Coats previously served in a series of executive leadership positions at Eisai Inc. and Eisai Corporation of North America, where he worked for 18 years before joining our company, most recently as chief executive officer from 2010 to 2014. Prior to joining Eisai, Mr. Coats spent eight years with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a division of Johnson & Johnson, where he held a variety of management and sales positions. Mr. Coats serves as a director of Blueprint Medicines Corporation and holds a B.S. from Oakland University.
Jeffrey L. Wade has been our president and chief financial officer since October 2021, having previously served in a series of finance, corporate development, administrative and legal leadership positions since joining our company in 1999. Before joining Lexicon, Mr. Wade was a partner with the law firm of Andrews & Kurth L.L.P., where he represented companies in the biotechnology, information technology and energy industries in venture capital financings, public offerings and private placements, mergers and acquisitions, collaborations and licensing, and other corporate matters. Mr. Wade is a member of the boards of directors of the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute and BioHouston. He received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Texas.
Alan J. Main, Ph.D. is our executive vice president, innovation and chemical sciences and previously served in a series of manufacturing and scientific leadership positions since joining our company in 2001. Dr. Main was president and chief executive officer of Coelacanth Corporation, a leader in using proprietary chemistry technologies to rapidly discover new chemical entities for drug development, until our acquisition of Coelacanth in 2001. Dr. Main was formerly senior vice president, U.S. Research at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, where he worked for 20 years before joining Coelacanth. Dr. Main holds a B.S. from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Liverpool, England and completed postdoctoral studies at the Woodward Research Institute.
Brian T. Crum has been our senior vice president and general counsel since October 2021, previously serving as vice president and general counsel since May 2010. Mr. Crum previously served in a series of legal leadership positions since joining our company in 2001. Mr. Crum was previously a corporate securities attorney with the law firms of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP and Andrews & Kurth L.L.P., where he represented companies in the energy and information technology industries. Mr. Crum received his B.B.A. and J.D. from the University of Texas.
Craig Granowitz, M.D., Ph.D. has been our senior vice president and chief medical officer since July 2021. Dr. Granowitz previously served as chief medical officer of Amarin Corporation plc since January 2016. Prior to joining Amarin, Dr. Granowitz served as senior vice president and head of global medical affairs, global human health of Merck & Co., Inc. and in a variety of medical and commercial management positions for Schering-Plough Corporation. Dr. Granowitz received his B.A. from Dartmouth College and his M.D. and Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Kenneth B. Kassler-Taub, M.D. has been our senior vice president, regulatory affairs and quality assurance since October 2021 and previously served as vice president, clinical operations and in other senior capacities since joining our company in 2014. Dr. Kassler-Taub previously served in various senior clinical and medical leadership positions at Becton Dickinson and Company, where he worked for 12 years, most recently as vice president, corporate clinical development. Prior to joining Becton Dickinson, Dr. Kassler-Taub spent 14 years with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Pharmaceutical Research Institute, where he held a variety of clinical and drug safety positions. Dr. Kassler-Taub received his B.A. from Amherst College and M.D. from the Boston University School of Medicine.
Kristen L. Alexander has been our vice president of finance and accounting and principal accounting officer since September 2021 and previously served as controller since joining our company in 2017. Ms. Alexander previously served as controller of Johnson Specialty Tools, LLC and in a variety of finance and accounting management positions for Trican Well Services, L.P., Nabors Industries Ltd. and Ernst & Young, LLP. Ms. Alexander is a certified public accountant and received her B.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma.
Wendy E. McDermott has been our vice president, human resources since January 2022. Ms. McDermott previously served as chief people officer of Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since 2019, vice president, human resources of Sanofi from 2017 to 2019 and in a variety of human resources positions with Sanofi, Schering-Plough Corporation and other companies in the tobacco, media and talent and event management industries. Ms. McDermott received her B.A. from State University of New York at Plattsburgh.
Kiernan A. Seth, Ph.D. has been our vice president and chief commercial officer since October 2021 and previously served in a series of commercial and medical leadership positions since joining our company in 2014. Dr. Seth previously served as executive director and head of the oncology business unit with Eisai, Inc. and in a series of marketing roles with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Pfizer Inc. and Schering Plough Corporation. Dr. Seth received his B.S. from Norfolk State University, his M.B.A. from St. Joseph’s University and his Ph.D. from Meharry Medical College.