ABOUT US

Zappy Zapolin is a well-known futurist, psychedelic concierge to the stars, and award-winning filmmaker who is dedicated to the expansion of human consciousness. Playboy Magazine called him “The Man Who Wants to Change the World with Psychedelics.”

As the director behind the acclaimed documentary, The Reality of Truth, Zappy won the Amsterdam Film Festival’s Van Gogh Award for Documentary Directing. The film features Michelle Rodriguez, Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Marianne Williamson, Joel Osteen, and other thought leaders and continues to inspire millions of people. Zappy’s latest film, Lamar Odom: Reborn, follows the psychedelic intervention he facilitated for the basketball superstar using the breakthrough treatments of ketamine and ibogaine.

Today, Zappy is often called on as a “psychedelic concierge” to help celebrities, thought leaders, and business icons have a conscious transformation. Known as a visionary and futurist, Zappy has been spotting trends for decades such as internet domain names, legal CBD and cannabis, and now the burgeoning psychedelic economy.

As the youngest Vice President in the history of one of Wall Street’s most successful investment banks, Zappy is a frequent commentator on the emerging psychedelic industry and investment opportunities.

Julian E. Bailes, M.D. is the Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, Co-Director of the Neurological Institute at NorthShore University HealthSystem, and Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. During his career he has specialized in the surgical treatment of cerebrovascular disease, stroke, brain tumors, epilepsy and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Dr. Bailes is a recognized leader in the field of neurosurgery and the impact of brain injury on brain function. He has been instrumental in the understanding of the clinical evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). He was portrayed by the actor Alec Baldwin in the movie Concussion, which involved his work with patients suffering from TBI, PTSD, and CTE.

Dr. Bailes has over 300 scientific publications concerning various aspects of neurological surgery, including five books on neurological sports medicine, and performs editorial duties for a number of medical journals.

Kevin Harrington has been a successful entrepreneur, investor, and business executive for over 40 years. An original “Shark” on the Emmy-winning TV show, Shark Tank, he is also the Inventor of the Infomercial, As Seen On TV Pioneer, Co-Founder of the Electronic Retailers Association (ERA) and Co-Founding board member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO).

Having worked with some of the world’s biggest celebrities and launched some of the best-selling DRTV campaigns in history, Harrington has been involved in more than 1,000 products and produced well over $6 billion in global sales. More than 20 of his companies reach over $100 million in revenue.

Chad Harman is a 25-year health insurance and cannabis executive possessing unique leadership and diverse experience across operations, manufacturing, finance, product development, IT, sales, and marketing while placing emphasis on hitting corporate KPI’s.  Chad’s greatest strength lies in developing focused corporate strategies with detailed execution plans, strong interpersonal skills make him a skilled motivator, while his financial acumen helps him maximize the company’s efficiency and profitability.

Chad has enjoyed an extremely successful career over 5 years in the Cannabis industry, developing critical industry relationships and gaining a thorough understanding from seed to sale.

Prior to the Marijuana industry, Chad had the fortunate opportunity to successfully lead and manage various areas within Anthem, Inc., a Fortune 30 company, from operations, technology, sales, marketing to finance. The extensive breadth of his knowledge and skills led him to overseeing the profits and losses for the sales and marketing division of the company. His efforts resulted in several successful $100 million-dollar projects and saving the company over $250 million dollars through his organization’s efforts.

Chad is motivated to understand every aspect of the businesses he runs.  By communicating directly with employees at every level, he can see everything from the big picture to the little details that make an operation run smoothly.

He is an enthusiastic and motivated leader and is committed to constant improvement for himself and his company.

Dr. Anish Tuteja is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan. He received his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering (2001) from Panjab University, and his Ph.D. (2006) from the department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University. Following his Ph.D., Tuteja started his postdoctoral work at MIT with a focus on developing superoleophobic surfaces. He joined the faculty at the University of Michigan in 2009. Professor Tuteja’s work has been recognized by several awards including the NSF Career Award and the Air Force Young Investigator award.

His work has also led to over 20 patents and patent disclosures. Multiple startup companies have been launched to commercialize the research discoveries from his group. His work on developing omniphobic surfaces was named as one of the “Top five new discoveries that will change the world”, while his work on oil-water separation was named as one of the “breakthroughs of the year”. His work has also been highlighted by Bloomberg TV, National Public Radio, ABC News, CBC News, Science, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The National Science Foundation, The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, The Office of Naval Research, and thousands of other news outlets, magazines, and newspapers.

Michael Hlavsa is our Chief Financial Officer and a member of our Board of Directors.  Mr. Hlavsa is an experienced executive that has over 45 years of combined financial and executive experience. He has received the designations of a Certified Public Accountant and is currently a Certified Internal Auditor and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. He has spent over 35 years working directly in the highly regulated United States casino industry in executive management, as a finance executive and as a consultant. 

Mr. Hlavsa has served as the Chief Financial Officer and Director for Cognitiv, Inc. (COGV:PINK) from 2013 until 2018.  From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Hlavsa served as Chief Financial Officer and a Director of Gerova Financial Group, Ltd. (GFC:NYSE) and also for Fund.com Inc. (FNDM:PINK) during that same time period.  He also has served as the sole Officer and Director for two other OTC companies. 

In 2004, he formed Signature Gaming Management LLC, a consulting firm specializing in advising emerging companies with respect to finance, internal controls and operations. Through Signature, Michael has served as a Chief Executive Officer, Interim General Manager, on multiple occasions as an Interim Chief Financial Officer, and as a consultant to organizations related to and in the casino industry. Mr. Hlavsa received a Bachelor of Science degree from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.

As a marketing and public relations alchemist based in Silicon Valley for 20+ years, Kaia has helped businesses like Google, Twilio, and Doctor on Demand thrive. Kaia is also the bestselling author of The Joy Plan, a practical guide to the neuroscience of joy, which was featured on the TODAY Show as the inspiration for the hosts’ week-long “complaint cleanse.”

Inspired by her personal healing experiences with psychedelic medicine, Kaia is merging two decades of brand experience work with her neuroscience and mindfulness training to bring the profound healing capabilities of these medicines to as many people as possible.

Kaia is a regular presenter, panel member, and moderator at conferences and events, providing attendees with science-backed tools for biohacking joy. Her work has been covered extensively in the media, including recent features in Forbes, Vogue, and LA Times Magazine.

Michael Gurin is a 25-year veteran of technology and business development. Gurin has been instrumental in creating the vision and technology road maps for coatings and membrane technologies through the use of integrated solutions advance surface coatings.  His experience as CEO includes the recent successful investor return of Akron, OH based Echogen Power Systems “Echogen,” originally spun off from CogniTek Management Systems in 2007.  Echogen, a waste heat recovery power generation company, has entered a strategic partnership with Dresser-Rand, a Fortune 1000 company, providing over a 10x return to its investors. 

Gurin co-founded HygraTek LLC in 2013, focusing on development of coating products and products that leverage patented coating technologies that provide a game-changing 1-5 year return on investment. Patented products take a cost-effective approach to maximizing effectiveness while significantly reducing the environmental impact for long-term sustainability in water, food, and energy systems.

Gurin holds more than 80 U.S. patents and pending applications, plus additional international patent filings. His inventions include camera and sensor systems for mobility platforms, low-energy desalination and water treatment systems to a core thermal engine technology, supercritical power generating cycles, location-based systems and object-oriented rules-based software system.

Gurin has an MBA in Corporate Finance and Venture Capital, and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering with an emphasis in Gas Dynamics and Thermodynamics, Simulation and Modeling of Control Systems, both from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Kutzko has entrepreneurial experience in addition to consultancy and senior level operations management experience in the delivery of USP 795 and USP 797 compounding, home infusion services, specialty pharmacy services and medical devices. He also had full P&L oversight and responsibility for pharmacy operations throughout the southeastern U.S.

Dr. Waymack was one of the founders of Kitov Pharmaceuticals and has served as the Chairman of our Board of Directors and Chief Medical Officer since July 2013 until retiring in October 2019.

Dr. Waymack has over 20 years of experience in the biopharma field. Dr. Waymack is a former academic transplant surgeon and a former FDA medical officer, with over fifteen years of experience in drug development as a consultant to major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Roche, Pharmacia, Warner Lambert and Searle. During his 10 years of academic career, Dr. Waymack published over 100 scientific essays, mainly in the fields of prostaglandins and immunology.

In addition, Dr. Waymack volunteered to the U.S. army, where he was commissioned and served as a Major in the Medical Corp. in the position of Chief of Surgical Studies in the U.S. Army’s Institute for Surgical Research. Dr. Waymack was also an associate professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch and at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Ronald Aung-Din practices General Neurology and Neuro-Psychiatry in Sarasota, Florida. He is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Aung-Din attended medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and residencies in Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Florida. His additional studies included a Student Fellowship in Cardiology at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford and a Neurology Fellowship at the National Hospital for Nervous Disease in Queen Square, London. He has participated as Principal Investigator in over 50 industry-sponsored clinical trials, bringing to market through the FDA, pharmaceuticals treating MS, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, Parkinson’s disease, mood disorders and other psychiatric conditions.

Dr. Aung-Din is also active in the areas of migraine, movement disorders, pain, autism; and, sleep and mood disorders as they relate to using neuro-active drugs through the novel patented NeuroDirect™ delivery utilizing cutaneous free-nerve endings with direct afferent connections to CNS for therapeutic effect.

He is the developer and holder of 13 US and foreign patents related to this non-systemic use of drugs which bypasses the bloodstream, markedly avoiding usual side effects. Additional patents have been filed and pending.

Dr. Zachary Clayton is an experienced researcher with expertise in designing fully translational preclinical studies that allow for maximum efficiency while creating reliable, applicable results intended to directly benefit human health.

Dr. Clayton is a sought-after conference presenter and guest lecturer, and his research expertise is evidenced by authoring or co-authoring more than 35 peer-reviewed research publications to date.

He holds a PhD in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon and a dual Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology and Nutritional Sciences from San Diego State University.

Mr. Yerace is a co-founder of Coeptis Pharmaceuticals and serves as the Vice President of Operations. Dan is the key strategist responsible for supply chain management, business development, portfolio management, and corporate strategy.

Dan has broad operational experience and has held leadership positions in procurement, global supply chain management, operations, and business development for small private firms and fortune 500 multi-national corporations.

Prior to joining Coeptis, Dan served as Senior Director of Global Supply Chain and Commercial Business Development for Kadmon Pharmaceuticals.

Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and statistics and a masters of business administration from Waynesburg University.

Mr. Mehalick is a co-founder of Coeptis Pharmaceuticals and serves as Chief Executive Officer. Dave is responsible for implementing long and short-term initiatives and overseeing fundraising planning and implementation.

A serial entrepreneur, Dave also founded and is President of Steeltown Consulting Group where he co-founded American Defense Systems (IPO), World Health Alternatives (IPO), American Scientific Resources (IPO), and Myotrend Nutritional Technologies (sold Privately).

At Steeltown Consulting Group, Dave served as an advisor to many companies including; Cyberdefender, Immune Therapeutics, American Standard Energy, TNI Biotech, Delmar Pharmaceuticals, Cytocom, and Spectral Molecular Imaging.

Shortly after his time at the University of Pittsburgh, Dave held the positions of First Vice President at Gruntal and Co. and Senior Vice President at First Union Capital Markets at Ferris, Baker Watts.

Dave is active in many non-profits including the International Myeloma Foundation, The Family House of Pittsburgh, and the North Pittsburgh Catholic Ironmen.

Christine Sheehy is a pharmaceutical business leader with over 25 years of experience. Most recently, Ms. Sheehy has served as SVP of Global Integration for MeiraGTx and SVP of Operations for Kadmon Pharmaceuticals leading the global supply chain, distribution, and IT organizations.

Ms. Sheehy was a founding employee of start-up pharmaceutical company, Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Kadmon in 2010. During that time, she launched branded and generic products in the U.S. leading the operational business. Globally, she executed international supply and distribution partnerships in Europe and Asia.

Prior to Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, Ms. Sheehy was in a business consulting/finance role for Schneider Downs, specializing in finance and technology in various industries. She also held various finance management roles for Ametek, Inc. Ms. Sheehy was on the board of directors of GPhA from 2006-2008 and also served on various Oracle organizations.

Gary Conte serves as Coeptis’ Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, responsible for all business activities aligning with commercialization of the company’s drug products. Gary has held a variety of senior management roles, predominately in start-up pharmaceutical companies, many of which, have become highly successful. His expertise spans critical aspects of commercial product development, including sales, marketing, training, operations, managed care, sales analytics, and reporting.

Prior to joining Coeptis, Gary served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Business Development for an independent specialty pharmacy where he led and mentored the sales team and was responsible for business development. Gary also previously held the role of Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales with another national specialty pharmacy where he was responsible for contracting with payers and building commercial revenue streams for the company.

Earlier in his career, Gary worked in the financial industry assisting high net worth clients for a privately held investment advisory company. Gary holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Duquesne University.