Board of Directors

Jennifer Byrne

Chief Executive Officer of PMG Research

Jennifer Byrne is Chief Executive Officer of PMG Research, Inc. (PMG). In this role, Jennifer is responsible for driving the company's growth as a leader of one of the largest wholly owned and operated Integrated Site Networks in the U.S. PMG Research delivers a standardized clinical research infrastructure to large physician practices and mid-market organized systems of care with a commitment to deliver improved care, decreased costs, and improved patient satisfaction through clinical trial participation as a care option. Jennifer spends much of her time with health care providers learning more about the challenges they face in connecting the right patients to the right trials. This understanding leads to better solutions for both the health care system and the Pharma and CRO clients of PMG.

Jennifer has concentrated her career in the clinical research site sector for over 25 years. During her long-term tenure at PMG she and her team have completed over 7,500 Phase I-IV clinical trials which have included over 100,000 research volunteers. Jennifer was recognized as a CenterWatch Top 25 Innovator and currently serves as an Advisory Board member to CISCRP and the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Advisory Committee Member for NC Biotech Piedmont Triad, and Board member of the Hospice Foundation and The Greater Gift Initiative. Jennifer earned her bachelor of science in Nutrition at Texas A&M University.

Amanda Wright

Executive Director

Amanda began her career in Clinical Research in 1998, working as a Clinical Research Coordinator within the PMG Research organization and has since served in various clinical operations capacities within the Winston-Salem research site and the PMG Research network support team. For a number of years, Amanda's responsibilities centered around patient recruitment and today, serves as Senior Director of Client Services, leading the teams within PMG Research responsible for business development, client services, feasibility, communications, and patient engagement and recruitment. Amanda was responsible for the first formal patient recruitment team at PMG Research in the early 2000s, and is currently leading teams charged with developing new strategies and processes for the centralization of feasibility, patient recruitment, and patient engagement across the PMG network in order to provide Sponsor and CRO partners with high-value services beyond the traditional research site model while delivering an exceptional experience to participants.

Amanda is a member of the PMG Research team that has forged several strategic partnerships between PMG Research and Sponsor and CRO organizations. These partnerships are novel within the industry, and include executive-level decision makers across the organizations. She has initiated collaborations with strategic partners in the areas of risk-based monitoring, patient engagement, quality, and feasibility designed to improve the clinical trials enterprise for all stakeholders. Amanda believes that building consensus while creatively collaborating with a diverse range of contributors is essential to adapting to the changing pharmaceutical landscape while keeping the patient at the forefront of the innovation.

Amanda has been an active Greater Gift Initiative team member since its inception in 2010, and an advocate for building awareness and participation in GGI with Sponsor, CRO, and research site partners. She is excited to be a part of GGI in her new capacity as Executive Director, and looks forward to furthering its mission to recognize clinical research participants through the donation of vaccines to children in developing countries in new and innovative ways.

Joan A. Chambers

Chief Operating Officer, CenterWatch

As the Chief Operating Officer for CenterWatch, Joan is responsible for the business operations, financial performance, marketing, and sales of the company along with setting strategic direction. A well-known speaker at industry conferences and symposiums, Joan has presented on a wide variety of topics specific to the clinical trials enterprise. In the course of her career, she has also published in clinical trade journals. For five years, she was an instructor for Barnett International's CRA/CRC programs on the site identification/qualification process. Joan is on the Advisory Board for BioBridges and The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP), and is an active member of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) and the Drug Information Association (DIA).

Prior to joining CenterWatch in April 2010, Joan spent two and a half years with Cambridge Healthtech Institute as Senior Director of Marketing & Operations-Publications; two and half years with the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development at Tufts University as Director of Strategic Marketing & Development; seven and a half years with Thomson CenterWatch as Senior Director of Marketing & Sales; and four years working for PAREXEL International as Site Selection Specialist. Joan holds a B.S. in Marketing.

Ann Kottcamp

VP of Client Services, MMG

Ann has been involved in patient recruitment for more than 15 years, where she helped oversee and implement over 175 recruitment campaigns. Ann is responsible for leading MMG teams in program development and execution, creative development, production, program analysis, and budget management. Prior to coming to MMG, Ann served as leader of both Argonauta Communications and PRP. Ann also worked on the preclinical side at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her research was a collaborative effort spanning both neurological disorders and strokes (NINDS), and mental health (NIMH). Additionally, she worked at Louisiana State University Medical Center in the department of pharmacology through a grant from the National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA). During this time she co-authored several papers for industry publications. A veteran in the industry, Ann is well known for her experience in and understanding of patient recruitment.

Mark Lacy

Founder and CEO of Benchmark Research

Mark Lacy is founder and CEO of Benchmark Research – a growing and dynamic firm with a network of quality investigative research sites throughout the United States. His active participation with the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) has encompassed serving as Chair of the Site Manager’s Forum, Chair of the Finance Committee, being elected to the Board of Trustees; and in 2005 being honored as a recipient of the Meritorious Service Award.  Mark also serves on the Board of Advisors for The Center for Information & Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP), and as a member of the Executive Committee for the PharmaTimes U.S. Clinical Researcher of the Year competition.  In 2010, Mr. Lacy was selected by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top five “Established Entrepreneurs” for his success in growing Benchmark Research, and was recognized in 2011 by PharmaVoice as one of the 100 most Inspiring People.  This entrepreneurial approach has extended into his formation of VaxNet, a nationally prominent research network focusing on vaccines, of which he is the CEO.  Prior to founding Benchmark Research, Mark earned a B.A. degree from The University of Texas at Austin; and held several prominent positions in state and national politics, including service under a Presidential Administration.

Karen Nowatkoski

Senior Director, Site Alliances, PAREXEL

Karen has been involved in clinical research for over 25 years.  In her current role, Karen is responsible for developing strategies to improve patient enrollment in order to meet customer expectations through the Alliance Site Program at PAREXEL.  Karen has vast experience managing global clinical trials, including executive level responsibility for the successful and collaborative leadership of clinical operations management, site management, clinical monitoring teams, process/system development, global project management and project delivery, business development and pricing support.  During this time, she has worked in the pharmaceutical, CRO, and private practice environment always striving to deliver medicine in a more streamlined, cost effective manner.