Tim joined ARM as CEO in 2022 with more than 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry. A company-builder with a focus on corporate culture, he has helped early-stage organizations create internal cohesion and advance strategic initiatives. As chief executive, Tim divides his time between managing ARM and its global staff of nearly 30 employees and serving as an external advocate on behalf of ARM’s membership and the broader cell and gene therapy sector.
Tim was most recently the Chief Culture and Corporate Affairs Officer at Xilio Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing tumor-selective immuno-oncology therapies for patients with cancer. Prior to that, he was the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at CRISPR gene-editing pioneer Editas Medicine, where he led the company’s global policy and government affairs, bioethics, communications, market development and human resources initiatives. He also served in executive public affairs roles at Cubist Pharmaceuticals and Biogen.
Tim was an Advisory Group member of the Value-Based Payments for Medical Products consortium at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. He also has been a member of the Board of Directors of the non-profit organization Life Science Cares and has chaired the Ethics Committee of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT).
Tim is also no stranger to the ARM network. He previously served as a member of ARM’s Gene Editing Task Force and on the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s Gene Editing Working Group.
Tim received a B.A. in history and philosophy from Boston College and a J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. He lives in Boston with his wife and children and is a passionate fan of the Boston Celtics.
As Chief Strategy Officer, Mark leverages more than three decades of experience in the biotechnology sector to lead ARM’s global public affairs, oversee strategic planning, and guide the organization’s mission and vision. He has a proven track record of building effective organizations and successfully engaging policymakers and other stakeholders.
Mark spent seven years at bluebird bio, culminating in his role as Senior Vice President of Global External Affairs and U.S. Government Payer, where he oversaw the global communications, patient advocacy, alliance development, public policy, government affairs, and state healthcare program functions. This also includes an extensive background of engaging industry leaders, patient organizations, and policymakers in the U.S. and Europe.
During his tenure at bluebird, he served on ARM’s Board of Directors and was a member of the government affairs committee at the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy. Previously, he served in executive roles at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacia Corporation, and Schering-Plough Corporation. He holds a Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law.
Mark is also a frequent guest lecturer on the role of public affairs in the United States and the European Union. In addition, Mr. Battaglini offers his time and resources to several U.S. veteran organizations.
Rita joined ARM as Chief Operating Officer in 2023 bringing more than 20 years of healthcare experience. She most recently served as the Vice President of Sales and Qualified Treatment Centers (QTC) at bluebird bio, where she built and scaled bluebird’s pre-commercial US sales and QTC operations teams to support the launch of the ZYNTEGLO® and SKYSONA® gene therapy brands and the establishment of bluebird’s QTC hospital network.
Prior to that, she built the pre-commercial commercial operations functional team to support the successful launch of LUXTURNA® while at Spark Therapeutics. Previously, she held roles in finance, commercial operations, and sales in both North and South America for AstraZeneca. Her career began in strategic consulting with Accenture’s pharmaceuticals practice.
Rita earned her MBA in Finance and Management from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University.
Michael Werner has almost three decades of healthcare law, lobbying, regulatory, reimbursement and policy development experience in Washington. He is the co-founder & senior policy counsel of ARM as well as a Partner at Holland & Knight LLP. In these roles, Michael focuses on issues affecting biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, medical research and research institutions, physicians and patients. His specific areas of knowledge include legislation and implementing FDA regulations regarding drug/biologic review, approval and distribution; reimbursement strategy and issues; FDA and NIH oversight of clinical trials including registries and reporting of trial results; approval and marketing of orphan drugs; stem cell research and regulation of cell therapy, gene therapy, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine products; human subject protection issues such as IRB review and informed consent, as well as conflicts of interest and other bioethics issues arising from research and uses of new technologies.
Before joining Holland & Knight and founding ARM, Michael was president of The Werner Group, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that provided lobbying, regulatory, and bioethics consulting services for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, physicians, health plans, investors, and patient advocacy groups. Prior to founding The Werner Group, he was chief of policy for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), representing over 1000 biotechnology companies in the U.S. and other countries.
Before BIO, he spent six years as counsel for legislation and policy for the American College of Physicians. Mr. Werner was senior healthcare advisor to U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, a congressional investigator for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging and senior advisor to Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer.
Michael joined ARM in 2018 as its first Director of Science and Industry Affairs. Michael has over 20 years of R&D experience in biomaterials, medical devices and regenerative medicine. He has led product development teams for class II devices, human cell and tissue-based products, and drug/device combination products. He is a creator and an inventor with multiple U.S. patents to his name.
Michael has a MSc in /Biomedical Engineering, with a focus on tissue engineering, from Drexel University. Michaels areas of expertise include cell-based tissue engineering, bioceramics, biodegradable polymers, project management, strategic pipeline development, and business development.
He is passionate about regenerative medicine and believes that it represents our best hope for meeting many unmet clinical needs, thereby changing patient’s lives for the better.
Erica joined ARM as its Vice President for Government Affairs in 2023, leading our core congressional and government agency elements of the Alliance’s long-term strategic plan for the US. Erica has been a trusted resource for policymakers and government leaders throughout her career, with immense experience in policy analysis and strategy development.
Before ARM, Erica was the Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), leading the organization’s federal advocacy efforts with members of Congress, Administration officials, and their staff. During her tenure, she led the Academy’s federal engagement on the COVID-19 pandemic response and helped secure significant Medicare and Medicaid coverage and payment changes that benefit primary care clinicians and their patients.
Erica spent nearly a decade as a public servant working to enact and implement national health reform. She worked in the Obama Administration at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where she helped to launch Healthcare.gov, develop and operationalize several CMS Innovation Center alternative payment models, and facilitate numerous states’ expansion of Medicaid coverage and compliance with Affordable Care Act modernization requirements. Erica also served as a health policy advisor in the U.S. Senate, advising a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. She was part of bipartisan negotiations on the 21st Century Cures Act during her time on Capitol Hill.
Erica has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Health from George Washington University. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two children.
Laura comes to the Alliance with extensive experience in marketing and event coordination for multi-stakeholder organizations. Prior to ARM, she was the marketing & event manager at Janssen Labs, a healthcare incubator housed within Janssen Research & Development, the pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson. There, Laura implemented all marketing and press strategies surrounding the newly opened innovation center, as well as managed multiple event programs aimed at increasing awareness of the facility and its residing start-up companies. Previously, Laura spent more than three years managing programs and events for CONNECT, a San Diego not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship.
Laura received a B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management with an emphasis in Meeting and Event Management from San Diego State University.
Each step of Stephen’s 15-year career converged at ARM in his role of Senior Director of Public Affairs: A journalist covering politics and state legislatures; a business development professional advising companies on how to navigate geopolitical risk; a pharma and biotech industry consultant; a graduate of journalism and public policy programs.
At ARM, Stephen serves as global media spokesperson and social media strategist, and contributes to ARM’s policy and advocacy objectives in Washington, in state capitals, and in Brussels. He breaks down complex science for the public and policymakers, and explains why policies need to change to ensure that patients can benefit from the groundbreaking advancements of ARM’s members.
Stephen thought he left science behind after muddling his way through AP Chemistry in high school. He’s glad he was wrong. Stephen lives in Bethesda, MD, with his wife, son, and rambunctious beagle/lab mix.
Paolo leads European public affairs activities at ARM. He is a patient access, healthcare policy and investment professional with more than 20 years of experience in both assessing and supporting access to innovative healthcare technologies. Before joining ARM in 2017, Paolo worked for 5 years at Deerfield Management, a healthcare investment company. Prior to that, he worked at Merck Serono, Kyphon (which became Medtronic) and also spent several years with the Italian HTA Agency Agenas. Paolo’s interests and expertise are centered on cell and gene therapy value assessment, healthcare system modernization and financing healthcare innovation.
Robin brings more than 15 years of experience in association membership and management to ARM. As Senior Director of Membership, she ensures ARM members are connected with the benefits they need and in which they find value. She previously worked at the Association for Psychological Science, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.
Robin holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Georgia and a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University.
