Leadership
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Richard D. Jennings
With an MBA from Harvard Business School and Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, Richard Jennings brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the biomedical and healthcare fields. Prior to joining California Cryobank, Richard served as CEO of Mediscan, one of the premiere healthcare staffing firms in the U.S. His experience includes: fundraising for the American Heart Association in Los Angeles; CFO of the Woodlands Chamber of Commerce; and Association Administrator of the Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center.
Pamela Richardson
Pamela Richardson is the COO/President of CCB’s Reproductive Tissue Services Division, overseeing both the sperm and egg donor programs. Prior to joining CCB, she worked as a global strategic consultant for McKinsey & Company, as well as the Vice President of Corporate Alliances at Disney.
Pamela earned her BS from the University of Virginia and her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Brian Rizkallah
As Chief Financial Officer, Brian oversees the finance, accounting and M&A functions. Prior to joining California Cryobank, Brian served as the Chief Financial Officer of Vantage Oncology, a multi-site provider of outpatient oncology services, leading its successful sale to McKesson Corp. Brian began his career in investment banking at Chanin Capital Partners and FocalPoint Partners.
Brian earned his MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and his BA from UCLA.
Jaime M. Shamonki, MD
Dr. Shamonki trained in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical College, and has completed fellowships at Weill Cornell as well as the University of California, Los Angeles.
Prior to joining CCB, Dr. Shamonki developed expertise in women's health and clinical laboratory medicine, serving as the Director of Breast Pathology and Blood Bank Medical Director at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, and as an Assistant Professor at the John Wayne Cancer Institute.
Tia Newcomer
Tia Newcomer is the Chief Commercial Officer at California Cryobank overseeing marketing, call center and healthcare provider sales. She is a senior executive with experience in commercial operations, marketing, sales and data science. Tia has spent the last 5 years in the women's consumer healthcare industry (Cord Blood Registry, AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Prelude Fertility, Kindara) with a +15 year foundation in tech and CPG (Hewlett Packard, PepsiCo, Frito Lay, Clorox, Revlon) all with a focus on how women want to shop and buy products for their families.
Once a Husker, always a Husker, she holds a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is a Seth Godin altMBA graduate and earned a Masters from working for Fortune 100 companies.
Peter Bawin
Peter Bawin serves as senior vice president and general manager for Cord Blood Registry (CBR). Mr. Bawin joined CBR in 2009 and has held leadership roles of increasing responsibility throughout the years. With over 15 years of healthcare, pharmaceutical, consumer, digital marketing and sales experience, Mr. Bawin previously held product management roles within Mylan's EpiPen business and began his career as a pharmaceutical sales representative with the allergy and cardiovascular franchises at Schering-Plough. Mr. Bawin holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree from Miami University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Denver.
Heidi Hayes
Heidi Hayes received her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Michigan and her Masters of Arts degree from the University of Texas. She served as an animal husbandry specialist in the United States Peace Corps in Ecuador. After returning stateside, she began her career as the Director of Development and Marketing for a national not-for-profit. She diversified her knowledge level by accepting Executive positions in both small and large healthcare operations. Heidi has more than 25 years of healthcare experience, having worked as an Executive in the fields of pain management, physical therapy, dialysis and reproductive endocrinology.
She serves on the board of CapEX MD, a financing company and Tinina Q. Cade Foundation, a national not-for-profit which provides financial support and education to individuals with infertility. In 2010, Heidi left her position as Executive Director of Shady Grove Fertility Reproductive Science Center and IntegraMed America to launch Donor Egg Bank USA with Michael Levy, MD. Donor Egg Bank USA was the first egg bank to ship vitrified eggs from program to program successfully in the United States and boasts more than 120 partners over two continents.
As a result of Donor Egg Bank USA's successful sale to California Cryobank, Heidi was featured in the March 2017 issue of Inc. Magazine for having harnessed new technology in the creation of a successful start up. She continues to run the Egg Bank Division of California Cryobank and not only knows the business of assisted reproductive therapies, she has personally experienced it. Heidi and her husband are the parents of three children and have built their family through adoption and donor egg treatment.
Kristen Swingle
Kristen Swingle has been responsible for overseeing all operations at CBR’s laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, since 2007. Kristen has a strong background in process implementation, continuous improvement and leadership development. During her tenure at CBR, Kristen served as the project lead for the implementation of AXP processing at CBR and was integral in the implementation of CBR’s cord tissue product offering. In her current role, Kristen is primarily responsible for serving our clients through her oversight of our client sales and service and laboratory operations teams. Kristen holds a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Medical Sciences. Additionally, Kristen serves as Vice Chair of the Arizona BioIndustry Association (AZBio) Board of Directors.
SCIENTIFIC & CLINICAL ADVISORY TEAM
Michael J. Levy, M.D.
Reproductive Services
Michael J. Levy, M.D., is a Medical Director of California Cryobank. He is also a founding partner and director of in vitro fertilization at Shady Grove Fertility. He also innovated and fought for acceptance of the Shared Risk 100% Refund Plan and the Shared Donor Egg Program. Dr. Levy received his medical degree from the University of Cape Town Medical School in South Africa. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology and a 2-year fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at The George Washington University. Dr. Levy is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive endocrinology. He is a clinical assistant professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Regulatory Affairs
