Meet Our Team

Kelsey has over 15 years of experience founding, scaling, and operating innovative companies across Canada and the Caribbean. She has built multiple 8-figure businesses from the ground up and has twice been named Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneur. Kelsey also serves on the Entrepreneurship Council for the University of Western Ontario, where she is also a faculty member teaching Design Thinking. Kelsey holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. She is an accomplished keynote speaker and published author.

Dr. Hartwell, an entrepreneur with a strong record of successful business startups, is a co-inventor of FS2 and AI-001 cell therapy. Prior to undertaking his PhD, he cofounded ATS Biotech Inc., an advanced, biomedical wound care company specializing in the development and manufacture of medical devices. As a university and workshop lecturer with first-hand experience in FDA, EU, HC, CFDA, and Japan Regulatory filings for drug products, medical devices, and natural health products, Dr. Hartwell brings a wealth of experience to MINDCURE’s regulatory affairs and product research. He has published 20 peer-reviewed articles, 26 presentation abstracts, and 4 patents. He holds a faculty position at UBC, managing teams and conducting research. As well as, he leads investigator-forums and workshops at major local, national, and international conferences.

Dr. Hartwell graduated with honours in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa, and shortly thereafter conducted research in Free Radicals in Medicine at the National University of Singapore under world-renowned researcher and industry leader, Professor Barry Halliwell. He then received his PhD in Experimental Medicine at UBC, receiving the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Award for Top Graduating Doctoral Student and Rising Star in Research.

Geoff has over 30 years of experience in the fintech industry building innovative and industry-leading technology solutions to drive operations. He is a senior architect and creator of the Integration Services Team at banking solutions company Fincentric Corporation. Geoff’s most recent position was as Vice President of Information Technology at Westland Insurance.

Michael Wolfe has over 30 years’ experience in finance, accounting, private equity, and business valuation. He was most recently the CFO of Baylin Technologies Inc., a TSX listed company in the wireless communications industry. Prior to joining Baylin, Michael was the CFO of several mid-market Canadian companies, including Masstech Group Inc., a software company in the broadcast industry. As a General Partner at VenGrowth Capital Partners Inc., Michael had a successful track record in acquisitions, management buyouts, growth financings, and recapitalizations in diverse industries such as cable, broadcast, manufacturing, insurance, oil field services, and global logistics.

Michael has also served as a director for several private and public companies, including as a member of audit and other independent committees. He earned a CPA, CA designation, a Chartered Business Valuator designation, an MBA from McMaster University, and a BA (Business and Economics) from the University of Western Ontario.

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Tarik is an accomplished executive within the healthcare and technology sectors, with over 13 years of international operational experience. He started his career as a software engineer but then moved to the business world to lead the medical division of Johnson & Johnson in Morocco. He later found a passion for scaling and structuring rapidly growing companies, and his most recent experience was with a large cannabis producer.

He holds a BA in Mathematics and Computer Science from Ripon College and an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.

Daniel Herrera is a pharmaceutical executive with extensive experience in large and startup pharmaceutical organizations and a proven track record in translating business strategy into actionable goals for growth, and profitability in highly regulated industries. His experience ranges from sales and marketing management to medical affairs, product development and product licensing, to negotiations with public and private payers, GPOs, and pharmacy buyers, to operations and strategic business development, and strategic partnerships resulting in high-value M&A transactions.

Daniel is a graduate of McGill University, the University of Montreal and earned an MBA from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.

Sacha leads MINDCURE's creative team, helping to bring world-class and innovative products to the market, while driving our focus on quality and customer experience at every touch point. A digital strategist, marketing lead, and e-commerce management expert, she is highly regarded for leading and growing creative departments, executing marketing strategies, and generating traffic and engagement for medical devices and products that support wellness. Sacha holds a degree in Communications from the University of Ottawa.

Mark holds an MSc (in Paleotoxicology) from Queen’s University. He gained valuable International experience with CREMA (Marine Conservation) in Costa Rica alongside renowned conservation biologist Randall Arauz. He has directed many scientific research projects and enjoys facilitating connections between diverse stakeholders in support of the greatest communal good.  

That this company is on the cutting edge of making profound therapeutic contributions to the fields of mental health and pain management, truly inspires Mark to apply his multidisciplinary background and innate desire to connect and collaborate with others. Mark is excited to be a member of the team at Mind Cure translating great ideas into the delivery of effective therapeutic products for the benefit of those experiencing physical and psychological pain.

Teya has extensive experience working in public companies in a variety of industries, including technology. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Teya is a communications and investor relations leader with over 15 years of experience in corporate marketing, branding, and strategy development and implementation for private and publicly traded companies.

Dr. Tashiro received his PhD in psychology from the University of Minnesota and has been an award-winning professor at the University of Maryland and University of Colorado. He is also a social scientist, relationship expert, and published author of books including, THE SCIENCE OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER and AWKWARD: The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome. In his professional career, Dr. Tashiro also served as the Chief Science Officer at Connectidy, a platform that leveraged IBM's Watson AI platform to improve decision-making at scale.

Rachelle Dyer is a seasoned senior Administrator with over 25 years of experience working with Canadian businesses in both the public and private sectors directly supporting senior executives of complex, fast-paced businesses and senior legal counsel. She focuses on regulatory, licensing, and corporate compliance. Rachelle guides her clients through the regulatory maze to ensure that they are successful. She thrives in a fast-paced environment and is very passionate about providing value to clients and colleagues. She loves her work and has been very fortunate to work with some exceptional organizations and law firms.

Jaclyn Riley has over eleven years of experience in the Pharmaceutical, Clinical Research, and the Food and Beverage industries. She is highly experienced in budgeting, contracting, financial reporting and analytics, process improvement, quality control, and regulatory procedures. She maintains a thorough understanding of ICH-GCP guidelines and USFDA regulations. Over the past five years, Jaclyn has worked as the Regulatory Manager at Skin and Cancer Associates, and as the Managing Member of Jaclyn Patrice Riley, LLC. She received her MBA and BBA from the College of Business and is currently completing her Juris Masters from the College of Law at Florida International University.

Dr. Engle is world-renowned for his specializations in psychiatry and neurology. With a background in integrative psychiatry, neurocognitive restoration, peak performance medicine and psychedelic research, Dr. Engle helps individuals shift from illness and trauma to health and happiness. His trans-disciplinary approach focuses on healing the body and brain, the heart and mind and, finally, integrates the spirit to help individuals optimize all aspects of health for sustained fulfillment.

He received his medical degree from the University of Texas in San Antonio, his psychiatry residency degree from the University of Colorado in Denver and his Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship degree from Oregon Health and Sciences University.

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Hamilton Morris is a chemist, filmmaker, and science journalist. He uses an interdisciplinary approach combining anthropology and chemistry in the study of psychoactive plants, fungi, chemicals, and the cultures that surrounds them in more than thirty countries. Hamilton is the director of the award winning documentary series Hamilton's Pharmacopeia in which he explores the chemistry and traditions surrounding psychoactive drugs.

Hamilton attended the University of Chicago and The New School in New York City, where he studied anthropology and science. He frequently consults with media on the subject of psychoactive drugs and conducts pharmacological research at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Dr. Wallach is an instructor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences as well as the Substance Use Disorders Institute at the University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA. He also holds an adjunct appointment at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, and is an author of over 20 publications in peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and press articles. Dr. Wallach is interested in the effects of drugs in altering a person’s reality and having lasting impacts. He and his team research how existing drugs, including psychoactive drugs, dissociative drugs, and new formulations can best help patients.

Dr. Wallach has a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from University of the Sciences and a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Wolfram Tetzlaff is the Director of ICORD and a professor in the departments of Zoology and Surgery at the University of British Columbia. He also holds the John and Penny Ryan British Columbia Leadership Chair in Spinal Cord Research. He completed his MD at the University of Essen, his Dr. Med. at Ruhr-University Bochum, and his PhD at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Tetzlaff's research is focused on neural protection and neural repair, working on strategies to protect the spinal cord and brain in the early phases after injury, including with nutrition, and to promote recovery after spinal cord/brain injury by stimulating endogenous stem cells.

Hector has over 30 years of experience providing legal advice to high growth public and private companies in life sciences, health, mining, clean tech. He advises on corporate domestic & cross-border public & private security offerings, M&A, international partnering & licensing transactions, and board committees on corporate governance. He is recognized by Lexpert as being among the Top 100 Canada/US Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada and Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada; by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year 2020 in Biotech and a Leading Lawyer in M&A, tech, corporate & securities; and in Chambers Canada 2020.

Jon Bier has 15+ years in marketing and public relations and is CEO/Founder of Jack Taylor PR, a communications agency with offices in Brooklyn, NY and Venice, CA. He is a bar-admitted non-practicing attorney and Adjunct Professor of Marketing at New York University. Jon is known as an expert storyteller and brand builder, having worked with health and wellness industry leaders.

Chris brings a deep competency for the union of technology, community, brand, and business to all of his partnerships. He is well-versed in guiding global brands, startups, and his own digital experience agency through consumer awareness and strategy, audience building, and brand design. His work with Rolex, The New York Yankees, Disney, Community, and TURN has cultivated a uniquely nuanced skill set and insights. As an advisor and board member to several successful entities in the digital experience space, Chris brings to MINDCURE a wealth of experience and passionate energy for product development.

Philip has over 25 years of experience driving transformational change in highly regulated industries. Most recently, he served as the Chief Information Officer at Westland Insurance and has held a variety of other leadership positions within the financial services industry. Philip is experienced at bringing innovative and disruptive technologies to market, having founded iProcess Solutions, a pioneer in the insurance technology space. He holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University.

Rob is an experienced Chief Financial Officer and corporate director of public and private companies and not for profit organizations. He has over twenty years of experience contributing to the growth and successful development of organizations in Canada, the USA, and Japan. Rob is an exceptional team builder and is experienced in delivering strategically sound acquisitions, financings, and reorganizations. He has led and advised companies in strategy development, corporate governance, Canadian and U.S. securities disclosure requirements, and stock exchange listings. Rob obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia and has been a Chartered Professional Accountant for over 20 years. He lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Larissa Chaikowsky is the Chief Operating Officer for the U.S. Wealth Management business at BMO. She leads the National Office Teams and oversees the
planning, development and implementation of product and service strategies for BMO Financial Group's U.S. Wealth businesses. Prior to this role, Larissa was
the U.S. Chief Human Resources Officer for BMO Financial Group. She oversaw the strategic and operational governance processes of the U.S. HR organization. She executed enterprise HR overseeing and coordinating human resources related matters as they pertain to: U.S. regulatory agencies, and U.S. mergers and
acquisitions. Larissa had a leadership role with the Human Resources Committee of the BMO Financial Corp board of Directors and the Benefits Investment
Committee. She also chaired the U.S. Compensation Oversight Committee and the U.S. Benefits Administration Committee.
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During her fifteen-year tenure with BMO, Larissa has held several senior positions that have played a role in helping redefine the BMO brand and improving the
business practices of Technology and Operations, Human Resources and Corporate Strategy. Larissa received her Bachelor of International Business and
Relations from the Sprott School of Business and holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Jason has over 20 years of experience managing operations and product development in the technology and consumer products industries. He has led start-up companies through concept to launch and has also managed strategy and development at large enterprise software companies. Jason’s expertise extends into e-commerce, where he has led operations across digital media, health and medical cannabis. He received an Executive MBA from Simon Fraser University.