Leadership

Christopher G. Chavez was appointed Chairman, CEO, and President of TriVascular effective April 12, 2012.  Chris joins TriVascular with over 30 years of leadership experience in the medical device industry.  For the past six years, Chris served as President of the Neuromodulation Division (NMD) of St. Jude Medical.  Chris joined St. Jude Medical through its acquisition of Advanced Neuromodulation Systems (ANS) in 2005.  At ANS, Chris served as CEO, President and Director leading ANS/NMD through 14 years of profitable growth and innovation.  Prior to ANS, Chris spent 17 years at Johnson & Johnson most recently as Vice President and General Manager of the Worldwide Infection Prevention Business.  Chris has previously served as Chairman of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, Chairman of the Dallas/Fort Worth Health Industry Council, and as a Board Member of Advanced Medical Optics, which was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 2009.  Chris received his MBA from the Harvard Business School and holds a bachelors degree in accounting from New Mexico State University.

Michael co-founded TriVascular in 1998, serving as its President and CEO from inception to 2012. He is currently Chief Technology Officer, and has continuously served as a member of the Company’s board of directors. He guided the development of the business and technical strategies for the successful re-launch of TriVascular after leading its re-emergence from Boston Scientific in 2008. Michael led TriVascular's original platform technology conception and development, corporate growth, private venture financings, and strategic partnership and acquisition by Boston Scientific. Prior to co-founding TriVascular in 1998, as President/CEO he co-founded TransMotive Technologies, an engineering and product development consulting company with unique capabilities for computer simulation and analysis of complex mechanical, structural, and dynamic phenomena in a variety of industries, including medical devices. Previously, Michael served as Senior Vice President of R&D and board member of U.S. Electricar, and also led the design of the Lunar Prospector spacecraft (subsequently licensed to Lockheed Martin). He began his career with Hughes Aircraft Company as a systems engineer.

Michael holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.S. in Engineering and Applied Science, all from the California Institute of Technology.

Robert co-founded TriVascular in 1998, and serves as Vice President, Research and Development. Robert and his co-founders Michael Chobotov and Joseph Humphrey also developed the business and technical strategies for the successful re-launch of TriVascular, following its re-emergence from Boston Scientific in 2008. During his tenure at TriVascular, Robert has worked closely with the CEO in business planning and fund-raising for all financing rounds. His strong relationships with key opinion leaders and clinicians have helped him lead the development of products aligned with their needs. In previous roles Robert has served as Vice President of Engineering for TransMotive Technologies, Vice President of Technology R&D for U.S. Electricar, and President of Livermore Research and Engineering Corp. Robert previously served as a Research Engineer and Lead Developer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and in technical roles at TRW.

Robert holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from California Institute of Technology, a M.S. in Applied Mechanics from California Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Joe co-founded TriVascular in 1998, and serves as Vice President of Manufacturing Technology. Joseph and his co-founders Michael Chobotov and Robert Whirley also developed the business and technical strategies for their successful re-launch of TriVascular, following its re-emergence from Boston Scientific in 2008. During his tenure at TriVascular, Joe has held numerous positions including Vice President of Administration, CFO, and CIO. Prior to TriVascular, Joe co-founded TransMotive, where he served as Vice President of Technology. In prior roles, Joe served as Vice President of Programs for U.S.Electricar, Co-founder and President of Advanced Projects Research Inc., and Research Scientist at the Marquardt Company. Joe began his career at Aerojet Propulsion Research Institute.

Joe holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from California Institute of Technology and B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Shane joined TriVascular in August 2010, and is currently Vice President, US Sales. Shane joined TriVascular from Abbott, where he spent nine years in a variety of Sales and Marketing roles of increasing leadership responsibility within the vascular business. Most recently, Shane served as the Director of Global Marketing for Abbott Vascular's Endovascular franchise. Prior to Abbott, Shane held sales positions with Smiths Medical, Level 1 and Medline Industries. Shane began his sales career with Lanier Worldwide.

Shane holds an MBA from The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and a BS in Engineering Science and Mechanics with a concentration in Biomechanical Engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Vivek joined TriVascular in October 2009 as Vice President, Commercial Operations. In this role, Vivek leads Global Marketing, Sales and Business Development. Vivek joined TriVascular from Medtronic, where he spent 8 years in roles of increasing leadership responsibility. Most recently, Vivek served as the Vice President of Global Marketing for Medtronic’s EVAR franchise and helped lead them to worldwide market share leadership. In previous roles, Vivek managed the global P&L for Medtronic’s Peripheral Vascular franchise, worked as a Policy Fellow in Medtronic’s Government Affairs Office in Washington, D.C., and served as an expatriate in Hong Kong, SAR and Tokyo, Japan leading the gastroenterology and urology franchise. Vivek joined Medtronic in business development supporting the Neurological and Diabetes sector. Prior to Medtronic, Vivek worked at the Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation. Vivek began his career as a consultant with The Wilkerson Group, a healthcare focused management consultancy.

Vivek holds an MBA in Healthcare Management from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania and dual bachelor’s degrees in Biology and History from the University of Michigan.

Mike joined TriVascular in September 2010 as Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Mike leads the Finance and Administrative functions—including IT, Human Resources and Legal. Prior to joining TriVascular, Mike was Chief Financial Officer at ATS Medical, a publicly traded cardiovascular device Company until its sale to Medtronic in August 2010. While at ATS Medical, he oversaw two acquisitions and led several debt and equity financings. His career includes Controller at CABG Medical, Inc.— a cardiovascular device manufacturer, and Corporate Finance Manager at Ecolab, Inc.—a developer and marketer of products and services to the hospital, foodservice, healthcare and industrial markets. Prior to entering industry, he was a manager in the assurance and advisory services practice at the professional services firm of Ernst & Young LLP.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of North Dakota.

Lou joined TriVascular in July, 2004. Lou brings over 25 years of experience in Operations, Manufacturing, and Engineering Management to TriVascular. Prior to TriVascular, he held the position of Director of Operations for Brooks Automation. Lou also held the position of Director of Manufacturing/Process Development Engineering for TriVascular as well as Boston Scientific. Previously, Lou has held positions in various industries including medical devices, semiconductor equipment, telecommunications components, disk drive manufacturing, and power generation.

Lou received a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.

Shari joined TriVascular in September 2009 as Vice President: Clinical, Regulatory & Quality. In this role, Shari leads the development and execution of global clinical studies, regulatory approvals, and quality programs. Shari joined TriVascular most recently from Aptus Endosystems where she served as the Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory. Her aortic and peripheral vascular experience also includes leadership roles at Bard Peripheral Vascular and W.L. Gore & Associates. Shari began her career as a consultant at Quintiles Medical Technology Consultants where she specialized in developing global clinical and regulatory strategies for commercialization of implantable cardiovascular devices.

Shari holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Virginia.

Rob joined TriVascular in March 2010 as the International Director of Commercial Operations based in Switzerland.  Prior to joining TriVascular, Rob worked for both Medtronic and Dow Chemical in various capacities including Cardiac Rhythm Management, Spine and Biologics, Diabetes, and Diagnostics in both the United States and Europe. Rob holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University.