Executive Management Team

Michael V. Novinski, President and Chief Executive Officer, joined Emisphere in May 2007. Previously, Mr. Novinski was President of Organon USA, and Executive Vice President of Operations and Marketing for Organon International. He served on the Board of Directors for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America from 2004 through 2008. Mr. Novinski received his B.S. in Biology from Washington and Jefferson College.

Michael R. Garone, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, joined Emisphere in August 2007. Mr. Garone was the previous CFO and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Astralis, Ltd., a biotechnology company. Prior to that, Mr. Garone spent two decades at AT&T, where he held a variety of positions, including CFO of AT&T Alascom. Mr. Garone received his MBA from Columbia University and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. He received his B.A. in Mathematics from Colgate University.

Nicholas J. Hart, Vice President of Strategy and Development joined Emisphere in August 2008. Mr. Hart is the former Leader of the Contraception Therapy Area and ELT member at Organon, part of Schering Plough Corporation. Also at Organon, he served as Senior Director/Executive Director of Marketing of the Women’s Healthcare Franchise; Director of CNS Marketing, and Associate Director of Specialty Products. Prior to Organon, Mr. Hart held various marketing and sales positions with Novartis, Sankyo Parke Davis Pharmaceuticals, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Mr. Hart is a graduate of West Point and holds an MBA Finance, International Business NYU Stern School of Business.

Patrick J. Osinski, Acting General Counsel, joined Emisphere in October 2008. Previously, Mr. Osinski was General Counsel and Vice President of Business Development and Government Affairs at Organon USA, part of the Schering Plough Corporation, and served as Organon USA's representative to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.He has over 30 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Osinski received his B.S. in Pharmacy and MBA from the University of Wisconsin, and his J.D. from St. John's University, School of Law.

Daria M. Palestina, Director, Human Resources and Communications, joined Emisphere in April 2008. Ms. Palestina comes to Emisphere from Novartis Pharmaceuticals, where she served as an HR Generalist. She was also a Staffing and Recruiting Consultant for Biovail Pharmaceuticals and a Project Manager at ADP. Ms. Palestina holds a B.A. in English from Boston College. She earned her PPOD certificate at Columbia Teachers College and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management.

M. Gary I. Riley, DVM, Ph.D., Vice President, Nonclinical Development and Applied Biology, joined Emisphere in October 2007. Dr. Riley is a graduate veterinarian with degrees from Sydney University and Melbourne University and was awarded a Ph.D. in Comparative Pathology from the University of Missouri, Columbia. He was Associate Professor of Veterinary Pathology at Iowa State University before entering the private sector. Previously, Dr. Riley was the Vice President of Toxicology and Applied Biology at Alkermes, Inc. and Director of Pathobiology at Lederle Laboratories. Dr. Riley is certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and the American Board of Toxicology. His professional contributions include over 50 scientific publications and preclinical submissions to the U.S. FDA and EU drug registration agencies.

Ronald Zesch, Vice President Manufacturing and Technology, joined Emisphere in April 2010. Mr. Zesch comes to Emisphere with over 28 years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing. In his most recent capacity at Organon, part of Schering Plough/Merck, he managed the Organon Allentown, PA Packaging and Distribution facility. Mr. Zesch was also part of the Organon Corporate Executive Leadership Team and had responsibility for Planning, Procurement and Facility Operations at the Roseland, NJ facility. During his time at Organon Mr. Zesch also held various positions in the Quality organization and in Manufacturing. Prior to Organon, Mr. Zesch worked at Sandoz as a research chemist. After graduating from Wagner College with a degree in Chemistry, Mr. Zesch received his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.