Executive Leadership

President and CEO

Chris was appointed president and CEO of Versiti on Feb. 1, 2017, after a career spanning more than 20 years exclusively in healthcare. He is first and foremost a patient and blood donor supporter who is passionate about the employee experience of more than 2,000 Versiti colleagues across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. Together with the Versiti leadership team, Chris has strengthened Versiti’s culture and stoked the flame of blood health innovation.

EVP, Clinical Trial Services

Brian brings extensive leadership experience and problem-solving skills to Versiti Clinical Trial Services, with a career of over 20 years in healthcare and a strong clinical background focused on supporting patients, providers, and teams. Before joining Versiti in 2018, Brian served as area vice president at Shire in addition to holding various leadership roles at Abbott, Abbvie, and Baxalta, consistently delivering strong results and building high-performing teams. At Versiti, he focuses on enhancing operations through improved communication, training, and change management.

Chief Medical Officer and EVP, Medical Sciences Institute

Dr. Anderson provides clinical, strategic and regulatory oversight for Versiti, including collaborations with academic and industry partners, to improve patient care through advances in laboratory medicine and clinical trials. Prior to joining Versiti, Dr. Anderson served as an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine, and as the assistant director of the Stanford Histocompatibility, Immunogenetics, and Disease Profiling Laboratory. Dr. Anderson is a graduate of the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is board-certified in anatomic pathology, molecular genetic pathology and histocompatibility. His research interests include the use of next-generation sequencing technologies for clinical diagnostics and biomarker discovery.

Chief Marketing Officer

Gretchen brings a career-long passion for brand excellence, marketing/PR and change leadership to Versiti Clinical Trials. She has spent more than 25 years leading people and strategies within nonprofit, corporate and higher education settings and understands what makes organizations and their brands tick, thrive and transform. Gretchen earned an EdD from the University of Southern California, an MA in public relations from Webster University, and a BS Ed from Concordia University Nebraska.

Chief of Staff

Christine comes to Versiti with a wealth of experience in healthcare, leadership and strategy in both large-scale organizations as well as start-ups, including Elephas Biosciences, Exact Sciences and Merck & Co. With more than 20 years in senior commercial leadership roles in the biopharmaceutical and biotech industries, Christine has a proven track record of driving strategic initiatives and organizational transformation, all aimed at enhancing patient care and advancing healthcare standards. Christine earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She enjoys spending time and traveling with her family, cheering on her kids, and attending theater and musical performances.

Chief Operating Officer

Brandon has 25 years of experience in regulated and research environments. He earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of Texas. Brandon has extensive laboratory management, regulatory and project management experience, in both point-of-care and phase I-IV clinical research capacities. Additionally, he has been trained as an emergency medical technician and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Chief Operating Officer, Pearl Pathways

Kimberley Buytaert-Hoefen, Ph.D., is a distinguished regulatory affairs executive with over 25 years of experience in global regulatory strategy, clinical trial oversight, and quality compliance, with a strong focus on gene and cell therapy. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a B.A. in Psychology from Binghamton University. Dr. Buytaert-Hoefen’s expertise spans stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and translational science, including postdoctoral work in medical oncology and clinical pharmacology. Her leadership experience includes roles such as Executive Director and Global Head of Regulatory Affairs at QPS Holdings LLC, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Azzur Group, and Principal Consultant at Parexel, where she led global regulatory strategies for advanced therapies and major submissions including INDs, BLAs, and MAAs. Earlier in her career, she served as an FDA Field Investigator, ensuring compliance across pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. As Chief Operating Officer at Pearl Pathways, Dr. Buytaert-Hoefen leads operational strategy, regulatory excellence, and business growth. She is passionate about accelerating life science product development and is committed to expanding the organization’s regulatory, quality, and clinical capabilities in collaboration with the Pearl Pathways and Versiti Clinical Trial Services teams—ensuring innovative therapies and medical technologies reach patients faster.

Chief Scientific Officer

Doug Rains has served as the chief scientific officer of Quantigen since 2015. He began his career in academia as part of the Human Genome Project at Washington University Medical School, eventually shifting into cancer research at the Health Science Center in San Antonio and, later, at Southwest Texas State University. He then spent 10 years as a qPCR and assay design specialist at Applied Biosystems (later Thermo Fisher). Before coming to Quantigen, he served as director of genetic testing for Merit Laboratory Partners in Franklin, TN. Doug currently resides just outside of Nashville, TN.

Sr. Director, Biomaterials Operations and Salus Organizational Official 

Nichole has a 16-year career with Versiti and has held multiple roles across the enterprise with increasing complexity and scope, including: research technologist, innovation and technical specialist for production and distribution, donor management supervisor, specialized production manager and director, and chief of staff. In her current role, Nichole drives excellence in Versiti’s provision of high-quality biomaterials for research and supports the operation of Salus IRB to provide ethical review services in clinical research. Nichole earned her Specialist in Blood Banking Certification in 2014, Master’s in Transfusion Medicine in 2018 and has completed Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program for Leadership Development - a program focused on leadership, innovation and organizational change.