Mora Melican, Ph.D., VP of Operations, Research & Development

As VP of Operations and R&D, Dr. Mora Melican leads a team responsible for the development and commercialization of allograft technologies to advance the treatment of chronic wounds. She has multiple years’ experience managing bioprograms for major biomedical enterprises, leveraging her scientific and engineering background to drive product innovation. She was also manager of research and development at the Johnson & Johnson Biomaterial Center for over eight years, where she developed novel implantable materials for a variety of medical applications including wound healing.

Dr. Melican is a strategic thinker and innovator with over 30 U.S. patents, specializing in medical devices and implantable materials. She has a track record of effectively managing technical teams to create value and drive new product development. She is also active in mentoring minorities pursuing careers in STEM.

Her educational background includes a bachelor’s and master’s in Ceramic Engineering, both from Rutgers University. Dr. Melican went on to earn a joint Ph.D. degree in Biomaterials Engineering (from Rutgers University and the New Jersey Medical School).

LESA CATALON,
VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Lesa Catalon serves as vice president of human resources for Tides Medical. In this role, Catalon is responsible for developing strategic HR plans and policies to ensure the success of Tides recruitment and retention efforts and compliance with all applicable laws, standards and best-practices. With more than two decades in HR leadership roles, primarily in service industries, she has developed expertise in a wide range of areas, including global human resources, organizational development, workforce planning, succession planning, employee benefits and change management.

Catalon earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from LSU in Baton Rouge, and she holds both SPHR and SHRM-SCP professional certifications.

DAVID CASTILLE,
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

As CFO for Tides Medical, David Castille is responsible for all aspects of financial operations, including accounting, budgeting, cash management, financial planning and corporate development.

He has a long track record of successful financial management, particularly in the healthcare industry. Prior to joining Tides, he served as CFO of Excelin Health, a private equity-backed home health and hospice company. Castille also logged nearly ten years with Amedisys, one of the largest publicly traded home health and hospice businesses in the country.

He holds a bachelor’s in physics from Centenary College of Louisiana and an MBA from Louisiana State University.

Dr. Thomas E. Serena MD FACS FACHM MAPWCA

To date he has opened and operates advanced wound care centers across the United States and globally. Dr. Serena has been the lead or principal investigator in over 100 clinical trials, including studying dual-layer amniotic membranes (Artacent®) in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. In 2011, he developed a diagnostic technique that now bears his name: The Serena Technique©. He is one of the world’s leading experts in infection diagnostics, and he holds numerous patents on wound care devices and dressings.

Dr. Serena is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of wound healing: He has more than 250 published papers and has given more than 2000 invited lectures throughout the world. He has also been a member of the board of directors of the Wound Healing Society and served two terms on the board of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC), also having served as president. Dr. Serena also served as vice president of the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine and president of the American Professional Wound Care Association.

Dr. Serena has performed extensive medical relief work with Health Volunteers Overseas and served as chairman of the AAWC Global Volunteers/HVO Steering Committee until 2016. In 2016, in partnership with HEAL Foundation, he opened a wound clinic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Outside of wound healing, he acted as a consultant for the government of Rwanda on AIDS prevention research.

JOSH WILLETT,
REGIONAL VP WEST SALES REGION

Tides’s regional VP of the western sales region, Josh Willett, has 15 years of experience in medical device sales. Willett has a performance history of developing successful relationships with sales agents in his region through mentorship and training. Willett’s focus on customer retention and satisfaction has been essential to delivering Tides’ expert service promise.

Willett is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

If you are interested in becoming a Tides customer or sales agent, contact us.

JEFF MONTGOMERY,
VP OF CORPORATE ACCOUNTS

Jeff Montgomery has nearly two decades of biotechnology experience, including market development, sales, and training. He leads the north region in executing sales and regional market development initiatives, providing a reputation of expert customer service and solutions.

Montgomery holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Judson University in Elgin, Illinois.

If you are interested in becoming a Tides customer or sales agent, contact us.

MAREN ROSEN,
VP OF MARKETING

Maren Rosen is an accomplished sales and marketing executive with more than a decade of experience leading and developing strong teams, defining market opportunities, and implementing strategic operational plans. As vice president of marketing for Tides, Rosen oversees the marketing and customer service teams, focusing on brand development and go-to-market strategies while delivering concierge-level service to internal and external stakeholders.

Rosen completed the Authentic Leadership Course at Harvard Business School in 2017 and the Executive Development Program at Louisiana State University in 2016. She is a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans and holds a Bachelor of Music in violin performance with a minor in business administration.

MIKE RIDDLE,
VP OF SALES

Mike Riddle serves as vice president of sales and is responsible for leading Tides' sales and go-to-market strategy, management of U.S. distribution sales channels, and field sales training. Prior to joining Tides, Riddle held leadership roles in both sales and operations with Becton Dickinson, CareFusion and Cardinal Health. He is a proven healthcare leader in the medical technology sector with extensive experience in strategy and business development, organizational design, process improvements, and building a culture of delivering on business and customer commitments.

Riddle holds a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.

If you are interested in becoming a Tides customer or sales agent, contact us.

BENJAMIN KIMBALL,
VP OF QUALITY AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Benjamin Kimball serves as vice president of quality and regulatory affairs for Tides, providing the company with strong expertise in multi-functional regulatory topics, quality assurance, and compliance. With more than two decades in the medical device industry — including in vitro diagnostics, bioinformatics, software/predictive algorithms, hardware, and implants — Benjamin provides Tides with key insight and guidance to ensure all products meet the strictest standards for safety and quality. With strategic insights and guidance to ensure all products meet the best-in-class standards for compliance, safety, and quality.

Benjamin earned a Bachelor of Arts in microbiology and biotechnology from Notre Dame College. He went on to obtain his Juris Doctor from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California.

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DOUG PAYNE,
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

As COO of Tides Medical, Doug Payne brings over 15 years of experience in the medical device and regenerative medicine industries, including product management, strategic market analysis, and development with companies such as Medtronic, US Spinal Technologies, and Spinal Elements.

Payne supports non-profits in the community through the Tides Medical Foundation, volunteer service such as his participation in the Real Men Wear Pink fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and his service on the board of Junior Achievement of Acadiana.

Payne graduated from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance, and he later earned his MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

JOE SPELL, CEO

Joe Spell, CEO and founder of Tides Medical, has had extensive experience developing several successful businesses in the advanced medical product space. Throughout Spell’s almost 20 years of varied industry participation, he has specialized in spinal implant technologies, orthopedic implants, and hospital sterilization. This background led him to recognize an unmet need in the field of wound care. Leveraging his understanding of product development, distribution, sales, and customer service, Spell established Tides Medical to deliver high-quality, safe, and effective skin substitute products coupled with a mission to deliver exceptional customer experiences. With its start as a private label birth tissue distributor, Tides’ business has grown to encompass the entire product and service cycle while maintaining its unwavering dedication to creating patient access. As a result of Spell’s visionary leadership, Tides has become a trusted partner for clinicians who depend on personalized solutions from expert sales, reimbursement, and customer service teams. Spell is an active supporter of many organizations in his community, including the Boys and Girls Club of Acadiana, the American Cancer Society, Junior Achievement, and LSU’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, among others. Through the Tides Medical Foundation and the Spell Family Foundation, Spell and his wife Annie have invested in local non-profits whose missions meet their philanthropic focus areas of education, medical research and community development. Spell holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is an alumni of the Harvard Business School.