		Our People Senior Management J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D. Merouane Bencherif, M.D., Ph.D. Jeffrey P. Brennan William S. Caldwell, Ph.D. Geoffrey C. Dunbar, M.D. Alan A. Musso, C.P.A., C.M.A. Peter A. Zorn, Esq. Mauri K. Hodges, C.P.A., C.C.P. Karen A. Hicks Board of Directors
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J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D.

President and CEO

J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D. co-founded Targacept in 1997 and is the company’s President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. Under his leadership, Targacept has built a diverse portfolio of clinical and preclinical NNR Therapeutics™ for the treatment of CNS diseases and disorders. The company has also developed proprietary drug discovery technologies, which we refer to as Pentad™, which utilize sophisticated computer-based molecular design methodologies to facilitate the rapid identification and prioritization of promising novel compounds. Dr. deBethizy has guided Targacept’s capital-raising activities, securing more than $240 million through public and private financings, including the company’s initial public offering in 2006. In addition, the company has entered into multiple strategic collaborations, including two collaborations with AstraZeneca and an alliance with GlaxoSmithKline.

Previously, Dr. deBethizy held positions of increasing responsibility at R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, including Vice President of Product Evaluation, Research and Development, where he was responsible for research, development, external affairs, and market introduction of reduced risk products. Prior to joining RJR, he held research positions with Rohm and Haas. He received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Toxicology from Utah State University and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Maryland.

Dr. deBethizy serves on the Board of Directors of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) where he is a member of the Emerging Companies Section Governing Board Executive Committee and Health Section Governing Board, and is also on the Board of Directors of LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, a private, biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative vaccine products. He also is a member of the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center Board of Directors. Within the Winston-Salem community, Dr. deBethizy is currently on the boards of directors of the Forsyth Technical Community College Board of Trustees, Piedmont Triad Research Park, United Way of Forsyth County, and Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce. He has previously served on the boards of Forsyth Technical Community College Foundation and Piedmont Triad Entrepreneurs Network (PTEN).

Dr. deBethizy co-authored Innovation That Fits: Moving Beyond the Fads to Choose the Right Innovation Strategy for Your Business published by Prentice Hall. He is also the author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters. June 2002, Targacept was the subject of a Best Practice case study article in the Harvard Business Review entitled Spinning Out a Star. In the January 2010 issue of NeuroInvestment, Dr. deBethizy was recognized as the 2009 Chief Executive Officer of the Year.