LEADERSHIP
MANAGEMENT TEAM
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Brent T. Lucas
Chief Executive Officer, Director
Mr. Lucas, CEO of Envoy Medical since November 2015, has nearly two decades of direct experience with implanted medical devices specific to the hearing industry. Rising from an intern to CEO and Board Member, he has held various roles within the organization including General Counsel and Business Development Manager gaining deep industry knowledge and unique hands-on expertise. He is a long-term shareholder in the Company dating back to his parents’ first investment in St. Croix Medical in 1995 and has a deep personal commitment to the organization. He holds a Bachelor's from the University of St. Thomas and a JD from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
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David R. Wells
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Wells, with 20 years of experience in the small-cap public company sector, became CFO of Envoy Medical, Inc. in August 2023. Previously, he served as CFO of ENDRA Life Sciences (2014-2021), where he led the company's IPO and raised $55 million. In December 2022, he joined the Board of Directors at HeartSciences, which focuses on cardiac diagnostics.
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Karin Simonson,
Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
Karin Simonson has served as our Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary since December, 2023. From April, 2023 to December, 2023, Ms. Simonson was General Counsel for Monarch Healthcare Management. She has 20+ years of diverse in-house counsel experience supporting clinical, regulatory, sales, marketing, compliance, data privacy, research and development, HR, IT, contracts and commercial operations with increasing responsibilities at both small and large companies. Ms. Simonson began her legal career over 25 years ago in commercial litigation, but over the last 15+ years has focused on the medical device industry. She is currently and has been a board member of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Minnesota Chapter for the last 9 years and an ACC member since 2007. Ms. Simonson has a BS, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and a JD, magna cum laude, from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
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Tom Hoegh
Vice President, Research and Development
Mr. Hoegh brings over 30 years of experience in the medical device industry, specializing in the development and support of active implantable devices, including neuromodulation systems. He has led engineering teams at Nuvectra, ICU/Smiths Medical, Medtronic, and Apnex Medical. Mr. Hoegh holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry from Valparaiso University and a Master's in Technology Management from the University of St. Thomas.
Board of Directors
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Chuck Brynelsen
Independent Director, Board Chair
An accomplished healthcare executive, he served as Senior VP and President of Abbott Vascular (2017–2021) and Medtronic Early Technologies (2015–2016), and was the Global President of Covidien Early Technologies (2013–2015). Previously, he led IntraPace as CEO (2005–2012). Since 2015, he has been a Venture Partner at SpringRock Ventures, focusing on digital health and devices, and has served on boards like Alebra Technologies (since 2010) and Neuspera Medical (2022–2023). He holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School and a BA from Bradley University.
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Susan Kantor
Independent Director, Audit Committee Chair
A seasoned financial executive, she served as Advisory Partner at PwC (2011–2016) and Partner, CFO & Treasurer at PRTM Management Consultants (1997–2011), with prior CFO roles at Monitor Group, BCG, and Parexel International. She chairs audit committees for Anzu, Teknor Apex ($1.2B materials company), Guest Services Inc., and the International Council on Clean Transportation. Previously, she was a board director and Audit Chair for Lionbridge Technologies ($550M public company) until its 2016 private equity sale. She holds a Bachelor’s in Accounting and Business Administration from Grove City College and is a CPA in MA.
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Janis Smith-Gomez
Independent Director, NomGov Committee Chair
With over 30 years of executive experience at Johnson & Johnson, Mars, Kraft, and PepsiCo, she most recently led J&J's efforts to transform its $27B medical devices business into a patient-centered, digitally powered MedTech innovator. Previously, she managed P&Ls up to $3B and budgets ranging from $10M to $215M. She serves on non-profit boards, including the New York Academy of Medicine and Black Public Media. She holds an MBA in Marketing & Business Policy from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s degree in Business.
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Michael Crowe
Independent Director
Michael Crowe, SVP of Operations at Bioventus, oversees Operations, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Data Integrity, Facilities, Sustaining Engineering, and Project Management & Alliances. He began his career at General Electric and held leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, Covidien Surgical Devices (now Medtronic), and Abbott Vascular. A certified Six Sigma master black belt and lean manufacturing expert, he champions continuous improvement. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisville and an MBA from Duke University.
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Mona Patel
Independent Director, Compensation Committee Chair
With over 30 years in medical devices, she has expertise in marketing, market development, clinical education, and M&A. As VP of Marketing and Clinical Education at Boston Scientific's neuromodulation division, she helped grow the startup into a ~$1B market leader. She introduced the first rechargeable spinal cord stimulator, transforming the market, and launched the first rechargeable device for Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s. She holds a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business.
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Glen Taylor
Chairman Emeritus, Director
Founder and chairman of Taylor Corporation, one of the nation’s largest privately held global printing and communications companies. He is a former chair and current member of the NBA Board of Governors and served in the Minnesota State Senate from 1980 to 1990, including as Minority Leader from 1985 to 1988. He has held leadership roles with the YMCA, Mankato Chamber of Commerce, and Minnesota Business Partnership, and served on the Minnesota State University Foundation Board. He attended Harvard Graduate School of Business and earned his BS from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
This website includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target” or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expectations of Envoy Medical concerning the outlook for its business, productivity, plans and goals for future operational improvements and capital investments; the Acclaim CI being the first to market fully implanted cochlear implant, the timing of IRB approvals, site activations, enrollment, and beginning of Envoy Medical’s clinical trial, the timing of and FDA’s position related to expanding the clinical trial to full cohort, the timing and results of clinical trials of the Acclaim CI, and the participation of any institution in such trials; the safety, performance, and market acceptance of the Acclaim CI; and any information concerning possible or assumed future operations of Envoy Medical. The forward-looking statements contained on this website reflect Envoy Medical’s current views about future events and are subject to numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and changes in circumstances that may cause its actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Envoy Medical does not guarantee that the events described will happen as described (or that they will happen at all). These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to changes in the market price of shares of Envoy Medical’s Class A Common Stock; changes in or removal of Envoy Medical’s shares inclusion in any index; Envoy Medical’s success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, its officers, key employees or directors; unpredictability in the medical device industry, the regulatory process to approve medical devices, and the clinical development process of Envoy Medical products; competition in the medical device industry, and the failure to introduce new products and services in a timely manner or at competitive prices to compete successfully against competitors; disruptions in relationships with Envoy Medical’s suppliers, or disruptions in Envoy Medical’s own production capabilities for some of the key components and materials of its products; changes in the need for capital and the availability of financing and capital to fund these needs; changes in interest rates or rates of inflation; legal, regulatory and other proceedings could be costly and time-consuming to defend; changes in applicable laws or regulations, or the application thereof on Envoy Medical; a loss of any of Envoy Medical’s key intellectual property rights or failure to adequately protect intellectual property rights; the effects of catastrophic events, including war, terrorism and other international conflicts; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by Envoy Medical on April 1, 2024, and in other reports Envoy Medical files, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or Envoy Medical’s assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. While forward-looking statements reflect Envoy Medical’s good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance. Envoy Medical disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, data or methods, future events or other changes after the date of this press release, except as required by applicable law. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are based only on information currently available to Envoy Medical.