Our People

Leading our research center in The Villages, Florida, Dr. Jeffrey Norton has more than 20 years of experience in anesthesiology and pain management and has served as Principal Investigator on more than 40 clinical trials across all phases of research.  His extensive clinical trials experience includes research studies in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), lumbosacral radicular pain, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and osteoarthritis.  Dr. Norton graduated from Hahnemann University School of Medicine and completed both his residency in anesthesiology and his fellowship in pain management at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  He is a highly respected expert in anesthesiology and pain management and has served as an Instructor in Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School.  After more than 20 years of clinical practice, Dr. Norton focused his career on clinical research and has since spent numerous years performing clinical research, looking to slow or stop the progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.  Today, Dr. Norton continues to devote his full-time efforts to advancing medicine.

Leading our research center in Orlando, Florida, Dr. Edgardo Rivera has served as Principal Investigator or Sub-Investigator on more than 40 clinical trials across all phases of research and in numerous therapeutic areas including Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease, cervical dystonia, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), lumbosacral radicular pain, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, osteoarthritis, and obesity.  Dr. Rivera is particularly experienced as Principal Investigator in clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease.  Dr. Rivera is board certified in Emergency Medicine, is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP), and serves as an Oral Board Examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM).  He has published 29 papers on a variety of topics spanning emergency medicine, mass casualty response, systems performance, spinal injuries, cardiac arrest, and acute tachyarrhythmias.  Dr. Rivera was an Associate Professor at Michigan State University and served as Assistant Residency Director, teaching resident physicians and medical students for many years.  He also served on the editorial board of 2 prominent peer-reviewed national scientific journals for 15 years, regularly reviewing research manuscripts submitted for publication.  He has been an invited lecturer and speaker at multiple local, regional, national, and international educational and scientific meetings, from local hospital systems to large gatherings of physicians at the National ACEP Scientific Assembly.  Dr. Rivera served in the U.S. Air Force for 8 years and has over 30 years of clinical practice experience.  He is fluent in Spanish and English.

Lauren Duvall oversees clinical operations and growth of The Villages site and is a certified research professional with 6 years of experience in Phase I-IV clinical trials.  She has managed and coordinated a wide scope of clinical trials including first-in-human, women’s health, osteoarthritis, psychiatry, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, NAFLD/NASH, device, and diagnostics.  Lauren is also experienced in administering psychometric and clinical rating scales for cognitive-related studies.  Prior to her current role as Site Director of The Villages site, Lauren served as Clinic Team Lead and Clinical Research Coordinator at Charter Research.  She began her career in healthcare as a medical scribe with a Physician Associates Internal Medicine physician.  Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Florida State University and is a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).

Sarah Hollingshead has been in the clinical research industry since 2009, holding various positions over the years, working as a project manager, lead auditor, clinical research coordinator and site director. Sarah has worked in several therapeutic areas, and she brings a wealth of knowledge to Charter Research. Working for both pharmaceutical and clinical research companies, Sarah has seen projects through from conception to completion and is dual certified through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals as a research coordinator and monitor. By training, Sarah is a business psychologist and holds a Master of Science in Business Psychology from Franklin University located in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Sarah currently leads the Patient Engagement department at The Villages site which focuses on the engagement of people from all communities and raises awareness of clinical research.

Liz Harrison oversees our Orlando site and has responsibility for ensuring high quality data collection, exceptional patient service, and appropriate visit volume to support the growth and success of the clinical research team. Liz has more than 10 years of experience in healthcare project management and clinical research operations.  Prior to her work with Charter Research, Liz was the Senior Manager of Clinical Operations for the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP), where she was responsible for optimizing GAP-network initiatives and working with research sites to optimize clinical trial execution.  Liz also previously worked as a Research Manager with Bioclinica Research (formerly Compass Research and subsequently acquired by PPD), where she worked on strategic operational plans and oversaw broad clinical functions.  Under her management, her site grew in study capacity, participant enrollment, and reputation for high-quality data.  Liz earned a bachelor’s degree in health services administration from the University of Central Florida.  She resides with her family in Maitland, Florida.

Dr. Diana Balsalobre is a Board-Certified Neurologist with over 22 years of clinical experience.  She completed her Internship and Neurology Residency in Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida in 2000.  Following residency, she completed a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology with training in EEG and EMG/NCV at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.  Upon completion of her fellowship, she moved to Puerto Rico, where she worked in a private Neurology practice for 16 years.  She returned to Florida in 2016, serving as an outpatient neurologist with Advent Health Medical Group and subsequently with Neurovations Clinic before joining Charter Research in 2023.  Dr. Balsalobre has vast experience diagnosing and managing multiple neurological conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, migraine, and stroke.  She is fluent in Spanish and English.

With more than a decade of medical and psychiatric experience, Dr. Jorel Martinez is the newest addition to the medical staff at Charter Research. Board certified in psychiatry, with published articles in peer-reviewed medical journals, Dr. Martinez has extensive expertise evaluating, diagnosing, and performing therapeutic procedures for psychiatric disorders. He completed his medical degree at Rush Medical College in Chicago and his psychiatric residency at University of Chicago Medical Center. His top areas of expertise are schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He has over four years’ experience overseeing clinical studies of patients undergoing new treatments and therapies. Responsible for performing multiple critical study related procedures, including but not limited to assessing results and reports, performing physical exams, monitoring safety, and making study-related medical decisions.

Dr. Stephen Miller has over 15 years of diverse clinical and healthcare policy experience and has served as an investigator on more than 20 clinical trials in neurodegenerative disease, gastrointestinal disease, and pain management at Charter Research. After graduating from University of South Florida College of Medicine, he trained in general and cardiac surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and completed a research fellowship in metastatic breast cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  He dedicated the early part of his career to acute care surgery and the management of critically ill surgical patients in Boston, MA. Dr. Miller performed hundreds of operations in many general surgical subspecialties in addition to directing the surgical intensive care unit. During this time, he helped pioneer a transformative program in health maintenance policy that focused on improving access to healthcare, patient education, and patient engagement and compliance. He eventually focused fully on this endeavor, expanding the program from isolated providers to all Medicare and Medicaid payors and most private insurers. With expertise in metabolic disease, GI pathology, and preventive medicine, Dr. Miller’s professional passions center on progressing public health, driving developments in new treatments, and advancing standards of care. Now engaged full-time in clinical research, Dr. Miller leverages his vast clinical expertise to challenge diagnostic and therapeutic boundaries across a varied spectrum of disease disciplines.

Dr. Mary Quarterman is an established and highly skilled physician with over 13 years of experience.  Dr. Quarterman received her medical degree from Florida State University and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Orlando Health.  She practiced in outpatient primary care for nine years and transitioned into clinical research as a principal investigator with Charter Research.  She is skilled in the treatment of both chronic and acute medical illness.  She is also experienced in lab review, prescribing of medications, and monitoring of adverse events.  She is fluent in medical Spanish and certified in basic life support.

Dr. Ramon Rodriguez is a board certified Neurologist and highly experienced Principal Investigator. Dr. Rodriguez received his medical degree (M.D.) from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, PR. After receiving his MD, Dr. Rodriguez completed both an Internship in Internal Medicine and Residency in Neurology at the University of Texas. After finishing his residency, Dr. Rodriguez completed a fellowship in the Medical and Surgical Management of Movement Disorders at The University of Florida. Thereafter, Dr. Rodriguez joined as a faculty member in the Department of Neurology at the University of Florida. During his tenure at UF, Dr. Rodriguez held the position of Director of Clinical Services for University of Florida’s Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, and Director of the Clinical Research Center for Neurological Disorders. Under these roles he supervised over 50 clinical research studies encompassing areas such as Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, Dystonia, Alzheimer’s Disease, Deep Brain Stimulation, Advanced therapies for Parkinson’s Disease, and many others. He has performed over 10,000 botulinum toxin procedures and spent numerous years performing clinical research looking to delay or arrest the progression of neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Rodriguez also held the role of Chief of the Neurology Service at the Orlando VA Medical Center. During this time, he established the Parkinson’s Disease Consortia Site.

Dr. Anita Kesar is an accomplished pharmacist with over 10 years of experience.  She is a graduate of South University in South Carolina, where she earned a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree.  After receiving her degree, she trained as a lead Pharmacist, where she was responsible for preparing medications, coordinating and managing the pharmacy, managing inventory, precepting pharmacy interns, and training Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.  As the Research Pharmacist at Charter Research, Anita ensures that all study-related activities are conducted in compliance with regulatory requirements and ethical standards.  Anita is known for her strong work ethic, attention to detail, and ability to work effectively with patients, healthcare providers, and colleagues. She is committed to staying up to date with the latest advancements in the fields of pharmacy and clinical research.

Angi Luffman oversees patient recruitment efforts at our research center in The Villages. She’s a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) with over 16 years clinical experience. Her professional background includes working on a neurology unit in a hospital setting, private practice ophthalmology, and hospice care. These experiences have given her the tools to bring compassionate and empathetic insight to working in patient recruitment for clinical trials. Angi enjoys fostering her ability to connect with patients, through education and to work as a trusted resource for both participants and clinical teams. Her role with Charter Research helps bridge the gap between innovative studies and patient engagement.

Brittany Ortiz oversees patient recruitment and prescreening at our research center in The Villages, Florida.  Brittany is instrumental in driving the enrollment success of our clinical trials and has responsibility for growing our trial participants and ensuring an exceptional experience for each patient.  Prior to serving as Recruitment Manager, Brittany worked as a Patient Recruitment Associate and then as Recruitment Team Lead at Charter Research.  Before discovering her passion for research, Brittany gained over ten years of experience in ophthalmology clinics, serving in leadership roles for three years.  Her extensive experience working with patients, exceptional team management skills, and ability to build strong relationships have helped Brittany to quickly establish herself as a highly respected professional in the clinical trials industry.

As Lead Psychometric Rater, Alexandra Jimenez is responsible for clinical and administrative oversight of the Ratings team at our Orlando site. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences from AdventHealth University in 2017 and her Master of Education degree in Exceptional Student Education from Southeastern University in 2019. She has experience performing clinical and cognitive scales on MCI, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other dementia populations. She also has worked with other indications, such as Essential Tremor and an array of metabolic diseases. As a previous elementary educator, she has experience working with those on the autism spectrum, as well as those with intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, and speech impairments. She has worked with a variety of ages throughout her career, bringing unique experiences from the educational world to clinical research.

Bruno Chagas serves as the Office Manager at Charter Research, where he ensures smooth day-to-day operations, supporting the clinical research teams with a well-maintained office and a focus on welcoming patient interaction. With over five years of experience in administrative leadership, Bruno specializes in supervising staff, coordinating office logistics, and optimizing processes for maximum efficiency. He takes pride in maintaining high standards for organization, cleanliness, and safety, ensuring that every team member can focus on delivering exceptional patient care. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Bruno brings a detail-oriented approach and a commitment to excellence in every aspect of office management and the patient experience.

As Regulatory Manger, Christina Rosario is responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations for clinical trials involving human subjects.  Christina has over 12 years of experience in clinical trials across all phases of research, including Phase 1 first-in-human (FIH) trials, and is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP).  She has worked in numerous roles in the industry, including Source Document Specialist, Regulatory Specialist, Data Manager, Quality Control Specialist, Clinical Research Coordinator, and Lead Clinical Research Coordinator.  Throughout her career, Christina has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to ensuring ethical conduct and regulatory compliance.

As the Office Manager of Charter Research in The Villages, Cindy is responsible for maintaining and improving the functionality and overall appearance of the site. In addition, she oversees the Patient Care Coordinators, the first part of Charter’s exceptional on-site patient experience. Prior to being the Office Manager, Cindy was the Talent Acquisition Coordinator and helped to bring many of our wonderful team members to Charter Research. With over 30 years of professional administrative support experience in the hospitality, education, and corporate industries, her ability to have quality interactions with people, exceptional organizational skills, and strong work ethic have allowed her to quickly earn the confidence and support of peers and senior management. Team building, communication, and personal improvement are integral parts of Cindy’s daily approach to helping Charter Research and The Villages team achieve their full potential.

Isabella Hernandez, Lead Prescreen Coordinator in The Villages, joined Charter in August 2022 and has lead the Prescreen team since March 2024. In addition, she’s the designated super user for Fibroscan (used in conjunction with our MASH studies), responsible for training all new users. In her role, she works to develop department strategies, ensure prescreens transition into study-specific screens, and track key prescreening metrics. She regularly review goals and performance metrics with the prescreening team to optimize processes. One of Isabella’s key initiatives has been implementing Novoic Storyteller, a new memory assessment for our memory screen. She had the privilege of presenting data on this platform at the CTAD conference this year. Prior to Charter, she spent 7 years in ophthalmology, starting as a scribe and advancing to Certified Ophthalmic Assistant and lead technician. She brings a strong clinical background to her current role. Originally from Colombia, she moved to the U.S. in 2000 and graduated from UCF in 2013 with a Bachelor’s in Finance.

Jamilya Rahming oversees marketing at our research center in The Villages, including all advertising and event strategy.  Jamilya is a creative and organized professional with 7 years of proven marketing skills.  Prior to joining Charter Research, Jamilya served as a Community Educator at the Alzheimer’s Family Organization, where she gained experience in helping caregivers for those living with Alzheimer’s disease.  Specializing in dementia education, social media, advertising strategy, and inbound marketing strategies, Jamilya uses her experience to enhance patient recruitment and marketing at Charter Research.  Jamilya is a proud alumna of the University of South Florida, where she received a bachelor’s in health science.

As Lead Prescreen Coordinator, Janelly Bazil is responsible for the oversight of day-to-day operations of the Prescreen Team at the Orlando site. This includes leading the Prescreen Team to achieve screening goals to support the success of the site and ensure exceptional prescreen conversion for all studies. Janelly is fluent in English and Spanish and received her Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from the University of Central Florida. During this time, she served as an intern at AdventHealth focusing on Nurse Management and Clinical Experience. Prior to joining Charter Research, Janelly worked as a Lead Registered Behavior Therapist, where she led a team of Behavior Technicians implementing behavior strategies for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and speech impairments. Janelly has experience developing and implementing recruitment strategies across multiple indications, including mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s Disease, and metabolic diseases. Janelly’s passion for patient experience, patient recruitment, and systems development makes her an asset to the entire team.

As Digital Marketing Manager, Jason Coon is responsible for the companywide development and implementation of marketing strategy across all digital media. He oversees all digital marketing—from website to email, social media to search engines, and everything in-between. With a strong grasp of digital marketing tools, Jason analyzes and optimizes the company’s digital campaigns and platforms to connect with new clinical trial participants. A graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in English, Jason brings 20 years of experience to Charter Research, previously working in digital marketing roles for Hard Rock International, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and Universal Orlando Resort. After growing up all over the world as an Air Force brat, never being in one place too long, he’s proud to be an Orlando resident for 33+ years.

As Clinic Manager, Javier oversees daily operations to ensure quality and efficiency in trial management. With a master’s in Health Administration from the University of Central Florida and a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification, Javier brings a strong foundation in process improvement and patient-centered care. His four years of research experience include two with the Florida Department of Health, where he led a project in collaboration with Yale to identify gaps in public health surveillance related to HIV and HCV comorbidities, resulting in over 100 early intervention referrals for clients with HIV. At Charter Research, where he has spent the past two years, Javier started as a Clinical Research Coordinator, applying his clinical and operational expertise to optimize research processes, contributing to the goals of advancing medical knowledge and supporting healthier lives through clinical research excellence.

Jennifer Guerra leads the companywide oversight and development of source documentation for Charter Research.  Prior to her current role of Source Manager, Jennifer was a Source Designer and a Clinical Research Coordinator at Charter Research.  She has 6 years of experience as a Clinical Research Coordinator in numerous indications, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Cervical Dystonia, Essential Tremors, COPD/Pulmonary, and Asthma.  Prior to her work in clinical research, Jennifer earned a Medical Assisting and X-Ray Tech certificate and trained at an orthopedic surgery clinic and a pulmonary clinic.  She was introduced to clinical research during her time at the pulmonary clinic where COPD trials were conducted. This ignited her passion to help those in need to find clinical research opportunities.  Jennifer has a bachelor’s degree in business and is fluent in Spanish and English.

Jessica Garaycoa is a detail-oriented clinical research professional with over 5 years of clinical trials experience.  She graduated from medical school at the Universidad de Oriente in Venezuela, and worked as a Pediatrics and Internal Medicine Resident in Medicine before moving to the United States in 2015.  Jessica’s passion for medicine led to a career in clinical research, and she held positions of progressive responsibility at PPD, including Senior Clinical Research Manager, prior to bringing her skills and experience to Charter Research.  Jessica’s heart for safety and the well-being of patients makes her an asset to the entire team.  Jessica is BLS- and ACLS-certified and is fluent in Spanish and English.

Nicole Mattos is the Lead Clinical Research Liaison at our Orlando research center, overseeing the Physician Partnerships team’s daily operations. In this role, she fosters strategic relationships with physicians to drive consistent volume. She is fluent in English and Spanish, and has experience working alongside Gynecologists, Pediatricians, and Endocrinologists processing laboratory specimens for routine medical care. Prior to her current role, Nicole worked as a Prescreen Coordinator where she became the Orlando site’s most successful Prescreening Associate, achieving the highest number of patient screenings. Her dedication to exceptional patient care was recognized with earning Charter’s Patient Experience Award in 2023. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and studied abroad in Greece from 2019 to 2020, where she interned in client acquisition for new businesses. She has experience in the recruitment of patients across several study indications, including Alzheimer’s disease, other dementia populations, and metabolic diseases.

Jennifer Mellott supports our clinic team in performing and documenting all clinical trial activities in compliance with FDA regulations and guidance documents, ICH-GCP, and company SOPs.  Jennifer brings over 30 years of progressive clinical and healthcare experience to Charter Research, including 9 years of experience in quality management.  Prior to joining Charter Research, Jennifer served as Quality Manager at Cook Children’s Northeast Hospital and then as Director of Quality Services as Baylor Surgical Hospital., where she gained experience championing quality assurance initiatives to enhance patient outcomes.  Jennifer is a collaborative team member with a passion for cultivating strong relationships.  She considers herself a life-long learner and is honored to be involved in clinical trials focusing on the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and other age-related diseases.  Jennifer is a registered nurse and holds a master’s degree in health care administration.

Jessie Luttrell oversees a clinical research team in The Villages and is responsible for ensuring exceptional patient experience, managing efficient clinical operations, and delivering results for study sponsors.  She has over 6 years of clinical research experience across all phases of research and has worked in a variety of therapeutic areas, with a majority of her experience in neurology, pain, and ophthalmology studies.  Prior to her role as Clinic Manager, Jessie worked at Charter Research as a Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) and then as a Clinic Team Lead.  Before Charter Research, Jessie led an ophthalmology research department, with responsibility for study start-up, patient recruitment, clinical operations, regulatory compliance, budgeting, and contracts.  She is a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) and is further certified in Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).  Jessie has a great depth of clinical research knowledge and a passion for helping others.

Kate Scheurich provides administrative and clinical oversight for our Psychometric Ratings team in The Villages.  She has many years of experience in performing a vast array of clinical and cognitive scales for clinical trials and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) who brings over 14 years of clinical experience to Charter Research.  She earned a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Louisville and is licensed to practice in the state of Florida.  Kate has worked with individuals of all ages, ranging from early childhood to end-of-life seniors, and has further expertise in providing support to individuals with severe mental illness.  She has worked in a multitude of settings including Assisted Living Facilities, Nursing Homes, Skilled Rehab, supportive housing, and transitional housing.  She also has experience working in inpatient psych, IOP, supportive housing, community mental health, the school system, crisis units, and private practice.

Rachael Nix oversees a clinical research team in The Villages and is passionate about ensuring a great patient experience and producing high quality data for study sponsors.  Her leadership, drive, and passion for excellence sets the tone for her entire team.  Prior to her current role, Rachael worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Charter in a variety of complex clinical trials – with a special focus on Alzheimer’s disease – where she gained exceptional experience in study start-up, clinical operations, and compliance.  Prior to joining Charter Research, Rachael served for 10 years as Clinical Coordinator in a large ophthalmology practice.  She is a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) and a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant with specialized clinical trials experience in the use of eye imaging technology to aid in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Sebastian Mesa oversees the Patient Recruitment team in Orlando. His focus is driving patient participation and ensuring the successful enrollment of our clinical trials. He leads a team of recruiters providing trial information to patients and delivering an amazing patient experience from the very first conversations onward. Honed from his experiences as an Eagle Scout, participation in after-school clubs, and through extracurricular activities, Sebastian continues to develop his leadership skills. Prior to his career in research, he worked as a health insurance agent. Combining his sales background with his Bachelor of Health Science from the University of Central Florida, Sebastian found his passion for helping people every day and giving hope to patients interested in advancing medicine.

As the Laboratory Manager, Shelihah (Shay) Gray oversees laboratory operations at Charter Research locations in both Winter Park and The Villages. She has over 10 years experience in laboratory sciences, with six of those years in phase I–IV clinical trials. Shelihah is a licensed Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and specializes in the departments of Chemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, Serology, and Immunohematology/Blood Banking. Prior to her current role, Shelihah served as the Laboratory Manager for ThermoFisher Scientific/PPD Phase I Clinical Research Unit and as a Laboratory Scientist at AdventHealth Orlando chemistry lab. Shelihah holds a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from King University and has recently enrolled in the University of Central Florida’s Master of Science Biomedical program.

As Compliance Manager, Stephanie Armendariz is responsible for overseeing all aspects of our internal compliance programs, including risk assessment, process development, training and education, and internal audits.  She works closely with senior leadership to develop and implement strategic initiatives aimed at ensuring compliance with standard operating procedures, industry guidelines for good clinical practice (GCP), FDA regulations and guidelines, and applicable state and federal laws.  Stephanie has over 10 years of experience ensuring compliance in clinical trials and has participated in the performance and management of over 100 clinical trials.  Prior to working as Compliance Manager, Stephanie held roles as Compliance Team Lead and Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) at Charter Research and other research organizations.  She is experienced across a wide variety of therapeutic indications, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, and other psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.  Her exceptional attention to detail helps guide our teams to deliver high quality clinical data and proactively communicate protocol issues to sponsors and CROs.  Stephanie is fluent in both Spanish and English.

Tammi Blocker oversees the pharmacy team at our research center in The Villages. She is responsible for ensuring adherence to all pharmacy procedures, as well as ensuring all study-related pharmacy activities are in compliance with study protocols. Prior to joining Charter Research, Tamara worked as a Certified Pharmacy Technician in both retail and hospital pharmacies. She is known for her strong work ethic, her attention to detail, and her professionalism.

Jessica Sletten is a nationally renowned clinical trials executive with 20+ years of experience in clinical research site operations and site network management. Prior to founding Charter Research, Jessica served as the Vice President of Clinical Operations at Bioclinica, where she directed a team of more than 230 employees and oversaw the growth of the U.S. site network, including research clinics specialized in neurodegenerative diseases, pain management, general medicine, and early clinical development. Prior to Bioclinica, she served as Site Director and oversaw clinical operations at Compass Research, where she implemented strategies that propelled the company to become the #1 enroller in the world in Alzheimer’s disease research. Jessica has a long track record of leading clinical research teams to surpass industry quality assurance standards and has guided her teams in completing 13 FDA inspections with no 483s. In 2023, the Orlando Business Journal named Jessica as one of Orlando’s top C-level executives. Under her leadership, Charter Research has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies for two consecutive years (2023-24) and has been named to Orlando Sentinel’s list of Top Workplaces in Central Florida for two consecutive years (2023-24). Jessica holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Montana and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Rollins College.

Jeff Pohlig has worked in the clinical trials industry for 14 years and has helped build and lead teams in North America, Europe, and Asia in completing over 500 clinical trials, including more than 100 clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease. Prior to joining Charter Research as CEO, Jeff served as COO at Bioclinica Research, where he oversaw the growth of 30 clinical research centers in 14 countries, with more than 700 employees. Before that, he was COO at Compass Research, a clinical trials company known globally for its research studies in Alzheimer’s disease. Under Jeff’s leadership, Charter Research has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing companies for two consecutive years (2023-24) and has been named to Orlando Sentinel’s list of Top Workplaces in Central Florida for two consecutive years (2023-24). Jeff is past President and Chairman of the Board of the Brain Fitness Academy and currently serves on the board of the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Resource Center (ADRC) and on the Executive Leadership Team for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Jeff holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Rollins College.

Craig Poffenbarger is an experienced executive with 15+ years of financial management experience in healthcare-related organizations, including clinical research, electronic health records (EHR), acute hospital care, and home health. As CFO, Craig oversees the management and execution of all financial activities of the company, including accounting, reporting, forecasting, internal controls, process improvement, treasury management, and financial planning and analysis. Prior to joining Charter Research, Craig served as CFO for Compass Research, a clinical trial company (acquired by Bioclinica and subsequently by PPD), and AZZLY, an EHR company. Craig has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Florida Southern College and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Webster University.

Dan Davis is an expert in clinical research operations and business analytics with 13 years of clinical research experience. As Vice President of Business Strategy, Dan is responsible for developing and executing our long-term strategic plan, overseeing business analytics and intelligence, and implementing new technologies. Prior to his current role, Dan served as Project Director, where he led projects in business strategy, site development, and clinical operations support. Before joining Charter Research, Dan was Director of Global Business Operations at Bioclinica Research. He has additional prior experience in the roles of Project Director and Neurology Clinic Research Manager at Compass Research. Dan has worked in all areas of clinical trial operations and in all phases of research and brings a broad perspective and exceptional analytical skills to drive strategic decision-making. Dan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Pennsylvania State University and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Analytics from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Caroline Smith is an expert in clinical research site operations, study startup, compliance, and regulatory affairs with 11 years of clinical trials experience. Before becoming Vice President of Client Services, Caroline held roles as Regulatory Director, Client Services Director, and Senior Director of Client Services at Charter Research. Prior to joining Charter, Caroline served as a Strategy Insights & Planning Consultant at ZS Associates, where she worked with sponsors to design and develop analytics solutions to support clinical portfolio development and reduce clinical trial cycle times. Caroline also previously worked as a Research Manager at Bioclinica Research and as a Clinical Operations Coordinator and Regulatory Specialist at Compass Research. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Florida.

Stacy Brooks has over 16 years of human resources experience and oversees all aspects of HR at Charter Research, including strategy, talent acquisition, employee relations, training and development, compliance, and benefit administration. Stacy is passionate about building a positive culture of teamwork at Charter Research and driving strategies that optimize business outcomes. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida (UCF) and certifications in human resources leadership from both the Human Resources Certification Institute (SPHR) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP). In addition, she serves on the board of directors for the Employers Association Forum (EAF).