Tim Baldwin is a Florida native. After high school, he joined the United States Army and was stationed with a mechanized unit in Germany as an armored personnel carrier driver and field medic.
Tim was hired in 2003 by The North Carolina Eye Bank, became an Eye Bank Association of America Certified Eye Bank Technician (CEBT), and appointed laboratory supervisor. He played an intricate role in the development of the first eye bank-based DSEK tissue preparation program. Tim joined OSI in 2006 and guides the North Carolina and Colorado laboratories and tissue preparation activities. He maintains his CEBT status and is a pretty good golfer.
Jerry Barker, President
Jerry has more than a decade of laboratory experience and technical expertise in eye banking, including six years as director of clinical services at The North Carolina Eye Bank, Inc. During his tenure, Jerry established a multi-disciplinary team of specialists that worked with surgeons, pharmaceutical companies, and researchers and bioinformatics firms to maximize use of scarce donor tissue. He led a team that collaborated with surgeons and researchers using the Intralase FS™ laser to investigate and develop innovative uses of allografts. He has broad experience with physician relations, regulatory affairs, quality control procedures, voluntary medical standards, and applicable state and federal regulations.
Jerry has a B.S. in Biology with Chemistry minor from Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky. He is an EBAA Certified Eye Bank Technician, an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT/Firefighter), and a Certified PADI Advanced Scuba Diver. He also completed the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Donna Bridges, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs
Donna brings clinical experience in tissue safety and quality control procedures to OSI. Over the years, Donna has held numerous quality and technical positions. She most recently served as director of quality systems for the North Carolina Eye Bank and had previously lead the clinical team at the Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of Eastern Virginia.
Donna earned a B.S. in Physical Science with minors in Chemistry and Criminalistics from York College of Pennsylvania. Dedicated to education, she recently completed a Nursing Degree and works with transplant patients at a local hospital. She is a member of the Eye Bank Association of America and is an EBAA Certified Eye Bank Technician.
Jin San Choi, M.S. Research Scientist
Jin San Choi was born and raised in Jeonju, South Korea. She received her master degree in Advanced Organic Materials Engineering from Chunbuk National University, South Korea. After moving to the United States in 2003, she was a research fellow at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has been a research scientist at Ocular Systems Inc (OSI) since 2008.
Brian Frye, Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs
Brian H. Frye is a native of Indiana with over 20 years experience in technical and leadership roles in quality, regulatory and operations in FDA regulated industries. Brian received a bachelor’s degree in biological science from Indiana University and a Graduate certificate in Quality and Regulatory Affairs from the School of Industrial Pharmacy at Purdue University.
Brian has commercial and development experience with various dosage forms of pharmaceuticals and in medical device manufacturing. Brian is certified as a regulatory professional through RAPS (Regulatory Affairs Professional Society) and maintains a quality auditor certification through ASQ (American Society for Quality) and is a member of both organizations.
Brian also enjoys motorcycling, scuba diving, music, photography, home improvement activities, classic movies and the arts.
Cathy Hasel, Project Manager
Cathy Hasel joined OSI in early 2009, following a 20-year career working as a Senior Project Manager for a large financial institution. Cathy earned her undergraduate degree in Business Management from Guilford College and a Master’s Certification in Project Management from George Washington University. Cathy will leverage her strong business background and extensive project management experience to assist OSI with various opportunities.
Lynn Knight, Quality Assurance Representative
A native of North Carolina, Lynn is based at the company’s Winston-Salem office. She has an extensive medical background as a Paramedic and Tissue Donation Coordinator. She is a certified Paramedic, and Certified Tissue Banking Specialist.
Elayne Landreth, DSEK Technician and Administrative Assistant
Elayne Landreth grew up and was educated in High Point, North Carolina. Prior to joining Ocular Systems she was employed for five-years by Sufix Fishing Line and was a medical courier. Elayne insures correct handling and storage of transplant tissue and is a circulating technician during tissue preparation procedures. She also has administrative and accounting responsibilities. When away from work Elayne enjoys traveling, antiques, fishing, and North Carolina native wildlife.
Mary Pirello, Aurora Facility Manager
Mary Pirello is a Denver, Colorado native and DSEK-tissue preparation expert. Before her work at Ocular Systems she worked on the Visible Human Project at The National Library of Medicine and as a supervisor at Piedmont Imaging, a diagnostic MRI and CT imaging facility.
Mary gained her initial training with DSEK tissue preparation at The North Carolina Eye Bank and joined OSI after a year’s experience leading the eye bank’s program. Mary is an Eye Bank Association of America Certified Eye Bank Technician (CEBT) and currently enrolled at the Metropolitan State College of Denver pursuing a double major in Biology and Studio Art.
Ted Rehmeyer, Secretary and Treasurer
Ted Rehmeyer is a Pennsylvania native and became familiar with eye bank-related activities beginning in 1992 when he volunteered his time on a local eye bank’s board of directors. He currently serves as OSI’s chief financial officer. Ted holds a Bachelor of Science, Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and completed advance studies there in Industrial Management. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
Ted’s business career has been with entrepreneurial companies where, in addition to finance and administration, he has done marketing and product development. Ted has been involved in starting, buying, and selling a number of companies; holds a number of patents; and, has been principal investigator on numerous NIH grants.
Jamie Swaim, DSEK Technician
Jamie Swaim is a Winston-Salem, North Carolina native and Forsyth Technical Community College graduate. He joined Ocular Systems after working eighteen-years at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. At WFUBMC he worked in Materials Management and later became the Clinical Inventory Coordinator for Surgery. In the position he was responsible for handling and controlling all the Center’s human tissue used for transplant, e.g., cardiac valves, allograft skin, and musculo-skeletal allografts. Jamie interacted with vendors by ordering tissue grafts, maintained par levels, managed database records, and tracked implanted tissue. He was also responsible for ordering, maintaining, and tracking all hip and knee replacement devices used in the Orthopaedic Service.
Anna Tirrell, Business Analyst
Anna was born and raised in London, England. After gaining her degree in Business Studies, she worked in and around Europe before moving to the United States in 1994. She settled in Winston-Salem in 1997 and has worked for OSI since November 2006.
Kurt Weber, Vice President
Kurt Weber was born and raised in Wisconsin. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Washington, respectively; and, a master of business administration from the Wake Forest University Babcock Graduate School of Management. He has been continuously certified as an Eye Bank Association of America eye bank technician since 1986.