Tony Simpson
Chief Executive Officer
Tony Simpson is the Chief Executive Officer of ODT Pharmaceuticals.
Tony has over 30 years of experience in starting, operating and financing companies in the Animal Health and AgTech Sectors. He founded AgTech Advisors, LLC, a consulting firm focused on supporting entrepreneurs, companies, and investors across the agtech and animal health sectors in 2015. AgTech Advisors provides assistance across the value chain, successfully supporting clients in the establishment of several new companies, investments in companies that have realized successful exits, attraction of significant federal grants, development of commercial strategies and long-term engagement with partners, investors and collaborators across sectors and technology areas.
Before founding AgTech Advisors, Tony was a Managing Director for the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) where he led the organization’s investment efforts in agtech, animal health and bioenergy, leading investments in companies such as Aratana Therapeutics, Green Dot, SmartVet, and Advanced Animal Diagnostics.
Before joining the KBA, Tony spent 11 years in the fuel ethanol industry. He led the business start-up of two major green-field ethanol plants leading each company through subsequent equity drives, refinancings and expansions.
Tony holds an Economics Degree from Millikin University and an MBA from the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis. He resides in Shawnee, Kansas.
Tom Overbay, DVM
Operations Advisor
Tom Overbay is an Operations Advisor to ODT Pharmaceuticals.
Tom serves as a business development and technical consultant to the international animal health industry. He founded Expedite Animal Health to discern opportunities in animal health then assist with product development across pharmaceuticals, biologicals, devices, and diagnostics. Expedite’s clients span the globe and include the largest multinational animal health companies, the smallest of startup companies, and the financial community including venture capital and private equity.
After five years in veterinary practice, Tom has spent over 35 years in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry. He led global business development and was an executive committee member for a top-5 animal health company and has served in similar roles with a contract services provider and start-up animal health companies in the US and internationally. In addition to business development, his background of veterinary practice, technical services, and sales management provides him with a unique perspective of the scientific, financial, and legal aspects of innovative technologies. Tom has successfully brought to market a number of products arising from universities, government agencies, human hospitals, start-up companies (both human and veterinary), and multinational pharmaceutical and chemical companies.
Dr. Overbay holds his veterinary degree from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and resides in Louisburg, Kansas.
Bob Nordgren, PhD
Scientific Advisor
Bob is a Scientific Advisor to ODT Pharmaceuticals.
Bob has more than 38 years of industry experience including post docs, three major international animal health companies, and start-ups, dedicated to the search of solutions to infectious diseases in all animal species. HIs career began with Salsbury/Solvay, then moved to Head R&D for Boehringer Ingelheim, then lead Global Vaccine and Biotherapeutic Research and Development at Merial and finally as Liaison, External Innovation for Sanofi Pasteur. Bob's work spans the gulf from avian vaccines for Marek’s disease, infectious, bronchitis and Newcastle, complete ranges of dogs and cat vaccines, wildlife, rabies control, and eventually biotherapeutics for oncology for dogs. A majority of these products have employed advanced enabling technologies, such as live viral, vectors, plasmid DNA, and most recently the first bacterial vectored products in medicine.
Over the years, Bob has led global teams in laboratories in Latin America, China, South East Asia, and several sites in Europe and the U.S. Those teams have been responsible for the introduction of well over 80 distinct and unique vaccines as well as pharmaceutical and biotherapeutic products in all animal species. Many of these have been first-in-class products as well as prior or current global market sales leaders.
In 2016, Dr. Nordgren launched his own consulting business, Aix Bio Consulting, to support the growing trend toward external innovation. In addition, he serves as a managing partner at The YieldLab, Chairman of Aptimmune, and a partner at Reliance Animal Health Partners.
Bob received a Master’s Degree in Parasitology and a PhD from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M. He resides in Watkinsville, Georgia.
Susan Longhofer, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (SAIM)
Independent Director
Susan serves as an Independent Director on the Board of ODT Pharmaceuticals.
Susan has spent 30+ years developing and registering new pharmaceuticals and biologics in the US, Canada, Europe and other international territories. She retired in December 2021 after 16 years with Dechra Pharmaceuticals. She played key roles in 5 Dechra acquisitions (US and EU), including Putney ($200M), AST Pharma/Le Vet (€350M), and various in-license deals that built market share in strategic segments. Earlier, Susan held R&D and regulatory roles at Virbac Corporation, Heska Corporation, and at Merck Research Laboratories.
She is currently a member of NovaQuest Capital Management’s Animal Health Scientific Advisory Committee and is a Non-Executive Director of ArkVax, Ltd.
Her Master of Science degree is from the University of Wisconsin and her undergraduate degree and Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine are from Texas A&M University. She resides in Lady Lake, Florida.