Our Team

Executive Staff

Donald J. Kyle, PhD, Chief Executive Officer

Donald J. Kyle, Ph.D., currently serves as CEO at NCWR and is one of the nation’s preeminent experts on pharmacological chemistry and pharmaceutical design. He also currently serves as an adjunct professor for the department of biomedical science at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. With more than 100 patents and nearly 200 publications, Kyle brings tremendous biomedical insight to the field of addiction medicine. 

Donald J. Kyle, PHD, CEO

Ann Kraft, MBA, MS, Head of Strategic Partnerships

Ann Kraft, MBA, M.S., currently serves as head of strategic partnerships for NCWR, and brings over 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience. Previously she served as vice president and global head of business development for rare disease and neuroscience at Ipsen Bioscience, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has held various roles in the pharmaceutical industry. Kraft has extensive experience in pharmaceutical and biotech business development activities including strategy development, collaboration, negotiation, licensing, acquisitions, deal structuring and alliance management. She is a member of the board of directors for the Harvard Business School Healthcare Alumni Association (HBSHAA) and the Connecticut chapter of Women in Biotech.

Ann Kraft at the OSU Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Eric Polak, MBA, Chief Financial Officer

Eric Polak, MBA, currently serves as CFO of NCWR. He is also Vice President of Administration and Finance for OSU Center for Health Sciences. With more than 10 years of experience at OSU-CHS, Eric Polak oversees all aspects of financial management of educational and clinical programs. Additionally, he supervises several administrative support functions ranging from campus emergency management to clinic financial services. He has a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

Pictured is Eric Polak. He serves as chief financial officer  of NCWR. He is also Vice President of Administration and Finance for OSU Center for Health Sciences. The picure is taken outside of the OSU Center for Health Sciences.

Monica Collington, Director of Communications

Monica Collington serves as director of communications for NCWR and is the assistant vice president for External Affairs and Strategic Communications for the OSU Center for Health Sciences. In this role she oversees strategic relationships and communications, working with NCWR leadership and key partners to advance the mission of NCWR.

Monica Roberts, director of communications, NCWR and assistant vice president for external affairs and strategic communications for the OSU Center for Health.

Communications 

  • Neile Jones – Communications Manager

Grants

  • Mathew Sproles – Grant Manager

Medicinal Chemistry

  • Balraj Gopula, Ph.D. – Principal Investigator
  • Arun Raja, Ph.D. – Principal Investigator 
  • Tamal Das, Ph.D. – Senior Research Investigator 
  • Brian Soriano – Research Investigator

NCWR Addiction Recovery Clinic at OSU

Neuroscience 

  • Craig Werner, Ph.D. – Senior Director of Neuroscience
  • Shailesh Khatri, Ph.D. – Principal Investigator
  • Amanda Wunsch, Ph.D. – Principal Investigator
  • Svetlana Bobkova – Senior Scientist
  • Brandon Curry – Scientist
  • Josh Yoder – Associate Scientist

Strategic Partnerships

  • Eric Rolen – Alliance Manager