Willis C. Lee, MS - Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board
Mr. Lee was appointed Chief Executive Office and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company on July 15, 2024 and October 2, 2023, respectively. He served as Chief Operating Officer since May 2011 and as a director since December 2015 and served as Vice-Chairman of the board of directors from January 2016 and as Chief Financial Officer from October 2016 to July 2018 of EMI Holding. Mr. Lee also previously served as a director of EMI Holding from May 2011 to May 2014 and again from December 2015 to January 2016. Mr. Lee served as the Co-Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer and as a director of Emmaus Medical from March 2010 to May 2011. He was the Controller at Emmaus Medical from February 2009 to February 2010. From 2004 to 2010, Mr. Lee led worldwide sales and business development of Yield Dynamics product group at MKS Instruments, Inc. Prior to that time, Mr. Lee held managerial and senior positions at various public and private companies in the actuarial, semiconductor, and defense industries.
Mr. Lee received his B.S. degree and a M.S. degree in Physics from University of Hawaii and University of South Carolina, respectively.
Hiroko Huynh, CPA - Chief Accounting Officer
Ms. Huynh has served as our Chief Accounting Office since July 1, 2025. Previously, she served as our Controller since January 2020, and served as Senior Manager in the finance and accounting department from October 2018 to January 2020. Prior to joining Emmaus, she held a progressive role in accounting functions for three years in various companies and as an auditor with Deloitte & Touche LLP, one of the nation’s “big four” public accounting firms, for eight years.
Ms. Huynh is a Certified Public Accountant and received a B.A. in Hospitality Administration from Boston University.
Charles W. Stark, Pharm.D. - Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs, Clinical, Regulatory
Dr. Stark has served as Emmaus’ Senior Vice President of Research and Development since 2013, bringing more than 30 years of experience in medical affairs, research and academia. Previously, Dr. Stark was Director of Clinical Development at Bavarian Nordic, an immunotherapeutic company, and prior to that Associate Director of Medical Affairs for the Dendreon Corporation, an immunotherapeutic company. He has served as, Director, Medical Science Liaisons (cardiovascular, metabolic and oncology) at Pfizer, Inc., a pharmaceutical company.
Dr. Stark has served as the Director of Investigational Drug Services and Clinical Research at LABioMed at Harbor UCLA and at the Health Research Association at USC Medical Center. He has also served as a faculty member at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. Dr. Stark received his Pharm.D. from the University of Southern California and completed his residency at the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in West Los Angeles.
Dale E. Short, JD - Legal Consultant and Corporate Secretary
Mr. Short joined Emmaus in September 2018 as the company’s first General Counsel and currently serves as a legal consultant and Corporate Secretary.