SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & SEATTLE– Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing engineered regulatory T cell (Treg) therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, today announced the appointment of Jessica Stitt as Chief Financial Officer. Stitt has over 20 years of healthcare finance, strategy, and leadership experience and has participated in the execution of nearly $2 billion in corporate financing transactions. She will join Sonoma Biotherapeutics’ executive leadership team and oversee the company’s finance, accounting, information technology, communications, and investor relations functions.
“Jessica is a healthcare industry veteran with a wealth of finance strategy and operations experience,” said Jeff Bluestone, Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO of Sonoma Biotherapeutics. “She has a deep knowledge of capital markets and an impressive track record of financing clinical stage biotech companies. She’s joining the company at an exciting time as we move our therapies into the clinic and look toward our next phase of funding. She will play a critical role in our mission to bring durable therapies to patients suffering from chronic, debilitating autoimmune diseases. On behalf of the company and Board of Directors, I am thrilled to welcome Jessica to the team.”
Prior to joining Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Stitt served as Chief Financial Officer at Gyroscope Therapeutics, a global clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on diseases of the eye, acquired by Novartis. Stitt previously served as Vice President of Finance and Operations for MyoKardia, Inc., acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb, and prior to that, served as Vice President of Finance and Investor Relations for Theravance Biopharma, Inc. She previously held roles in finance at Nektar Therapeutics, Alkermes, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Stitt holds an MBA from Simmons School of Management and a B.A. from Saint Anselm College.
“I am very excited to join the team that is leading the next frontier in cell therapy,” said Stitt. “I was attracted to Sonoma Biotherapeutics for many reasons – passionate people, world-class science, and a mission to not just treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, but potentially cure them, with one-time living therapies. I look forward to doing my part to steer the company through its next phase of growth, funding, and clinical milestones.”
