Our Team

Mr. Fassberg is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Trout Group. He has worked in the life sciences industry for nealry 20 years and been an advisor to senior management of over 100 companies, both public and private. Prior to founding Trout in 1996, Jonathan was a sell-side analyst at a healthcare-focused investment bank. Before his career on Wall Street, Jonathan spent four years at DuPont Pharma in various sales and marketing positions.

Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry from The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He also holds Series 7, 24, 79 and 63 securities licenses.

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Mr. Stern has a broad array of experience in investor relations, management consulting and finance. Since joining Trout in 1999, he has worked with numerous health sciences companies to develop and implement their investor positioning strategies, assisted companies with capital-raising strategies and advised senior management on general company strategy. His responsibilities also include daily operations of the firm.

Lee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in quantitative economics from Tufts University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He also holds Series 7, 24, 79 and 63 securities licenses. He is a member of the CFA Institute and also plays drums for a New York-based rock and roll band.

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Mr. Levitan joined the firm in 2007 to expand the capital-raising, M&A and strategic advisory services efforts provided through Trout Capital LLC. Mr. Levitan has 16 years of experience in healthcare investment banking and corporate development, principally focused on the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and life science IT sectors. He has executed a broad range of healthcare transactions totaling over $3 billion in value. He has senior-level experience with boutique investment banks and with Bear Stearns in New York. Michael began his investment banking career at Lehman Brothers in 1996. Before that, he worked at Eli Lilly and Company in medical device and pharmaceuticals business development.

Michael earned a Master of Business Administration degree in finance and marketing from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical and computer engineering from McGill University. He also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses. Michael enjoys skiing, golf, and spending time with his wife and children.

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Mr. Korb has lead investor relations and corporate finance activities for numerous biotech, diagnostic and specialty pharmaceutical companies in the US, EU and China since joining the firm in 2000. He has extensive experience advising companies and developing targeted IR initiatives covering clinical data, activist investors, FDA panels, financings, partnerships, M&A activity and ongoing litigation. He created and launched Trout’s popular US and EU Wall Street Unplugged Conference series. He previously worked as an Assistant Director for the California Public Interest Research Group, a non-profit environmental organization where he headed fundraising efforts in Southern California and attracted media coverage on target issues by drafting press releases and organizing news conferences.

He graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He is an avid marathon runner and triathlete, loves to travel and maintains his focus through regular yoga practice. He also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.

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Mr. Xu joined the firm in 2009 having spent 9 years in investor relations, corporate finance, strategic planning, and scientific R&D at life sciences companies in both China and the US. A native of China, Mark runs Trout's Greater China operations and is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese.

Prior to joining Trout, Mark was the co-founder, CFO and VP of Pacific Biopharma Group, which had major operations in China and merged with Pharmacyclics, Inc. in 2009. Prior to that Mark was the corporate head of investor relations and strategic planning at Bridge Laboratories, the largest China-US pre-clinical CRO. Mark also served as the head of finance for Bridge’s China subsidiary. In prior positions, Mark was the international planning and analysis manager at UL, Inc. in Chicago, led the Asia strategic planning efforts for the Biosciences Division of SRI International, and worked at McKesson in pharmaceutical marketing.

In addition, Mark has extensive scientific background stemming from his five years of R&D experience in industry. He worked at Berlex (now part of Bayer Schering Pharma AG) in product development and process control. Before that Mark was a senior scientist at Bioanalytical Systems, where he managed global bioanalytical projects related to preclinical studies and clinical trials, servicing global pharmaceutical client companies.

Mark earned an MBA degree from Stanford University, a Master of Science degree in chemistry from Purdue University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree (magna cum laude) in chemistry from Hanover College.

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Dr. Mazanet trained in medicine and Heme/Onc at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute in the 1980’s and started in the Biotech industry at Amgen, where she was head of Neupogen Clinical Development, and then Oncology Clinical Development. She has been a presenter in front of an FDA advisory panel on more than one occasion, and was well known to the investment community that followed Amgen.

In 1998, she joined Oracle Partners, LP where she was a well respected buy-side analyst. More recently, she has been a general partner of Apelles Investment Management, LP, has been Interim CEO for a number of transitioning companies, both public (Access Pharmaceuticals) and private (Diabetes America, Inc) as well as start up (Breakthrough Therapeutics, LLC). She has served on numerous boards, and is currently a co-Chair for the University of Pennsylvania Making History Campaign ($3.5bn), where she has been a member of the Executive Committee for the Health System since 2002.

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Stephen joined The Trout Group in 2012 to assist in expansion to Australia.  He began his professional career on Capitol Hill with the U.S. Senate in Washington, DC and then moved to the Washington, DC based US-ASEAN Business Council. He served with the Council in Washington from 1994-1998, working primarily with the pharmaceutical & medical device industry on issues of compulsory licensing, parallel importation, standards harmonization, and reimbursement.  In October, 2002, he relocated to Sydney, Australia to launch a start-up business helping various clients with two-way trade and investment between the U.S. and Australasia and Southeast Asia. Stepen is also an Advisor to AusBiotech Ltd., the National industry association for biotechnology in Australia, the US-ASEAN Business Council, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia.

Stephen is a graduate of Duke University.

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Ms. Glaser joined the firm in 2004, and is based in our San Francisco office where she offers both on-site access to the West Coast investment community as well as support to Trout clients. Prior to joining Trout, she spent a year traveling, and completed research in palliative care and women's health in multi-generational households at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She has provided both U.S. and Australian companies with comprehensive investor relations and strategic development programs.  

Lauren graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in healthcare management and a minor in nutrition.  She also holds Series 7, 79  and 63 securities licenses.  Lauren enjoys yoga, snowboarding and participates in local triathlons.

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Mr. Lewis joined Trout in 2004. At the heart of his professional experience is client service; helping clients develop and implement strategies to achieve specific goals and measuring progress along the way. Prior to joining Trout, Seth was a Financial Consultant with Smith Barney where he developed relationships with both individuals and corporations, assisting them with portfolio management and strategic consulting. His background also includes over two years working in estate planning, advising senior citizens on issues regarding Medicare, Medicaid, prescriptions, and long- term care. Seth is based in our Boston office.

Seth has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Hartwick College. He also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses and is a Series 65 Registered Investment Advisor. Seth is known to have an uncanny knowledge of all things trivial.

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Mrs. Nanus joined The Trout Group in 2003. She is experienced in advising late-stage biotechnology companies in their financing strategies and investor relations programs. She also has global expertise, working with Canadian and Israeli biotechnology companies to create visibility and exposure in the U.S. and European markets. Prior to joining Trout, Marcy worked in the consumer healthcare division of McCann Erickson.

Marcy received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance, and consulting & venture management from Emory University's Giozueta School of Business. She is the co-founder and program director of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America's Camp Oasis and sits on the foundation's Board of Directors and Young Professionals Committee. She also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.

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Ms. Ogawa joined the firm in 2004. She brings a diverse scientific background stemming from her four years of research experience in academia and industry. She joined the firm from Medarex, Inc., a monoclonal antibody- focused company, where she helped create a BCL-2 mouse for optimal monoclonal antibody production. She was previously a Research Associate at StemCells, Inc. where she worked in the development of neural markers as they related to monoclonal antibody and protein fragments. During that time, she also co-authored one publication in the Journal of Neuroscience Research.

Gitanjali holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Brown University and a Master of Science degree in biology from New York University. Her research while at New York University focused on the effects of catalase on hematopoietic progenitors. She also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses. In her spare time, Gitanjali enjoys playing tennis/working out, photography, traveling to exotic places, and spending time with friends and family.

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Mr. Rahmer joined the Trout Group in 2007.  Peter comes with a diverse academic background complemented by recent work experience as part of Thomson Financial’s Biotechnology Capital Markets Intelligence team. He has experience working with biotech companies ranging from micro-cap to large-cap and pre-clinical to marketed products. Peter has specialized in assisting investor relations efforts encompassing market intelligence, investor targeting, and situation analysis. Peter is based in our San Francisco office.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from St. Lawrence University and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in international business from the Rochester Institute of Technology. While obtaining his degrees, Peter had the opportunity to study in China, Scotland and Washington, D.C. He also holds a Series 7, 79 and 63 securities license. He enjoys traveling and all activities that keep him outdoors.

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Mr. Rubin joined Trout’s team in 2005 after co-heading the Biotechnology Capital Markets Intelligence Group at Thomson Financial, assisting over 60 life sciences companies in their understanding of Wall Street. He brings with him over ten years of experience in advising life science companies on topics including shareholder targeting, capital markets transactions, message crafting and scenario analysis. His experience includes work in finance, consulting and market analysis. He has been involved with companies from pre-IPO stages to follow-on and convertible offerings. He is involved in capital transactions with corporate clients and has counseled clients on domestic and cross-border transactions and binary data events.

Chad holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Franklin & Marshall College. He has a minor in film and media studies. He also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.

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Ms. Yang joined the Trout Group in 2005. Previously, she co-headed the Biotechnology Capital Markets Intelligence Group at Thomson Financial and managed a team of nine analysts and over 50 clients. She brings her investor and capital markets advisory experiences to Trout, giving clients a broader understanding of their market perception, current shareholder base, and targeting practice. Since joining Trout, Christine has assisted on several capital transactions with corporate clients and has counseled clients on cross-border transactions and binary data events. She has been responsible for developing several initiatives at Trout including the Trout Group Client Book and reports such as “Current Market Perceptions in the Life Sciences Investment Community” and “Taking a Look at German Biotech.”

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in cultural anthropology from Barnard College, Columbia University. She also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.  Christine enjoys practicing yoga, dancing, and playing tennis in her time away from the office.

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Ms. Lloyd joined The Trout Group in 2008. Jessica focuses on the development and implementation of strategic investor relations programs to best position clients within the US institutional investment community. Jessica has worked with a diverse range of companies across the US, Europe, Australia and Israel.

Her experience spans the event planning, public relations and financial industries. Prior to joining Trout, she worked in the Corporate Marketing and Events division at Bear Stearns.

Jessica graduated with distinction from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

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Ms. Spangler joined Trout in 2009 from Stratton Capital Management. At Stratton, her primary responsibilities included corporate communications and business development for the capital raising process. She holds a FINRA Series 7, 79 and 66 License and is presently a candidate for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA).

Prior to joining Stratton, Danielle worked for UBS Wealth Management in Equity Research Sales where she developed client relationships and learned market strategies. Previously, she held a position in Global Operations at Wachovia Bank in Philadelphia.

Danielle received a BS in Economics from the Smeal College of Business at Pennsylvania State University. As part of the Program, she resided in Seville, Spain where she studied the European Union.

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Ms. Swanson joined The Trout Group in 2009 following positions at Feinstein Kean Healthcare and MacDougall Biomedical Communications, where she provided communications support to clients in the life sciences industry. Tricia has experience developing and implementing scientific and corporate communication strategies, event planning, and outreach for biotechnology companies at various stages of development. She is based in Trout’s Boston area office.

Previously, Tricia worked in research laboratories studying oncology and infectious diseases, including three years in an HIV vaccine research laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. During that time, she co-authored several scientific journal articles, including one publication in Nature.

Tricia graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a minor in English. Originally from Kentucky, she strives to introduce Southern hospitality into the North.

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Mr. Harnest joined the Trout Group in 2010. Previously, Simon has worked in private wealth management at Deutsche Bank, corporate communications at Still, and served on the board of directors of Westminster Business Consultants, the UK's largest student enterprise. During his studies in London, Simon held the positions of Course Representative, Education Officer, International Students Officer and Student Ambassador.

Simon is fluent in English, French and German. Simon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics and a Master of Science degree in Bioscience and Society from the London School of Economics. He also holds Series 7 and 63 securities licenses. Additionally, he completed graduate courses in Music Performance for Flute at the Paris National Conservatory (CNR) and International Conservatory (Ecole Normale Alfred Cortot). Apart from his interest in the arts, Simon enjoys sailing, windsurfing and tennis.

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Ms. Parnell joined the Trout Group in 2010. Based in the Boston area office, she assists in the implementation of comprehensive investor relations plans for various clients. Prior to joining Trout, Michaela worked in the non-profit sector for fair trade and humanitarian and disaster relief organizations, most recently AmeriCares. She brings with her a variety of fundraising and development experience including desiging and implementing strategic fundraising and communication plans, event planning and execution, and assisting in outreach and management campaigns for both individual and institutional donors.

Michaela attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges where she was a member of the William Smith Lacrosse team and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Relations. As part of her program she lived in Copenhagen and studied the business environment of the European Union. She also spent time living and teaching in Ghana. In her free time she enjoys travelling, reading, volunteering and spending time with friends and family.  

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 Mr. Graziano joined the Trout Group in 2010 to assist in expanding strategic advisory and investor relations services to the clean technology sector. Prior to joining Trout, John worked at a natural park and preserve where he was responsible for the restoration, upkeep and conservation of 140 acres of protected land. In addition, John gained experience at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network as a financial representative intern.

John graduated from Cornell University where he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in both applied economics and management and natural resources. He concentrated primarily in finance, marketing and environmental policy. While at Cornell, John had the opportunity to study US energy policy in Washington D.C. and ecotourism in Croatia. He was also Co-Captain and Vice President of the Men’s Club Lacrosse team. John enjoys working out at the gym, the great outdoors, snowboarding, and playing guitar.

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Ms. Fassberg joined The Trout Group as General Counsel in June of 2006. Prior to joining Trout, Ms. Fassberg was a corporate attorney in the Frankfurt and New York offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell, one of the world’s leading corporate law firms. Ms. Fassberg’s experiences at Davis Polk & Wardwell includes corporate work such as representing investment banks and issuers in various securities offerings, including registered and private placements for domestic and foreign issuers, representing banks in lending transactions, providing advice relating to investment management, as well as general corporate work including corporate governance.

Edith received her Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law in 1997.

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Mr. Gordon joined the Trout Group in 2008 as Director of Technology and Facilities, after 7 years as the firm’s IT consultant, providing comprehensive information technology services.  Prior to this, Geoff was the Vice President of U.S. Systems for DBRS, Inc., a NRSRO- accredited bond rating agency located in New York City.  There, he was responsible for the New York, Chicago, Virginia, and Texas offices, totaling 88 employees.  Geoff has significant Microsoft Windows desktop and server expertise and experience in the financial and legal sectors.  He has worked externally for many smaller New York businesses on networking, desktop, and helpdesk projects.   

Geoff holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University and is a Microsoft Certified Professional and Partner.  He has also completed training in Windows XP, Active Directory, and Windows 2000 Server.  In his spare time, he runs a small computer consulting company and is an authorized reseller for Dell Computers.

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Mr. Wong joined the firm in 2007.  As Controller, he is responsible for the daily operation of the accounting department as well as the financial reporting functions.  Chris has over 15 years of accounting experience in the public relations and mutual fund industries.  Previously, Chris worked at Neuberger Berman as a senior mutual fund accountant.  He is a Notary Public in New York State.

Chris is a graduate of Baruch College with a Bachelor in Business Administration.

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Ms. Bank joined the firm in early 2009.  A native Californian, Ms. Bank holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from San Francisco State University.  Since moving to NYC in 2006, she worked as a technical coordinator for an IT consulting firm in Manhattan.  Prior to that Tiffany spent 4 years in San Francisco working with at-risk youth and created an after-school homework program for middle-school aged youth. In her spare time Tiffany likes to write, dance and explore the fun-filled streets of NYC.
 

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