Leadership

DynPort Senior Management Team - Back row (left to right): Linda Dunsmoor, April Finnen, Bonny Bass, Mike McGinnis; Front row: Dr. Robert House, Dr. Mary Kate Hart, Joel Malagari

Robert V. House, M.S.P.H., Ph.D. is President of DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, a CSC Company. Dr. House joined the DynPort staff in 2002, where he has served as Director of Nonclinical Research and Chief Scientific Officer. He has been President since 2006, and is responsible for leading senior management, setting strategic, financial and operational goals, interacting with outside collaborators and partners to further grow the company, and defining corporate culture. Prior to joining DynPort, Dr. House worked at Covance Laboratories in Madison, Wis., and IIT Research Institute in Chicago, Ill., where he managed highly successful programs in immunotoxicology assessment. He has more than 20 years of experience in biomedical research and development, specializing in the assessment of inadvertent and therapeutic immunomodulation. Dr. House earned his Master of Science in Public Health in Parasitology and Laboratory Practice and his Ph.D. in Medical Parasitology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters, and is the editor of two books, covering immunology, immunotoxicology, infectious disease and biodefense. Dr. House is an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, where he teaches biodefense in the Department of Public and International Affairs. He is a certified Project Management Professional and a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences.

Mary Kate Hart, Ph.D. serves as Chief Scientific Officer at DynPort, where she is responsible for setting and managing the overall scientific and technical direction for development of all existing and anticipated products under development at DynPort.  Dr. Hart joined DynPort in 2006 as Director of Nonclinical Research, developing, managing and leading the company’s Nonclinical department toward successful licensure of vaccines under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Animal Rule.  Dr. Hart also served as Principal Investigator for DynPort’s seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccine program.  Prior to joining DynPort, Dr. Hart worked at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md. for 15 years.  She has more than 20 years of experience in vaccine research and development and has published more than 35 peer-reviewed manuscripts, chapters and reviews, holds 7 patents and has received several awards.  Dr. Hart earned a B.S. in Biology from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Linda Dunsmoor is the Director of Quality Systems at DynPort.  She is responsible for overseeing staff responsible for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) compliance activities.  Ms. Dunsmoor joined DynPort in 2002 as Product Quality Assurance Manager and in 2005 began managing the Clinical Quality Assurance department; in 2009 she was promoted to Director of Quality Systems.  Prior to joining DynPort, Ms. Dunsmoor worked at Life Technologies/Invitrogen in Frederick, Md. for 13 years.  She has more than 20 years experience developing and managing biotechnology quality systems.  Ms. Dunsmoor earned a B.S. degree in biology from California University of Pennsylvania and holds multiple certifications in areas of quality systems management.

Joel Malagari has served as Director of Finance at DynPort since 2001, where he has both P&L and program financial responsibilities. In addition, he manages a staff of product financial analysts who provide the budgeting, estimating and Earned Value Management System (EVMS) support to the integrated product teams charged with the development of FDA-licensed products for DVC clients.  He also works closely with the DVC President in planning and forecasting DVC’s finances.  Prior to joining DVC, Mr. Malagari worked at Orbital Sciences Corporation in Germantown, Md. for 13 years.  He has over 33 years of program financial planning, budgeting, execution and EVMS experience in private industry, supporting a variety of Department of Defense and civil government contracts.  Twenty-nine of those years have been in a management role, providing leadership, training and mentoring.  Mr. Malagari earned a B.S. in Management/Finance from SUNY at Utica, College of Technology.

Bonny Bass is the Director of Program Management at DynPort.  Ms. Bass is responsible for the oversight and leadership of all DynPort projects, program managers and project managers.  Ms. Bass joined DVC in 2001 as Senior Project Manager for DynPort's plague vaccine development program. In 2006, she began managing the advanced development of seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). Prior to joining DynPort, Ms. Bass worked for Quality Biological, Inc. in Gaithersburg, Md. for eight years.  She has more than 18 years of experience in project management and more than 10 years of experience in research and development and currently holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.  Ms. Bass earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of South Florida and an M.S. in Microbiology from the University of Central Florida.

Michael S. McGinnis is Director of New Business for DynPort, where he is responsible for leading DVC’s new business activities and functions.  Prior to joining DynPort, Mr. McGinnis worked at ICON Clinical Research in North Wales, PA and MedTrials, Inc. in Dallas, TX, where he held various leadership roles with global business development and marketing responsibilities.  He has more than 13 years of relevant business development and marketing experience within the Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology arena.  Mr. McGinnis earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Towson University in Maryland and an M.B.A. from Loyola University in Maryland.

April L. Finnen is Associate Director of Communications at DynPort. Ms. Finnen joined DynPort in 2003, and currently serves as Communications department head, where she oversees internal, external and marketing communications.  Ms. Finnen earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.B.A. from the University of Florida.  She has more than 15 years of experience in pharmaceutical, technology and non-profit communications, and has taught public relations writing at Hood College in Maryland.