Leadership

Dr. Neal Walker co-founded Aclaris and is Aclaris' Chief Executive Officer, having served as Aclaris’ Interim Chief Executive Officer from January 2024 to February 2025, and Chair of Aclaris’ board of directors since January 2023. He previously served as Aclaris’ Chief Executive Officer until December 2022 and has served as a member of the board of directors since its inception in July 2012.

Neal is a board-certified dermatologist and serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the life science industry. He began his pharmaceutical industry career at Johnson & Johnson. Neal co-founded NeXeption, LLC, a biopharmaceutical assets management company, in 2012, and its affiliated companies. Prior to Aclaris, he co-founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Vicept Therapeutics, Inc., a dermatology-focused specialty pharmaceutical company, from 2009 until its acquisition by Allergan, Inc. in 2011. Previously, Neal co-founded and led a number of life science companies, including Octagon Research Solutions, Inc., a software and services provider to biopharmaceutical companies (acquired by Accenture plc); Trigenesis Therapeutics, Inc., a specialty dermatology company, where he served as Chief Medical Officer (acquired by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Inc.); and Cutix Inc., a commercial dermatology company. He also co-founded and previously served on the boards of the Dermatology Summit, Dermatology Innovation Forum, and Advancing Innovation in Dermatology. Neal is on the board of directors of Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly held biotechnology company, as well as several private companies. In 2016, Neal was awarded the Frank Baldino Bioscience CEO of the Year award and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Greater Philadelphia award. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Neal received a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Lehigh University.

Kevin Balthaser has served as Aclaris’ Chief Financial Officer since January 2023. Mr. Balthaser has served in various roles at Aclaris of increasing responsibility since 2017, most recently as Vice President, Finance since January 2022.

Kevin is a financial executive with nearly 15 years of progressive leadership experience. Before joining Aclaris, he held various positions of increasing responsibility within the accounting and finance department at Lannett Company, Inc., a publicly traded generic pharmaceutical company, where he was also a member of the team responsible for executing capital market transactions and acquisitions. Prior to his tenure with Lannett Company, Kevin began his career with international accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Kevin is a certified public accountant in Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Pennsylvania State University and his Master of Business Administration from Villanova University. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Hugh Davis, PhD. has served as Aclaris’ President and Chief Operating Officer and as member of the Aclaris Board of Directors. since November 2024.

Prior to joining Aclaris, Hugh held various roles at Biosion, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, beginning in March 2020, including as Chief Operating Officer of Biosion Inc., President of Biosion USA, Inc., and, most recently, as Biosion’s Chief Business & Development Officer and President. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Biosion, Inc. since March 2020. From 2018 to February 2020, Hugh served as Chief Business Officer at Frontage Laboratories, Inc. where he played a critical role in leading the company to IPO on the Hong Kong Exchange. He previously served in a series of leadership roles at Janssen R&D/Johnson & Johnson, including as Vice President & Head, Biologics Development Sciences, Biophysics and Laboratory Operations. He and his team were instrumental in the development and approval of numerous biologic therapies such as Simponi®, Stelara®, Tremfya®and Darzalex®. Hugh’s previous biopharmaceutical experience includes leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer. Hugh earned Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Biochemistry from Villanova University and a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Gannon University.

Jesse Hall, M.D. has served as Aclaris’ Chief Medical Officer since April 2025. Dr. Hall brings decades of leadership experience to Aclaris in all phases of drug development, from early development through global regulatory filings and approvals, Phase IV post-marketing surveillance obligations, and commercial launch support. He most recently served as Chief Medical Officer for AltruBio where he was responsible for leadership of all clinical and medical functions.

Prior to AltruBio, Dr. Hall served in roles of increasing responsibility at companies including Sublimity Therapeutics, Ardea Biosciences (a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca), Amgen, and Abbott Labs. He has supported the development and launches of therapeutics including the monoclonal antibodies HUMIRA® (adalimumab) and PROLIA® (denosumab).

Dr. Hall earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of San Diego, a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and conducted his surgical training at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University.

Roland Kolbeck, Ph.D., has served as Aclaris’ Chief Scientific Officer since July 2025, bringing nearly three decades of senior R&D leadership in small and large biopharmaceutical companies and a proven track record of successful drug development to Aclaris. He most recently served as Chief Scientific Officer for Spirovant Sciences, where he directed the company’s strategy related to new indications, targets, and investments.

Previously, Dr. Kolbeck was Vice President, Head of Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmune Research (RIA) at MedImmune, AstraZeneca’s global biologics organization; six monoclonal antibodies originating from the RIA portfolio have since been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Prior to Medimmune, he served in senior scientific roles at Peptimmune and Millennium Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Kolbeck has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and earned his M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Regensburg and Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology (now the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence), in Munich, Germany.

Jim Loerop has served as Aclaris’ Chief Business Officer since January 2022.

Prior to joining Aclaris, Jim served as Executive Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Planning at Anika Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly held global joint preservation company, where he was responsible for global business development activities. He also previously served as Chief Corporate Development Officer for Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team and was responsible for global business development and corporate development activities. Prior to joining Lupin, he held senior leadership roles at various companies in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry, including at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as Senior Vice President of Global Business Development, GlaxoSmithKline as Vice President of North America Business Development, and Stiefel Laboratories, Inc. as Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Development, prior to GSK’s acquisition of Stiefel.

Jim received his Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Western Michigan University.

Matthew Rothman has served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since November 2022. He joined Aclaris in 2018 and has served in a number of roles of increasing responsibility within the legal department. Prior to joining Aclaris, Matt was an associate in the corporate and securities group at the global law firm Dechert LLP.

Matt received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania.

Ajay Aggarwal, MD, currently serves as Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development at Aclaris. Ajay joined Aclaris in October 2021, and has more than 13 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He is a board certified Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Physician and has executed many studies in a variety of therapeutic areas including respiratory, immunology, and oncology.

Prior to joining Aclaris, Ajay served as Chief Medical Officer of CereXis Inc., developing drugs for rare neurology and oncology indications. He also held clinical leadership positions at Insmed, Inc. and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals plc, successfully moving several compounds from the preclinical setting to late-stage clinical development.

Ajay is also a practicing clinician and volunteers at a clinic in the greater Philadelphia area serving underserved patients in the community. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Ajay worked in an academic setting, serving as Chief of Medicine at VA Hospital. He has published many peer reviewed papers, and is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Ajay received his Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and his medical degree (MBBS) from All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Meghan Dunsmore has served as Senior Vice President of Finance since January of 2025.

Meghan joined Aclaris in 2018 and has served in roles of increasing responsibility in finance and accounting. Prior to joining Aclaris, Meghan was a Global Business Controller for Dupont de Nemours, Inc, a Fortune 500 specialty chemical company, where she served as lead for technical accounting, complex transactions, and corporate initiatives for multiple business segments. Prior to Dupont, Meghan spent 11 years with public accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP, where she specialized in supporting the firm’s publicly-traded large accelerated filer clients.

Meghan is a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a member of the American Institute of Public Accountants. Meghan graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

Jon Jacobsen, PhD, has served as Aclaris’ Senior Vice President, Chemistry since January 2022. Jon has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and previously served as Director of Chemistry at Confluence Life Sciences, Inc. since 2011.

Prior to joining Aclaris, Jon held multiple science and leadership positions at Pfizer and legacy companies, including that of a senior fellow, chemistry director, as well as in project and chemistry team leadership roles for drug discovery projects. Over his career, Jon worked on multiple projects within CNS, cancer, cardiovascular and inflammation disease areas. He successfully led teams that advanced a number of compounds from discovery to clinical development and worked closely with development teams to advance candidates. During the last twelve years, his research has focused on the inhibition of multiple kinase targets involved in cancer and inflammation pathways. He has co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and is listed as a co-inventor on more than 50 patents.

Jon received his Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Harvey Mudd College and Doctor of Philosophy in synthetic chemistry from the University of California, Irvine. He also carried out post-doctoral studies at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. 

Will Roberts has served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations since January 2025. Prior to joining Aclaris, he served as Communications Officer for G1 Therapeutics in Research Triangle Park, NC where he led their global communications and investor relations strategy from 2021 through its 2024 acquisition by Pharmacosmos Group.

Will brings nearly 30 years of broad communications and scientific experience to the Company, having led investor relations, patient advocacy, public relations, and global corporate communications for companies including G1, Zynerba, Adaptimmune, ViroPharma, and MedImmune, with biologic and small molecule experience in all phases of drug development including commercial support of COSELA® (trilaciclib), CINRYZE® (C1 esterase inhibitor (human)), BUCCOLAM® (midazolam), and SYNAGIS® (palivizumab). His background also includes research experience in the areas of molecular microbiology and genetics.

He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from the University of Virginia.

Nina Samra, MS, has served as Aclaris’ Senior Vice President, Clinical Operations since December 2024. Prior to joining Aclaris, Nina served as Vice President, Project Delivery & Therapeutic Area Head CNS, Dermatology for Icon Biotech, a CRO located in Raleigh, NC., where she oversaw and provided strategic direction to global ICON Biotech CNS and Dermatology portfolios to achieve corporate and divisional goals.

Nina’s 30+ year career includes roles of increasing responsibility at companies including ICON, Covance, Takeda NA, TAP Pharmaceuticals, Gilead Sciences, and Genentech. Her broad expertise encompasses leading global teams in clinical program development spanning the development life cycle, and strategic portfolio management in areas including dermatology, immunology, neuroscience, and infectious disease.

Nina earned a Master of Science degree in biomedical laboratory science and a Bachelor of Science degree in cellular molecular biology from the San Francisco State University.

Shaun Selness has served as Senior Vice President and Head of Discovery and Preclinical Sciences since November 2025, leading a team focused on the discovery of novel therapeutics targeting autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. He brings over 30 years of leadership experience across the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries to Aclaris.

Prior to his current role, Shaun led the Analytical Sciences team within Bayer Crop Sciences with a focus on supporting formulation development and process optimization. Prior to that role, he led an Emerging Technologies discovery team at Bayer, assessing novel screening technologies to identify molecules for crop protection targets. Prior, Shaun was a Research Fellow in Pfizer's Medicinal Chemistry Department for over a decade, specializing in inflammation/immunology targets and leading interdisciplinary teams that delivered multiple clinical candidates. His early career included a senior scientist role at Sandoz, focusing on process optimization of herbicides.

Shaun earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign and a B.A. in Chemistry from Pomona College.

Steve Tucker has served as Senior Vice President, Product Leadership of Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. since January 2023. Having joined Aclaris in 2018, Steve has led Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing and Product Leadership during his time with Aclaris. In his current role, he leads cross-functional development teams and the portfolio steering committee. Previously, Steve served as Aclaris’ Senior Director, Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing.

Prior to joining Aclaris, Steve held positions at both large and small companies, including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Elan Corporation plc, and Cutanea Life Sciences Inc. for over 20 years in the industry. His experience in drug development has extended from discovery into INDs, NDAs, and support of commercial products. His development experience includes topical, oral, and injectable products across many therapeutic areas.

Steve received his Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Drexel University.

Joseph Monahan, Ph.D., Aclaris’ Special Scientific Advisor, served as Aclaris’ Chief Scientific Officer from January 2021 through July 2025, and has more than 35 years of pharmaceutical research experience. Previously, Joseph served as Aclaris’ Executive Vice President, Research and Development.

Prior to joining Aclaris, Joseph founded the biotechnology company, Confluence Life Sciences, Inc. in 2010 and functioned as the Chief Scientific Officer. He has also held multiple research leadership positions at Pfizer Inc., including Executive Director, Inflammation Research, global kinase platform leadership team lead, site head of enzymology and biophysics, and inflammation research and development lead. Throughout his career, he led the advancement of project portfolios from early discovery through phase 1 and 2 clinical development. He has held adjunct and visiting professor positions at Washington University Medical School, University of Missouri and University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He has published over 85 peer-reviewed publications and is listed as co-inventor on 14 patents.

Joseph received his Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of New York at Buffalo and Doctor of Philosophy in biochemistry from the University of South Carolina.