Our Leadership Team
Legacy brings unmatched knowledge and experience to the table. With extensive backgrounds in research, pharma, and healthcare delivery, our experts offer a dynamic blend of innovative thinking and deep subject matter expertise. As senior-level professionals, we have active roles on industry advisory boards and consortia. With decades of experience across the healthcare spectrum, our experts are poised to provide keen insights and strategic guidance to expedite the pace of your clinical development. (We understand how patient perspectives can bring value into R&D.)
Click on the photos below to learn more about our team and find our specific areas of expertise. Then scroll down and push the ‘Contact’ button to get in touch – we are ready to help!
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer, Patient Perspectives and Planning, DEI, Regulatory Decision-Making
As a teen, Jessica lost her sister to osteosarcoma. The experience ignited Jessica’s desire to help patients and families through illness, including through clinical trials, as partners. She graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed her Family Medicine Residency at the University of Virginia in Roanoke. After practicing medicine for over a decade, Jessica attended Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, and the North Carolina Physician Leadership Program. She is a trained collaborative law attorney and mediator of over 50 cases and has been certified as North Carolina Superior Court Mediator. As Patient Engagement leader, Jessica brings her combined acumen of medicine and law, together with innovative thinking, to drive the culture change of increasing patient perspectives in medical product development to deliver mutually beneficial outcomes for patients and industry.
Jessica also has deep pharmaceutical industry experience as an ambassador representing industry on medical policy issues at a global level. She is known as a credible and trusted thought-leader and collaborator, who brings innovative solutions, digital strategies, and patient-centered approaches to biotech, med-tech, and pharmaceutical industries. From her leadership positions at GlaxoSmithKline and Takeda, she has increasingly focused on bringing patient perspectives into the process of R&D, with demonstrated experience in shifting the mindset from developing medicine for patients to developing medicines with patients.
Jessica has received awards for innovative and impactful work in Patient Engagement, including the Trail Blazer Award and PharmaVoice100 as one of the top 100 most inspiring leaders in the industry. Jessica is actively involved as a member of the Strategic Advisory Board to Bioethics International, Patient-Focused Medicines Development, DIA Patient Advisory Council and remains licensed to practice law in North Carolina. Jessica is married and has three children.
Engage with Jessica for:
- Patient Engagement Consulting
- Patient Perspectives for Regulatory Decision-Making
- Building a Patient Engagement Function
- Coaching and Mentoring
- C-Suite (and Investors)
- DEI with Patient Engagement
- Return of Research Results (aggregate and individual)
Lisa Nelson, MBI
Vice President of Technology
VP of Technology
Lisa Nelson is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in designing and implementing cutting-edge information technology solutions. Her expertise lies in leading projects within the realms of healthcare IT, clinical informatics, patient-facing technologies, and data warehousing. Lisa has an impressive track record of steering software teams through the entire software development lifecycle, encompassing enterprise and global deployment.
Prior to joining Legacy, Lisa's career spanned various prestigious organizations in the healthcare IT and medical research sectors. Her tenure at Be the Partner involved collaborating with pharmaceutical clients to provide comprehensive content and results for participants in global clinical trials. Notably, at Partners Healthcare, she was instrumental in scaling their pioneering Patient Portal from a small pilot to a platform supporting tens of thousands of patients. At ConvergeHealth by Deloitte she led projects in secondary uses of healthcare information including cohort identification software for academic medical centers and RWE for pharmacovigilance.
In her current role at Legacy, Lisa plays a crucial role in managing client engagements and overseeing the technical aspects of new implementations. Her responsibilities include the design and execution of these projects in alignment with Legacy's innovative vision and mission.
Lisa's academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Lawrence University and a Master of Biomedical Informatics from Oregon Health and Science University. Her blend of practical experience and academic knowledge positions her uniquely to lead technology-related projects at Legacy, ensuring technical excellence and strategic alignment in all initiatives.
Engage with Lisa for:
- Technology solutions that enable and enhance Patient Engagement in clinical trials
- Global SaaS deployment requiring adherence to international regulatory standards and review processes
- Comprehensive project oversight and management including expertise in bridging the gap between technical and non-technical team members
- Expertise in the design, development, and technical implementation of return of individual and/or aggregate data/results to trial participants
- Design and implementation of patient portals and patient-facing solutions
- Healthcare data warehousing to ensure data integrity and accessibility.
- Enterprise software deployment
Jennifer Millman, JD
Senior Director of
Strategy & Operations
Senior Director - Strategy & Operations
Jennifer Millman, JD, is the Senior Director of Strategy & Operations at Legacy Health Strategies, where she leverages her diverse background to accelerate awareness and access to clinical trials through equity-centered engagement. Prior to joining Legacy, Jennifer transitioned from a successful 14-year legal career to the non-profit sector, where she led a women’s leadership program and managed a foundation focused on community grantmaking. This experience honed her skills in strategic thinking and passion for mission-driven work, which she now applies to bridging the gap between clinical research and the patients it aims to serve. Together with her husband, she has raised two children in the vibrant Baltimore community that shaped her own upbringing.
Jen’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Connect on
Ed Sawyer, MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Ed is an accomplished executive with over two decades of hands-on leadership experience in building high-level infrastructure and highly performing teams. He has a distinguished track record of leading strategic execution, resolving complex issues, and driving transformational results in rapidly growing life sciences companies. Ed’s major accomplishments span critical management roles including serving as interim CFO for a large multi-million-dollar businesses in the biopharma industry and delivering robust results as General Manager for a medical device manufacturer.
VP of Technology
Lisa Nelson is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in designing and implementing cutting-edge information technology solutions. Her expertise lies in leading projects within the realms of healthcare IT, clinical informatics, patient-facing technologies, and data warehousing. Lisa has an impressive track record of steering software teams through the entire software development lifecycle, encompassing enterprise and global deployment.
Prior to joining Legacy, Lisa's career spanned various prestigious organizations in the healthcare IT and medical research sectors. Her tenure at Be the Partner involved collaborating with pharmaceutical clients to provide comprehensive content and results for participants in global clinical trials. Notably, at Partners Healthcare, she was instrumental in scaling their pioneering Patient Portal from a small pilot to a platform supporting tens of thousands of patients. At ConvergeHealth by Deloitte she led projects in secondary uses of healthcare information including cohort identification software for academic medical centers and RWE for pharmacovigilance.
In her current role at Legacy, Lisa plays a crucial role in managing client engagements and overseeing the technical aspects of new implementations. Her responsibilities include the design and execution of these projects in alignment with Legacy's innovative vision and mission.
Lisa's academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Lawrence University and a Master of Biomedical Informatics from Oregon Health and Science University. Her blend of practical experience and academic knowledge positions her uniquely to lead technology-related projects at Legacy, ensuring technical excellence and strategic alignment in all initiatives.
Engage with Lisa for:
- Technology solutions that enable and enhance Patient Engagement in clinical trials
- Global SaaS deployment requiring adherence to international regulatory standards and review processes
- Comprehensive project oversight and management including expertise in bridging the gap between technical and non-technical team members
- Expertise in the design, development, and technical implementation of return of individual and/or aggregate data/results to trial participants
- Design and implementation of patient portals and patient-facing solutions
- Healthcare data warehousing to ensure data integrity and accessibility.
- Enterprise software deployment
Senior Director - Strategy & Operations
Jennifer Millman, JD, is the Senior Director of Strategy & Operations at Legacy Health Strategies, where she leverages her diverse background to accelerate awareness and access to clinical trials through equity-centered engagement. Prior to joining Legacy, Jennifer transitioned from a successful 14-year legal career to the non-profit sector, where she led a women’s leadership program and managed a foundation focused on community grantmaking. This experience honed her skills in strategic thinking and passion for mission-driven work, which she now applies to bridging the gap between clinical research and the patients it aims to serve. Together with her husband, she has raised two children in the vibrant Baltimore community that shaped her own upbringing.
Jen’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Connect onChief Financial Officer
Ed is an accomplished executive with over two decades of hands-on leadership experience in building high-level infrastructure and highly performing teams. He has a distinguished track record of leading strategic execution, resolving complex issues, and driving transformational results in rapidly growing life sciences companies. Ed’s major accomplishments span critical management roles including serving as interim CFO for a large multi-million-dollar businesses in the biopharma industry and delivering robust results as General Manager for a medical device manufacturer.
Reach out to our leadership team by clicking the button below and filling out our contact form.
Strategic Advisory Board
Raquel Peck
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Raquel is an internationally recognized leader in global health advocacy and patient engagement, with over two decades of impact. She’s particularly known for her transformative work and legacy in viral hepatitis. Drawing from her own experience as a patient, she helped found and later led the World Hepatitis Alliance, spearheading global efforts that culminated into three WHO resolutions and the inclusion of hepatitis in the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2018, Raquel founded Clarion I, a consultancy focused on patient-led change. Since then, she co-founded Women in Global Health - Lusophone Community, launched a global liver cancer movement, and has supported major initiatives such as the International Experience Exchange with Patient Organizations (chaired by Raquel since 2021) and the Rare As One Project, lifting up rare disease patient-led research networks. In 2025, she joined the board of the Wilhelm Foundation, where she continues to bring her expertise and passion to the critical field of undiagnosed diseases, ultimately aiming to provide life-changing, timely answers for a community as large as 350m people worldwide. Recognized by the Economist Intelligence Unit as a change-maker, Raquel remains a driving force for systemic, patient-centered health transformation worldwide.
Roslyn F. Schneider MD, MSc, FACP, FCCP
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Roz is a physician, patient, biopharmaceutical executive, consultant, advocate, and board member. She is an evangelist for human-centered design, meaningful patient and community engagement in medical product research, development, and healthcare, to drive positive outcomes. An internist/pulmonologist/intensivist with experience spanning clinical practice, academia, and hospital administration, as well as leadership roles at Pfizer, Theravance, BioMarin, and independent consulting, Roz has driven practices that align with patients' and healthcare teams' articulated needs and preferences. A mentor and advocate for gender and health equity, she held leadership roles in professional associations and received numerous accolades, including PharmaVoice 100, the CUNY School of Medicine awards, and was Clinical Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Additionally, Roz is an active member of the Exceptional Women Alliance, Women Execs on Boards, was Chair of the board for the American Lung Association's New Jersey Chapter, and is Vice-Chair of the board of the Global Medicine Development Program Academy, King’s College of London.
Craig Lipset
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Craig Lipset is Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance, a global non-profit organization dedicated to the adoption of more accessible clinical research participation. He also serves as Vice President of Innovation for the Buffalo Initiative, a non-profit patient-led platform for the development of new treatments in neglected rare diseases. He is Adjunct Assistant Professor in Health Informatics at Rutgers University, and an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Rochester Center for Health + Technology. Craig serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President for the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, as well as on the Editorial Board for Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science. He is an external advisor to EveryCure, IMI Trials at Home, HL7 Project Vulcan and the Duke i-Cubed Innovation Center. As Managing Partner of Clinical Innovation Partners, Craig is an advisor to technology and biopharmaceutical companies, leading universities, and the venture community seeking to develop and implement innovative solutions for clinical research. He serves on the Board of Directors for Circuit Clinical, EmPath Labs, and MedVector. For nearly a decade Craig was the Head of Clinical Innovation at Pfizer, leading digital initiatives, patient engagement and collaborations across all therapeutic areas around the globe.Strategic Advisory Board Member
Raquel is an internationally recognized leader in global health advocacy and patient engagement, with over two decades of impact. She’s particularly known for her transformative work and legacy in viral hepatitis. Drawing from her own experience as a patient, she helped found and later led the World Hepatitis Alliance, spearheading global efforts that culminated into three WHO resolutions and the inclusion of hepatitis in the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2018, Raquel founded Clarion I, a consultancy focused on patient-led change. Since then, she co-founded Women in Global Health - Lusophone Community, launched a global liver cancer movement, and has supported major initiatives such as the International Experience Exchange with Patient Organizations (chaired by Raquel since 2021) and the Rare As One Project, lifting up rare disease patient-led research networks. In 2025, she joined the board of the Wilhelm Foundation, where she continues to bring her expertise and passion to the critical field of undiagnosed diseases, ultimately aiming to provide life-changing, timely answers for a community as large as 350m people worldwide. Recognized by the Economist Intelligence Unit as a change-maker, Raquel remains a driving force for systemic, patient-centered health transformation worldwide.
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Roz is a physician, patient, biopharmaceutical executive, consultant, advocate, and board member. She is an evangelist for human-centered design, meaningful patient and community engagement in medical product research, development, and healthcare, to drive positive outcomes. An internist/pulmonologist/intensivist with experience spanning clinical practice, academia, and hospital administration, as well as leadership roles at Pfizer, Theravance, BioMarin, and independent consulting, Roz has driven practices that align with patients' and healthcare teams' articulated needs and preferences. A mentor and advocate for gender and health equity, she held leadership roles in professional associations and received numerous accolades, including PharmaVoice 100, the CUNY School of Medicine awards, and was Clinical Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Additionally, Roz is an active member of the Exceptional Women Alliance, Women Execs on Boards, was Chair of the board for the American Lung Association's New Jersey Chapter, and is Vice-Chair of the board of the Global Medicine Development Program Academy, King’s College of London.
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Craig Lipset is Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance, a global non-profit organization dedicated to the adoption of more accessible clinical research participation. He also serves as Vice President of Innovation for the Buffalo Initiative, a non-profit patient-led platform for the development of new treatments in neglected rare diseases. He is Adjunct Assistant Professor in Health Informatics at Rutgers University, and an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Rochester Center for Health + Technology. Craig serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President for the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, as well as on the Editorial Board for Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science. He is an external advisor to EveryCure, IMI Trials at Home, HL7 Project Vulcan and the Duke i-Cubed Innovation Center. As Managing Partner of Clinical Innovation Partners, Craig is an advisor to technology and biopharmaceutical companies, leading universities, and the venture community seeking to develop and implement innovative solutions for clinical research. He serves on the Board of Directors for Circuit Clinical, EmPath Labs, and MedVector. For nearly a decade Craig was the Head of Clinical Innovation at Pfizer, leading digital initiatives, patient engagement and collaborations across all therapeutic areas around the globe.
Wendy Sanhai, Ph.D, MBA
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Dr. Wendy Sanhai brings a wealth of leadership experience, scientific expertise and business acumen to address complex challenges across the healthcare sector and life sciences. Building on experience established through her distinguished 25-year career, during which she has held senior positions across academia, industry and the Federal government [NIH and FDA], she is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies at the board and C-suite levels. Among her many strengths is her ability to proactively identify critical clinical, scientific and business gaps and create innovative approaches for large-scale, strategic, scientific, and public health initiatives, all directed to patient benefit. Dr. Sanhai develops healthcare policies, R&D strategies and operational efficiencies, and seamlessly navigates regulatory pathways to support development and commercial launches for consumer and medical products. She is a driving force in addressing patient needs and overcoming R&D and regulatory hurdles across multiple therapeutic areas, making her an invaluable asset to companies within the global healthcare and life science ecosystem. Dr. Sanhai serves on numerous boards and committees where she leverages her expertise to inform governance, oversight and other fiduciary responsibilities. She has a Ph.D. in clinical biochemistry, an Executive MBA and an Baccalaureate in chemistry.
Keri Oberg Yale, MBA
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Keri Oberg Yale is a trailblazer in patient advocacy and a recognized innovator in the pharmaceutical industry. Over her 31-year career at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., she held numerous leadership roles, most recently serving as Head of Patient Centricity & Engagement. In that role, she led enterprise-wide efforts to embed a patient-centric culture, integrate patient insights across the product lifecycle, and advance the science of patient input to inform research, development, and commercialization strategies. Her career began with a strong commitment to the HIV/AIDS community, where her vision for collaboration led to the creation of the industry’s first HIV Community Affairs team nearly three decades ago. She later became a founding member of Boehringer’s U.S. patient advocacy relations function and played a key role in establishing its global counterpart. Keri credits HIV advocates for shaping her understanding of authentic patient engagement—long before “patient-focused drug development” became a recognized discipline. A passionate storyteller and thought leader, she has shared her insights at industry conferences, academic forums, webinars, and podcasts. Today, through her consultancy, Keri Oberg Yale Consulting, she continues to help organizations elevate patient engagement, build meaningful partnerships with the patient community, and drive sustainable change across healthcare.
Valerie Powell, MS
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Valerie Powell, a seasoned executive with a background in real-world evidence (RWE) and healthcare, brings a wealth of experience from her role as EVP and Chief Patient Officer at CorEvitas, LLC. Since CorEvitas' integration into Thermo Fisher, Powell has transitioned to roles as a board member, advisor, and consultant to patient-focused organizations. Powell’s strategic focus on patient-centricity contributed to the successful sale of the CorEvitas business, as did her active participation in board meetings and strategy sessions. This was her second leadership role in a company sale and subsequent seamless integration of business lines, operations, and BD teams. At CorEvitas, she oversaw the Patient Experience global business, including Patient Insights Research and Health Unlocked, the world’s largest online patient engagement platform. A recognized authority in Patient Insights & Engagement, Powell has significantly contributed to RWE and clinical trials within the healthcare sector. Previously, Powell brought patient centricity expertise to both Icon plc and InVentiv Health (now Syneos Health). Ms. Powell is a regular presenter at industry conferences and has a robust publication record. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree from Boise State University.
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Dr. Wendy Sanhai brings a wealth of leadership experience, scientific expertise and business acumen to address complex challenges across the healthcare sector and life sciences. Building on experience established through her distinguished 25-year career, during which she has held senior positions across academia, industry and the Federal government [NIH and FDA], she is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies at the board and C-suite levels. Among her many strengths is her ability to proactively identify critical clinical, scientific and business gaps and create innovative approaches for large-scale, strategic, scientific, and public health initiatives, all directed to patient benefit. Dr. Sanhai develops healthcare policies, R&D strategies and operational efficiencies, and seamlessly navigates regulatory pathways to support development and commercial launches for consumer and medical products. She is a driving force in addressing patient needs and overcoming R&D and regulatory hurdles across multiple therapeutic areas, making her an invaluable asset to companies within the global healthcare and life science ecosystem. Dr. Sanhai serves on numerous boards and committees where she leverages her expertise to inform governance, oversight and other fiduciary responsibilities. She has a Ph.D. in clinical biochemistry, an Executive MBA and an Baccalaureate in chemistry.
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Keri Oberg Yale is a trailblazer in patient advocacy and a recognized innovator in the pharmaceutical industry. Over her 31-year career at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., she held numerous leadership roles, most recently serving as Head of Patient Centricity & Engagement. In that role, she led enterprise-wide efforts to embed a patient-centric culture, integrate patient insights across the product lifecycle, and advance the science of patient input to inform research, development, and commercialization strategies. Her career began with a strong commitment to the HIV/AIDS community, where her vision for collaboration led to the creation of the industry’s first HIV Community Affairs team nearly three decades ago. She later became a founding member of Boehringer’s U.S. patient advocacy relations function and played a key role in establishing its global counterpart. Keri credits HIV advocates for shaping her understanding of authentic patient engagement—long before “patient-focused drug development” became a recognized discipline. A passionate storyteller and thought leader, she has shared her insights at industry conferences, academic forums, webinars, and podcasts. Today, through her consultancy, Keri Oberg Yale Consulting, she continues to help organizations elevate patient engagement, build meaningful partnerships with the patient community, and drive sustainable change across healthcare.
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Valerie Powell, a seasoned executive with a background in real-world evidence (RWE) and healthcare, brings a wealth of experience from her role as EVP and Chief Patient Officer at CorEvitas, LLC. Since CorEvitas' integration into Thermo Fisher, Powell has transitioned to roles as a board member, advisor, and consultant to patient-focused organizations. Powell’s strategic focus on patient-centricity contributed to the successful sale of the CorEvitas business, as did her active participation in board meetings and strategy sessions. This was her second leadership role in a company sale and subsequent seamless integration of business lines, operations, and BD teams. At CorEvitas, she oversaw the Patient Experience global business, including Patient Insights Research and Health Unlocked, the world’s largest online patient engagement platform. A recognized authority in Patient Insights & Engagement, Powell has significantly contributed to RWE and clinical trials within the healthcare sector. Previously, Powell brought patient centricity expertise to both Icon plc and InVentiv Health (now Syneos Health). Ms. Powell is a regular presenter at industry conferences and has a robust publication record. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree from Boise State University.
Ready to work with us? Reach out to our team and find out how we can help you by clicking the button below.