Cumberland Emerging Technologies, Inc. (CET) has announced the appointment of Jim Stefansic, PhD, as CET's development director. His responsibilities will include sourcing, evaluating, and negotiating for new biopharmaceutical product and technology opportunities, in addition to contributing to the management and expansion of CET's university collaborations.

Stefansic was previously COO of Pathfinder Therapeutics, Inc., a company he co-founded, where he led FDA regulatory submissions and business development activities. While there, he raised more than $17 million in venture capital and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding. He also previously served as the director of commercialization at Launch Tennessee, where he was instrumental in leading the acquisition of funding to develop and support the statewide SBIR program.

He earned an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, a doctorate from Vanderbilt, and his MBA from Belmont University's Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor of business. Stefansic started his career as a research professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was also co-founder and CEO of Raiven Healthcare.