Vision
A world where all people have opportunities to heal and grow through psychedelic medicines and therapies.
Mission Statement
Lead the research, development, and integration of psychedelic medicines and therapies into the healthcare system, prioritizing purpose over profits.
Our Values
Impact. Integrity. Openness. Care.
Public Benefit
What is the Benefit of a Public Benefit Corporation?
Who We Are
We Strive for Public Benefit. We Are the Members of MAPS PBC.
Our Values
Impact
We are ambitious in our goals and bold in our actions.
We prioritize our limited resources to areas that advance our mission the most.
We measure our performance, continuously improve, and speak honestly when standards
are not met.
Integrity
We are accountable for our work and our actions.
We earn trust through honesty and upholding our commitments.
We act as stewards of this work.
Openness
We are curious and welcoming of new perspectives; we don’t listen to disapprove.
We are transparent.
We are inclusive; we welcome and empower underrepresented voices.
Care
We act with compassion, especially in difficult situations.
We are attentive to the needs of others and treat people with respect.
We realize the significance of our work and take the time to do it right.
What is a Public Benefit Corporation?
A Public Benefit Corporation is a new type of corporation that is driven by values that promote sustainability, accountability, and transparency.
- Sustainability: We use profits to continue research to benefit society.
- Accountability: We take our impact on society and the environment into consideration.
- Transparency: We are required to report and share progress towards our impact on society.
*MAPS Public Benefit Corporation is owned by one shareholder.
Who We Are
Board of Directors

Jeff George Chairman of the Board of Directors
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Jeff George
Jeff is the Managing Partner of Maytal Capital, a healthcare-focused private equity and venture capital firm he founded in 2017, and a Partner at Bridge Builders Collaborative, an early-stage venture firm focused on mental health. He was previously global CEO for Sandoz and Alcon at Novartis Group, where he served on the Executive Committee between 2008 and 2016.
Jeff is Chairman of the Board of Directors at MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, which has an FDA-designated breakthrough therapy for PTSD that has completed Phase 3 clinical trials, and also serves on the board of directors of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, a leader in specialty and generic pharmaceuticals with over $2 billion in revenues; 908 Devices (NASDAQ: MASS), a high-growth pioneer in life science diagnostics; and Dorian Therapeutics, a Silicon Valley-based cell therapy biotech spun out of Stanford University. He also serves on several non-profit boards including Education Opens Doors, where he serves as Chairman, the North Texas Food Bank, and YPO of Dallas.
Between 2008 and 2016, Jeff served on the Executive Committee of Switzerland-based Novartis Group, first as the global CEO of Germany-based Sandoz, Novartis’s $10 billion revenue generic pharma and biosimilar subsidiary which doubled in value during his tenure, and then as CEO of Texas-based Alcon, Novartis’s $10 billion revenue eye care division, which was spun out from Novartis as a publicly listed firm in 2019. At both Sandoz and Alcon, Jeff was responsible for leading over 25,000 people across more than 160 countries and had leadership responsibility for all functions, regions, and franchises.
Prior to these roles, Jeff headed Emerging Markets for the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and CIS at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, leading a team of over 3,000 people across 65 markets and serving on its Executive Committee, and as Vice President and Head of Western & Eastern Europe for Novartis Vaccines. Before joining Novartis, Jeff was a Senior Director of Strategic Planning & Business Development at Gap Inc. and an Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Co., both in San Francisco.
Jeff holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he studied international economics and emerging markets political economy and was a John W. Watzek Fellow. He received his B.A. in international relations, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Carleton College. Jeff currently serves as a Board Trustee at Breck School, his high school alma mater in Minneapolis.
Jeff previously served on the Board of Directors of AdvaMed, the medical device industry association, Roam Analytics, a Silicon Valley-based artificial intelligence healthcare software firm sold to Parexel in 2020, and Wishbone Medical, a leader in pediatric orthopedic medical devices. He was twice named to Fortune’s “40 under 40” global leaders list and has lived in seven countries on four continents. He is married and lives with his wife and two daughters in Dallas and Manhattan Beach, California and enjoys live music, running, skiing, surfing, Iyengar yoga, meditation, travel, and foreign affairs.

Dan Grossman
Dan Grossman is a Managing Director & Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the world’s preeminent management consulting firms. He has close to 20 years of experience in BCG’s Health Care Practice Area, working with leading biopharmaceutical and medical technology companies on issues of corporate strategy, pipeline development, and commercializing innovation globally. His experience spans therapeutic areas, with significant depth across major areas of neuroscience. He has served as the head of Learning & Development for BCG in North America, and is responsible for BCG’s portfolio of proprietary data and software tools for the Health Care Practice. Grossman also serves as Treasurer and Executive Committee member of the Board of Trustees of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and a B.A. from Harvard College.

Amy Emerson Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
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Amy Emerson
Amy Emerson is the chief executive officer (CEO) of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC), a clinical-stage company dedicated to changing the way mental health conditions are treated. She became CEO when MAPS PBC was formed in 2014 to develop and commercialize prescription psychedelics, starting with MDMA-assisted therapy for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder. She has led the company through its successful completion of six Phase 2 studies and two Phase 3 studies, fundraising of approximately $150 million and growth to over 120 employees. Amy has decades of pharmaceutical development and research experience and has brought products from Phase 1 studies through FDA approval. From 1993 to 2009, she worked in various fields including immunology, oncology, and vaccines in roles with increasing levels of responsibility for companies such as Novartis and Chiron. Pursuing her love of science and nature, Amy earned her B.S. in Genetics and Cell Biology from Washington State University in 1992.

Gisselle Acevedo, M.Ed., J.D., L.M.F.T
Gisselle Acevedo is a trauma-informed Marriage and Family therapist and works with people in traditionally marginalized communities. She has served as CEO and in other executive positions across both philanthropic and for-profit organizations, including AT&T, The Los Angeles Times, Para Los Niños, and Ackerman Institute for the Family.
Gisselle has served on the boards of the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Loyola Law School Social Justice Clinic, Health Net, and Farmers Insurance. She is a Regent Emeritus at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, and the Child and Family Guidance Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Gisselle is a graduate of California Institute of Integral Studies Center for Psychedelic Research Therapies and Research. She holds a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fairfield University and a J.D. from Loyola Law School.

Jason Pyle
Jason Pyle, M.D., Ph.D., joined Evolve as Managing Director in 2022 to focus his work on the mass mental health crisis and the rampant diseases of despair, which afflict tens of millions of Americans. He is an accomplished biotechnology executive with over twenty years of executive management and technology development experience. He has founded and led successful biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, including Verdant Pharmaceuticals, Triton Biopharma, Fabric Inc., Sapphire Energy, and Epoc Bioengineering. He is committed to developing healthcare technologies and bringing science-backed healing to the most important problems of our generation. He has received numerous awards for his contributions in biotechnology and his business leadership in the life sciences, including Top 100 Green Executive by Forbes, Top Tech Executive by San Diego Magazine, and National Innovator by the U.S. Department of Energy. He holds several pending and issued patents in the engineering and biological sciences and has worked in diverse cross-discipline areas such as nanofabrication, optical engineering, and structural biology. Jason is a veteran of the U.S. Army and earned an Engineering degree from the University of Arizona. He received both his M.D. and Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Physiology from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Miriam Volat
Miriam Volat is the Co-Director of the Riverstyx Foundation and Director of Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund.
She works personally and professionally to promote health in all systems. Miriam works as a facilitator, educator, and community organizer to increase broad-based community and ecological resilience and decolonize philanthropy. Her work focuses on the intersection of biological and socio-cultural diversity. She has never stopped exploring nutrient cycles and soil ecology, the emphasis of her M.S. work in the U.C. Davis Vegetable Crops Dept. She also has degrees in political science and environmental studies.
Her life’s work at Riverstyx includes supporting efforts that allow issues stigmatized by society to be worked with in a way that brings healing. This includes supporting composting toilets and human bodies and Indigenous medicine, land, and cultural conservation. Riverstyx is committed to supporting a healthful integration of powerful medicines into society in a way that does no harm.

Rick Doblin, Ph.D.
Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master's thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment, which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary's Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife, dog, and empty rooms from three children, one of whom is in college and two have graduated.

Dawn McCollough
Dawn McCollough has overseen clinical trial support functions and clinical trials involving thousands of patients across numerous indications, geographies, and stages of development for nearly 30 years. Dawn has also helped numerous organizations grow from the ground-up and to operationalize key milestone events in both clinical drug development and business.
Dawn started a consulting company in 2018. In addition to her role at MAPS PBC, she provides consultation to a variety of pharmaceutical, biotech, and CRO clients.
Previously, she headed clinical operations functions in start-up Biotech organizations and headed Medical Research Operations (including the Medical Research Team) in Late-Stage Development at Biogen. Prior to that, Dawn was head of the Global Monitoring Organization for North America at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, based in Cambridge, MA. Dawn began her career with Novartis as Global Head of Clinical Trial Governance in Siena, Italy. Throughout the course of her career, she has participated in the development of numerous drug products from concept to approval. In addition to her time spent in the U.S., she has worked extensively in Europe, Canada, Latin America, and Asia. Dawn has been chosen as a top Women’s Leader within previously affiliated organizations.
Dawn has an entrepreneurial spirit and is passionate about developing new options for patients and for people. She enjoys travel and has a very strong connection with animals, nature, and anything outdoors. She toes the line at ultra-marathons about which she knows “the only way out is through” but revels in the journey and enjoys spending time with friends and family.
Executive Committee

Amy Emerson Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
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Amy Emerson
Amy Emerson is the chief executive officer (CEO) of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC), a clinical-stage company dedicated to changing the way mental health conditions are treated. She became CEO when MAPS PBC was formed in 2014 to develop and commercialize prescription psychedelics, starting with MDMA-assisted therapy for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder. She has led the company through its successful completion of six Phase 2 studies and two Phase 3 studies, fundraising of approximately $150 million and growth to over 120 employees. Amy has decades of pharmaceutical development and research experience and has brought products from Phase 1 studies through FDA approval. From 1993 to 2009, she worked in various fields including immunology, oncology, and vaccines in roles with increasing levels of responsibility for companies such as Novartis and Chiron. Pursuing her love of science and nature, Amy earned her B.S. in Genetics and Cell Biology from Washington State University in 1992.

Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Ph.D. Chief Scientific Officer
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Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Ph.D.
Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Ph.D., the chief scientific officer of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC), is responsible for regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, medical affairs, pharmacology and toxicology. She began working on the clinical development of MDMA-assisted therapy when she joined MAPS in 2009 and has been with MAPS PBC since its inception in 2014. Over the years Berra has supported the various stages of clinical development and regulatory affairs, while authoring numerous publications on MDMA-assisted therapy, LSD-assisted psychotherapy, cannabis, and ibogaine. She has developed a strong track record of success with FDA, EMA and other regulatory agencies. Prior to MAPS PBC, Berra gained clinical research experience working in laboratories at Geron Corporation and Millennium Pharmaceuticals. She earned her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Drama from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Andrew “Mo” Septimus Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & Co-Head of Business Development
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Andrew “Mo” Septimus
Andrew “Mo” Septimus is an experienced entrepreneur with a track record of managing multimillion-dollar raises and budgets, complex projects and teams. He has worked in private equity and acted as CFO in various industries. Mo has been a life science executive for 10+ years beginning as CFO and cofounder of a what became a subsidiary of IHI Inc. Mo was most recently the chief strategy officer at an Izun’s biopharma subsidiary and CFO at Ebbu, a cannabis focused biotech company that was sold to Canopy Growth Corp. Mo has been the chief financial officer (CFO) of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) since 2020. He received his B.S. in Finance and Agribusiness Economics from the University of Maryland.

Joy Sun Cooper Chief of Therapy Training
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Joy Sun Cooper
Joy Sun Cooper is the Chief of Therapy Training at MAPS Public Benefit Corporation where she is responsible for leading the company education program for therapists and stewarding the therapeutic approach within the treatments we develop. She previously served as head of commercialization and patient access from 2021 to 2023. Joy is an entrepreneur and leader who has founded and scaled multiple for-profit and non-profit ventures. She has deep experience in behavioral health service delivery, having co-founded and served as chief operating officer (COO) of Groups Recover Together, one of the largest networks of opioid use disorder treatment clinics in the U.S. She also served as an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company in the healthcare practice. Joy earned a B.S. from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Michael Mullette Chief Operating Officer
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Michael Mullette
Michael Mullette joined MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) as chief operating officer in March of 2022. He is an experienced drug development and commercialization professional with decades of experience growing businesses. Mike most recently served as vice president North America commercial operations for Moderna where he oversaw commercialization of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine during the height of the pandemic. Before Moderna he spent almost twenty years with Sanofi working in commercial, business development, operations, strategy, planning, marketing and sales in roles of increasing levels of responsibility. Mike earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Villanova University and an M.B.A. from Lehigh University.

Blair Clark-Schoeb Chief Communications Officer
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Blair Clark-Schoeb
Blair Clark-Schoeb, chief communications officer, joined MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) as a member of the Executive Team in September 2022. She is an experienced communications professional having worked in public relations (PR), investor relations (IR), government affairs (GA) and patient advocacy (PA) with biotechnology and life sciences companies for more than twenty years. Most recently, Blair ran communications and was a member of the leadership team at Aruvant, a subsidiary of a publicly traded company Roivant. Prior to that, she headed up the communications effort at Zyla Life Sciences, a publicly traded company that was acquired by Assertio. At both of those companies she led the IR, PR, GA and PA work and managed all internal and external communications. Before working in-house, Blair led her own consulting business, BiotechComm, working with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies such as Sanofi, Syndax and Horizon Therapeutics. Prior to running BiotechComm, she worked in IR and PR at two different agencies, Burns McClellan and Real Chemistry, and did investment banking at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette. Blair received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Harvard University and her master’s in healthcare innovation from the University of Pennsylvania. She was a founding member of the Society of Healthcare Innovation.

Arman Nadershahi General Counsel
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Arman Nadershahi
Arman is a seasoned legal executive who has served various life science companies ranging from early-stage startups to multinational biopharma companies. He has extensive experience working with not-for-profit organizations and their public benefit corporate subsidiaries.
Arman’s experience spans corporate law, FDA law, securities law, employment law, intellectual property law, M&A law, and healthcare risk management and compliance. Arman has established and led numerous legal and cross-functional teams. He has played a key role in, business financing strategies, product research and development, FDA approvals, market access, commercialization, numerous acquisitions and divestitures, and initial public offerings.
Previously, Arman served as Associate General Counsel at Gyroscope Therapeutics, a gene therapy and medical device company acquired by Novartis. Prior to Gyroscope, Arman served as the Head of Legal at the Alfred Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California (AMI-USC). At AMI-USC, he led the legal function of a $200M life science incubator, as well as the formation, financing, and successful exits of numerous medical device startup companies. Earlier in his career, Arman practiced intellectual property law at Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP, where he focused on patent prosecution, licensing, and intellectual property litigation in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.
Additionally, Arman co-founded and served as General Counsel and Chairman of Global Brigades, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization focused on global health and holistic community development. He also teaches biotechnology law at University of Southern California in his spare time.
Arman graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in Zoology and English. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School, a Master’s in Biological Science from the University of Minnesota, an MS in Regulatory Science from the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, an MBA from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, and an LLM in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown Law Center. He is a registered patent attorney, holds US and EU regulatory affairs certifications, and is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Arman enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with his family.