Leadership

Stephen Brady

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Brady joined Tempest in September 2019 and has been the company’s chief executive officer since June 2021, and president and chief executive officer since September 2023. Most recently, he served as executive vice president, strategy and finance at Immune Design, a biopharmaceutical company sold to Merck in 2019. At Immune Design, Mr. Brady led strategy, corporate development, finance and investor and public relations, as well as other general and administrative functions, and was instrumental in the company’s successful IPO, financings and eventual sale. Prior to Immune Design, he held roles of increasing responsibility in multiple biopharmaceutical companies, including as vice president of corporate development at Proteolix, where he had primary responsibility for the company’s business development activities and sale to Onyx Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Brady also serves on the Board of Directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).

Nicholas Maestas

Chief Financial Officer and Head of Corporate Strategy

Mr. Maestas is the chief financial officer and head of corporate strategy at Tempest. He joined Tempest as vice president, strategy and finance in July 2021. He comes to Tempest from Alector, where he served as the head of FP&A and strategic finance, where he was responsible for setting the company’s roadmap and was instrumental in building Alector's FP&A function and establishing a transformative global collaboration with GSK. Prior to Alector, Mr. Maestas was responsible for corporate and business development, FP&A, alliance management, strategic planning, and general operations such as facilities and IT at Immune Design where he played a key role in the company's eventual sale to Merck in 2019. Prior to Immune Design, he held roles of increasing responsibility at companies focused on a range of aspects of the life sciences industry, including genetic sequencing, medical devices and biotherapeutics. Mr. Maestas received a BA in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Sam Whiting, M.D., Ph.D.

Chief Medical Officer and Head of R&D

Dr. Whiting joined Tempest as executive vice president and chief medical officer in November 2020, and expanded his role to chief medical officer and head of research & development in September 2023. Prior to joining Tempest, Dr. Whiting served as senior vice president of clinical development at Calithera Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing treatments for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Before Calithera, Dr. Whiting served as vice president of research and clinical development at Gradalis and worked in development of small molecule targeted and immune-oncology agents at VentiRx Pharmaceuticals and Oncothyreon. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Whiting served as assistant professor of medical oncology at the University of Washington, assistant member of clinical research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and clinical head of gastrointestinal oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Whiting completed fellowship training in medical oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. His training in internal medicine was through the ABIM Research Pathway at the University of Washington. Dr. Whiting received his B.S. with Honors in Chemistry from Lewis and Clark College and his M.D. and Ph.D. in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Washington.

Darrin Bomba

Development Operations

Mr. Bomba joined Tempest as vice president and head of clinical operations in December 2021 and currently advises the company on development operations. Prior to joining Tempest, Mr. Bomba recently served as executive director, clinical operations, at CytomX Therapeutics, an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company, and senior director of clinical operations at Kezar Life Sciences, where he helped establish the company’s clinical development program for two separate assets and oversaw activities leading to the filing of two separate INDs for its lead clinical asset. Mr. Bomba brings over 25 years of industry experience and has held roles of increasing responsibility across all phases of investigational studies and in multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology. In addition to CytomX and Kezar, he has played key roles leading programs through the complexities of drug development in both large and small pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Amgen/Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Dynavax, Baxter Bioscience, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer. Mr. Bomba received a BS in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University.

Henry Johnson, Ph. D.

CMC & Medicinal Chemistry

Dr. Johnson joined the team as vice president of chemistry in June of 2022 and currently advises the company on CMC & operations. He brings more than 18 years of experience contributing to the discovery and development of novel chemical entities targeting the unmet medical needs of patients. He recently served as executive director of chemistry at BridGene Biosciences, a proteomics-focused biotechnology company, and as a director at Kezar Life Sciences where he was a primary contributor to the discovery and development of the company’s clinical assets Zetomipzomib (KZR-616) and KZR-261. Prior to Kezar he held positions of increasing responsibility within the industry at Amgen/Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Exelixis, contributing his expertise to several programs that advanced into the clinic including the approved therapy MINNEBRO^®. He has authored over 40 scientific publications and patents spanning diverse therapeutic areas. 

Dr. Johnson earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Utah and a B.S. in Biochemistry from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Sheldon Mullins

Regulatory Affairs

Mr. Mullins joined Tempest as vice president, regulatory affairs in September 2024 and currently advises the company on regulatory matters. He brings over 25 years of regulatory affairs expertise ranging from pre-IND to licensing application submission and post-approval activities across several therapeutic areas. Prior to joining Tempest, he held regulatory leadership roles at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals and Ardelyx, Inc., and prior to that, Mr. Mullins held regulatory affairs roles at multiple companies, including Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, and Genentech. Mr. Mullins obtained a M.S.B.A., in Business Analysis from San Francisco State University and a B.A. in Chemistry from Sonoma State University.

Troy M. Wagner

Quality Assurance

Ms. Wagner joined Tempest as vice president of quality assurance in August 2024 and currently advises the company on Quality matters. She brings over 30 years of experience in quality and clinical compliance, and has managed compliance, quality assurance, and quality control in various pharmaceutical and device manufacturing sites, as well as provided regulatory agency liaison support and oversaw the implementation of corporate quality standards. Prior to Tempest, she was the Vice President of Quality Assurance at Tricida, Inc., where she led all quality assurance functions for manufacturing, testing, holding and distribution activities. Before Tricida, Inc., Ms. Wagner served as Head of Global Corporate Quality & Compliance at Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd., where she led the management and oversight of the Corporate Quality Unit within the pharmaceutical division. Prior to that, she was Sr. Director Quality/Site Quality Head at Alcon, a Novartis company, Sr. Director of Quality Operations at Nektar Therapeutics, Director of Quality Assurance at Cephalon and a Director of Regulatory and Compliance at Rp Scherer. Earlier in her career Ms. Wagner held various roles within quality assurance and compliance at different companies in the life sciences and pharmaceuticals industry.

Lindsay Young

Human Resources

Ms. Young has been working with Tempest since May 2022 and currently advises the company on matters relating to human resources. She brings a wide range of experience in human resources, including people strategy, compliance, talent acquisition, compensation, and creating great places to work. She has consulted with a variety of organizations on human resource matters since 2016. Earlier in her career, she held various roles within commercial operations at Cepheid and CV Therapeutics. In addition to her professional work, Ms. Young is a passionate volunteer who dedicates her time to non-profit organizations focused on bridging educational divides for underserved communities. She has served in leadership roles and on the boards of various educational and community service organizations. Ms. Young holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz.