Rick Pauls was appointed our President and Chief Executive Officer in 2009. Mr. Pauls has served as a member of our board of directors since 2005 and as the Chairman of the Board from 2008 to 2014. Before joining DiaMedica, Mr. Pauls was the Co-Founder and Managing Director of CentreStone Ventures, an early-stage life sciences venture capital fund, from 2002 until 2010. Mr. Pauls was an analyst for Centara Corporation, an early-stage venture capital fund, from 2000 until 2002. From 1997 until 1999, Mr. Pauls worked for General Motors Acceptation Corporation specializing in asset-backed securitization and structured finance. Additionally, Mr. Pauls has served on the board of directors of several public and private companies. Mr. Pauls received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Manitoba and his M.B.A. in Finance from the University of North Dakota.