Global law firm Littler has added Alan L. Merriman as an associate in its New Haven office.
Merriman joins Littler from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), where he was a field attorney from 2014 to 2021.
Lori Alexander, Littler’s office managing shareholder in New Haven, said Merriman’s understanding of the agency will benefit the firm’s clients.
“With nearly a decade of service at the NLRB, Alan is a highly experienced traditional labor lawyer and a strong addition to our team,” Alexander said.
During his time at the NLRB, Merriman handled hundreds of unfair labor practice cases.
In addition to his legal practice, Merriman currently serves as a Major, Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer for the National Guard. His duties in that role include serving as Special Victims’ Counsel for service members who report sexual assault and harassment as well as providing counsel on cyber law and ethics issues.
Merriman is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and was the 2005 Connecticut National Guard Soldier of the Year.
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Guilford biotech appoints chief medical officer
Drug Farm, a biotechnology company with offices in Guilford and China, has appointed Dr. Jeysen Z. Yogaratnam as its chief medical officer.
The company is focused on developing treatments targeting innate immunity for hepatitis B, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Yogaratnam has more than two decades of clinical and drug development experience, including in the design and execution of clinical trials. He has previously worked at Aligos Therapeutics, Eiger Biopharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Bristol Myers Squibb.
Drug Farm CEO Henri Lichenstein, in welcoming Yogaratnam, said it is at a “pivotal moment” for the company, as it is preparing to advance its first immune-modulator for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B into human testing this year.
Yogaratnam said he looks forward to leading the transition of Drug Farm from a research-based company to one in the clinical stage of developing life-changing medicines for patients.
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Gaylord appoints trio to board of directors
Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, a nonprofit rehabilitation-focused healthcare system headquartered in Wallingford, recently appointed three new members to its board of directors.
The new board members include:
Brian Lawlor of Southport, who is head of the Americas at Bridgewater LLC, where he leads the global strategic advisory program and works with Bridgewater’s largest partnerships in North America.
Robert A. Preti of New York City is a life science entrepreneur and executive who most recently served as chief strategy officer and general manager of the strategy office of Showa Denko Materials Life Science.
Dr. Steven Ryder of Westport, who is chief medical officer at Rallybio, a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development of life-transforming therapies for patients with severe and rare disorders.
Gaylord President and CEO Sonja LaBarbera said the board’s newest members are “innovators, pioneers, entrepreneurs, scientists and business leaders” who are passionate about Gaylord’s work to help patients with their recovery.
