David B. McWilliams
About David B. McWilliams
David B. McWilliams, age 82 as of October 28, 2025, serves as Chairman of the Board of Greenwich LifeSciences (GLSI). He is an independent director under Nasdaq rules and the Board-designated audit committee financial expert, with more than 40 years of leadership in biopharma and healthcare. He holds a BA in Chemistry from Washington & Jefferson College and an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago. Tenure on the GLSI board is not disclosed; his biography notes he previously served as GLSI’s Chief Executive Officer before becoming Chair .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| BioHouston, Inc. | Chairman of the Board | Not disclosed | Advocate for Houston life sciences industry |
| Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer; Director | Not disclosed | Led MS cell therapy company |
| Bacterial Barcodes, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer; President; Director | Not disclosed | Diagnostics (bacteria/fungi) |
| Signase, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer; Director | Not disclosed | Cancer therapeutics |
| Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer; President; Director | Not disclosed | Biopharma leadership |
| Repros Therapeutics Inc. | Chief Executive Officer; President; Director | Not disclosed | Biopharma leadership |
| Kallestad Diagnostics (Erbamont) | Chief Executive Officer; President | Not disclosed | Diagnostics leadership |
| Harleco Diagnostics (EM Industries) | President | Not disclosed | Diagnostics leadership |
| Abbott Laboratories | General Manager; Program Manager | Not disclosed | Operations/management |
| McKinsey & Company | Management Consultant | Not disclosed | Strategy advisory |
| Greenwich LifeSciences | Chief Executive Officer | Not disclosed | Prior CEO of GLSI |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private start-up biotech companies | Consultant/Advisor | Not disclosed | Assisted pre-clinical/clinical assets in oncology and other areas |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined McWilliams is independent under Nasdaq rules; he serves as Chairman of the Board .
- Leadership Structure: CEO and Chair roles are separated (Chair: McWilliams; CEO: Snehal Patel), which the Board views as strengthening oversight .
- Committees:
- Audit Committee: Chair (McWilliams); members Rothe, Hallock; McWilliams designated financial expert .
- Compensation Committee: Chair (McWilliams); members Rothe, Hallock .
- Nominating/Governance: Full Board serves this function .
- Meetings & Attendance (FY 2024): Board 4; Audit 1; Compensation 1. No director attended fewer than 75% of aggregate meetings of the Board and committees served .
- Independent director executive sessions: Independent directors meet separately without management on a regular basis .
| FY | Board Meetings | Audit Meetings | Compensation Meetings | Attendance Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | 1 | None <75% |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Cash Retainer ($) | Committee Fees ($) | Meeting Fees ($) | Total Cash ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 2024 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
GLSI reports no cash fees paid to non-employee directors in 2023–2024; compensation was delivered via equity awards .
Performance Compensation
| Year | Grant Date | Instrument | Vested in 2024 (units) | Remaining Vesting | Vesting Schedule | Fair Value Reported ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 06/22/2022 | Stock options | 15,496 | 22,856 (to vest over 18 months from 1/1/2025) | Equal monthly installments | Included in 2024 total $255,818 |
| 2024 | 12/24/2024 | Stock options | 15,829 | 46,155 (to vest over 36 months from 1/1/2025) | Equal monthly installments | Included in 2024 total $255,818 |
| 2023 | 06/22/2022 | Stock options | 15,496 | 38,352 (to vest over 30 months from 1/1/2024) | Equal monthly installments | Included in 2023 total $98,391 |
| Year | Stock and Option Awards ($) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $98,391 |
| 2024 | $255,818 |
- Performance metrics: None disclosed for non-employee director equity awards; vesting is time-based. Anti-hedging policy prohibits short sales and derivatives; pledging is prohibited unless pre-cleared, with no pledges by directors/officers as of 12/31/2024 .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Public/Private Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. | CEO; Director | Not disclosed | MS cell therapy |
| Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | CEO; President; Director | Not disclosed | Biopharma |
| Repros Therapeutics Inc. | CEO; President; Director | Not disclosed | Biopharma |
| Bacterial Barcodes, Inc. | CEO; President; Director | Not disclosed | Diagnostics |
| Signase, Inc. | CEO; Director | Not disclosed | Cancer therapeutics |
Compensation committee interlocks: None reported (no reciprocal interlocks with other entities in FY2024) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial expertise: Audit committee financial expert; chairs Audit and Compensation Committees .
- Industry leadership: 40+ years building biopharma/healthcare companies; prior C-suite roles across multiple therapeutics and diagnostics organizations .
- Education: BA Chemistry (Washington & Jefferson College); MBA Finance (University of Chicago) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | Ownership % | Options Included (vested/vesting within 60 days) | Shares Outstanding (as of 10/28/2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David B. McWilliams | 706,271 | 5.08% | 85,944 | 13,854,539 |
- Hedging/Pledging: No director/officer pledges as of 12/31/2024; hedging/derivative transactions prohibited by policy .
Shareholder Support Signals
| Annual Meeting Date | Director | For | Against | Abstain | Broker Non-Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/15/2023 | David B. McWilliams | 7,005,454 | 0 | 308,802 | 918,135 |
| 12/19/2024 | David B. McWilliams | 7,824,313 | 0 | 408,663 | 1,004,439 |
Equity plan capacity expansion to 4,000,000 shares was approved in 2024, increasing potential director/executive equity grant headroom .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths
- Independent Chair with deep sector experience; audit committee financial expert designation supports robust financial oversight .
- Chairs both Audit and Compensation Committees, indicating central role in risk, controls, and pay governance; anti-hedging/pledging policy and Section 16 compliance reinforce governance hygiene .
- Material equity ownership (5.08%) aligns director incentives with shareholders; no pledges reported .
- Watch items
- All director pay reported as equity grants; year-over-year increase in equity award value for McWilliams ($98,391 in 2023 to $255,818 in 2024) merits monitoring for dilution and pay-for-performance alignment as the 2019 plan share reserve was expanded .
- Biography notes prior CEO role at GLSI; while the Board determined independence under Nasdaq rules, investors may monitor continued objectivity in chairing key committees given prior executive affiliation .
Compensation consultant: The Compensation Committee engaged Radford (Aon) in 2023; ongoing use not explicitly disclosed in 2025 proxy .