Dan Larson
Dan Larson began his work at the PKD Foundation in 1993. Mr. Larson has served as president and chief executive officer of the PKD Foundation since 1994. In that role, he has directed the transformation of the organization from a small, regional foundation with a handful of staff to a worldwide organization with more than 55 professional staff that annually provides millions of dollars for PKD research and patient education activities.
Before joining the PKD Foundation, Mr. Larson was a management consultant and assistant area director for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in New York. He also served as a regional director and Minnesota state director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Inc., based in Kansas City, MO. Mr. Larson, a native of Minneapolis, graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis in 1976 and performed graduate studies at Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minn.
Mark Stone
Mark Stone joined the PKD Foundation in 2004 as the vice president and chief operating officer after serving four years as the assistant director at an international compassionate ministry organization. Mr. Stone is responsible for effectively overseeing the development and enhancement of revenue streams, and pursuing business development to ensure financial stability of the organization. He also provides leadership to facilitate the internal integration of all PKD Foundation initiatives within all departments and build organizational capabilities.
Prior to coming to the PKD Foundation, he served more than 20 years as a senior pastor in cities across the country. Mr. Stone, a Nashville native, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and religion from Trevecca Nazarene University in Tennessee and a master’s degree in theology from the Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City. He is also completing his doctorate degree in organizational and growth management from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Jill Panetta, PhD
Jill Panetta, PhD, began leading the PKD Foundation’s translational drug discovery efforts in May 2010 as Chief Scientific Officer, a new role aimed at turning the PKD basic science into Clinical advances. Dr. Panetta is co-founder and former Chief Scientific Officer of Innocentive, a web-based community matching scientists to research and development challenges presented by organizations worldwide.
Dr. Panetta also has more than 20 years in drug discovery research at Eli Lilly and Company, where she worked as a senior research scientist and Group Leader in drug discovery. Her early research efforts have led to the discovery of two clinical candidates: tibenelast for asthma and tazofelone for inflammatory bowel disease. Her more recent research efforts have focused on neuroprotection with an emphasis on stroke and Alzheimer’s Disease. In 1997, Dr. Panetta moved on to lead and execute the research strategy for the newly-founded Lilly Centre for Women's Health (LCWH) at Eli Lilly and Company.
Dr. Panetta is the author of more than 88 publications and abstracts, has given over 60 invited lectures, is co-inventor of 33 granted U.S. patents, and is co-editor of Psychiatric Illness in Women. In addition, Dr Panetta was named to the 15-member Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee on understanding the biology of sex and gender differences, which published a report on “Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health: Does Sex Matter?” Dr. Panetta also serves on editorial/advisory boards for a number of scientific journals and companies. She is a member of the PKD Foundation Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors for the Society for Women’s Health Research. She received her PhD in organic chemistry from Dartmouth College, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley.
Ken Kahtava
Ken Kahtava joined the PKD Foundation in 2007, leading national marketing and earned-income business efforts before taking on the position of Chief Business Development Officer in 2009. Mr. Kahtava now heads up PKD Foundation strategic business development initiatives. His primary goals are developing new business models to grow the capacity of the PKD Foundation and expediting the development of therapies for PKD through partnerships with the private sector, government, biotech and pharmaceutical industries.
Before his work at the PKD Foundation, Mr. Kahtava owned a business development consulting agency with offices in Kansas City and New York. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of Business Development for Hallmark Loyalty Marketing Group, the strategic business development arm of Hallmark Cards in Kansas City designed to leverage the Hallmark family of brands with other high-value brands. Mr. Kahtava began his career in public and media relations in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Ramapo College of New Jersey.