In the C-suite for more than 30 years, Steve’s leadership has driven rapid growth from start-up to global enterprise. His interests focus on innovation that improves the lives of customers, from more useful computers to clean energy, cyber security and today, natural health.  After experiencing debilitating pain of cancer suffered by two close family members, Steve committed to identifying and successfully commercializing pain therapies that introduce fewer complications when administered with chemo and other complex cancer therapies.

“There is a vast, centuries-old repository of natural medicine which we have yet to harness to our full advantage. For example, most of us know someone who suffers from chronic pain. Watching them diminished by the condition is heart wrenching. More and more of us know someone who’s become addicted to pain killers or who’s had serious side effects like GI bleeding or stroke from long-term use of over-the-counter drugs. People simply shouldn’t be faced with those tradeoffs. Research indicates that natural plant compounds hold tremendous potential for effective treatment of chronic pain without harmful side effects.  That’s something I can be passionate about. Even driven.Harvesting medical knowledge from the annals of human history can result in revisiting lessons of the past through the lens of modern science and technology to develop more effective solutions that improve the quality of health and life. Think of what Hippocrates could have done with a microscope and a mass spectrometer.”

Kalman is an avid gardener who is fascinated by the unrelenting strength and arresting beauty of desert cacti.

Kathryn has decades of leadership experience in product development and marketing with industry titans known for breakthrough innovations in computing, video, mobile communications and biopharmaceuticals. The daughter of an amputee, her experience with her father’s lifelong chronic pain is deeply personal.

“My dad was a tough cookie, as were dozens of his friends who suffered horrendous combat injuries. About 18,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry served during WW II. 9,486 Purple Hearts were awarded for injuries in the line of duty. I grew up among dozens of vets who were missing limbs or carrying shrapnel as lifelong reminders of war. Many suffered with chronic pain from their injuries along with insomnia, post-traumatic stress and yes, substance abuse. But most of all, I remember their tremendous joy in life; love of family; genuine aloha spirit and their pride for having served. It’s my hope that natural solutions can help generations of veterans like my dad to live healthier, more productive lives despite the immeasurable sacrifices they make for others.”

Like her dad, Higa is also an avid organic gardener. Her first purchase in every new home is an aloe plant.