Cassava Sciences, Inc. announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Richard (Rick) Barry as Executive Chairman of the Board and as the Company?s principal executive officer, effective immediately. Mr. Barry succeeds Remi Barbier, the Company?s Chairman, President and CEO, who resigned from the Company and the Board. Mr. Barbier will remain employed by the Company until September 13, 2024 in a non-executive capacity, without duties or responsibilities.

Lindsay Burns, Ph.D., SVP, Neuroscience, at Cassava is also leaving the employ of the Company. Cassava and Dr. Burns have agreed that she step down from her role with the Company, effective immediately. Following her separation from the Company and for a one-year period, Dr. Burns will furnish consulting services as, and to the extent, reasonably requested by Cassava for purposes of providing information and support for scientific research and/or obtaining governmental approval for the Company?s products.

Cassava may, in its sole discretion, extend the term of the consulting agreement for up to an additional year. Mr. Barry has served as a director of Cassava since June 2021. Since June 2015, Mr. Barry has also served as Director of Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. and from June 2019 through October 2020, he served as a director of MiMedx Group Inc. (Nasdaq: MDXG).

He has extensive experience in the investment management business. He was a founding member of Eastbourne Capital Management LLC and served as a Managing General Partner and Portfolio Manager from 1999 to its close in 2010. Prior to Eastbourne, Mr. Barry was a Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of Robertson Stephens Investment Management.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University. The Board has appointed Rick Barry as Executive Chairman and is in the process of identifying a new CEO who has relevant industry and corporate governance experience. With the identification of a new CEO, the Board plans to separate the Chairman and CEO roles.

Mr. Barry said that in addition to the leadership changes, the Board has added Pierre Gravier as the Chair of the Audit Committee and Robert Anderson, Jr. as the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee.