Board of Directors

James C. Foster is Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Charles River Laboratories, a leading provider of essential products and services that fully support the drug discovery and early-stage development process. Since beginning his career at Charles River in 1976, Mr. Foster has held a variety of positions including: Vice President of Administration and General Counsel, President of Charles River Biotechnical Services, and Executive Vice President, Charles River. Mr. Foster was named President in 1991, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1992, and Chairman in 2000.

As CEO, Mr. Foster has built Charles River from a niche research models and services business to a full service, early-stage drug research partner to more than 100 of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies and academic institutions, as well as thousands of emerging and established biotechnology companies. Today, the Company offers a unique portfolio of products and services required to take a novel drug therapy from discovery through non-clinical development.

Mr. Foster is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and a member of the Presidential Advisory Council for Berklee College of Music. He is a guest lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Mr. Foster holds a B.A. degree from Lake Forest College, an M.S. degree from MIT, and a J.D. degree from Boston University School of Law.

Flavia Pease joined Charles River in 2022 as Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Ms. Pease leads the Company’s global finance organization and is responsible for overseeing the Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Investor Relations, Internal Audit, Risk Management, and Procurement functions, as well as working closely with operational finance teams across the Company’s global businesses.

Prior to joining Charles River, Ms. Pease served as Vice President and Group Chief Financial Officer of Johnson & Johnson’s global Medical Devices businesses since 2019. With more than 20 years in financial leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, Ms. Pease has developed deep industry knowledge and experience managing the Finance organizations of large, growing businesses.

During her tenure, Ms. Pease was also Vice President, Finance for Janssen North America from 2016 to 2019, which is Johnson & Johnson’s Pharmaceutical business in the United States and Canada. Before Janssen, from 2014 to 2016, Ms. Pease was Vice President of the Enterprise Program Management Office, responsible for supporting Johnson & Johnson’s executive management team with the strategic planning process and the advancement of enterprise growth initiatives. From 2009 to 2012, she led the integration of the Mentor and Acclarent acquisitions as a Vice President of Finance, and subsequently became the Vice President of Finance for Janssen Supply Chain from 2012 to 2014. Ms. Pease began her career at Johnson & Johnson in 1998 with the LifeScan business and subsequently held finance leadership positions within Mergers and Acquisitions Analysis and Johnson & Johnson Medical Brazil. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Ms. Pease worked for SC Johnson and an investment bank in Brazil.

Ms. Pease holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a Master of Business Administration from Santa Clara University.

Birgit Girshick joined Charles River in 1989 and held positions of increasing responsibility in the Company’s Research Models & Services and Avian Vaccine Services businesses. In 2004, Ms. Girshick was promoted to General Manager of the Avian Vaccine Services business. She was named Corporate Vice President, Global Biopharmaceutical Services (now Biologics Testing Solutions), in 2010. In 2013, Ms. Girshick was promoted to Corporate Senior Vice President, Research Models and Biologics Testing Solutions. In 2016, Ms. Girshick assumed responsibility for leading the WIL integration, and in October 2016, was named head of the global Discovery Services business.

In 2018, Ms. Girshick was promoted to Corporate Executive Vice President overseeing the Discovery, Safety Assessment, Biologics Testing Solutions, and Avian Vaccine Services businesses. In 2021, she also assumed responsibility for the company’s Cell and Gene Therapy CDMO business. In October 2021, Ms. Girshick was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, and assumed the additional oversight of the Research Models and Services business, where she began her Charles River career in 1989, as well as the Microbial Solutions business. In the Chief Operating Officer role, Ms. Girshick is responsible for leading the Company’s global business units, which includes guiding their strategic direction, driving operational excellence and growth, maintaining client and partnership relationships, leading the organization’s digital transformation and integrating acquisitions. She is a member of the company’s Executive Committee.

Ms. Girshick received a B.A. degree from Eastern Connecticut State University and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Rhode Island. She also received a certificate from the Advanced Management Program from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.

Shannon M. Parisotto joined Charles River Laboratories in 2000 in our Nevada operation. Ms. Parisotto progressed through a number of finance management positions of increasing responsibility, and in 2010, was promoted to Corporate Vice President, Preclinical Services, Finance. In this role, Ms. Parisotto was responsible for the financial operations of the global Preclinical Services business. Beginning in 2011, Ms. Parisotto’s role was expanded to include additional business segments, and in 2015, she was promoted to the newly created position of Corporate Senior Vice President & Controller, Global Operations, where she worked collaboratively with Charles River’s business units to develop and implement business strategies. In 2020, Ms. Parisotto was promoted to Corporate Senior Vice President, Global Safety Assessment, where she was responsible for leading the Company’s global Safety Assessment organization, and positioning the business for continued, long-term growth and success. In October 2022, Ms. Parisotto was promoted to Corporate Executive Vice President, and assumed the additional oversight of the Discovery Services business to lead its strategic vision and operational growth, as well as enhance the synergies between the businesses and with clients across the global Discovery and Safety Assessment segment.

Ms. Parisotto holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Nevada, Reno, an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Kerstin Dolph joined Charles River in 2001 in a Finance role for the Company’s Research Models and Services (RMS) business in Germany. She transitioned to the U.S. RMS business in 2009, and was promoted to Senior Finance Director of Global RMS in 2015. In 2017, Ms. Dolph was promoted to Corporate Vice President, North American RMS, where she was responsible for leading the Company’s North American RMS business, which included managing several consolidation and efficiency initiatives, along with global RMS technology enhancements.

In 2019, Ms. Dolph assumed the role of Corporate Vice President, Global Biologics. In this role, Ms. Dolph is responsible for leading the Company’s Biologics business, as well as managing the growth opportunities and expansion of the business. Most recently, she assumed responsibility for the Company’s Gene Therapy CDMO businesses, and in October 2021, was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President, Biologics Solutions.

Ms. Dolph holds a bachelor’s degree from the International Accountancy & Business School in Wuerzburg, Germany and was recognized by the Bavarian Government for outstanding performance.

Greg Marshall joined Charles River in 2016 as the Corporate Vice President of Finance for the Company’s Microbial Solutions business. Since joining Charles River, he has held roles of increasing responsibility across the Finance and Operations functions and was promoted to Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Microbial Solutions in 2022. In this role, Mr. Marshall is responsible for the Global Microbial Solutions organization, which has 17 facilities in 12 countries.

Prior to joining Charles River, Mr. Marshall spent over twenty years working in the semiconductor industry in various financial management roles, including Factory Controller, Vice President Business Finance, Vice President, Corporate Controller and Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. He also has extensive international experience, including working abroad in Mexico and Japan, and serving on several international Boards of Directors. In South Carolina, Mr. Marshall currently serves on the Boards of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, SCBIO, and the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.

Mr. Marshall holds a B.S. in Business Administration (Finance) from The University of Massachusetts and a M.S. in International Business Administration from Central Michigan University.

Colin Dunn, Ph.D. joined Charles River in 2008 as Country Manager for the Company’s RMS United Kingdom business and as Executive Director for Veterinary and Professional Services in Europe. In 2011, Dr. Dunn was promoted to Corporate Vice President, Research Models & Services, Europe. In 2013, he was promoted to Corporate Senior Vice President and General Manager, Research Models & Services, Europe and Asia with operational responsibilities in Europe, Japan and China.

Dr. Dunn received a Bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Glasgow and a Ph.D. in virology from the Universite Louis Pasteur (Strasbourg, France).

Todd Spencer joined Charles River Laboratories in 2006 as Manager, Investor Relations. Mr. Spencer progressed in the Investor Relations role through positions of increasing responsibility, and in June 2018, was promoted to Corporate Vice President, Investor Relations. In this role, Mr. Spencer manages the Company’s relationship with the investment community, and is responsible for effectively communicating Charles River’s business strategy and financial performance. Prior to joining Charles River, Mr. Spencer was Manager, Investor Relations, for Fisher Scientific, prior to its merger with Thermo Electron Corporation. Mr. Spencer began his career in Fisher Scientific’s Corporate Development group, where he was primarily responsible for evaluating acquisition candidates and conducting competitive analysis.

Mr. Spencer holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire. He is also a member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) professional association.