Regan Miles
President & CEO
Mr. Miles began his career with Unigen in 2002 as EVP of Sales & Marketing. He has served two terms as Unigen’s President & CEO, from 2006-2008 and 2015 to present. During his time with Unigen, Mr. Miles has been instrumental in growing the business from a new research and development firm to a profitable patented ingredient supplier. Under his leadership the biotech company launched 10 proprietary branded ingredients that ultimately brought to fruition the vision and mission of “Bringing the best of nature to humankind.”
Mr. Miles has 40+ years of experience in the natural products industry. He has held top leadership positions with many of the leading companies in the industry including Nature’s Way, Pharmanex, Integrative Therapeutics, Univera and Next Pharmaceuticals. He has demonstrated a strong record of success in achieving growth and profitability at the companies he has been associated with.
Qi Jia
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Jia has worked for 30+ years at Unigen since its inception in 1996. Since joining Unigen as Director of Natural Products in 1996, Dr. Jia has established collaborations with multiple organizations around the world to collect indigenous medicinal plants and has built up a proprietary natural products library and the discovery platform, PhytoLogix®, with thousands of collections. He has led product development and commercialization of nutritional and cosmetic ingredients with expanded responsibility as Vice President of Product Development between 1999 – 2004 and as Chief Scientific Officer from 2004 to present.
Dr. Jia holds 107 issued international patents and has 73 peer-reviewed publications and 64 oral or poster presentations at professional conferences in the field of natural products research. The ingredients Univestin® and Nivitol®, co-invented by Dr. Jia and Unigen scientists, have been utilized by global brands in joint health and even skin tone products. Dr. Jia received his B.S. in Medicinal Chemistry from Beijing Medical University in 1985 and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Texas Christian University in 1995. Dr. Jia has studied ethnomedicinal plants for over 35 years. He has demonstrated a strong leadership and record of success in natural products discovery, development, commercialization and establishment of R&D collaborations with universities, institutes and industry partners.
Rodney E. Storms, JD
Executive Sales Director
Rodney E. Storms was named Executive Sales Director, Sales & Marketing, Unigen, Inc., effective June 1, 2024.
Mr. Storms joined Unigen as Regional Sales Manager in 2005, served as Director of Regional Sales from 2016-2021 and more recently as Vice President, Sales & Marketing, from 2021-2024. He has been very instrumental in establishing key customer accounts for Unigen’s extensive pipeline of novel cosmetic, nutra and pet ingredients. In addition, Mr. Storms helped establish several clinical collaborations with potential customers, which saved Unigen large financial investments, and created immediate customers. Mr. Storms is instrumental in bringing in many PhytoLogix® deals over the years, helping to establish our Plant Library Platform as one of the best globally.
Mr. Storms received his B.A. in Political Science and B.A. in Sociology from The University of Texas at San Antonio. He followed his undergraduate work with a Juris Doctorate at The Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America. Prior to joining Unigen, Mr. Storms was the Director of Membership and Interim President, American Herbal Products Association (AHPA).
As Executive Sales Director, Mr. Storms will lead Unigen’s Sales & Marketing team through substantial growth and diversification via products, customers, channel of business and continue to fulfill its global vision of “Bringing the best of nature to humankind.”
Mesfin Yimam, DVM, MS.
Senior Director of Research & Development
Dr. Mesfin Yimam serves as Senior Director of Research & Development at Unigen, where he provides strategic leadership for the company’s research, intellectual property, regulatory, and scientific communication initiatives. Since joining Unigen in 2004, he has played a pivotal role in advancing the discovery, development, and commercialization of science-backed botanical ingredients for joint health, metabolic health, sleep, cognitive health, immune health, and healthy aging.
In his current role, Dr. Yimam coordinates scientific strategy across product innovation, global regulatory programs, patent portfolio development, and technical support for commercial partners. He works closely with research institutions, regulatory agencies, patent counsel, and industry collaborators to translate scientific discoveries into commercially successful products.
As a scientist in natural product research, Dr. Yimam has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, is a co-inventor on more than 50 issued and pending global patents, and has presented his research at leading international scientific conferences. He serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Aloe Science Council.
Dr. Yimam earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and successfully passed the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) examination in Washington State. He later earned a Master of Science in Pharmaceutics from the University of Washington.