At Ajna, we share a common belief in the power of botanicals. Our founders are responsible for bringing Charlotte’s Web into the world – the most standardized CBD product on the market and one of the first botanical products reported by consumers to surpass the efficacy of multiple FDA-approved drugs in multiple categories.
About Us
PASSION MEETS EXPERIENCE
Powered by thought leaders and industry specialists, Ajna’s team is poised for unparalleled success.
CMC TEAM
With decades of collective expertise, our scientists excel in drug development, botanical standardization, and substance characterization, ensuring compliance with the FDA's rigorous chemistry, manufacturing, and controls criteria for complex botanical extracts.
REGULATORY TEAM
Our regulatory team combines FDA veterans with 500+ reviewed INDs/NDAs and lead authorship of the Botanical Guidance. With 60+ years in natural product development, we offer unmatched expertise in botanical pharmacology and regulatory navigation.
CLINICAL TEAM
We're backed by elite medical researchers and specialists in neurology, autism, epilepsy, and psychiatry. Our Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Orrin Devinsky, led the principal investigation for Epidolex™, the sole FDA-approved cannabis drug.
Ajna’s Leadership Team
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Joel Stanley
CEO
Founder, 1st CEO, and former Board Chairman of Charlotte’s Web
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Orrin Devinsky, MD
Chief Medical Advisor
Director Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at NYU Langone, Lead Investigator for Epidiolex, Professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
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Scott Hansen
VP Operations + Quality
Former VP Quality and Regulatory Affairs Agricor/Botanacor, Director Quality and R&D Charlotte’s Web, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals
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Bob Judge
VP Finance
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Scott Humphreys
Outside General Counsel
Partner at Ballard Spahr LLP, an AmLaw 100 law firm
Clinical & Regulatory Consultants
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Jiinhui Dou, Ph.D.
IAA Consulting
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Kip Vought
IAA Consulting
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Monil Shah, PharmD
IAA Consulting
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Robert Findling, MD, MBA
Virginia Commonwealth
Scientific Advisory Board
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Matt Johnson, PhD
JOHNS HOPKINS
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Director of Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research
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Ryan Vandrey, PhD
JOHNS HOPKINS
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Director of Johns Hopkins Cannabis Science Laboratory
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Staci Gruber, PhD
MCLEAN HOSPITAL - HARVARD
MEDICAL SCHOOLDirector of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core; Director of Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery
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Michael Bogenschutz, MD
NYU
Professor of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine; Director of NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine
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Gene Morse, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS
UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
SUNY Distinguished Professor; Director of Biomedical Sciences, Translational Pharmacology Research Core