Executive Leadership
Willie McKinney, Ph.D., DABT
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Willie McKinney is an established regulatory and inhalation toxicology expert with over two decades of research, product development, and regulatory strategy experience in the Consumer-Packaged Goods industry. As the founder and CEO of McKinney Regulatory Science Advisors, LLC, he leverages his extensive background, including his previous role on the FDA’s Tobacco Product Scientific Advisory Committee and his past position as Vice President of Regulatory Sciences at Altria, to guide clients through multiple constantly evolving regulatory landscapes.
Dr. McKinney’s knowledge and experience are widely respected. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health and is certified by the American Board of Toxicology. He launched McKinney Specialty Labs, LLC in January 2024 to offer specialized aerosol testing services as well as chemical and GLP toxicology analysis.
Together, McKinney Regulatory Science Advisors, LLC, and the newly established lab provide over 25 years of combined expertise in regulatory strategy, application filing, and product testing. This suite of services is customized to meet the unique needs of each client, guaranteeing integrity and quality at every step. Dr. McKinney’s leadership remains instrumental in driving scientific research and regulatory compliance forward.
Roxana Weil, Ph.D., DABT
Chief Regulatory Science Officer
Dr. Roxana Weil leads the Business Development and Scientific Engagement team and serves as Chief Regulatory Science Officer for McKinney Specialty Labs. Roxana holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology from the University of Florida, a MSc and BSc in Biology from University of Waterloo, Canada. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT) with specialized expertise in human health risk assessment and toxicology, and extensive experience spanning across U.S. FDA and Global Regulatory Strategy, Organizational Development, Risk Management and Tobacco Regulatory Science and Policy. Prior to joining McKinney Specialty Labs, Roxana successfully lead and implemented JUUL Lab Inc.’s Product Integrity function and Toxicology programs, and served as a Lead Toxicologist at the U.S. FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) where she was responsible for leading an interdisciplinary team of scientists, providing science-policy recommendations and developing the scientific basis to support regulations, guidance and review of tobacco product applications via all regulatory pathways.
Clifford Russell
Chief Information Officer
Clifford Russell serves as Chief Information Officer for McKinney Specialty Labs. With 20 years of IT experience, he is skilled at leading organizational transformation in educational, government, and commercial environments. His leadership style embraces creativity and collaboration, ensuring excellence in project delivery. An innovative systems architect and expert in cloud technologies, Clifford motivates expert teams to envision, build, and support large-scale IT infrastructure. He leads organizational transformation with energy, integrity, and careful budget management.
Amy Brannan
Vice President, Strategy and Administration
Amy Brannan serves as Vice President of Strategy and Administration for McKinney Specialty Labs. Amy is an alumnus of the University of Richmond, where she received her MBA, and The Pennsylvania State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Logistics. With over 20 years of experience in the tobacco and ENDS industries, her expertise spans a wide range of areas including Human Resources, Procurement, Strategic Planning, Regulatory Affairs, and Compliance. Amy’s ability to foster collaboration among diverse groups and forge enduring relationships underscores her unwavering dedication to her field.
Hollie Barton
Senior Director, Operations
Hollie Barton serves as the Senior Director of Operations for McKinney Specialty Labs. Hollie is an alumnus of Longwood University, where she received her bachelor’s degrees in biology and chemistry. With over 30 years of experience in the laboratory environment, Hollie has honed her skills in strategic planning, training, supervising, and coaching. Her extensive background includes overseeing complex projects, implementing innovative solutions, and fostering a collaborative team atmosphere. Hollie’s dedication to excellence and her ability to mentor and guide her team make her an invaluable asset to McKinney Specialty Labs.
Mark Debord
General Counsel
Mark Debord serves as General Counsel at McKinney Specialty Labs. Prior to joining McKinney, Mark worked for nineteen years at Altria Client Services and Philip Morris USA. There, he served in numerous management positions in the Law and Human Resources departments. While in the Law Department, Mark advised clients in several functions of Altria’s companies, including human resources, product development, corporate affairs, manufacturing, and compliance. Mark retired from Altria in 2016 as Vice President, HR Client Services.
Prior to Altria, Mark was a partner at Hunton & Williams (now Hunton Andrews Kurth). He graduated from the University of Tennessee (BA 1984) and University of Tennessee College of Law (JD, 1987). He serves on several non-profit boards, including the Richmond SPCA, The Clifton Institute, and Lake Anna Civic Association.
Business Development & Client Experience
Meghan Shea
Client Program Manager
Meghan Shea holds the position of Client Program Manager at McKinney Specialty Labs. She attained her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Prior to joining McKinney, Meghan honed her skills as a Wet Chemistry Analyst and later progressed to a Wet Chemistry Group Leader at a comprehensive environmental laboratory. Leveraging her indispensable laboratory experience along with her seven years of customer service proficiency, she transitioned into project management. Since joining the McKinney Specialty Labs team, Meghan has been instrumental in enhancing the project management procedures and customer service experience.
Scott Mayo
Client Program Manager
Scott Mayo holds the position of Client Program Manager of McKinney Specialty Labs. Scott received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and a Master of Fine Arts in Digital Photography, Printmaking, and Drawing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He possesses HAZWOPER and DOT HAZMAT certifications and leads the Environmental Health and Safety Committee internally. As a Client Program Manager, Scott is involved in managing the progression of projects from setup to tracking, facilitating communication from the initial customer contact through sample receipt, laboratory analysis, and the final reporting process. Scott finds satisfaction in analyzing and enhancing project infrastructure, which includes artifact creation and tracking processes, software and data management systems, and both internal and external communication processes.
Taylor Finn
Client Program Manager
Taylor Finn serves as a Client Program Manager at McKinney Specialty Labs. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources Conservation. Taylor began her career in the laboratory as a Sample Coordinator before moving into a Project Management Assistant role, and ultimately ascending to her current position as Client Program Manager.
Technical Leadership
Jake Hilldrup
Technical Director, Scientific Strategy
Jake Hilldrup, Technical Director of Scientific Strategy at McKinney Specialty Labs, brings a wealth of experience to the role. An alumnus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. His extensive professional journey includes a decade-long tenure as the technical director for an analytical laboratory before his association with McKinney Specialty Labs. Previously, Jake dedicated over seven years to the pharmaceutical industry as an Analytical Chemist. His broad analytical and regulatory expertise has been a driving force behind diversifying McKinney Specialty Labs service offerings. Jake is an active participant in the ISO US (ANSI) Technical Advisory Group and CORESTA, making significant contributions to collaborative and proficiency studies and playing a crucial role in shaping and enhancing international standards for testing nicotine and tobacco products.
Mariano Scian, PhD
Technical Director, Toxicology
Dr. Mariano Scian serves as the esteemed Technical Director of Toxicology at McKinney Specialty Labs, bringing an impressive educational and professional background to the role. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, a Graduate Health Sciences Certificate in Human Physiology, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Biology, all from Virginia Commonwealth University. With an impressive career spanning over 16 years, he has lent his expertise to local universities as a faculty member and made significant contributions as a Research Scientist and Lab Manager for seven years. Dr. Scian has since used his extensive knowledge and experience to introduce innovative technologies, refine existing procedures, and provide invaluable mentorship to the lab personnel.
Andrew Cheetham, DPhil
Technical Director, Method Development
Dr. Andrew Cheetham, DPhil, serves as a Technical Director for McKinney Specialty Labs. His academic credentials include a Master of Chemistry and a Doctor of Philosophy in Organic Chemistry, both from the University of Oxford. Andrew’s forte in organic chemistry is demonstrated through his proficiency in analytical method development, employing a range of chromatographic and detection techniques for soft nanomaterial characterization. Andrew’s experience and knowledge are indispensable for the method development team, contributing to broadening the scope of services for the quantitation of harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs) in tobacco and nicotine-containing products. Andrew’s strategic and tactical acumen have also been applied to a multitude of projects for FDA PMTA submissions.
Joseph Jablonski, PhD
Technical Director, Method Development
Joseph Jablonski, Ph.D., holds the position of Technical Director at McKinney Specialty Labs. He is an alumnus of St. Lawrence University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and continued to attain his Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry from the University of Virginia. Prior to his affiliation with McKinney, Joseph dedicated over half a decade to serving as a research scientist at a biotech start-up, focusing on high-throughput LCMS. His expertise in analytical method development and validation has been a key driver in broadening the capabilities of McKinney Specialty Labs. Furthermore, he represents McKinney Specialty Labs in the participation of CORESTA sub-group.