2008 Honorary Degree
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Dr. Sheares most recently served as chief executive officer of Reliant Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company with integrated sales, marketing and development expertise that marketed a portfolio of branded cardiovascular pharmaceutical products. He lives in Lower Gwynedd, Pa.
Born in Batavia, N.Y., Dr. Sheares grew up in Chicago and attended Fisk University, earning his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1978. He came to West Lafayette, Ind., after that and earned his doctorate in biochemistry in 1982.
He also pursued post-doctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1983-87 before beginning a 19-year career at Merck & Co. as a research fellow in 1987 and holding nine additional positions including president of the U.S. Human Health Division from 2001-06.
Upon joining Reliant in January 2007, Dr. Sheares led the restructuring of the company's debt, secured the company's first credit ratings from Moody's Investor Service and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, assembled a seasoned executive management team, developed a comprehensive five-year strategy and business plan for the company, and successfully executed a dual path initial public offering/merger and acquisition process resulting in the sale of Reliant to GlaxoSmithKline for $1.67 billion in December 2007.
Dr. Sheares serves on the board of directors of Honeywell International, a diversified technology and manufacturing company, and The Progressive Corporation, the nation's third largest insurance holding company. He also serves on the board of trustees of Spelman College and is a member of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the Abington Friends School Committee, the Scientific Advisory Council for Montclair State University and the Executive Leadership Council.
He is the former chair of the board of directors of the National Pharmaceutical Council, which focuses on broadly communicating the economic, clinical and societal value of pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Sheares, who received Purdue's Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Award in 2002, was featured on the Feb. 6, 2006, cover of Fortune Magazine, "Meet Corporate America's Next Generation of Leaders," and is on Fortune's "Most Powerful Black Executives" list.
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