Management Team

Melissa Hodges Director of Clinical Operations for Avail Clinical Research, LLC. Melissa joined Avail in 2002, and is responsible for all clinical operations, including Phase I and Phase II-IV trials. She manages all clinical trials and site personnel from pre-study planning, proposal and contract development, through successful completion. She has over 17 years of experience in the medical industry, has degree in Nursing, in addition to her CCRC designation and several professional certificates.

Alicia Cevera Manager, Clinical Operations for Avail Clinical Research, LLC. Alicia started work in clinical research in 1997 and joined Avail in 1999 as a coordinator for Phase I-IV trials. She received her ACRP Certification in 2001. In her current role, she manages clinical operations for all Phase II-IV trials for the site.

Lori Quinones Manager, Regulatory Operations for Avail Clinical Research, LLC. Lori joined Avail in 2005, and currently leads the Regulatory Department. With oversight of all Regulatory activity for the company, she is the main contact for all IRB and Sponsors prior to and during the trial. She is a Certified Clinical Research Professional, attended Borough of Manhattan with an Associate Degree in Applied Science, and attended California College for Health and Sciences with an Associate Degree in Electroencephalographic Technology.

Ben Trevathan Chief Executive Officer of Accel Clinical Services, LLC. In this role, Ben directs the strategic direction and operational development of the company. Ben joined Accel at the start of 2006 and brought extensive senior management experience in a number of service industries to our company. Ben earned his MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago and his BA in Economics with Honors from Northwestern University.

Sach Chitnis Senior Vice President of Accel Clinical Services, LLC. In this capacity, Sach leads strategic planning, acquisition integration and directs the shared services functions of the company, everything from Marketing to Patient Recruiting & Information Technology to Business Development. Sach comes to Accel with extensive senior management experience from a variety of global service industries. Sach earned his MBA from Northwestern University and his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester.

India Pezzi Vice President, Finance of Accel Clinical Services, LLC. India joined Accel in January 2008 and supports all Accel Research Companies and the respective financial activities. She comes to Accel with over 10 years experience at a Fortune 500 Company and several years with a Big 5 Accounting firm. She is a Graduate of Florida State University with a Bachelors in Accounting.

Michael DeBerry Senior Director, Business Development for Accel Clinical Services, LLC.   Michael is responsible for leading the business development activities for all sites of Accel Clinical Services, including building new relationships with prospective customers, supporting existing relationships with current customers, and providing direction in business development strategy for new therapeutic areas and services.  Michael joins Accel with over 7 years of sales and business development experience in the drug development industry.  Michael earned his BA from Princeton University.

Kelly Clement  Director, Business Development at Accel Clinical Services, LLC. Kelly joined Accel in 2005 and currently leads business development for Avail Clinical Research. She leads the efforts in identifying and obtaining new clinical research contracts by establishing, maintaining and enhancing relationships with industry sources for clinical trial information. She is the key facilitator for acquiring new clinical study opportunities and maintaining business relations for Accel Research sites. Kelly joined Accel with over 8 years of prior business and financial experience in negotiating and marketing to large corporations.

Kimberly Mantuano Manager of Recruiting Services at Accel Clinical Services, LLC. Kimberly is responsible for overseeing our bilingual patient recruiting team and marketing efforts.  From developing a marketing plan to execution, Kimberly has oversight on the entire patient recruitment process and ensures qualified participants and flawless results.  Kimberly has over 15 years experience in marketing, database management, and business development for three of the top Fortune 500 companies, as well as the number one financial services provider in the country.

Tina Bird Marketing Manager at Accel Clinical Services, LLC. Tina joined Accel in 2008, and manages the marketing and advertising programs utilized to assure proper targeting of research participants.  Working with designers, outside agencies, community support groups and a wide array of media vendors, Tina develops and executes comprehensive marketing programs to ensure outreach to each trials’ target audience.  She is a graduate from the University of Memphis with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration.