Applied DNA Announces Retirement of Chairperson and CEO Dr. James A. Hayward

Rhea-AI Summary

Applied DNA Sciences (NASDAQ:APDN) announced that Dr. James A. Hayward is retiring as Chairperson and CEO effective June 18, 2025, after 20 years of service. The Board has appointed Judy Murrah as the new Chairperson and CEO, while retaining her position as President. Murrah brings over a decade of operational leadership at Applied DNA and extensive experience from Symbol Technologies, where she helped grow the company to $2B in revenue. She also held strategic leadership roles at Motorola and is an inventor on 14 U.S. patents with an MBA from Harvard Business School. The company's executive team includes Clay Shorrock as Chief Legal Officer and President of LineaRx, and Beth Jantzen as CFO. Under Murrah's leadership, the company aims to focus on its biotherapeutic manufacturing capabilities and drive increased operating efficiency.

Positive

• New CEO Judy Murrah brings extensive operational experience with over a decade at Applied DNA and proven track record of scaling businesses
• Murrah's previous experience includes growing Symbol Technologies from early-stage to $2B in revenue
• Smooth leadership transition with internal promotion maintains operational continuity
• New CEO holds 14 U.S. patents and has strong educational background with Harvard MBA

Negative

• Loss of long-term leader Dr. Hayward who was key in developing company's DNA technologies
• Potential uncertainty during leadership transition period
• Company needs to navigate current challenging macro environment

Insights

Corporate Governance Specialist

CEO Hayward's retirement after 20 years marks strategic leadership transition to Murrah, focusing on biotherapeutic manufacturing commercialization.

This leadership transition represents a significant governance milestone for Applied DNA Sciences. After a 20-year tenure, Dr. Hayward's retirement appears to be a planned succession rather than an unexpected departure, with President Murrah stepping into the dual role of Chair and CEO.

Murrah's decade of operational experience at Applied DNA provides continuity, while her background at Symbol Technologies—where she helped scale from startup to a $2 billion enterprise—brings valuable growth expertise. Her 14 U.S. patents and Harvard MBA further strengthen her credentials for leading the company's next phase.

The governance structure maintains stability with the existing executive team continuing in their roles, including the CFO and Chief Legal Officer. This suggests a strategic evolution rather than disruption.

Murrah's statement about an "important inflection point" signals a deliberate strategic refocusing on the company's biotherapeutic manufacturing capabilities. The board's explicit mention of "maximizing long-term shareholder value" indicates alignment with investor interests during this transition.

While leadership changes always carry execution risks, this appears to be a thoughtfully orchestrated succession with an experienced internal candidate who brings both institutional knowledge and external scaling experience—particularly relevant as the company aims to commercialize its GMP-compliant DNA manufacturing technology.

President and COO Judy Murrah Appointed New Chairperson of the Board of Directors and CEO

STONY BROOK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 17, 2025 / Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:APDN) ("Applied DNA" or the "Company"), a leader in PCR-based DNA technologies, today announced that Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Dr. James A. Hayward is retiring from the Company and will step down from the Board of Directors effective June 18, 2025, following a distinguished 20-year term. During his tenure, Dr. Hayward was instrumental in transforming the Company's proprietary DNA production and detection technologies into commercial platforms, thereby establishing the foundation for Applied DNA's current market offerings.

Furthermore, the Board of Directors of Applied DNA has appointed Judy Murrah to the roles of Chairperson, Board Director, and Chief Executive Officer in addition to retaining her current position as President. Ms. Murrah will lead the executive management team, which comprises Clay Shorrock, Chief Legal Officer and President of LineaRx, the Company's biotherapeutics subsidiary, and Beth Jantzen, Chief Financial Officer.

With over a decade of operational leadership at Applied DNA, Ms. Murrah has been influential in driving product commercialization, business scaling, and, more recently, the launch of the Company's GMP-compliant DNA manufacturing capabilities. She was previously with Symbol Technologies ("Symbol"), where she played key roles in the company's growth from an early-stage company to an enterprise with approximately $2 billion in revenue and 5,000 employees, holding successive Vice President positions across Sales, Marketing, and Information Technology. Following Symbol's acquisition by Motorola, Inc. ("Motorola"), she held strategic leadership roles at Motorola, overseeing critical financial management, quality, and program management initiatives during significant business transformations, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Ms. Murrah is an inventor on 14 U.S. patents and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Board Director Robert C. Catell stated, "On behalf of all the employees of the Company and the Board of Directors, I offer sincere thanks to Jim for his many years of scientific innovation, personal contribution, and passion he brought to Applied DNA. His accomplishments and impact are wide-ranging and will endure with the Applied DNA team and the local Long Island community."

Continued Mr. Catell, "Judy has played an increasingly key role in recent years and has helped to grow who we are today as a company. Applied DNA is poised for opportunity with an established biotherapeutic manufacturing capability that we believe is proven to address the manufacturing challenges identified by the industry. Driving it to deployment and scale with customers, partners, and regulators is our next mission, and the Board is confident that Judy's leadership will put the Company on the best path forward to maximize long-term shareholder value."

Added Ms. Murrah, "I am honored to take on the Chairperson and CEO roles and lead our associates and Applied DNA forward at this important inflection point, as we focus on our most promising aspects of our businesses, drive increased operating efficiency, and navigate the current macro environment."

About Applied DNA Sciences

Applied DNA Sciences is a biotechnology company developing technologies to produce and detect deoxyribonucleic acid ("DNA"). Using the polymerase chain reaction ("PCR") to enable both the production and detection of DNA, we operate in two business markets: (i) the enzymatic manufacture of synthetic DNA for use in the production of nucleic acid-based therapeutics and the development and sale of a proprietary RNA polymerase ("RNAP") for use in the production of mRNA therapeutics; and (ii) the detection of DNA and RNA in molecular diagnostics and genetic testing services.

Visit adnas.com for more information. Follow us on X and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements made by Applied DNA in this press release may be "forward-looking" in nature within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe Applied DNA's future plans, projections, strategies, and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Applied DNA. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the Company's expectations and projections about future events and future trends affecting our business and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the ability of Ms. Judy Murrah to successfully replace Dr. James Hayward as Chairperson and CEO of the Company, its goal to position the Company for long term-growth and value creation and the potential to achieve that goal and the future success of its Linea DNA and Linea IVT platforms.. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to its history of net losses, limited financial resources, substantial doubt regarding its ability to continue as a going concern, unknown future demand for its biotherapeutics products and services, the unknown amount of revenues and profits that will result from our Linea IVT and/or Linea DNA platforms, the fact that there has never been a commercial drug product utilizing the LineaDNA and/or IVT platforms approved for therapeutic use, the ability of the Company's common stock to remain listed on Nasdaq as well as various other factors detailed from time to time in Applied DNA's SEC reports and filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 17, 2024, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed on February 13, 2025, and May 15, 2025, and other reports it files with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov. Applied DNA undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events, or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, unless otherwise required by law.

Applied DNA Sciences Contact:

Investor Relations contact: Sanjay M. Hurry, 917-733-5573, sanjay.hurry@adnas.com

Web: https://investors.adnas.com/

SOURCE: Applied DNA Sciences, Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

FAQ

Who is the new CEO of Applied DNA Sciences (APDN)?

Judy Murrah has been appointed as the new Chairperson and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences, while retaining her position as President.

When is Dr. James Hayward retiring from Applied DNA Sciences?

Dr. James A. Hayward is retiring as Chairperson and CEO effective June 18, 2025, after 20 years of service.

What is Judy Murrah's background and experience?

Judy Murrah has over a decade of operational leadership at Applied DNA, previously helped grow Symbol Technologies to $2B in revenue, held strategic roles at Motorola, is an inventor on 14 U.S. patents, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

What are Applied DNA Sciences' (APDN) future priorities under new leadership?

Under Murrah's leadership, the company will focus on deploying and scaling its biotherapeutic manufacturing capabilities, driving increased operating efficiency, and navigating the current macro environment.

Who are the other key executives in Applied DNA Sciences' management team?

The executive team includes Clay Shorrock as Chief Legal Officer and President of LineaRx, and Beth Jantzen as Chief Financial Officer.