Management Team

Provectus was founded in 2002 by a seasoned management team with extensive experience in early-stage healthcare companies. Principals Craig Dees, Tim Scott and Eric Wachter have worked together for more than 10 years, previously as founders of Photogen Technologies as well as at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. CFO Peter Culpepper joined Provectus in February 2004, and has been COO since July, 2008.

Craig Dees, Ph.D. – Chief Executive Officer

Craig Dees, Ph.D., has spent more than 20 years in senior management positions at Photogen Technologies, Inc.; the Oak Ridge National Laboratory; LipoGen, Inc.; and TechAmerica, Inc. Dees was a founder, senior scientist and founding director of Photogen before Provectus was formed. His responsibilities have included product design and development in the fields of ethical vaccines, cosmetics, human diagnostics and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. His development record includes the first live viral vaccine produced by recombinant DNA technologies and the first recombinant antigen human diagnostic assay. Dees has also successfully licensed a number of proprietary cosmetic products. In addition to design and development activities, Dees has been responsible for business and market applications, regulatory affairs, and commercialization of human and veterinary medical products. Awards include an R&D 100 for an industrial enzyme, an Inventor’s Forum New Product Award for a skincare product, and a First Saber Award for outstanding research in virology. Dees holds a Ph.D. in molecular virology from University of Wisconsin, Madison. He earned his master of science degree in immunology from Auburn University, and his bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Brigham Young University.

Timothy Scott, Ph.D. – President

Tim Scott, Ph.D., has served in senior management positions at Photogen Technologies, Inc.; Genase LLC; and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Holder of 16 U.S. patents, Scott was a co-founder, senior scientist, vice president and chief operating officer for Photogen Technologies. Scott also served as Photogen’s interim CEO and chairman during the company’s restructuring. While working at Genase, Scott’s duties included design and licensing of recombinant DNA-derived and other enzyme-based products. Before that, as director of bioprocessing at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Scott achieved a national presence in the use of advanced biotechnology for the production of energy, fuels and chemicals. Several of his innovative products have been licensed to the oil and gas and biotechnology industries. Awards include an R&D 100 for an industrial enzyme, the National Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer, the Inventor’s Forum Advanced Technology Award, and the Martin Marietta Energy Systems Inventor of the Year Award. Scott also has served as adjunct associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Scott holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from University of Wisconsin, Madison. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee.

Eric Wachter, Ph.D. – Executive Vice President

Eric Wachter, Ph.D., has served in senior management positions at Photogen Technologies and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A holder of 16 U.S. patents, he was a co-founder of Photogen Technologies and served the company as a director, secretary, vice president and senior scientist. Responsibilities included pre-clinical development and clinical testing both of photodynamic therapy pharmaceuticals and photoactivation systems. At Oak Ridge, Wachter conducted research and development of advanced nanosensor and remote sensor technologies in the environmental and biomedical sciences, as well as for defense and transportation applications. While with Photogen, he was responsible for photonic product development and testing, and for managing Photogen’s intellectual property portfolio. Awards include an R&D 100 for nanosensors, the Inventors Forum Advanced Technology Award, the Excellence in Research Award from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and an Upjohn Fellowship.

Wachter holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Indiana University-Bloomington.

Peter R. Culpepper, CPA, MBA – Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer

Pete Culpepper has spent 20 years in the financial field working for a wide range of companies and industries in the U.S. and abroad, especially high-growth startups. His experience with for-profit companies ranges from private start-ups to publicly traded, global conglomerates. He also has worked with large non-profits and a national CPA accounting firm. He led the national operating unit of a $1 billion publicly traded telecommunications company, as well as numerous operating units in Eastern Europe for a global telecommunications company. He handled the capital reporting process for a $5 billion global construction project and the formation of systems for a division that grew $150 million in revenue in two years. Previous employers include Neptec, Inc., a privately held optical networking component manufacturer; Metromedia Companies; and PageNet, the largest wireless messaging company in the world. Culpepper taught undergraduate and graduate business courses for the University of Phoenix Online. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Maryland and Tennessee. His professional affiliations include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Financial Executives International and the Financial Executives Networking Group. Culpepper holds a master’s of business administration (MBA) in finance from the University of Maryland. He earned an AAS in Accounting from the Northern Virginia Community College - Annandale, Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the College of William and Mary.