William Boulanger, Ph.D.
CEI and Executive Chemist
Dr. Boulanger founded Obiter Research in 2001 and has been leading the company ever since. He specializes in process chemistry and chemical engineering. He received his doctoral degree in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to founding Obiter, Dr. Bolulanger was a senior research chemist at AMRI, MediChem research, and FMC cooperation. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Chad Boulanger
President
Mr. Boulanger has over 40 plus years of experience in banking, finance, and business management. He uses his expertise to design long-term strategies and partnerships to assure the continued expansion and sustainability of the company. He received his B.S degree in business from St. Norbert College. Prior to Obiter, he worked in a management capacity for Merrill Lynch, Mellon Financial, Midwest Funding, Hyde Park Bank as well as in his own entrepreneurial ventures.
Yanbing Zhang, Ph.D.
Supervising Chemist
Dr. Zhang received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Mississippi with 8 publications. She joined Obiter as a research chemist in 2019. Shortly after, she led a project majorly focusing on process development. In 2021, she was promoted to Supervising chemist and she has been instrumental in operating the current projects and planning sustainable strategies for upcoming projects.
Lori Hickerson
Quality Control Chemist
Lori received her Bachelor’s in Chemistry from Eastern Illinois University in 2019. Before joining Obiter, she worked at Voyant Beauty, Danville as a QC chemist. She joined Obiter in 2021 and has contributed largely to running the Department of Quality Control.
Sweta Adhikari
Safety Officer and Production Chemist
Sweta received her Master’s in Medicinal chemistry from the University of Mississippi in 2019. She has three publications and over 5 years of experience in organic synthesis. Prior to Obiter, she worked as an Associate R&D chemist in the School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi. She joined Obiter in 2020 and has been actively involved in the Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) department, along with her contribution as a chemist.
Ashley Garsnett
Safety Officer and Production Chemist
Ashley is a production chemist at Obiter Research. She has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Carson-Newman University. She moved from Tennessee and is excited about the opportunity for growth here. She likes working at Obiter because every day is different and interesting, far from the daily grind of her previous jobs.
Anh Le
Hazardous Waste Coordinator and Research Chemist
Anh received his Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2021. He has three publications and over 5 years of experience in organic synthesis. He joined Obiter in June 2021 and has been actively contributing as a chemist toward the success of the company. Besides chemistry, he loves cooking, reading a history book, and playing Call of Duty.
Kimberlee Schwartz
Director of Business Operations
Prior to Obiter, Kimmy worked as an Office Manager for a small company that provided agricultural services to customers across the Midwest. Kimmy joined Obiter in February of 2021 as a Human Resource Manager but has acquired many different responsibilities beyond HR. While maintaining employee/employer relations, Kimmy also oversees the international imports and exports as well as a majority of the purchasing of materials. Kimmy is set to receive her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Purdue University.
Nathan Torres
Facilities Manager
Nathan has been learning various inventory systems and hands-on logistics since 2010. He graduated with an Associate Degree in Science from Illinois Valley Community College in 2012. He has been forklift certified since 2016 and has worked with hazardous materials since 2018. He joined Obiter in June of 2021 and is part of the Safety Committee alongside his duties in logistics and facility management.