Richard joined Pappas Capital in 2026 as a Senior Advisor. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Acertis Pharmaceuticals, a private specialty pharmaceutical company. Prior to Acertis, he was the Executive Chairman and CEO of Zevra Therapeutics, a rare disease company, from 2021 to 2023, CEO of Histogen from 2019 to 2021, CEO of Apricus Biosciences from 2013 to 2019, and CEO of Somaxon Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pernix Therapeutics) from 2008 to 2019.

Prior to joining Somaxon, Richard held a series of senior management roles including Chief Operating Officer at ARIAD Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Takeda) and Senior Vice President of the Neuroscience Division at King Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer). Prior to King, Mr. Pascoe held commercial roles in the hospital pharmaceutical and medical device groups at Medco Research, (acquired by King), COR Therapeutics (acquired by Millennium Pharmaceuticals), and B. Braun Interventional.

Richard is currently a member of the board of directors of Prizm Therapeutics, an ultra-rare specialty pharmaceutical company. He formerly served as a member of the board of directors at Seelos Therapeutics and Cohera Medical. He is the past Chairman of the board of directors of Biocom California, the leading advocate for the life sciences industry in California, and is also a member of the board of directors of the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, which provides scholarships to the children of our nation’s fallen service members. Richard served on active duty as a commissioned officer with the U.S. Army’s 24th Infantry Division during Operation Desert Storm where he earned the Bronze Star Medal.

Education:

United States Military Academy at West Point (BS in Leadership)