About Nuwellis Inc.

John Erb is a highly experienced medical technology executive and board leader with more than 40 years of leadership across med-tech, cardiovascular innovation, and complex healthcare organizations. He currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Nuwellis and as Chairman of the Board, having returned to lead the company for a second tenure following his prior service as CEO and long-standing board leadership.

John began his career at Johnson & Johnson, where he held operational leadership roles that built a foundation in large-scale healthcare operations, quality systems, and disciplined execution – experience that has informed his leadership approach throughout his career. He has since served as President and Chief Executive Officer of multiple medical device companies, guiding organizations through product development, regulatory approval, manufacturing scale-up, and commercial expansion.

Previously, John led CHF Solutions (now Nuwellis) through the development and commercialization of therapies for patients with heart failure and has held CEO and senior executive roles at NuAx, Inc., IntraTherapeutics, Inc., and Schneider Worldwide, a Pfizer division.

John has extensive experience as a board chairman and director across the medical technology sector. In addition to his role as Chairman of Nuwellis, he has served as Chairman of the Board for Osprey Medical and IR Medtek and has held board positions with Vascular Solutions, SenoRx, CryoCath Technologies, Xoft, and other emerging and established med-tech companies, providing strategic oversight through growth, acquisition, and transition.

John holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton.

Neil Ayotte joined Nuwellis in 2021 as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer. With more than 30 years of legal and business experience, including 16 years in the medical device sector, Neil brings deep expertise in corporate governance and regulatory compliance.

Previously, he was Executive Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel of Bluestem Group, Inc., and held multiple leadership positions at Medtronic. Neil began his career as a corporate law partner at Maslon LLP.

Neil earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota, a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, and a bachelor’s, summa cum laude, from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Carisa Schultz is Chief Financial Officer at Nuwellis, where she oversees finance, accounting, treasury, and corporate development. She brings deep experience across public-company healthcare finance and medical technology, with a track record of supporting disciplined growth, operational rigor, and strategic decision-making.

Most recently, Carisa served as Vice President of Finance at NeueHealth (formerly Bright Health Group), a healthcare company previously traded on the New York Stock Exchange, where she led enterprise finance, treasury, and corporate development activities. During her tenure, she held multiple leadership roles spanning enterprise finance and financial strategy, supporting the organization through periods of transformation and complexity.

Carisa’s background spans healthcare and medical technology, including early career experience at Boston Scientific, Big Four public accounting, and senior finance and analytics leadership roles across both public and private organizations. She combines a strong technical foundation with a pragmatic, operator-oriented approach to finance.
Carisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Business with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of Minnesota, Curtis L. Carlson School of Management.