Academic and Career Accomplishments
It is a distinct honor for Matthew Likens to be considered worthy of induction into this esteemed group. He appreciates the upbringing he was provided by parents Marcene and Earl Likens, the support of his siblings and the Ravenna community. Having matriculated through West Main Elementary, Brown Junior High, RHS and Kent State University, what a fabulous foundation of education and knowledge upon which to launch a professional career. After graduating cum laude from KSU in 1975, Matt joined Johnson & Johnson (3 years) and Baxter International (23 years) before leading two successful start-up life sciences companies as CEO and retiring in 2024. Areas of clinical/business focus included transfusion medicine, renal dialysis, immunotherapy and brain tumor treatments and Matt and his teams were tirelessly dedicated to improving patient outcomes.
Matt met his wife Nancy at KSU, and they have been blessed with two children and three grandchildren, experiencing life in New Jersey, Minnesota, Texas, Illinois, Colorado, Munich Germany and Florida, before moving to Arizona for the role of CEO and second employee of Ulthera, Inc. in 2006. Over the next seven years Ulthera grew to 230 employees and almost $1 00M in revenue, filing an IPO in January 2014, before being acquired for $600M in July of that year. He is currently Senior Advisor to GT Medical Technologies, Inc. In 2012, the Phoenix Business Journal listed Likens as one of the Most Admired CEOs in Arizona. In 2015, Matt was named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the U.S. Southwest Region. In 2019, the Kent State University Alumni Association recognized him as Distinguished Alumni of the Year. For the last eight years Matt has volunteered as a member of Kent’s Ambassador Crawford College of Business Administration Advisory Board. He also served six years on the city of Mesa (AZ) Economic Development Advisory Board as well as being a member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council Healthcare Advisory Committee. Matt and Nancy are members of First United Methodist Church in Mesa, AZ and enjoy singing in the choir.