Good morning. I'm Mike Heffernan, and I'm the Chairman of the Board of Avalo Therapeutics. I'm pleased to welcome you to the company's 2026 annual meeting of stockholders being held virtually via live audio webcast. I will now turn it over to the company's Chief Executive Officer and Director, Dr. Garry Neil, to call this meeting to order.
Thank you, Mike. Good morning, everyone. I'm Garry Neil, and I officially call the meeting to order. I'd like to introduce you to the other board members of the company here today by telephone, in addition to Mike and me, Dr. Rita Jain, Aaron Kantoff, Gilla Kaplan, Kevin Lind, and Samantha Truex. In addition to members of our board, Paul Varki, the company's Chief Legal Officer, is present today, as well as other members of management. Also present is Maura McGovern, the company's Director of SEC Reporting and Technical Accounting, who will serve as Inspector of Elections of this meeting. Mr. Varki will serve as Secretary of this meeting. I would also like to introduce Jerry Ward of Ernst & Young LLP, Avalo's auditors, who is joining us by teleconference and is available to respond to appropriate questions.
Also present with us by teleconference are Rachael Bushey and Jesse Fishman of Goodwin Procter LLP, Avalo's outside legal counsel. Paul, please discuss our agenda and the rules of conduct.
We've adopted an agenda that states the order of the business and rules of conduct that will govern this meeting. Copies of the agenda and the rules are available on the virtual meeting website. To conduct an orderly meeting, we ask that participants abide by these rules. If you are a stockholder and wish to ask a question, you can submit your question at any time on the virtual meeting website. We will post summaries of pertinent questions that comply with the rules of conduct and our answers to those questions on our investor relations website following the meeting. As stated in the rules of conduct, we ask that you restrict your remarks to the items set forth on the meeting agenda. The polls are now open and will close after the presentation of our business matters.
If you voted prior to this meeting over the internet, by telephone, or by mail, your vote will be counted. Stockholders that have not voted or who would like to change their vote may cast votes online while the polls are open. Thank you for your cooperation with these rules.
The meeting will now officially come to order. We will proceed with the formal business of the meeting as set forth in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement. Will the secretary please report at this time with respect to the mailing of the notice of annual meeting and the stockholders list?
I have at this meeting an affidavit certifying that on April 10th, 2026, a notice of annual meeting of stockholders of the company was deposited in the United States Mail to all stockholders of record at the close of business on April 6th, 2026, the record date for this meeting. I also have a complete list of the stockholders of record of Avalo's common stock on the record date. All documents concerning the virtual meeting and the notice of this meeting are posted on the virtual meeting website and will be filed with the records of the meeting.
Thank you, Paul. At this time, I'm confirming that Ms. McGovern will act as the inspector of elections at this meeting. Ms. McGovern has taken and subscribed the customary oath of office to execute her duties with strict impartiality. We will file this oath with the records of the meeting. Her function is to decide upon the qualifications of voters, accept their votes, and when balloting on all matters is completed, to tally the final votes. Will the secretary please report at this time with respect to the existence of a quorum?
I have been informed by the inspector of elections that proxies have been received constituting a quorum for the meeting today.
I declare that a quorum is present, and we may now carry out the official business of the meeting.
The polls opened 15 minutes prior to the commencement of this annual meeting and will close after the presentation of our business matters. If you have already voted by proxy, there is no need to vote today unless you would like to change your vote.
We will now proceed with the final, rather formal business of this meeting. There are three proposals to be considered by the stockholders at this meeting. The first item of business today is the election of seven directors to serve until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders of the company and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The nominees for directors are Michael Heffernan, Garry Neil, Dr. Rita Jain, Aaron Kantoff, Gilla Kaplan, Kevin Lind, and Samantha Truex. The second item of business today is to approve the second amendment and restatement of the Avalo Therapeutics, Inc. amended and restated 2016 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The third item of business today is to ratify the engagement of Ernst & Young LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2026.
We have not received notice of any other business to be presented at this meeting. The discussion of the matters for stockholder consideration is now closed, and I hereby declare the polls closed. The inspector of elections will count the votes.
May we have the results of the voting?
I will now share with you the preliminary voting tabulation. Any votes that were cast at the annual meeting have not yet been included in this preliminary voting tabulation but will be included in the final tabulation. The report of the inspector of elections covering the proposals presented at this meeting is as follows. The proposal to elect Michael Heffernan, Garry Neil, Rita Jain, Aaron Kantoff, Gilla Kaplan, Kevin Lind, and Samantha Truex as directors of the company to serve until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders of the company and until their successors are duly elected and qualified is carried. The second amendment and restatement to the amended and restated 2016 Employee Stock Purchase Plan is approved. The ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2026, is hereby approved.
Final voting results will be published in an annual report on the Form 8-K that we expect to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission within four business days after today.
Thank you, Paul, and thank you everyone for attending today's meeting. This meeting is now adjourned.
Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's meeting. Thank you for joining. You may now disconnect.