The Fort Worth Press - Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc. Announces CEO Transition

ESTERO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / July 30, 2025 / Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASBP) ("Aspire" or the "Company"), developer of a multi-faceted patent-pending supplement delivery technology, today announced that the Company's Board of Directors (Board) has appointed Kraig Higginson as interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 24, 2025. Mr. Higginson serves as Chairman of the Board and previously served as CEO of Aspire for four years. Michael C. Howe has resigned as CEO and as a member of the Board. The Board thanks Mr. Howe for his contributions to the Company and plans to initiate a search for a permanent CEO.

"On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Michael for his contributions to the Company and wish him the very best in the future," said Kraig Higginson, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Aspire. "I look forward to leading Aspire with the same level of commitment as if I were in the role permanently, with a goal of continuing to execute on maximizing the potential of Aspire's powerful and differentiated drug delivery platform. We are fortunate to have a capable leadership team, and we will continue to focus on positioning the business for long-term success."

The Company also announced the resignations of Mr. Gary E. Stein and Ms. Barbara Sher from the Board, effective immediately. The Aspire Board is very grateful for Mr. Steins's and Ms. Sher's outstanding service as members of the Board and for all of the thoughtful insights and valuable contributions they provided during their tenures.

In connection with this transition, the Board of Directors appointed Howard Doss, to serve as Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Company, effective immediately.

Mr. Doss, age 71, has served as the Chief Financial Officer of PowerUp from August 2023 until February 2025. He is a seasoned chief financial officer and accountant. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Kernel Group Holdings, Inc. In 2021, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Aesther Healthcare Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company until it consummated its initial business combination in February 2023. He has also served as chief financial officer of Trade Health, Inc., an online marketplace for health traded on Nasdaq under the symbol "SCNX." Mr. Doss has served in a variety of capacities with accounting and investment firms. He joined the staff of Seidman & Seidman (BDO Seidman, Dallas) in 1977 and in 1980 he joined the investment firm Van Kampen Investments, opening the firm's southeast office in Tampa, Florida in 1982. He remained with the firm until 1996 when he joined Franklin Templeton. After working for the Principal Financial Group office in Tampa, Florida, Mr. Doss was City Executive for U.S. Trust in Sarasota, Florida, responsible for high-net-worth individuals. He retired from that position in 2009. He served as CFO and Director for Sansur Renewable Energy, an alternative energy development company, from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Doss has also served as President of Staradio Corp. since 2005. Mr. Doss is a member of the America Institute of CPA's. He is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University.

About Aspire Biopharma, Inc.

Headquartered in Estero, Fl., Aspire Biopharma has developed a disruptive technology that can deliver supplements and drugs rapidly and precisely. For more information, please visit www.aspirebiolabs.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements made in this communication are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may generally be identified by the use of words such as "estimate," "projects," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "would," "should," "future," "propose," "potential," "target," "goal," "objective," "outlook" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this communication, and on the current expectations of Aspire's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by any investor as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the control of the parties, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc.

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SOURCE: Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc.

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D.Ford--TFWP