About PatientLock
Built by former EMR leaders and cybersecurity experts, PatientLock offers scalable cybersecurity solutions for healthcare organizations of all sizes. Whether you’re a small clinic or an academic medical center, PatientLock delivers enterprise-grade protection that fits your budget. Our platform multiplies the power of your IT resources, giving you the security you need without overextending your team.
Leadership
Jim Ford
Jim Ford
Chief Executive Officer
Prior to founding PatientLock, Jim spent nearly two decades working in healthcare, or healthcare information technology, beginning his career in the laboratory of an HCA hospital in 1998. Prior companies include Cerner, athenahealth, Aprima/eMD’s, and Fortified Health Security, a healthcare focused managed security services provider, or MSSP.
Jim earned certification as a HITRUST Practitioner, (CCSFP) was certified by the Supremus Group as a HIPAA Privacy and Security Expert - Level-4 (CHPSE) and holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA).
Jim founded PatientLock in 2019 with the vision of making enterprise-level cybersecurity technologies and services available and affordable to any size of healthcare organization. PatientLock is now deployed on network assets used by thousands of US-based healthcare organizations.
Paul Lower
Paul Lower
Chief Revenue Officer
Paul has served in multiple Sales Leadership, Marketing, and Account Management roles in healthcare spanning most of the last 25 years. Companies include ELLKAY, Athenahealth, Aprima, Chartlogic, Bausch & Lomb and Ophthalmic Imaging Systems. Paul is currently a principal partner of Patientlock responsible for facilitating PatientLock’s services roll-out to the healthcare industry.
Richard Dobrow
Richard Dobrow
Board of Directors
A member of Forbes' exclusive, invitation-only Technology Council, Richard is a global business executive, entrepreneur, and cybersecurity leader with three decades of broad-based business experience.
Richard began his career as a CPA and CISA in the Audit and Enterprise Risk Management practices of Coopers & Lybrand, Price Waterhouse, and Arthur Andersen. After Andersen’s establishment of Accenture, Richard launched his first entrepreneurial venture as founder of a leading managed security service provider (MSSP), Guarded Networks, Inc (GNI), which was sold in 2004 for $25 million. He later joined the executive team of Perimeter E-Security where he served as CEO, President, COO and CISO. During a six-year period of execution, the company achieved 6x revenue growth and 10x profit expansion. In 2007, Perimeter E-Security was successfully sold to a group of investors led by Goldman Sachs and Bessemer Venture Partners for $232 million.
Richard has led capital raises greater than $100 million and managed organizations from startup to $250-million exit valuations in over 40 countries. Richard has served as founder, COO, CISO, and President of several large cybersecurity organizations, including tenure as President of APA Cyber Business at global military-defense contractor, BAE Systems.
Richard serves on the Board of Directors at PatientLock and is currently the CEO of SilverSky, a global leader in cybersecurity and compliance with focus on the financial and defense sectors.
Eric Gray
Eric Gray
Chief Legal Officer
Eric brings almost two decades of healthcare information technology and legal experience to PatientLock, most recently serving as Managing Counsel of the Technology Law Group at HCA Healthcare (Hospital Corporation of America) for nearly a decade.
Prior to his recent tenure at HCA, Eric excelled as an attorney at Kansas City-based Polsinelli Law Firm, one of the largest and most respected law firms in the United States. Polsinelli has ranked as the #1 or #2 Healthcare Law Firm by American Health Law Association from 2016-2022, and as the #1 ranked Healthcare Law firm for 2022 according to Modern Healthcare. Prior to Polsinelli, Eric served as in-house legal counsel at Cerner (now Oracle Cerner), a global leader in healthcare information technology.
Eric holds a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from the University of Kansas.
Ryan Sanders
Ryan Sanders
Chief Information Security Officer
Ryan has over two decades of experience managing healthcare information technology for national and regional health systems, most recently serving as a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) for a broad range of healthcare businesses and health systems.
Ryan holds dual master’s degrees in business administration and information technology, is a Certified Information Security Manager through ISACA, and is an authority in HIPAA compliance and healthcare regulation. Ryan is an experienced leader who excels at creating, implementing, and optimizing programs that enhance information security and governance.
Kelly Breeze
Kelly Breeze
Chief Operating Officer
Prior to joining PatientLock, Kelly represented clients in complex product liability litigation, intellectual property matters and commercial disputes with AM Law 100 firms Gordon & Rees and Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Clients included healthcare, pharmaceutical and medical device companies such as Pfizer, Boston Scientific, MAA and Dignity Health. Kelly attended the University of Kansas School of Law. Kelly is currently the Chief Operating Officer for PatientLock and responsible for facilitating PatientLock's services roll-out to law firms under the brand JurisLock. Prior to law school, Kelly served as a police officer and SWAT team member in the Kansas City metro.
Zach Pederson
Zach Pederson
Chief Marketing Officer
For the past 10 years, Zach has helped countless brand pioneers tell their stories through a combination of videography, photography, and custom web design. A master in bringing vision to life, Zach founded Rock Road Creative, a full-service creative marketing agency in Kansas City. Zach's team at Rock Road has worked with elite military operators, enterprise businesses and played an integral role in the growth of dozens of businesses around the US.
Firmly grasping the essence of military-grade and embracing the mission of making cybersecurity affordable to any size of healthcare business, Zach joined the PatientLock team in early 2022. His team is tasked with bringing the PatientLock story to life and ensuring cybersecurity and compliance concepts are communicated to the healthcare sector in a format anyone can understand.
Jesse Ehlert
Jesse Ehlert
Advisory Board - Dev
Beginning his career at Cerner (now Oracle Health) as a Software Engineer, Ehlert is currently the Senior Director of Engineering for K-Care, a mission-driven healthcare technology company providing a suite of innovative software solutions (EHR, case management, and analytics) designed for behavioral health and human services organizations. Prior to K-Care, Ehlert was Senior VP of Product and Technology at Attane, and VP of Engineering at FanThreeSixty.
Ehlert graduated from Missouri State University with degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science. He lives in the Kansas City metro with his wife and children.
Brian Akino
Brian Akino
Vice President - Offensive Security
A leader in the newly established Cyber Warfare Operations Squadron of the U.S. Air Force, Akino is a cybersecurity expert with over 15 years of experience in all domains of information security. Following six years as an active military member of the USAF, Akino continues to serve as a Cyberwarfare Operator in the Virginia Air National Guard and holds numerous cybersecurity and IT certifications, including CISSP, Security+, GCFA, CCNP, CCDP, and ITILv3, as well as high-level government security clearances and public trusts.
Jim Ford
Jim Ford
Chief Executive Officer
Prior to founding PatientLock, Jim spent nearly two decades working in healthcare, or healthcare information technology, beginning his career in the laboratory of an HCA hospital in 1998. Prior companies include Cerner, athenahealth, Aprima/eMD’s, and Fortified Health Security, a healthcare focused managed security services provider, or MSSP.
Jim earned certification as a HITRUST Practitioner, (CCSFP) was certified by the Supremus Group as a HIPAA Privacy and Security Expert - Level-4 (CHPSE) and holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA).
Jim founded PatientLock in 2019 with the vision of making enterprise-level cybersecurity technologies and services available and affordable to any size of healthcare organization. PatientLock is now deployed on network assets used by thousands of US-based healthcare organizations.
Richard Dobrow
Richard Dobrow
Board of Directors
A member of Forbes' exclusive, invitation-only Technology Council, Richard is a global business executive, entrepreneur, and cybersecurity leader with three decades of broad-based business experience.
Richard began his career as a CPA and CISA in the Audit and Enterprise Risk Management practices of Coopers & Lybrand, Price Waterhouse, and Arthur Andersen. After Andersen’s establishment of Accenture, Richard launched his first entrepreneurial venture as founder of a leading managed security service provider (MSSP), Guarded Networks, Inc (GNI), which was sold in 2004 for $25 million. He later joined the executive team of Perimeter E-Security where he served as CEO, President, COO and CISO. During a six-year period of execution, the company achieved 6x revenue growth and 10x profit expansion. In 2007, Perimeter E-Security was successfully sold to a group of investors led by Goldman Sachs and Bessemer Venture Partners for $232 million.
Richard has led capital raises greater than $100 million and managed organizations from startup to $250-million exit valuations in over 40 countries. Richard has served as founder, COO, CISO, and President of several large cybersecurity organizations, including tenure as President of APA Cyber Business at global military-defense contractor, BAE Systems.
Richard serves on the Board of Directors at PatientLock and is currently the CEO of SilverSky, a global leader in cybersecurity and compliance with focus on the financial and defense sectors.
Ryan Sanders
Ryan Sanders
Chief Information Security Officer
Ryan has over two decades of experience managing healthcare information technology for national and regional health systems, most recently serving as a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) for a broad range of healthcare businesses and health systems.
Ryan holds dual master’s degrees in business administration and information technology, is a Certified Information Security Manager through ISACA, and is an authority in HIPAA compliance and healthcare regulation. Ryan is an experienced leader who excels at creating, implementing, and optimizing programs that enhance information security and governance.
Jesse Ehlert
Jesse Ehlert
Advisory Board - Dev
Beginning his career at Cerner (now Oracle Health) as a Software Engineer, Ehlert is currently the Senior Director of Engineering for K-Care, a mission-driven healthcare technology company providing a suite of innovative software solutions (EHR, case management, and analytics) designed for behavioral health and human services organizations. Prior to K-Care, Ehlert was Senior VP of Product and Technology at Attane, and VP of Engineering at FanThreeSixty.
Ehlert graduated from Missouri State University with degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science. He lives in the Kansas City metro with his wife and children.
Paul Lower
Paul Lower
Chief Revenue Officer
Paul has served in multiple Sales Leadership, Marketing, and Account Management roles in healthcare spanning most of the last 25 years. Companies include ELLKAY, Athenahealth, Aprima, Chartlogic, Bausch & Lomb and Ophthalmic Imaging Systems. Paul is currently a principal partner of Patientlock responsible for facilitating PatientLock’s services roll-out to the healthcare industry.
Kelly Breeze
Kelly Breeze
Chief Operating Officer
Prior to joining PatientLock, Kelly represented clients in complex product liability litigation, intellectual property matters and commercial disputes with AM Law 100 firms Gordon & Rees and Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Clients included healthcare, pharmaceutical and medical device companies such as Pfizer, Boston Scientific, MAA and Dignity Health. Kelly attended the University of Kansas School of Law. Kelly is currently the Chief Operating Officer for PatientLock and responsible for facilitating PatientLock's services roll-out to law firms under the brand JurisLock. Prior to law school, Kelly served as a police officer and SWAT team member in the Kansas City metro.
Eric Gray
Eric Gray
Chief Legal Officer
Eric brings almost two decades of healthcare information technology and legal experience to PatientLock, most recently serving as Managing Counsel of the Technology Law Group at HCA Healthcare (Hospital Corporation of America) for nearly a decade.
Prior to his recent tenure at HCA, Eric excelled as an attorney at Kansas City-based Polsinelli Law Firm, one of the largest and most respected law firms in the United States. Polsinelli has ranked as the #1 or #2 Healthcare Law Firm by American Health Law Association from 2016-2022, and as the #1 ranked Healthcare Law firm for 2022 according to Modern Healthcare. Prior to Polsinelli, Eric served as in-house legal counsel at Cerner (now Oracle Cerner), a global leader in healthcare information technology.
Eric holds a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from the University of Kansas.
Zach Pederson
Zach Pederson
Chief Marketing Officer
For the past 10 years, Zach has helped countless brand pioneers tell their stories through a combination of videography, photography, and custom web design. A master in bringing vision to life, Zach founded Rock Road Creative, a full-service creative marketing agency in Kansas City. Zach's team at Rock Road has worked with elite military operators, enterprise businesses and played an integral role in the growth of dozens of businesses around the US.
Firmly grasping the essence of military-grade and embracing the mission of making cybersecurity affordable to any size of healthcare business, Zach joined the PatientLock team in early 2022. His team is tasked with bringing the PatientLock story to life and ensuring cybersecurity and compliance concepts are communicated to the healthcare sector in a format anyone can understand.
Brian Akino
Brian Akino
Vice President - Offensive Security
A leader in the newly established Cyber Warfare Operations Squadron of the U.S. Air Force, Akino is a cybersecurity expert with over 15 years of experience in all domains of information security. Following six years as an active military member of the USAF, Akino continues to serve as a Cyberwarfare Operator in the Virginia Air National Guard and holds numerous cybersecurity and IT certifications, including CISSP, Security+, GCFA, CCNP, CCDP, and ITILv3, as well as high-level government security clearances and public trusts.