Geoff Gross
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Geoff Gross is the founder and CEO of Medical Guardian. With over 19 years of experience in the Personal Emergency Response industry, he has championed solutions for aging adults that empower independence, promote wellness, and enable them to live a more full and active life without limits.
Geoff's expertise in connected care and healthcare tech has been widely recognized; he was named one of Metro Philadelphia's Top Health Care Power Players in 2023 and currently serves as the President of the Medical Alert Monitoring Association (MAMA). Geoff has been dubbed "The Senior Savior" by the Philadelphia Citizen, recognized as Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019, named a 2018 & 2021 Glassdoor Top CEO, and has been among Philadelphia Business Journal's "Most Admired CEOs" and "40 Under 40."
Geoff brings an entrepreneurial mindset to everything he does and has built an organization that focuses on innovation, connectivity, and care, listening to their members and health plan partners to develop products that improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. Medical Guardian has been listed on Inc.'s 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for 12 consecutive years and has been named one of the "Best Places to Work" by the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Geoff is as dedicated to his community as he is to his company and members. He serves on the board of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of the Delaware Valley and is a member of the Young President's organization (YPO). He has recently co-chaired "Cheers for CHOP," a premier fundraiser for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Prior to that, he was the founder and co-chair of "Preakness at the Piazza," a fundraiser that benefits MS research and has raised nearly $1M since its inception.
Sean Forrest
Chief Financial Officer
Sean Forrest serves as Chief Financial Officer at Medical Guardian, bringing decades of leadership experience and expertise in strategic, financial, and operational management. He has served as CEO and CFO of several private equity-backed service companies in the security alarm industry, focusing on recurring revenue growth through organic growth and acquisitions, with an emphasis on operational excellence and customer experience as primary drivers.
Most recently, Sean served as CEO of Alarm Connections, a nationwide security company headquartered in Philadelphia. His executive experience followed a 20-year career in banking, where he founded and grew two large specialty lending groups focused on recurring revenue businesses, first at LaSalle Bank (now Bank of America) and later at The Private Bank (now CIBC).
Sean is a strategic and team-oriented leader known for his transparency, a commitment that builds trust, solid relationships, and strong results. He received his B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois and holds a master's in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management. His extensive financial leadership experience adds to a talented leadership team at Medical Guardian pursuing exciting growth opportunities.
Jim Spencer
EVP & Chief Financial Officer
Jim brings over 20 years of leadership experience in capital markets, mergers & acquisitions, finance, accounting, and information technology to Medical Guardian. His background spans across biotechnology, Medicaid managed care, healthcare information technology, and specialty distribution. He has worked with both large and small growth companies across all sectors of the healthcare industry, including BGB, HealthPRO Heritage, FedBid, and iBiquity Digital Corporation.
As CFO, Jim works with the Finance, Accounting, and Administrative departments to ensure that Medical Guardian fulfills its day-to-day operational goals, including expense management, revenue recognition, and accounting. He also leads the identification and integration of new finance systems that automate processes and workflows, helping deliver critical information more accurately and timely.
Jim's expertise in healthcare and technology plays a critical role in leading Medical Guardian into a new phase of growth. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
Sashidhar Kokku
Executive Vice President of Product
Sashidhar Kokku serves as the Executive Vice President of Product at Medical Guardian, bringing over two decades of experience in spearheading transformative initiatives within the healthcare industry. With a robust engineering foundation and a Master of Science from the Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science, Mr. Kokku discovered his passion for Product Management in healthcare, where he has successfully designed, developed, and implemented programs for members, payers, and providers.
Sashidhar's expertise encompasses the entire product lifecycle, from conceptualization to market deployment. His impressive track record includes the successful launch of more than six enterprise-class products and driving digital transformations in both startups and Fortune 6 companies. Prior to joining Medical Guardian, he led large-scale transformation and integration programs at industry leaders such as Aetna/CVS, Walgreens, and Change Healthcare, impacting millions of lives. Notable achievements include overseeing Aetna's member experience for their entire book of business, developing Walgreens Health experiences, and creating a health outcomes-focused marketplace.
In his current role at Medical Guardian, Sashidhar leads the product department, focusing on delivering compelling engagement experiences for members, caregivers, and team members. His leadership style is characterized by a purpose-driven approach, a strong bias for execution, and a passion for quality and innovation. Sashidhar fosters an empowering and collaborative work environment that values diverse perspectives and continuous improvement.
Sashidhar's dedication to empowering patients and enhancing healthcare delivery aligns seamlessly with Medical Guardian's mission of transforming healthcare experiences for improved outcomes. His strategic vision and extensive industry experience position him as a key asset in driving the company's product innovation and growth strategies.
Robert Smedley
Chief Sales Officer
Robert joins Medical Guardian with over 11 years of experience in call center management. Beginning a career in sales in 1999, Robert excelled through multiple levels of sales management leading to positions as either Vice President or Senior Vice President of Sales. He also expanded his career skills and professional education by becoming an RCCSP Certified Call Center Manager, completing Ken Blanchard Situational Leadership II Training and the Wharton School of Business Executive Development Program.
One of Robert's most notable experiences was a tremendous 8-year run while working as Vice President of Sales and Counseling for Nutrisystem, Inc. Charged with driving performance for a 400-person call center, Robert was responsible for sales growth of $38 million annually to over $775 million annually.
Robert strongly believes in coaching and developing talent with a strong emphasis on creating a sales culture that continues to strive for excellence. Robert's passion lies in inside sales operations with both an entrepreneurial spirit and a strategic plan focused on expansion through driving sales performance.
Brian Simmermon
Chief Information Officer
Brian Simmermon is the Chief Information Officer at Medical Guardian, a Rowan University alumni, and a board member for the tech-focused non-profit organization named Hopeworks. His passion for innovation and forward thinking has contributed to a long list of notable achievements in his 30 years of direct business and technology experience.
For 13+ years, Brian was the CIO for Subaru of America. One of his most impressive achievements in that role was developing and implementing the connected vehicle business for Subaru vehicles. In his next role, Brian was the CIO of Advanced Call Center Technologies. Within a month, he created infrastructure for over 5,000 call center agents to work from home and still benefit from the same secure environments agents had from their on-site experience. This ambitious approach to improving customer and employee experiences is one of the factors that has led to his operational success in various domestic and international markets.
Brian strongly believes in a collaborative managerial approach. His proclivity for team- based, progressive work styles generates a productive and efficient work environment. His approachable disposition encourages successful interaction with diverse backgrounds, cultures and professional levels.
Bryan Johnson
Vice President of Information Technology (CISO)
Bryan joined Medical Guardian with more than 25 years' experience in Information Technology (IT), with an emphasis in cyber security. He works alongside leaders and IT teams to effectively monitor and maintain the security of our applications, databases, computers, and websites. He oversees information security, data warehousing, and supports Financial/ERP applications.
Bryan holds a master's degree in management, is a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM®), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM®), and holds other security and technical certifications.
In his previous role with The American College of Financial Services, Bryan was responsible for implementing and maintaining application platforms, program/project management, data integration, web development, and B2B technology support services. Notable accomplishments include the implementation of a new Financial ERP platform, transition to a new Customer Relationship Management platform, and several data and system integrations with B2B clients.
Matthew Guerrieri
Chief Marketing Officer
Matt Guerrieri is the Chief Marketing Officer at Medical Guardian and a Philadelphia Business Journal 40 Under 40 nominee. Matt graduated from Ohio State University in 2009 with a Bachelors' Degree in Social Communications and Marketing. In 2010 Matthew joined Digitas Health, an interactive marketing agency catering exclusively to pharmaceutical companies. In 2011, the agency integrated into the Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG), the world's largest healthcare communications network, where Matt was promoted to the role of Media Planner for AstraZeneca.
In 2013, Matthew was hired as the Digital Marketing Manager at Medical Guardian at age 26 and was promoted after a year and a half to Director of Marketing, earning his spot on the company's Executive Team before the age of 30. He's helped the Medical Guardian secure partnerships with retail giants like Costco, CVS, Walmart, and QVC, as well as upwards of $105 million in capital investment from Apollo Global Management.
Pete Cava
Director of Information Technology
Pete is a graduate of Drexel University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and over 25 years of technical operations and executive management experience. He started his career as Director of Technical Programs at Formation Inc. developing embedded control systems for the radar communications and large storage markets. While at Formation, Pete led their ISO 9000 certification effort.
In 1998 Pete founded and served as President of SNiP Telecommunications, a Philly Metro based regional telephone and Internet company where he was responsible for IT, sales and marketing, and call center operations.
In 2010 SNiP was acquired by NetCarrier and Pete continued his career as a business process consultant specializing in helping companies use tools like Salesforce.com and Microsoft Dynamics CRM to streaming their operations. He then joined Medical Guardian in June 2015.
Eliza Salerno
Senior Vice President of Operations
Eliza joins Medical Guardian with 10 years of experience in the Healthcare sector as a Program Director and Project Manager for Healthcare facilities. Eliza has had several key leadership roles at Medical Guardian, including a Director of PMO position where she led several teams in project management, quality assurance and business operations. During this time, she was responsible for execution of technical initiatives, driving significant company growth, and establishing several operational teams needed to support that expansion.
In her current role, Eliza oversees cross functional teams including supply chain and logistics, training, fulfillment, healthcare operations and product management. Eliza's passion for quality and innovation fosters her diligence in the development of Medical Guardians' expanding product suite. She strongly believes collaboration is the backbone of success and loves working with the teams at Medical Guardian to drive operational efficiencies and creative design of products.
Eliza graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University. She is a PMI certified Agile Practitioner and an active member of the Project Management Institute.
Alex Prough
Senior Vice President of Health Services
Alex brings more than 12 years of healthcare and health technology experience to Medical Guardian. He has built successful programs with hundreds of payer, provider, and senior living organizations. Alex most recently served as Vice President of Business Development at Truepill, Inc. Prior to that, Alex led the payer channel at Best Buy Health, which included its Medicare Advantage and Medicaid businesses, partnering with many of the country's largest health plans. Before that, Alex was an executive leader responsible for all growth activities at Critical Signal Technologies (CST), a remote monitoring company acquired by Best Buy. Alex is passionate about the senior health market and leading a team with a shared mission of empowering all patients and members to live a life without limits.
Sean Coyne
Vice President of Finance
Sean joined Medical Guardian in June 2014 as the Controller. Leading the finance team Sean is responsible for the overall accounting and financial reporting functions for Medical Guardian LLC. In addition he also oversees Medical Guardian's billing and collections department.
Prior to joining Medical Guardian, Sean spent over twelve years in public accounting at Elko & Associates Ltd. While at Elko, he led teams on audit and review engagements, prepared complex corporate tax returns and performed due diligence for lender support in the security and alarm industry.
Sean is a 2004 graduate from Widener University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Karina Brodsky
Vice President of Information Technology
As Vice President of Information Technology, Karina Brodsky oversees core business processes and technology development with a primary focus on monetizing the Medical Guardian IoT platform.
Karina's 20+ years experience includes 8 years at Subaru of America and 12 years at the Hibbert Group, as a leader of the IT Development and Ops Team. Specializing in project management life cycles and Agile methodologies, Karina also has extensive experience with implementing large-scale B2C and DTC web application initiatives.
Derek Gerberich
Vice President of Marketing
Derek Gerberich is the Vice President of Marketing at Medical Guardian, overseeing performance marketing, marketing technology, and marketing analytics for the team.
Derek arrived at Medical Guardian with nearly a decade of experience in digital performance media consulting. Some of his notable work included leading digital media efforts for Five9 which culminated in a $15B purchase offer from Zoom.
In addition, Derek has overseen growth efforts for several challenger brands which subsequently secured multiple rounds of investor funding, in addition to three different acquisitions exceeding $1B.
Derek graduated from Penn State University with his Master's Degree in Statistics.
Emily Berman
Vice President of Human Resources
Emily graduated from Penn State's Schreyer's Honors College with a B.S. in Recreation Park and Tourism Management and a minor in Business. After graduation, she moved to New York City to work as a Buyer for Bloomingdale's Department Stores. After two years in the buying office, she transitioned into Human Resources and spent five years running and managing the Executive Buying Program. Emily then spent a year at Bloomingdales.com as a Recruiter before moving back to Philadelphia. Throughout her time in NYC, Emily earned her PHR Certification (Professional In Human Resources) from Pace University.
In May of 2012, Emily moved back to Philadelphia and worked for Burlington Coat Factory as a Corporate Recruiter. She then joined Medical Guardian in March 2013. Emily worked as The Director of Human Resources until June 2017. Emily took a 2.5-year hiatus to start her family and returned as Director of Human Resources in January 2019.
Jennifer Fernandez
Vice President, Human Resources
Bringing over 15 years of Human Resources expertise to Medical Guardian, Jennifer stands as a proven leader specializing in cultivating and enhancing Human Resources functions within fast-growing organizations. Her proficiency in fostering an empowered culture, driving organizational design, and nurturing employee growth aligns seamlessly with our mission, values, and aspirations.
Jennifer's extensive experience spans various industries, including Life Sciences, Data Analytics, SaaS, Professional Services, and IT Consulting. Her strategic brilliance has been instrumental in propelling numerous organizations towards success, catalyzing rapid growth that led to an impressive scale of over 600 employees across multiple global locations. Her data-centric approach empowers informed decision-making, delivering tangible value to organizations.
A virtuoso in building high-performance teams, Jennifer excels in talent acquisition and development, perpetuating a culture of continual learning. Her expertise extends to recruitment, retention, and employee growth, exemplified through the creation of pivotal HR programs, adept management of M&A transitions, and the formulation of impactful data-driven solutions.
She plays a crucial role in leading and shaping our HR programs and initiatives and implementing best practices, driven by her commitment to employee development and fostering an environment of continuous learning that aligns within MG23 and our aspiration goals for the years ahead.
Howard Teicher
Vice President of Healthcare & Business Development
Howard has joined Medical Guardian with over 20 years of experience in the Medical Alert and Life Safety industries. As the Director of New Business Development, he continues to expand Medical Guardian's footprint with national partnerships and strategic alliances, as well as its dealer and affiliate business.
He also plays a key role in helping Medical Guardians growth by expanding its healthcare program for Hospitals, long term care, and senior housing communities.
Prior to joining Medical Guardian, Howard has been a consultant in the Healthcare, Security and PERS industries for such things as product manufacturing, marketing strategies, and sales growth implementations. He also served as Vice President of Business Development at Connect America.
Howard has been recognized and received awards by such companies as Honeywell, General Electric, and First Alert for his business growth and partnership strategy programs.
His genuine love for helping others and carrying out our mission is reflective in his personality and resonates clearly to his new business partners.
Jennifer Sali
Vice President of Customer Care
Jennifer joins Medical Guardian as Vice President, Customer Care. She brings with her an extensive professional background in insurance operations, with over 20 years in the industry leading high performing service teams. Most recently, she spent 14 years with Transamerica, holding a number of key leadership roles in the areas of call center, workforce management and claims. During her tenure, she championed several initiatives netting measurable improvements in service quality, customer retention and departmental efficiency.
Jennifer strongly believes in collaboration and the power of “team” in delivering consistency and excellence in results. She possesses a deep passion for providing products and services that offer protection and security to families. As an integral part of the leadership team, Jennifer will focus on optimizing call center performance to deliver a best in class customer experience to our customers.
