Senior management stability has been a hallmark at Preferred Physicians Medical (PPM). All significant operational activities involve a multi-disciplinary management approach designed to increase the exchange of critical information and improve decision-making.
Edward S. Ritter -- Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Ritter was elected Chief Executive Officer of PPM effective July 1, 2010. Mr. Ritter has been a Director of PPM since 1991. He also served as a director of Generali USA Life Reassurance Company from 2005 until 2011 and Genamerica Management Company from 2000 until 2011. From 2005 to 2009 he served as Assicurazioni Generali, S.p.A.'s U.S. Representative and the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Generali USA Life Reassurance Company. From 2003 to 2004 he provided financial consulting services, primarily to Assicurazioni Generali, S.p.A.'s European operations. He was also formerly the Senior Vice President-Corporate Development of Business Men's Assurance Company of America until 2003 and a Partner with the accounting firm of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP until 1990.
Steven R. Sanford, JD -- President and Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Sanford was elected President of PPM's insurance operation in 2009 by the Company's Board of Directors and continues to serve as PPM's President and Chief Operating Officer. Upon joining PPM in 1991, Mr. Sanford created the company's in-house claims operation, established PPM's claims handling policies and procedures, and hired claims department personnel. Mr. Sanford also developed PPM's on-site risk management program and previously authored its popular risk management newsletter, Anesthesia & the Law. Mr. Sanford also serves on the Board of Directors of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) and is a member of the APSF's Executive Committee.
Prior to joining PPM, Mr. Sanford was Senior Attorney for Kansas Health Care Stabilization Fund, an excess insurance provider for health care practitioners in the state of Kansas. In addition to his responsibilities managing the HCSF, Mr. Sanford served as a regulatory attorney for the Kansas Insurance Commissioner with oversight of private medical malpractice insurance carriers. While serving in this position, Mr. Sanford worked closely with the Kansas Legislature to draft and enact significant tort reform legislation. Mr. Sanford's legal career includes a brief stint in private practice as well as serving for two years as a Research Attorney to Judge Mary Briscoe of the Kansas Court of Appeals. Mr. Sanford received a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in political science from Washburn University of Topeka and his Juris Doctorate, with honors, from Washburn School of Law.
Timothy J. McGill -- Treasurer, Secretary and Vice President-Finance
As PPM's Treasurer, Secretary and Vice President for Finance, Mr. McGill is responsible for all accounting and financial reporting for the Company. He is responsible for preparation of the financial statements, as well as coordinating efforts with regulators and auditors. In addition, he is directing the recent initiative to update PPM's documentation of current systems and processes. Mr. McGill, a CPA since 2001, joined PPM in 2009 after spending three years as a Director with McGladrey & Pullen, where he was charged with development of the insurance industry national audit practice. Prior to McGladrey & Pullen, Mr. McGill spent 7 years with KPMG, almost exclusively within the insurance industry audit practice, serving companies of varying size and insurance types. He received his undergraduate degree in accounting from Creighton University in 1999.
Brent G. Hodges, CPCU -- Vice President-Underwriting
Mr. Hodges' responsibilities include the day-to-day direction of all underwriting and policyholder service activities. Since joining PPM in early 1989, he has seen the Company grow from approximately 200 policyholders to nearly 3,000. Mr. Hodges has over forty years of insurance underwriting experience beginning his career with Fireman's Fund Insurance Company in 1971. Over the years, he has served in the capacity of Personal Lines Underwriting Supervisor, Senior Commercial Lines Underwriter, Assistant Vice President of Underwriting with American Continental Insurance Company (a subsidiary of MMI Companies), a major medical malpractice carrier, and Vice President of Marketing for a large Midwest brokerage firm. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and received his CPCU designation in 1978. Along with teaching Insurance Institute of America classes for ten years, Mr. Hodges has served as President of both the Kansas City Chapter of CPCU and the Kansas City Underwriters Association.
James F. Johnson -- Vice President-Sales
Mr. Johnson's responsibilities include management of the day-to-day operations of the sales and marketing functions for PPM. He currently has over twenty years of insurance industry experience. Prior to joining PPM, Mr. Johnson was employed as an underwriter with Omaha Property and Casualty, an affiliate of Mutual of Omaha; as a senior underwriter for Country Companies; and in a sales and underwriting position with Concannon & Associates, a local managing general agency.
Mr. Johnson joined PPM in 1989, when the Company insured fewer than 200 anesthesiologists. He played an instrumental role in building PPM's policyholder base. Mr. Johnson received his undergraduate degree in business administration from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in 1983 and his MBA from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri in 1987.
Wade D. Willard, JD -- Vice President-Claims
Wade joined PPM in 1997 and was promoted to Senior Claims Attorney in 2000 and Vice President, Claims in 2010. In addition to supervising the Claims Department, Wade remains active as a Senior Claims Attorney where he focuses on significant damage cases filed in the eastern United States. In this role, Wade is responsible for the supervision of local defense counsel, management of day-to-day file activities, evaluation of defense strategy and directing settlement negotiations. Wade is also responsible for training new Claims Department staff members. In addition, Wade conducts numerous on-site risk management seminars and contributes to the company's risk management newsletter, Anesthesia & the Law.
Wade is a graduate of Washburn School of Law. Prior to joining Preferred Physicians Medical in 1997, Wade clerked for the Kansas Medical Society and Kansas Medical Mutual Insurance Company. During this time, he assisted in the defense of medical malpractice claims and participated in the production of loss prevention seminars. In addition, Wade has been involved in medical-legal research and lobbying activities on behalf of Kansas physicians.
