Advisors

Don Jones advises Kiventa Foundry on strategy and capital, drawing on more than four decades building emergency medical services (EMS), physician services, and digital health businesses.

Advisory role

Strategic and Capital

Current position

Chair, Cardiff Ocean Group; independent director and advisor to venture- and private-equity-backed health companies

Experience

In healthcare since 1979: EMS, emergency medicine, house calls, telemedicine, and digital medicine

Education and training

JD; MBA; bachelor's degree in biology and bioengineering

Recognition

EvoNexus Digital Health Innovator of the Year (2014); conceived the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE

Profile

Don Jones has worked at the intersection of emergency care and technology since 1979, when he joined a company transmitting electrocardiogram data from ambulances to hospitals. He built operating companies in EMS and physician services, then spent 11 years leading Qualcomm's wireless health strategy.

As Chair of Cardiff Ocean Group, he serves as an independent director of companies backed by venture capital and private equity, and has advised boards and executive teams across medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and health services.

Career highlights

• Led Qualcomm Wireless Health global strategy and business development for 11 years and founded its healthcare subsidiary; served as Vice President, Global Strategy and Market Development, Qualcomm Life.
• As Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MedTrans, grew the company from $4.5 million into what became the largest EMS provider in the world, now Global Medical Response.
• As advisor to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and board of American Medical Response (AMR), helped build EmCare into the largest medical group in the United States, with more than 25,000 physicians.
• Co-founded Scripps Digital Medicine with Eric Topol, MD, and the nonprofit West Health Institute; served as Chief Digital Officer of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.
• Founded the Wireless Life Sciences Alliance in 2005, which merged with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) in 2016.
• Founder and Chair of EMME, a membership-based healthcare provider in Mexico.

Advisory focus for Kiventa Foundry

• Commercialization strategy, business model, and go-to-market planning for the K-CAD (Kiventa Cavity Access Device) and the Kiventa pipeline.
• Corporate development, partnering, and the strategic acquirer perspective.
• Governance and strategic counsel to the founding team.

Jay Kovar, MD, advises Kiventa Foundry on emergency medicine and emergency medical services (EMS), drawing on more than three decades as a board-certified emergency physician and EMS medical director since 1998.

Advisory role

Emergency Medicine and EMS

Current position

EMS Medical Director, Harris County Emergency Services District (ESD) 11 Mobile Healthcare; Medical Director, PHI Air Medical (Texas); Medical Director, Huntsville-Walker County EMS

Experience

Emergency physician since 1992; EMS medical director since 1998

Education and training

University of Texas at Austin (honors); MD, UT San Antonio Medical School; emergency medicine residency and Chief Residency, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit

Recognition

Diplomate, American Board of Emergency Medicine; Fellow, American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP)

Profile

Jay Kovar is an emergency physician whose career spans more than three decades in the Greater Houston area. He directs medical care for ground and air EMS systems, setting the protocols and training that paramedics and flight crews work under.

Harris County ESD 11 Mobile Healthcare covers 177 square miles of northern Harris County, serves more than 700,000 residents, and responds to more than 65,000 calls a year. His philosophy is to bring advanced critical care into the prehospital setting and connect first patient contact to definitive care.

Career highlights

• Began his career in academic emergency medicine as Research and Resident Training Director at UT Health Science Center Houston, Hermann Hospital.
• Served as Chief Resident and principal investigator in human resuscitation research at Henry Ford Hospital.
• Medical Director for PHI Air Medical in Texas since 2003, and former EMS Medical Director for Montgomery County Hospital District.
• Medical Director for EMS education programs at Lone Star College CyFair and Montgomery since 2007.
• Advises area hospital systems on protocols for trauma, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), stroke, sepsis, and post-resuscitation hypothermia.
• Clinical practice across Memorial Hermann, LBJ, HCA, St. Luke's, and Methodist hospitals; lecturer at local, state, national, and international emergency medicine and EMS meetings.

Advisory focus for Kiventa Foundry

• The emergency physician and EMS medical director perspective on the design, procedural workflow, and clinical use of the K-CAD (Kiventa Cavity Access Device).
• Fit with prehospital and air medical protocols, crew training, and equipment adoption.
• Feedback on device requirements, usability, labeling, and instructions for use.

Daniel L. Miller, MD, advises Kiventa Foundry on thoracic surgery and clinical evaluation, drawing on more than three decades as a board-certified thoracic surgeon and academic leader.

Advisory role

Clinical and Trials

Current position

Director of Thoracic Surgery; Floyd C. Jarrell, Jr., MD Distinguished Chair in Surgical Oncology; Interim Surgical Director, Georgia Cancer Center; Director of Surgical Services and of the Lung Screening Program, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

Experience

Thoracic surgeon since completing cardiothoracic training at Mayo Clinic in 1994

Education and training

BS, Georgetown College (1981); MD, University of Kentucky (1985); general surgery residency, Georgetown University (1985 to 1991); cardiothoracic residency, Mayo Clinic (1991 to 1994)

Recognition

Certified by the American Board of Surgery (1992) and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (1995, recertified 2025); Professor of Surgery

Profile

Daniel Miller is a thoracic surgeon who leads thoracic surgery at the Georgia Cancer Center, which he joined in 2021 as surgical director. His practice covers the lung, pleura, chest wall, esophagus, and mediastinum, with a focus on minimally invasive surgery.

His research spans artificial intelligence (AI) assisted lung cancer screening, treatment of pleural malignancies, post-thoracic surgery pain management, and digital chest drainage after lung resection.

Career highlights

• Holds the Floyd C. Jarrell, Jr., MD Distinguished Chair in Surgical Oncology at the Medical College of Georgia.
• Prior thoracic surgery leadership at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Atlanta, the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, and WellStar Thoracic Surgical Associates.
• Clinical focus includes lung cancer, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), pleural disease, traumatic rib fixation, and chest wall reconstruction.
• Research includes computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening with AI, hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy for pleural malignancies, cryoablation for post-thoracic surgery pain, and digital drainage systems after lung resection.
• Author of more than 130 articles and book chapters on thoracic malignancies.
• Recognized among America's Top Doctors for Cancer by Castle Connolly.

Advisory focus for Kiventa Foundry

• The thoracic surgeon's perspective on the design, procedural workflow, and clinical use of the K-CAD (Kiventa Cavity Access Device).
• Clinical evaluation design and evidence needs, including simulation and cadaver-based assessment.
• Feedback on device requirements, usability, labeling, and instructions for use.

Howard Ragsdale advises Kiventa Foundry on emergency medical services (EMS) alliances and growth, drawing on decades of air medical leadership and his current work on ground EMS mergers and acquisitions.

Advisory role

EMS Alliances and Growth

Current position

Consultant supporting merger and acquisition opportunities in the ground EMS industry

Experience

Leadership and business development at LifeNet, PHI Air Medical, Air Methods, and Apollo MedFlight

Education and training

Began his aviation career in the U.S. Army

Recognition

Airbus Helicopters Golden Hour Award (2014), for lifetime dedication to air medical services; former board member, MedEvac Foundation International and the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS)

Profile

Howard Ragsdale has spent most of his career building and leading air medical programs. His first experience with air medical operations came during his Army service.

He has held senior leadership and business development roles at several of the largest U.S. air medical operators. He now applies that operator view to merger and acquisition opportunities among ground EMS providers.

Career highlights

• Director of LifeNet Services at Rocky Mountain Helicopters, an early community-based air medical model, which he joined in 1995.
• President of PHI Air Medical, and later PHI's Director of Industry and Government Affairs.
• Helped create and lead the Air Medical Operators Association, with a focus on raising operational safety standards across the industry.
• Senior Vice President of Business Development at Air Methods, after rejoining former LifeNet colleagues there in 2009.
• Leadership and business development at Apollo MedFlight.
• Board service with MedEvac Foundation International and CAMTS.

Advisory focus for Kiventa Foundry

• Alliances and partnering across air medical and ground EMS operators.
• Market access and growth strategy within the EMS industry.
• Strategic counsel to the founding team on the EMS operator landscape.

Lee McCammon advises Kiventa Foundry on air medical operations, drawing on more than 20 years leading air medical programs, beginning as a flight paramedic.

Advisory role

Air Medical Operations

Current position

Chief Operating Officer (COO), Apollo MedFlight, Amarillo, Texas

Experience

More than 20 years in air medical and emergency medical services (EMS) operations and management

Education and training

Bachelor of Science, Purdue University; Master of Business Administration (MBA), Northeastern University; began his career as a paramedic

Recognition

Board service with the International Association of Flight Paramedics (IAFP) and the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS)

Profile

Lee McCammon is the Chief Operating Officer of Apollo MedFlight, an air medical transport provider headquartered in Amarillo, Texas. He leads the company's operational initiatives and facilities management.

He began as a paramedic with NorthStar in New Jersey and rose through program and regional leadership at several major air medical operators. His board work with IAFP and CAMTS gives him a view of clinical and accreditation standards across the industry.

Career highlights

• Chief Operating Officer of Apollo MedFlight.
• Eight years as a Regional Vice President at Air Methods Corporation.
• Program Director with Rocky Mountain Helicopters, after starting as a paramedic with NorthStar.
• Leadership roles at Life Link III, LifeMed Alaska, OmniFlight, and PHI.
• Air Medical Specialist for Kopter North America from 2018, adapting the SH09 helicopter to EMS customer needs.
• Board service with IAFP and CAMTS.

Advisory focus for Kiventa Foundry

• The air medical operator's view of how the K-CAD (Kiventa Cavity Access Device) would be used, taught, and deployed by transport crews.
• How air medical programs evaluate and adopt new equipment.
• Perspective on clinical and accreditation standards in medical transport.

Fred Kolberg advises Kiventa Foundry on tactical and military medicine, drawing on 21 years as a Navy SEAL medic and his work training medics and first responders in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC).

Advisory role

Tactical and Military

Current position

Chief Executive, Trauma Training FX, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Experience

21 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL medic with SEAL Teams Three and Four (retired)

Education and training

Navy special operations medic; weapons and tactical driving instructor certifications

Recognition

Contract deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan after retirement; author of the memoir Blast (2026)

Profile

Fred Kolberg is a retired Navy SEAL medic who served 21 years with SEAL Teams Three and Four. He now leads Trauma Training FX, which he runs with his wife, Julie Kolberg.

Trauma Training FX is a mobile training team that delivers TCCC courses to military, law enforcement, and civilian students across the United States. Its courses use realistic simulated wounds and high-stress scenarios to train bleeding control, airway management, and casualty care under pressure.

Career highlights

• 21 years of active service as a Navy SEAL medic with SEAL Teams Three and Four.
• Built Navy medical training curricula, including for Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS), Riverine Warfare, and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command programs.
• Contract deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan following his retirement.
• Chief Executive of Trauma Training FX, delivering TCCC training to military and law enforcement units nationwide.
• Expanded TCCC training to civilian bystanders and public safety audiences.
• Author of Blast (2026), a memoir of his service and life.

Advisory focus for Kiventa Foundry

• The combat medic and TCCC instructor's perspective on how the K-CAD (Kiventa Cavity Access Device) would be used in austere and tactical settings.
• Training curriculum design for military, law enforcement, and tactical medics.
• Perspective on adoption across the military and tactical medicine community.

Don Mann is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, New York Times bestselling author, television host, executive producer, and internationally recognized keynote speaker. He brings Kiventa Foundry more than 21 years of distinguished military service, including assignments with SEAL Teams ONE, TWO, and SIX, along with more than 25 years of experience as a government contractor supporting CIA and other federal operations worldwide. His background in special operations, tactical medicine, advanced military training, counterterrorism, and media provides Kiventa Foundry with a unique combination of operational expertise, industry credibility, and public outreach capabilities.

Advisory role

Tactical Medicine and Media Advisor

Current position

Author, keynote speaker, television host, executive producer, and tactical medicine advisor

Education and training

Master's degree in Management, Troy State University; U.S. Navy Corpsman and SEAL paramedic; advanced training and instruction in tactical medicine, combat casualty care, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)

Recognition

New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 books; host and executive producer of Surviving Mann, Surviving Mann All Stars, Face Off, and The Mission; international keynote speaker; endurance athlete with more than 1,000 multisport competitions

Military and operational experience

• More than 21 years of active-duty service in the U.S. Navy; retired as Chief Warrant Officer Three (CWO3).
• More than eight years assigned to SEAL Team SIX, including service as Advanced Training Officer.
• More than 25 years supporting CIA and other federal government operations, including international counterterrorism missions.
• Extensive experience conducting advanced special operations training in maritime, urban, arctic, desert, jungle, and riverine environments.

Profile

Don Mann's distinguished military and professional career spans more than four decades of special operations, tactical training, counterterrorism support, and leadership. During his Navy SEAL career, he served with SEAL Teams ONE, TWO, and SIX, where he developed extensive expertise in advanced combat training, tactical medicine, operational planning, and survival in extreme environments. As an Advanced Training Officer at SEAL Team SIX, he helped prepare elite operators for complex, high-risk missions worldwide.

Following his retirement from active military service, Mann continued supporting U.S. government operations internationally, drawing upon his operational experience in challenging and austere environments. Beyond his military career, Mann has established a successful presence in publishing, television production, and professional speaking.

Advisory focus for Kiventa Foundry

• Tactical medicine and product evaluation. The perspective of an experienced Navy SEAL combat medic on potential operational applications of the Kiventa Cavity Access Device (K-CAD) in austere, remote, and tactical environments, including field use, operator requirements, equipment integration, and potential operational limitations.
• Training and operational applications. Recommendations on training approaches, user requirements, and educational programs for appropriately qualified military, special operations, and tactical medical personnel, consistent with established medical protocols and regulatory requirements.
• Media, public education, and strategic outreach. Television, publishing, speaking, and special operations community experience applied to public education, product awareness, strategic communications, and outreach to military, medical, and tactical audiences.

Jenn Stankus practices emergency medicine at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, where she teaches in the emergency medicine residency program. She is a board-certified emergency physician, a two-time military veteran (Navy and Army), and a former police officer.

Advisory role

Emergency and Tactical Medicine

Education and training

MD, University of Washington School of Medicine; emergency medicine residency, University of New Mexico; JD, University of Denver

Profile

Medicine is her second career: she first served as an active-duty U.S. Army judge advocate and hospital attorney. Today she combines clinical practice with legal work as a medical expert on medical malpractice defense and forensic medical review. She also co-hosts and produces military and law enforcement television programming.

Career highlights

• Active-duty U.S. Army judge advocate (Captain) and hospital attorney at Eisenhower Army Medical Center; U.S. Army magistrate; Airborne qualified.
• Eight-year veteran of the U.S. Navy Reserve as a Navy corpsman.
• Former police officer and mountain rescuer; certified Force Science Analyst.
• Board certified in emergency medicine; Fellow, American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP).
• Has served as Chair of the Emergency Medicine Foundation Board of Trustees, and on the editorial board of ACEP Now, the American College of Emergency Physicians news publication.
• Co-host, writer, and executive producer with American Stories Entertainment, including the series Surviving Mann.
• Author of Hard Target: Use Instinct to Survive and Thrive in a Dangerous World.

Advisory focus for Kiventa Foundry

• An emergency physician's view of the design, procedural workflow, and clinical use of the K-CAD (Kiventa Cavity Access Device).
• A clinical risk view of labeling, instructions for use, and user training.
• Military, tactical, and EMS medicine, including how the device would be used in the field and how clinicians would be trained on it.