People
Executive Management
Dan Easterlin, Co-CEO
"One of the great successes of our company has been the relationships that develop between the staff in India and our clients in the
U.S. It’s important for our clients’ to put names and faces to the people they work with. We bring our teams here to meet customers,
and that is a bonding experience that drives up the level of trust." — Dan Easterlin
Before co-founding Patra, Dan Easterlin spent nearly 25 years developing and marketing enterprise software and services in the high-tech sector.
His experience gives him a strong understanding of market research, prospect management and staff development. His knowledge of systems planning
and business process optimization in the insurance industry, as well as his entrepreneurial spirit were the driving factors in his cofounding
of Patra.
Dan holds degrees in mathematics and philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania as well as advanced degrees in computer science and
engineering from Syracuse and the University of California.
John Simpson, Co-CEO
"Our clients are entrepreneurs, just like us. We understand the need to get the most out of every dollar you spend. Patra lets you get
the most out of your employees while getting more out of your production than ever before."
— John Simpson
John Simpson is an innovator with the heart of an entrepreneur. He’s spent the last twenty years leading software design and integrated
ERP applications from ideas on the back of a napkin to leaders in the market place. Prior to co-founding Patra, John co-founded and led
Cyberbills, named one of the top 25 web banking technology innovations of all-time.
John understands the importance of efficient internal systems to support the complicated needs of a service organization. As an
entrepreneur, he knows that it’s vital for a business leader to have total trust in any partner.
John holds a degree in business administration from the University of Richmond in Virginia.
Dave Tight, Senior Vice President – Business Development
"It’s a great feeling to work with an agency and provide solutions that impact agency growth, productivity and morale. Once a new
customer has been implemented, it's rewarding to hear the stories about how our Patra team has assimilated into the client's processes
and become part of their culture. We're building real partnerships." — Dave Tight
Dave comes to Patra from business development roles at Freeborders Inc.
and KPMG Consulting. His experience in identifying initial solutions for clients in complex industries has proven a great asset for Patra.
He sees the big picture challenges our clients face and develops solutions that enable our clients to see a new way of doing business. As
the first Patra representative most of our clients meet, he's focused on matching the right Patra team to meet a client's needs.
Dave is a graduate of Denison University in Granville Ohio, and holds advanced degrees from Stanford University and the University of Tulsa.
Nazir Kazi, General Manager, Patra India BPO Services
"I know we’ve done our job well when a client asks us to expand the services we provide for them. It’s the biggest compliment we get and something both our U.S. and Indian employees value above anything else."
— Nazir Kazi
Nazir brings a wealth of corporate and entrepreneurial experience to Patra, as well as a keen understanding of the working cultures in both the United States and India. In his initial stint as Operations Director, Patra grew from 24 to over 100 overseas employees and built a dedicated operations center. Nazir returns to an operations role after serving as Director of Customer Service.
Nazir holds a Masters Degree in Economics from Southern Illinois University.
Lakshmi Mukkavilli, Managing Director – Administration, Patra India BPO Services
"Patra's success shows how carefully nurtured teams in the U.S. and India can complement and enhance each others’ work, resulting in
a high quality of service to our customers." — Lakshmi Mukkavilli
Lakshmi has been with Patra for 5 years and was instrumental in setting up Patra's India office in August 2007. Initially her focus
was on developing a strong corporate culture during the office's initial growth. As Managing Director of Administration, she has built
an operational framework to rapidly recruit and train qualified process executives into a pool that can be deployed into highly productive
client support teams. Among her other responsibilities, Lakshmi manages the Accounting, Finance and Legal departments for Patra's India
BPO Services.
Lakshmi comes to Patra with product marketing experience and a finance background. With her extensive work experience in both the U.S.
and India, she's played a key role as a unifying factor between our offices in both countries.
Management Team
Matt Easterlin, Director of Process
Matt has been with Patra for more than five years in a variety of positions throughout the company. In his newest role as Director of Process, he's responsible for immersing himself into our clients businesses, systems and work-flows, looking for opportunities to achieve efficiency and savings, and developing the processes that will realize both cost and time savings. In his previous role as Implementation Account Manager, Matt managed the implementation and integration of Patra services with some of our largest clients. His experience in rolling out work-flow process solutions to some of the largest brokerages in the country is invaluable.
"Patra's not selling off-the-rack solutions. We dive deep into a client's business to determine just how we can best suit their needs. Every process implementation is a different kind of challenge. That's what keeps me coming back every day."
Matt Hoolehan, Director of Marketing Communications
In his role as Director of Marketing Communications, Matt is charged with planning, developing, directing and delivering marketing and communications strategies and solutions for Patra. As Patra continues to grow and offer new services, we’ve identified the need to deliver consistent news and updates to our existing customers and the industry. Matt has worked with Patra as a consultant since 2009 and joined the company full-time in 2011.
"As we continue to listen to our customers and develop innovative services to meet their needs, it’s important that we can make sure we’re communicating the benefits clearly. It’s about making agencies more efficient and competitive in today’s market."
Sean Kennedy, Director of IT
As Director of IT for Patra, Sean manages and oversees Patra’s corporate IT systems in the United States as well as managing and coordinating all India-based processing systems and client networks. Sean comes to Patra having managed a number of corporate IT systems and networks for start-ups, Fortune 500 firms and everything in between. His expertise lies in data security as well as in managing IT compliance requirements, allowing Patra to address the complex security, regulatory and access needs of our customers. Working with Patra as a consultant since 2006, Sean joined the company full-time in 2011.
"Our customers trust us with their most important asset, their client data. Data security and accessibility are our highest priorities - making sure our customers get the data they need, when they need it, and with as little risk as possible."
Lynne O'Connell, Director of Account Management
Having spent more than 20 years in various roles on both the carrier and brokerage sides of the business, Lynne is our Account Management leader. She’s an in-demand speaker at industry events around the country and an instructor for continuing education. Lynne’s professional designations include CPCU, CIC and CRIS and she’s active in developing the curriculum for insurance courses at corporations and educational institutions.
"Even after 20 years, there’s still something to learn every day. Processes can always be better, challenges can always be overcome. Patra’s allowed me to work with many clients to solve their workload issues. Every client is different, and no two days are the same."
Diane Sinawi, Director of Administration
In her over 4 years at Patra, Diane has been an integral part of the company, having managed the day-to-day running of the PrintShop, and overseen all office management functions. As Patra continues to grow, adding locations and services around the world, Diane has adopted a new role as Director of Administration, overseeing and managing all administrative functions including HR, accounting, and facility management. With an intimate knowledge of the Patra culture, client base and scope of services, Diane will continue to be instrumental in helping Patra service client needs and meet growth goals.
"Everyone at Patra shares a common dedication to assisting clients. At Patra's heart, we're like our clients, a company dedicated to providing the highest level of service for our customers, and I'm proud to be part of it."
Jayme Beals, Implementation Manager
Before joining Patra in 2009, Jayme spent 15+ years in the Insurance industry, in roles including Account Manager, Director of Corporate Training and Commercial Lines Manager. Her experience makes her invaluable in her role as an Implementation Manager. Having worked in a number of brokerages before her position at Patra, she relates well to clients and is able to offer creative solutions and process alternatives.
"Since joining Patra, I’ve seen how our dedicated specialists are able to make a real difference in not just a client’s business, but in the quality of life of their employees. In my 15 years in the insurance industry, outsource production staffing is the biggest innovation I’ve seen."
Deepa Neupane, Account Executive
With years of experience as an account manager in some of the largest independent brokerages in the U.S., Deepa has a deep understanding of the time and workload challenges brokers face every day. Her project management skills, leadership and creativity give her a unique ability to facilitate a transition to Patra solutions and integrate work-flow processes. Her CPCU and ARM designations, along with a background in brokerage new business initiatives, make Deepa a core member of the Patra account management team.
"Every customer is unique. I truly enjoy the challenge of delivering creative solutions that are client-specific. Patra's real value is in delivering efficiency while accommodating each broker's unique work processes."
Mary Smith, PrintShop Manager
Mary brings a wealth of publishing, printing and team management experience to Patra and, in her position as PrintShop Manager, is focused on delivering quality printing and mailing solutions for Patra clients. In addition to ensuring that all client projects, mailings and print jobs are completed on-time and error-free, Mary also acts as a liaison between clients and Patra's remote staffing teams to develop new processes and tools to make the printing and mailing process more efficient.
"Everything produced and sent from the Patra PrintShop is done on behalf of our clients. We take pride in that and work hard to ensure that, no matter the type of documents, they’re delivered accurately, on time, and seamlessly."
Elizabeth Spraitz, Implementation Manager
Elizabeth is capitalizing on her 8+ years of brokerage management experience by streamlining our new client implementation process. As an Implementation Manager, she works with clients to facilitate the transition to Patra solutions and manages the process of integrating workflow. Prior to working at Patra, she was a client, working with Patra at Heffernan Insurance.
"Having been on the client side, I understand the pressures implementing a new system without having any down time or loss in productivity. It’s my job to make sure the transition to Patra solutions is a smooth one."
