“It’s a great team environment here, as opposed to working by myself. It’s great to be a part of the team.” – Ken Blacow

Ken Blacow (pronounced BLAY-koh) is a senior IT specialist and PCI subject matter expert (PCI is the security standard in the payment card industry) and has been in that position since April.

Before he came to Emory, Ken spent 26 years in the movie theater business. He rose from the humble beginnings of tearing tickets and selling concessions to working as a projectionist and eventually becoming general manager. In 1998, Ken transferred into the IT department with Regal Cinemas and started working in IT security 2001. Prior to joining Emory, Ken was a one-person IT department with the Georgia Theatre Company.

Ken was born in Norfolk, VA, but grew up in Key West, FL. Over his years in the movie business, Ken moved a few times between Georgia and Knoxville, TN, before arriving in higher education. According to Ken, “I saw an opportunity to get a more focused career in IT security. I felt like Emory was a great place to do that.”

For fun, Ken likes to play golf. He has a pilot’s license, but doesn’t have time to fly much anymore. Ken also loves spending time with his wife, Jana.

“There is a great team environment here at Emory, as opposed to working by myself. It’s great to be a part of the team.”

You can reach Ken at kenneth [dot] m [dot] blacow [at] emory [dot] edu.