viaFuture

   For decades, he has been a strong advocate of causes that support the viaFuture vision. His strategic, policy, management, performance, and advocacy work spans his service both in government and outside. His primary work has been with creating and sustaining large scale, positive change, improving health and reducing vulnerability. 

   "Thrive!", "viaFuture", "HealthePeople" and "Vulnerable in America and World (via) " grow out of many years of advocacy. It comes from a realization that saving parts of a "community" is helpful if done well, but is not enough. What is missing is an effort that takes a "whole community" view and has a "whole community" vision of what we must, can and will achieve.  Communities can be of any size from towns and cities to States to regions to nations to multinational areas. 

   The "via" core set of strategies and models have been developed from 30+ years of experience at the local and nationals levels. 

  Parts or all of viaFuture and via have been used in disease prevention/ management, inner city health systems, the Department of Defense's Military Health System, the Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Health System and the Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services.

Leadership & Management Positions (Bio)

   Throughout career, he has focused on strategic systems, management and performance and on national policy issues and health and human service systems, models and reform. 

• Founder of "Thrive!", "viaFuture", "Vulnerable In America and World (via)", "HealthePeople"

• Served as Senior Executive (Strategy, Management and Policy) with White House, Congress, and Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services

• Senior Advisor to Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

• Senior Advisor to Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration. 

• Senior Fellow / Scholar-in-Residence, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences

• Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration

• Deputy Director, Quality Improvement Group, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

• Chief Information Officer, Veterans Health Administration

• Acting Assistant Secretary, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, and Senior Advisor for Health Affairs, DoD
  Senior Advisor for Force Health Protection, Assistant Secretary for Reserve Affairs, DoD

• Associate Director, Office of Presidential Personnel, White House

• Director of Health Legislation, U.S. House Select Committee on Aging

Bachelor’s in Political Science and Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from University of Wisconsin - Madison. 

Doctoral work at John Hopkins University School of Public Health.

Relevant Accomplishments

   During his career, he has had a wide range of accomplishments, including: 

• Led Strategic/Operational Plan for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, especially for vulnerable

• Led, with the Surgeons General, the re-design and re-engineering of the Military Health System

• Developed national model for “reducing vulnerability and maximizing thriving”

• Developed “person-centered health” model used by VHA, CMS and IOM to better improve health

• Developed national “virtual health system” model for using info systems to support people’s health

• Obtained Presidential approval for “force health protection” for vulnerable military service members

• Designed, developed and managed inner city health system in Milwaukee, WI

• Wrote legislation introduced to protect the un- and under insured and reform Medicare and Medicaid

• Developed and was lead staff for Congressional hearings on un-/underinsured, Alzheimer’s research and care, long term care, and health costs

• Helped lead effort to increase Alzheimer’s research funding many fold

• Developed “behavioral effectiveness model” for improving health for the most vulnerable

• Developed “care in the community” model for extending care beyond health facilities’ into the community
  

GChris Sculpture

  Creates mobile and stabile sculpture under the signature GChris, with his primary artistic influence being Alexander Calder. Website: GChris.com

   Abstract sculpture by GChris is what he terms "progressive art" and is mission-driven.

   Advanced by the art are core progressive values - reducing human vulnerability, maximizing human potential, saving our environment, and living at "peace on and with the earth." Underlying it all is the driving desire to build a better future, as best as we as people can. Progressive art is art with a purpose and artist as advocate. "Art as advocacy; advocacy as art."

   Early in his work, chose to create GChris mobiles and stabiles utilizing natural materials -- copper and wood. Woods are primarily American hardwoods -- mostly American black walnut. Copper is used in many forms and takes each work through a living process.

  He also wrote a science fiction novel — black box — that weaves a story of unknown technologies, science, religion, politics with the human pursuit of positive personal and global change. The book is available via his website:    GChris.com