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, reducing vulnerability and building a better and preferably thriving future. 

   "Thrive!", "viaFuture", "HealthePeople" and "Vulnerable" 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 the White House, Congress, 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.

   They were used during his service as Senior Executive (Strategy, Management and Policy) with White House, Congress, and Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human 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", "HealthePeople" [Current]

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

• 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 [Current]

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

• Chief Information Officer, Veterans Health Administration

• 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

• Founder of "Thrive!", "viaFuture", "Vulnerable", "HealthePeople"
• Managed $15+ billion Military Health System for Dept of Defense
• Led and developed Strategic and Operational Plan for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Developed viaFuture (including "via" as strategy, models and tools) for creating and sustaining large positive change for a better future.
• Developed Thrive! - Building a Thriving Future as a strategy for creating and sustaining large positive change and a thriving future.
• Developed Vulnerable [Vulnerable In America and World (via)] as a strategy for reducing vulnerability and increasing thriving.
• Developed two national health reform proposals which were introduced as legislation.
• Designed HealthePeople [Building A Healthy and Thriving Future] initiatives for improving health and healthcare across America
• Managed $1.4 billion health information system for Veterans Health Administration
• Designed (obtained new funding of $125M per year) next generation HealtheVet health info system
• Developed national “virtual health system” model for electronic health record systems, personal health/record systems, standards and interoperability
• Developed and obtained Presidential approval for “force health protection” program for military service members
• Developed “person-centered health” model used by VHA, CMS and IOM
• Developed national model for “reducing vulnerability and maximizing thriving”
• Developed “behavioral effectiveness model” for designing, operating and evaluating health and human services
• Developed “care in the community” model for extending care beyond health facilities’ walls
• Wrote legislation introduced to protect the un- and under insured.
• Wrote legislation introduced to reform Medicare and Medicaid
• Developed and was lead staff for Congressional hearings on un-/underinsured, Medicare and Medicaid reform, Alzheimer’s research and care, long term care, and health costs
• Co-lead effort to increase Alzheimer’s research funding many fold
• Designed, developed and managed inner city health system in Milwaukee, WI
• Managed national grant program for The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Acquired grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Medicare and Medicaid waivers from the Health Care Financing Administration