Robert J. Brand, Chief Executive Officer
Robert J. Brand founded Solutions for Progress, Inc., in 1992 to provide grassroots organizations, unions, government and selected other clients assistance with health care policy, long-term care policy, economic development issues, and trade union concerns. Prior to founding Solutions for Progress, Mr. Brand served for eight years in health sector unions.
Mr. Brand has served as Senior Research Analyst and Field Healthcare Policy Coordinator for the Service Employees International Union; Director of Healthcare Policy and Special Assistant to the President (under President Clinton); and Special Assistant to the President for Health Policy for the National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees. Mr. Brand gained experience in public service as the Deputy Commissioner of Health, Director of Policy and Planning for the City of Philadelphia, Department of Public Health, and as Division Director, Special and Emergency Care Services for the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation.
Mr. Brand has served as Chair of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, as a member of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Medical Assistance Advisory Committee, and the National AFL-CIO Health Care Committee. He has served on several boards of directors, including Americans for Peace Now, the Health PAC Bulletin Editorial Board, In These Times Editorial Board, Prints in Progress, and the Brandywine Print Workshop. Mr. Brand received both his Master of City Planning and Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. His articles about single-payer financed health care reform have appeared in publications such as Dollars & Sense and Dissent.
Christopher H. Jacobs, President
Mr. Jacobs joined Solutions for Progress in August 2007, bringing more than thirty years experience in the international information and communications technology industry, with an emphasis on marketing, operational management, strategic planning, and capital formation. He has made major leadership contributions in Fortune 100 companies, entrepreneurial ventures and international consortia in Eastern & Western Europe, Asia, Australia, and the U.S. He is a successful author on technology and change, with a recognized ability to communicate complex issues understandably. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wolverhampton (UK).
Matty Hart , National Director for Public Engagement
As developer of national pilot programs, for Solutions for Progress, Matty Hart has acted as public/governmental liaison to city and state departments and agencies as well as large national constituency based institutions, staff management and strategic business innovation. Hart developed strategic partnerships with SEIU, UFCW, AARP, United Way of Southeastern PA, and other organizations. Cultivating relationships with state departments, regional/national institutions such as the Office of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Council, PA Department of Labor and Industry, PA Department of Education, PA Department of Aging, Northeast Democratic Delegation and the offices of several congressional leaders, state senators and representatives, Hart built and deployed a very successful statewide campaign for the use of The Benefit Bank. His proposals and business contracts have buoyed the Solutions for Progress consulting services.
Hart serves on the board of directors of the Calumus Foundation and currently consults regularly with foundations and individual philanthropists. He has been a member of the community funding board of the Bread & Roses Fund and of the Art Centers Panel of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Hart is the convener of the Culture Creativity, and the City Town Hall and Arts Rally; historic, first-time-ever gatherings and constituent building events.
Bread and Roses Community Fund recently awarded Hart a "30 for 30" award for helping define the past 30 years of activism and the arts for the region. In 2004, before leaving Philadelphia for Athens and the Olympics, Philadelphia Weekly named Hart "Most Missed Philadelphian". The Women's International League of Peace and Freedom recognized Hart with its Peace Award in 2002, and the Philadelphia Gay News sited him as making the "Most Valuable Individual Contribution" to the LGBT community in 1999.
Prior to his work at Solutions for Progress, Hart founded and served as executive director of the Spiral Q Puppet Theater, a nonprofit community arts organization that brings communities together and promotes social justice through puppetry, parades, and pageantry. His artistic accomplishments with the organization included the founding and production of the Day of the Dead Parade and the annual Peoplehood Parade and Pageant.
Hart received his Bachelor of Arts in urban studies and cultural anthropology from Temple University. During his course of study, he was awarded the Jonathan Lax Academic Fellowship for his academic and professional accomplishments and contributions to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender community.
Leslie Winder, Director of Customer and Marketing Services
Ms. Winder manages the Customer and Marketing Services Team which consists of all external aspects of the customer and TBB user experience, including affiliate and site support, marketing and communication, training and help desk.
Ms. Winder joined Solutions in 2004 bringing twenty-two years experience in sales and marketing as well customer service. She offers experience in developing and implementing business plans, soliciting new opportunities and creating partnerships with an emphasis on strong customer relationships. |
