My Biography

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Executive Summary

I have over 30 years of sales and management experience working with businesses, start-ups, small businesses, and mid-size companies, with operations, sales, growth, funding, and administrative needs. Over the last 20 years, I have a history of partnering with local and non-profit organizations to assist business owners and individual consumers in a culturally appropriate and personal manner. My industry experience includes insurance, primarily health insurance, financial products, IT / telecom (including VOIP), basic networking and website design, and manufacturing.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), aka Obamacare, experience is extensive having participated on state-level committees with policy decision making and program design, implementation strategies, and ongoing administration, inclusive of how it has impacted the health insurance marketplaces and the US health care system. In June 2015, raised funds and launched a new insurance agency start-up, within 90 days, to support and assist people with navigating the health insurance exchanges, as a Benefit Corporation. The agency operated utilizing a Workforce-Development model, recruited, trained, insurance licensed, and employed a diverse group of multicultural and multilingual agents in their home communities, all paid as employees on a living wage basis inclusive of paid training, that had an over 60 percent success rate. The agency had a peak employment of 17 agents on staff, who spoke 10 different languages, natively, as they had emigrated from all over the world; assisted 1,000’s of individuals, families and small business owners, including their employees; and trained and supported 100’s of community-based enrollers and assisters by partnering with their community organizations and non profit organizations.

 

Professional Experience

Retail Power Group, Irving, TX

Commercial Account Executive, September 2021 – present

Energy Consultant to Businesses

Comcast Communications, Inc., Farmers Branch, TX

Multi Tenant Sales Representative, July 2021 – September 2021

Build and maintain relationships with leasing offices at complexes with over 50 units.

Consultant, Speaker, and Author, McKinney, TX 

September 2019 – July 2021

Published a book, titled: My Two Cents: Taking the Care Out of Health Care on November 25, 2019. The new book is an insider’s view on health care reform, based on personal and significant experience with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), aka Obamacare. The book discusses the roll-out of PPACA (Obamacare) from 2011 through 2016, including why some policies and programs worked and why some did not work, including the background for the decision-making that led to program failures. The book focuses on the positives and the unintended consequences that were created as a result of poorly crafted legislative language that has never been corrected, due to lack of congressional action.

Proposed, within the book, a theory for designing a model for the health care system, any complex system.  The model proposed utilizes Quantum Computing with Artificial Intelligence Management. The use of Quantum Computing when analyzing the health care system is ideal; specifically, because when modeling the health care system, one does not need a “specific” answer. Basically, the model simply needs to be able to predict the direction of change of the probable outcomes against a desired balanced and steady state.

Cigna, Plano, TX

Informatics Senior Specialist, July 2017 – September 2019

Provide a highly detailed data analysis of client data by synthesizing large volumes of data into meaningful conclusions that help the client make informed decisions; and evaluate client specific clinical program engagement. Manage the synthesis of the large data-sets into meaningful information used to drive action; and lead effective client discussions on the analytical findings, opportunities and solutions to senior management at client organizations.

Identify opportunities to enhance analytic tools and develop new forecasting tools. Drive the continual development of Best Practice medical cost analytics and forecasting tools. Educate account team so that they better understand medical cost drivers and manage client needs; and anticipate the expectations and requirements of clients, for a book-of-business of over 40 clients, with 1,000 to 25,000 members.

Health Educated, Inc., Farmington, CT

CEO & President, July 2014 – July 2017

Technology-based start-up health insurance agency, established as a Benefit Corporation, that specialized in recruiting, developing, and managing a network of multilingual and multicultural community-based agents utilizing a Workforce Development model in support of the health insurance marketplace in the State of Connecticut.  The agencies peak employment was 17 non-commission agents paid a living wage, as employees. 

Raised over $300,000 in venture capital in the summer of 2015; then proceeded to recruit, train, license, certify and deploy 17 licensed agents, 80% of whom were new to insurance, all within 90 days, in support of the PPACA health insurance exchange in the State of Connecticut for the third open enrollment period. Agent program enrollees attained an over 60 percent licensing success rate for the in-house Workforce Development program. The agency was able to generate over $2 million in individual annualized premium during the open enrollment period; however, marketplace issues, lack of support, and the subsequent elimination of commissions, led to the agency closing.

Health Insurance Consultant, Farmington, CT

Consultant, April 2002 – July 2017

Advise Individuals, Business owners, Community Groups and Public Officials on health care issues, health care reform (PPACA), and how PPACA impacts them, their employees, and their families.

Create, promote, and present seminars, live and remote, via webinars, and live radio programs, on PPACA. Prepare, submit, and testify on health care legislation at the State Capitol of Connecticut. Produce timely articles for 3rd party newsletters related to health care reform issues and health care issues.

In partnership with non profit organizations, create, design, author, and manage the Obamacare411.info informational web site, mobile iPhone app, inclusive of a proprietary subsidy calculator, and books related to PPACA, during the PPACA rollout period of 2012 and 2013.  

Ion Insurance, Naugatuck, CT

Account Executive, February 2013 – August 2014

Maintain, expand, and enhance relationships with existing bank client base; generate new business opportunities, develop new product offerings, and establish mutual community-based partnerships for business growth. Responsible for new business sales, increase of market presence, and the hiring and management of Account Manager for the Life & Health Department.

Expand product offerings to a present a full suite of product offerings for existing clients, primarily composed of individuals and small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. In the first year, generated over 75 percent growth in client base and over 25 percent growth in revenue through the cultivation of existing bank client base and existing relationships.

City of Waterbury – Waterbury Public Schools, Waterbury, CT

ARRA Project Manager, November 2009 – September 2011

Manage the newly established American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Department directly overseeing over $13 million of Federal grant funds awarded to the City of Waterbury – Waterbury Public School System, under the Federal Title I and IDEA grant programs, for the 2009 through 2011 grant period.

Responsible for the financial oversight, including compliance, audit requests, and mandatory quarterly reporting to state and federal agencies, specific to tracking and reporting grant purchases, reporting jobs created and employee hours paid, and managing the relationship between union and non-union school system departments supported by grant funds. 

United Healthcare, Inc., Hartford, CT

Key Account – Account Executive, January 2008 – November 2009

Increase the corporate brand market presence, expand, and improve relationships within the health insurance brokerage community for United Healthcare’s product lines for Commercial Accounts and Connecticut Public Sector entities with between 100 to 3,000 members, inclusive of advising on new product designs and offerings.

Build and nurture relationships between internal and external matrix partners focusing on meeting the needs of new and existing clients. Lead and Manage a team approach to meeting the client needs, during the on-boarding process for new clients and through transition of client handoff to the Client Manager.

Enrolled over 2,000 members, generated over $15 million in revenue, within first 18 months, and ranked nationally, Top 3 for “Broker Development” and Top 10 for “Specialty Sales” in 2009, while based in a smaller market.

Business Networking Resources, Inc., Troy, NY

CEO & President, February 1999 – November 2000

Internet Service Provider that provided hosted, cloud-based, national dial-up internet service and web site hosting services, and web site development and consulting services. The early years of the Internet required extensive knowledge on how computer systems are linked and communicate through the Internet, including basic knowledge of how data traffic flowed, and how to design and manage these complex hosted, cloud-based, IT systems.

Public Service

  • 75th District, Democrat Town Committee, City of Waterbury (CT), May 2007 – May 2015
  • Board of Alderman, City of Waterbury (CT), July 2009 – December 2009
  • Board of Education Commissioner, City of Waterbury (CT), November 2007 – July 2009
  • Retirement Board Commissioner, City of Waterbury (CT), July 2006 – November 2007

Education

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

  • Master of Business Administration – Entrepreneurship, May 1999
  • Bachelor of Science – Chemical Engineering, May 1998

 Waterbury State Technical College, Waterbury, CT

  • Associate of Science – Manufacturing Engineering Technology, May 1990

Military Service

  • Commissioned Officer – United States Army National Guard & Army Reserve, May 1998 – March 2001
  • Enlisted Soldier – United States Army National Guard & Army Reserve, April 1987 – May 1998
  • 2 Achievement Medals and Several Letters of Commendation
  • Honorable Discharge (March 2001)

Volunteer Experience

  • Access Health CT – SHOP Advisory Committee Member, March 2012 – August 2016
  • Connecticut Community Foundation (Waterbury), May 2008 – May 2015, Trustee (2012-2015), Governance Committee Member (2013-2015), Vice Chair (2015), Non-Profit Excellence Committee Member (2008-2015), Co-Chair (2013-2015)
  • Small Business for a Healthy Connecticut, Board Member, June 2011 – August 2016
  • United Way of Greater Waterbury, Voting Member, April 2008 – May 2015
  • American Red Cross, June 2007 – June 2011, Board Member (2007 – 2011), CT Chapter Gala Co-Chair (2010), Waterbury Chapter Gala Chair (2009) and Co-Chair (2008)
  • Catholic Charities of Greater Waterbury (CT), Advisory Committee Member, June 2013 – May 2015
  • Portuguese Foundation, Inc., (Hartford, CT) Board Member, May 2011 – November 2012
  • Portuguese Sport Club, Inc. of Waterbury, CT, January 2004 – December 2010, President (2010), Financial Oversight Committee (2008), Scholarship Committee (2004-2007)
  • Greater Waterbury (CT) Chamber of Commerce, January 2003 – December 2006, Leads Group II Chair (2003-2005), Member of Small Business, Manufacturers and Health Care Councils

Certificates and Licenses

  • State of Connecticut Producer: Life & Health, Property & Casualty (Inactive 2018)
  • State of Connecticut Certified Insurance Consultant: Life & Health, Property & Casualty (Inactive 2018)
  • Previously held Investment Series 6, 7, 63, 65 and RIA Licenses and Designations (Inactive 2006)

Projects

  • My Two Cents: Taking the Care Out of Health Care, 11/2019
  • ImprovingHealthInsurance.com Educational Website, 9/2017
  • Health Educated Paperback and Mobile Magazine (English and Spanish Editions), 1/2016
  • PPACA Handbooks and Booklets for Consumers and Small Businesses, 3/2014
  • Obamacare411 Handbooks and Booklets for Consumers and Small Businesses, 1/2014
  • Obamacare411 iPhone Mobile app (retired) with Proprietary Built-In Premium Calculator, 3/2013
  • Obamacare411.info (closed) website with Proprietary Built-In Premium Calculator, 9/2012
  • The Health Insurance Handbook: Understanding and Shopping for Health Insurance, 7/2007