VAi2 Team
Jonah J. Czerwinski
Director, VA Innovation Initiative
Jonah J. Czerwinski is Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and leads the VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2). He assists the Secretary on a range of strategy and policy issues regarding VA budget, management, and transformation. He advises senior VA leadership in identifying, articulating, and disseminating strategic guidance and management priorities. As Director of VAi2, he is responsible for designing and leading the program's implementation across VA.
VAi2 identifies, prioritizes, funds, tests, and deploys the most promising solutions to VA's most important challenges. VAi2 taps the talent and expertise of individuals both inside and outside government by funding new, innovative solutions that increase Veterans' access to VA services, improve the quality of services delivered, enhance the performance of VA operations, and reduce or control the cost of delivering those services that Veterans and their families receive.
Prior to joining VA, Mr. Czerwinski was Managing Consultant at IBM Global Business Services and was a Senior Fellow in IBM's Global Leadership Initiative. Jonah also served as a Senior Advisor for the Center for the Study of the Presidency, a Senior Fellow at the Homeland Security Policy Institute of the George Washington University, and a member of the Board of Directors at the Partnership for a Secure America. Before joining government, he served on the Task Force on Leveraging National Laboratory S&T Assets for 21st Century Security. He is the co-author of "Global Movement Management: Strengthening Commerce, Security, and Resiliency In Today's Networked World." Mr. Czerwinski graduated magna cum laude from Salve Regina University (A.B., Philosophy) and earned his M.B.A. from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Mike O'Neill
Senior Advisor
As Senior Advisor to the Director of VAi2, Mike drives the operational aspects of the programs that make up the Innovation Initiative.
Mr. O'Neill has been involved in the commercialization of new products and technology as an executive in both startups and large companies, and as an early stage venture capital investor. He was Senior Vice President of AMI Semiconductor's Digital ASIC and Communications Products division, and continued to run the division following ON Semiconductor's acquisition of AMI. At semiconductor startup Philsar Semiconductor, he served as Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Business Development through Philsar's acquisition by Conexant Systems. Mr. O'Neill led a number of seed and early stage investments as a General Parter with Kodiak Venture Partners. He started his career in engineering and management positions with IBM.
Mr. O'Neill received a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech.
Rocky A. Freudenberg
Management & Program Analyst
Rocky Freudenberg oversees VAi2 projects to assist Project Managers during the execution phase to anticipate and/or resolve problems. He tracks the status of VAi2's diverse portfolio of geographically distributed projects and leads regular meetings with Project Managers. Mr. Freudenberg also works with subject matter experts to research procurements and conduct market research.
Mr. Freudenberg was a career US Air Force Medical Service Corps Officer who was selected to the VAi2 team with extensive medical treatment facility operational experience. He has held numerous management and command positions. His first experience with innovation was as Director of Medical Logistics Management at Kirtland AFB hospital during the very first VA/DoD joint venture in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He developed operational requirements to include the first medical logistics agreements and Medical Logistics Guide for this joint-use medical center. Following this successful project, he was the first Commander of the 658th Contingency Hospital where his team brought on line, on time, and within budget a 750-bed "state of the art" medical treatment facility that was a self-contained stand-alone with electrical power, water, and sewage treatment plants. Later in his civilian career, he received DAWAI acquisition certifications in Information Technology and Program Management as an Acquisition Program Analyst and Supervisor Acquisition Program Analyst.
Mr. Freudenberg holds a Bachelor of Arts in Health Services Administration from Eastern Washington University and is a graduate of the Air Force Biomedical
Matthew G. Robinson
Management Analyst
Matt Robinson is the VAi2 lead for project evaluations and deployment recommendations. He also maintains VAi2's presence on the web, helps to manage the Industry Innovation Competition review process, and oversees a portfolio of pilot projects through selection, project design, and contract award.
Before joining VA, Mr. Robinson worked to develop a Job Hunters' Program for the Helping Hand of Goodwill Industries in Kansas City as an AmeriCorps Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA). He graduated with honor from the Michigan State University Honors College (B.A., Political Science) and earned his Master of Public Policy from the George Washington University's Trachtenberg School.
Rich Moore
Special Detail from VBA
Rich Moore is a Rating Veterans Service Representative (RVSR) in the Veterans Benefits Administration and is detailed to the VAi2 Team as a Project Manager. He dedicates the majority of his time to the VAi2 Team in that capacity and is responsible for moving Industry Innovation pilot projects from the selection phase, through project design and award, and into the period of performance.
As an RVSR at the VA Regional Office in Nashville, TN, Mr. Moore is responsible for determining disability compensation levels for claims from Veterans exposed to Agent Orange under the Nehmer and Fast Track Claims programs. Mr. Moore began his VA career at the Nashville VA Regional Office in May 2007.
Prior to joining VA, Mr. Moore was in the US Army. Mr. Moore enlisted as a Cannon Fire Direction Specialist and completed his career as a Field Artillery Battalion Intelligence Officer. He is an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran with two combat tours in Northern Iraq as a senior leader with the 101st Airborne Division. Mr. Moore is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal (for Merit), the Meritorious Service Medal (3), the Combat Action Badge, the Pathfinder Badge, and the Airborne Badge. He retired as a Master Sergeant with 21 years of service in March 2007.
Mr. Moore completed his Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Maryland in June 2001. He graduated with honors from Austin Peay State University with a Master of Science in Management in August 2005.
Mr. Moore is a third-generation combat Veteran and has family laid to rest in the Arlington National Cemetery.
James M. Speros
Special Detail from the Office of the CTO
James M. Speros is Special Assistant to the Chief Technology Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. His portfolio includes leadership of VAi2's prize contests under the America Competes Act; promoting industry wide use of VA's Blue Button® personal heath data download technology; and initiatives to protect the privacy of consumer data in commercial and internet settings.
Mr. Speros has extensive national and field experience in VA's health plan operations with a focus on business integrity and clinical quality and safety.
Before joining VA, Mr. Speros served as Assistant Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance where he developed risk-based capital standards for emerging-market insurers that became the model for legislation nationally. He has held executive positions in insurance holding company systems with accountability for health plan acquisitions, commercial and Medicare Part C health plan operations, and management of care for injured and disabled workers.
Mr. Speros currently serves on the Privacy Subcommittee of the White House National Science and Technology Council. He has served as President of the Ohio Association of Managed Care Organizations, Trustee of the Lake Hospital System, and on the Board of Governors of the Antitrust Section of the Ohio State Bar Association.
Mr. Speros received a bachelor's degree at Boston University and J.D. from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He clerked for U.S. District Judge Ben C. Green in the Northern District of Ohio. He is a member of the Ohio and Federal Bar and is a licensed pilot.
Henry Wei
Presidential Innovation Fellow
Henry Wei is a Presidential Innovation Fellow at VA on the Blue Button® for America project, which aims to empower all Americans by spreading voluntary implementation of Blue Button® by the private sector and stimulating the development of tools to help individuals utilize their own data and improve their health and healthcare.
Dr. Wei has been Senior Medical Director for Clinical Innovation at Aetna, Inc., Clinical Instructor in Medicine at Weill-Cornell Medical College, and an Attending Physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Prior to these roles, Dr. Wei was Senior Medical Director for Clinical Research & Development at ActiveHealth Management, working on computerized clinical decision support, population health, and online patient portals. Before that, he was a consultant at McKinsey & Company for healthcare IT. Dr. Wei is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and completed his residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital, along with Informatics training at Harvard Medical School and Stanford University. He holds his medical degree from Weill-Cornell Medical College, and Master's and undergraduate degrees from Harvard University. Dr. Wei lives in New York City with his family.
Matthew McCall
Presidential Innovation Fellow
Matt McCall is a Presidential Innovation Fellow at VA on the Blue Button® for America project, which aims to empower all Americans by spreading voluntary implementation of Blue Button® by the private sector and stimulating the development of tools to help individuals utilize their own data and improve their health and healthcare.
Mr. McCall believes that open standards, data, and software have the potential to redefine the way in which patient-centered healthcare is delivered in this country, and that Blue Button® is a critical step towards realizing the potential of this transformative concept. Mr. McCall has most recently been involved in community engagement and development support for the Open Source Electronic Health Record Agent (OSEHRA), established by the Department of Veterans Affairs to catalyze innovation on the VistA Electronic Health Record and related health information technology projects. He previously worked on several efforts for KRM Associates Inc. Prior to KRM, Mr. McCall's focus was in big data management and analytics support for the database marketing industry. He graduated from Salisbury University with a degree in Management Information Systems. He lives in Baltimore, MD, where he plays ice hockey and is active in the arts and theater community.
