Leadership

Joe Pagano is President and Chief Operating Officer of Homestead Smart Health Plans. In this role, he leads the company’s overall operations and performance, overseeing strategy execution, operational excellence, and go-to-market performance to deliver measurable value for clients and drive profitable growth.

Joe joined Homestead in 2021, serving as Chief Operating Officer for 5 years before assuming the role of President in December 2025. He brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across operations, product, and growth-focused roles in the health insurance and property and casualty industries.

Prior to Homestead, Joe held several senior leadership positions at Optum, including Senior Vice President of Operations and General Manager of Ancillary Services. His earlier experience also includes leadership roles at Travelers, Sedgwick CMS, and The Hartford.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Colby College and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Thomas J. Hunter Knox (TJ) is the Chief Financial Officer of Homestead Strategic Holdings, Inc. As the company’s CFO, TJ is responsible for finance, treasury, capital and accounting. Prior to joining Homestead Strategic Holdings, Inc., TJ served as the Director of Auditing Services for the School District of Philadelphia where he oversaw the internal audit function of the District and the Philadelphia Charter Schools financed by the School District of Philadelphia. TJ also worked in public accounting for five years, auditing pension funds and medium-sized cities before taking the position with the District of Philadelphia.

TJ earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Florida Atlantic University in addition to a Master’s Degree in accounting from Florida Atlantic University. He is a certified public accountant licensed in the State of Pennsylvania.

Antonio Tedesco, an entrepreneurial business and technology leader with over 20 years’ experience in providing strategic direction to a wide range of industries, brings an extensive background of innovative insights, transformative leadership, and expertise in product revolution to Homestead’s executive team. His previous roles include serving as the Vice President of Tandigm Health, where he led initiatives focused on growth and innovation, including modernization in infrastructure, security, and software in the health tech space. Most notably, Tedesco’s role as Director of Business Solutions at Accolade, Inc., and his experience leading their Member Relationship Management modernization project, will impact Homestead’s ongoing optimization of our Medical Management initiatives.

Bobbi Jo Brissette serves as Homestead’s Vice President of Operations and is responsible for the development of innovative tools that enhance operational systems, processes, and procedures to support performance efficiency and effectiveness. She diagnoses and understands operational challenges to bridge gaps and enable best practices to meet production, compliance, and quality targets.

Bobbi Jo manages, develops, and engages teams to surpass goals through a creative, transparent, and collaborative approach to performance improvement and staff development. She brings to Homestead over 20 years of experience in health care and insurance previously serving in leadership roles with Independence Blue Cross.