John Powers is a senior healthcare executive with over 25 years’ experience disrupting the status quo and finding ways for employers to provide and sustain top quality benefits for their employees. 

Powers was most recently with HealthComp, the largest independent TPA in the United States.  Prior to that he was a principal and Vice President of Advanced Medical Pricing Solutions.  At AMPS, Powers was a catalyst in the Reference Based Pricing space, helping employers save millions by replacing their PPO.  

Prior to his concentration in the healthcare space, Powers served as a regional President for Kroll Associates, the world’s leading risk mitigation firm.  During his time with Kroll he conducted successful investigations in all fifty states and on six continents.  

Outside of his work as a leading changemaker and early adopter of cost management solutions in the healthcare space, Powers serves as an advocate for civil and social rights, poverty alleviation, and working with at-risk youth. Of all his accomplishments, he’s most proud to call himself a “girl dad” to his three daughters. 

Joe Pagano is the Chief Operating Officer for Homestead Smart Health Plans.  In addition to leading Homestead’s operations, Joe provides strategic leadership and direction as a member of the executive team.  Joe joined Homestead in 2021. 

Joe brings over 17 years of leadership and operational experience.  He has led operations and product divisions across the health insurance and property casualty industries.  Most recently, Joe was with Optum where he spent 5 years in a variety of roles, including General Manager, Ancillary Services and Senior Vice President of Operations.  Prior to Optum, Joe’s tenure included time at Travelers, Sedgwick CMS and The Hartford.  

Joe received a Bachelor of Arts from Colby College in Economics and a Master’s in 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.

Nancy De Leon Link serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of Homestead. She previously served as Homestead’s Chief of Staff. An experienced healthcare and public health leader, Nancy leads human resources, employee engagement, and compliance/legal for our company. She has had a direct impact on improving our organizational best practices as well as managing Homestead’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining Homestead, Nancy was the CEO and COO of a national public health nursing organization, and also served in various leadership roles at the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Nancy has a Bachelors degree from Vassar College and a Masters in Public Administration from the Fels Institute of Government, University 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.