Our Leadership

Dr. Chris W. Brussalis

Chairman

Dr. Chris Brussalis is the Chairman of The Hill Group, Inc. He is also the ninth President of Point Park University, one of the most dynamic, urban universities in America, and Adjunct Professor of Management and Policy at the Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University. Chris provided counsel in strategy to numerous Fortune 500 corporations, large institutions, and state governments, and he has extensive experience in public policy and economic development. While serving as a university president and chairman of The Hill Group, Chris provides limited oversight and advice in the following areas:

  • Strategy development
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Turnaround management
  • Interim leadership support
  • Board leadership and governance
  • Higher education research and analytics
  • Decision support and analysis
  • Business analytics and intelligence
  • Organizational core competency development and management
  • College and university financial and operational turnarounds

Travis J. Deschamps

President & CEO

Travis Deschamps, President & CEO at The Hill Group, has guided organizations throughout his career to overcome challenges, capitalize on opportunities, and navigate a constantly-evolving market landscape.  Prior to joining The Hill Group, Travis led the development and execution of a new strategic plan for CardiacAssist, Inc., as Chief Operating Officer.  With Travis’ hands-on leadership, CardiacAssist successfully reversed declining revenues to achieve average annual revenue growth of 30% over the course of 5 years and facilitated the sale of the business to LivaNova PLC for $250 million.

Travis is an American Society for Quality (ASQ) certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Carnegie Mellon University with concentrations in Strategy, Marketing, Organizational Behavior, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship.  Travis provides services in the following areas:

  • Strategy development and operational planning
  • Process definition, improvement, and optimization
  • Business analytics and intelligence to support decision-making
  • Cloud-based workflow design, development, and deployment
  • Lean & Six Sigma operational excellence training and Kaizen facilitation
  • Turnaround management, mergers, and acquisitions
  • Business planning and start-up fundraising
  • Sales & marketing strategy and execution
  • Interim executive leadership
  • Medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotech industry domain expertise, including:
    • Strategy, business planning, and fundraising
    • Product development, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality
    • Clinical research, regulatory affairs, and reimbursement
    • Commercialization, marketing, sales, and clinical supportS

Jordan R. Pallitto

Chief Operating Officer

Jordan Pallitto, Chief Operating Officer and Consultant at The Hill Group, specializes in strategy development and business planning for organizations across sectors, with a particularly deep focus on nonprofit agency capacity building as a PA Association of Nonprofit Organizations Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant. He is a scholar practitioner in business and provides services in the following areas:

  • Long-term strategic planning
  • Business planning for new ventures and social enterprises
  • Board governance assessment and development
  • Organizational assessment, development, and capacity building
  • Strategic alliance investigation, preparation, and execution
  • Shared services design and implementation
  • Succession planning
  • Economic impact assessments
  • Public participation and stakeholder engagement
  • Optimization modeling and quantitative analysis

Daniel L. DeMarco

Vice President & General Counsel

Dan DeMarco, Vice President and General Counsel for The Hill Group, provides leadership as a versatile and experienced member of the team and oversees human resources activities. As General Counsel, Dan advises The Hill Group on legal affairs, provides legal representation, and administers contracts. Although The Hill Group cannot provide legal advice, Dan provides insight to clients in the following areas:

  • Legal ethics
  • Analysis of legal issues
  • Contract writing and execution
  • Merger and acquisition legal considerations

Dr. Paul Hennigan

Senior Consultant

Dr. Paul Hennigan is a Senior Consultant at The Hill Group, Inc. and the President Emeritus of Point Park University. Paul has extensive experience in higher education and finance and primarily provides services to College and University leadership. Paul’s areas of expertise include:

  • University visioning
  • Strategic planning
  • Private and confidential executive coaching
  • Board/President Board relations
  • Financial analysis
  • Enrollment management
  • Economic development
  • Campus master planning
  • Innovative program design, including doctoral programs and online degree programs
  • Community and stakeholder engagement
  • Fund development and donor relations

Sara R. Longo

Consultant

Sara Longo, Consultant at The Hill Group, brings over 10 years of experience directing startups, nonprofits, and projects within life science and technology companies, and has done international advocacy work in sustainability and environmental health. Sara’s areas of expertise include:

  • Long-term strategic planning
  • Business planning
  • Sustainability and circular economy planning and education
  • Operational leadership
  • Technology and Internet of Things (IOT) project implementation
  • Partner and community development
  • Nonprofit management
  • Grant writing and fundraising
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Startup development

Andrew M. Brey

Analyst

 Andrew Brey joined The Hill Group after spending a decade in the world of political campaigns, where he managed multi-million dollar campaigns and operations around the country. At The Hill Group, he brings a unique and creative perspective to strategic problem solving. 

  • Strategic Planning
  • Fundraising Strategy
  • Media and Public Relations
  • Government Affairs
  • Campaign Operations
  • Market Research 
  • Community Needs Assessments

Akash Arun

Analyst

Akash Arun is an analyst with The Hill Group whose work is concentrated on process creation, optimization, and innovative marketing strategies. He has hands-on work experience in launching and managing companies in industries ranging from consumer goods to technology start-ups. Akash holds a bachelor’s degree in business management in Marketing & Innovation from Jain University in India and recently completed his MBA from the Eberly College of Business at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Michael L. Batchelor

Advisor

Michael Batchelor, Advisor to The Hill Group, continues to serve as President of the Pennsylvania Community Foundation Association, and as an expert partner to The Hill Group providing counsel to help foundations and nonprofits in the following areas:

  • Community Foundation Board Training, Staff Training, and Field Orientation
  • Strategic Planning, Community Leadership Strategy, and Creative Grantmaking Strategy 
  • Donor Stewardship and Donor Advised Fund Program Management
  • Asset Development Planning and Impact Investing
  • Operational Budgeting and Fee Strategy
  • Nonprofit Capacity Building 
  • New CEO mentoring

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