Who we are
Who we are
We formed Third Venture to allow us to combine our complementary skills, pursue ambitious projects, and to have some fun along the way. We have a diversity of backgrounds, lending us the ability to approach topics from many perspectives.
Jean Zotter
Jean Zotter is a recognized public policy specialist with 30 years of experience in program management, strategic planning, and government policy development. Jean has helped develop regulatory programs, managed over $72 million in federal, state, and private funding, and overseen large public health programs as a director and manager at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. As an independent consultant, she has developed government regulatory and programmatic structures in Massachusetts, the U.S., and internationally.
Jean is a successful grant writer who has generated more than $85 million in grant funding and has overseen small and large state procurements of public health services.
Jean started her career as a legal services attorney and nonprofit community health leader. She has extensive experience in community engagement, community and clinical partnerships, and spearheading collaborative projects. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame and holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.
Kathleen Szegda
Kathleen Szegda is an experienced applied researcher and evaluator with over 25 years of public health and research experience. She has worked at the national, state and local level, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, Baystate Children’s Hospital, and the Public Health Institute of Western MA (PHIWM).
In her role as the Senior Director of Research and Evaluation at the PHIWM, she led the creation of the research and evaluation arm and oversaw that team’s work supporting health and health equity for over ten years. She has led a number of research and evaluation efforts focused on using data for action, including regional roadmaps, data action support for state agencies, and creating community engaged research partnerships to support health equity.
Dr. Szegda is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Healthcare Delivery and Population Science UMass Medical Chan School-Baystate and an adjunct faculty in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has a PhD in Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Massachusetts, an MPH from Emory University, and an MS in Counseling from Georgia State University.
Alison Cohen
Alison Cohen is a recognized communications leader and strategist with more than 25 years of experience. In January 2023, she stepped down as Communications Director for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, where she led communications throughout the COVID pandemic, managing the most expansive public information campaign in state history.
Before DPH, she directed media relations for EDC, a global health and education nonprofit. At the Massachusetts Hospital Association, she coordinated the Campaign for Coverage to increase health coverage for the uninsured, a program that earned national recognition.
Alison began her career as a radio reporter and she has made a demonstrated commitment to serving nonprofit and public sector organizations. She has a keen understanding of the workings of government, having worked in local, state, and federal agencies. Alison graduated from Clark University and has a master’s degree from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.
Jennifer Robertson
Jenn Robertson is a skilled legal and policy analyst with deep knowledge and extensive experience in government. Jenn developed regulatory, legal, and strategy solutions as a director and program manager at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
For more than 11 years, Jenn was responsible for developing, reviewing, and operationalizing policies and regulations for a number of programs and offices, including the Tobacco Control Program and the Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health, where, notably, she led the revisions of the most recent Massachusetts state Food and Housing Codes. Jenn was promoted to serve as the Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Commissioner’s Office.
Jenn is currently a Legal Policy Consultant for the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards, providing legal and technical support for local boards of health across the Commonwealth. She is a graduate of Bryant University and holds a J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law.
Gwendolyn Stewart
Gwen Stewart is an experienced communications professional with more than 25 years in public health, most recently leading communications for the Massachusetts Vaccine Equity Initiative, a statewide program created to ensure that all residents have access to the COVID vaccine.
Gwen has been a key partner in the Commonwealth’s tobacco control efforts, including leading a diverse Massachusetts coalition through the successful passage of two landmark tobacco laws. For nearly a decade, she provided leadership and communications strategy and direction in the Department of Public Health’s expansive Bureau of Community Health and Prevention.
Gwen has extensive experience developing and implementing communications strategies to engage hard-to-reach communities, mobilizing grassroots groups and working with community organizations to improve public health. Gwen has a master’s degree in Communication from Boston University and an undergraduate degree in English from Bryn Mawr College.