President's Message

"Breakthrough solutions for public health and education!" This is Danya’s Vision Statement, but what does it mean? How does this apply to our daily work? This will be a topic we will discuss in various settings throughout next year. Danya’s Senior Management Team worked hard with me to solidify a vision statement that will help to guide Danya in our future direction. It is my belief that "breakthrough solutions" in our areas of expertise will give us that direction.

So what do we mean by breakthrough solutions? Let’s start with the second part; we generally have a common understanding of the word "solutions." The dictionary defines solution as "the method or process of solving a problem." We are in the business of solving problems in public health and education, primarily with and for the government. We deal with such problems as how to communicate information about HIV, STDs, TB, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco to help people live healthier lives. We assist people in understanding and overcoming physical, mental, and emotional problems, conditions, and challenges. We also support the government’s efforts to set and apply standards to improve the quality of early childhood education for Head Start children. We are in the business of solving problems.

What is a breakthrough? The dictionary defines breakthrough as "an act of overcoming or penetrating an obstacle or restriction." Most of the problems we address in our work have many obstacles to overcome: lack of knowledge, stigmatization, stereotypes, closed-mindedness, fear, limited resources, conflicting interests, lack of interest, indifference, and so forth. Our job is to break through these obstacles and discover creative, innovative, and dynamic solutions to overcome these problems.

To find these solutions, we must gain a deep understanding of the problem and its consequences. We must understand the people affected—their concerns, needs, experiences, and ways of interacting—and work together as a team, drawing on our colleagues’ and partners’ diverse skills, talents, expertise, and experience to find different ways to do things. We need to take risks. We will make some little and some big mistakes, but we must learn from them and keep moving forward. Evaluating our progress and measuring the impact of our solutions will ensure we are really on the right track.
As we work to inculcate the concept of breakthrough solutions in our daily work at Danya, please think about what you are doing today. Are you striving to break through to the next level? Are you working collaboratively with your colleagues to find a creative solution? Please think of examples of breakthrough solutions in your work. Let’s share them with each other and always strive to do the best we can to make a positive difference in this world.

Jeffrey A. Hoffman,
President and CEO