Dr. Robert Greenspan Is Retiring as Benefit Funds CEO; Dr. David Jacobson Is Replacing Him

“I believe I have one of the best jobs in all of New York,” Greenspan said, in a letter to the Funds Trustees, notifying them on his intention to retire. “I recognize the good fortune I have had to work in an organization that continually exhibits that it cares about quality and commitment.”

Dr. Robert Greenspan and Dr. David Jacobson have been working diligently to ensure a smooth transition.

After an association of more than 40 years with our union’s Benefit Funds, Dr. Robert Greenspan has decided to retire. Replacing him will be Dr. David Jacobson, whose own association with our Benefit Funds stretches back almost 30 years. Hotel Trades Council President Peter Ward expressed deep appreciation for Greenspan’s extraordinary career and the beneficial impact it had on our members and their families, and his remarks are published in his column in this edition.

“I’d like to thank the Board of Trustees for giving me the privilege of serving hotel industry employees and their families in the capacity of Chief Executive Officer of the Benefit Funds,” Dr. Jacobson, Greenspan’s successor, said in a letter introducing himself to our union’s members and others. “My goal as CEO is to make sure this amazing system that Dr. Greenspan has brilliantly led continues to get better. I’m going to continue in the tradition that he has set, whether it’s planning a new center, modernizing an existing center, making sure every patient is seen in a timely manner, introducing new medicines to the pharmacies, or just continuing to evolve and innovate in a way that sets the bar higher than ever before.”

Dr. Robert Greenspan and Dr. David Jacobson are seen here with a model of the new Queens Health Center.

Both Greenspan and Jacobson come from blue collar backgrounds. They have never forgotten these roots, as both have exhibited a solid determination that members of our union and their families receive the utmost in quality care and professional and courteous service when utilizing their benefits. And it’s not just family medical and dental care that the CEO of the Benefit Funds oversees. The Funds include MHAP, Pre-Paid Legal, the Pension Fund, the 401 (k) program, member services, the optical benefit, COBRA, the Scholarship Fund, and retirement services, among others. It’s a tremendous responsibility, and Dr. Greenspan has certainly been up to the task.

The Trustees expect that Dr. Jacobson will also be up to the task. Dr. Jacobson has a wealth of experience working with our members and their families, and he has been working quite closely with Dr. Greenspan during a transition period. Dr. Greenspan has kindly agreed to stay on through the end of the year as Dr. Jacobson gets used to his new responsibilities. The two have worked together in the past and they have known each other for almost three decades.

“Aside from the contract itself, there is nothing more important to union members and their families than the benefits and services provided by that contract,” Ward said. “Dr. Greenspan recognized this and that was a huge factor in making his tenure as CEO of our Benefit Funds the unparalleled success that it was. I’m happy to add that Dr. Jacobson mirrors that recognition of the critical importance of the benefits and services, and we are confident that he will do an outstanding job as the new CEO.”

As members know, there are already plans for a new Queens Health Center, and Dr. Greenspan and Dr. Jacobson are working together in the planning stages. Like Dr. Greenspan, Dr. Jacobson has an entrepreneurial touch, and members can expect that when it is completed the new Queens Health Center will even more impressive than the Brooklyn Health Center.

“Frankly, I don’t think there could be a better choice than Dr. Jacobson to replace Dr. Greenspan,” Ward told Hotel Voice. “We were incredibly lucky to have had Bob Greenspan with us the last 42 years and especially the last decade as Funds CEO. I believe we are equally lucky to be having Dr. David Jacobson as Funds CEO as we go forward.”

Dr. Robert Greenspan and Dr. David Jacobson are seen here with some of the staff members that help make the Benefit Funds office run effectively and efficiently. Top row, left to right: Sandra Traugott, Executive Assistant to the Chief Medical Officer, Jordan Yang, Chief External Affairs Officer, Yolanda Hughes, Executive Assistant to the CEO, Tamika Simmons, Director of Members Experience, M. Scott Reminick, MD, Assistant Chief Medical Officer, Sarina G. Jean-Louis, MBA, MPH, Director of Health Center Operations, and Anne Heeralall, Executive Assistant to Chief Financial Officer. Bottom row: Lana Vardanian, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Greenspan, Dr. Jacobson, and Andrew Windsor, Director of Administrative Services. Not present for this photo were Harry Veras, Chief Financial Officer, and Erin Osbourn, IT Chief.