Owner and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Robert Sternhell is the owner and CEO of Solutient Enterprises. Bob has taken his company through three successful re-inventions, on each occasion expanding the business. In each iteration the objective remained the same: to find ways to assist organizations in achieving their own goals.

Solutient’s CEO is a scholar-turned-entrepreneur who combined academic rigor with practical market sense to build a successful professional business. His academic interests tilted strongly toward public management, and he translated his graduate studies into program evaluation consultation. Sternhell worked with the Department of Justice, conducting more than five years of evaluations in criminal justice programs across the U.S. From 1973 through 1978 he was asked to evaluate nearly 100 programs ranging from prison rehabilitation to the crime impact of street lighting to sentencing practices in criminal courts and various police enforcement programs. His work led to his appointment as a national trainer for the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration where he evaluated programs across the Pacific Rim.

Soon thereafter, The University of New Orleans tapped Sternhell to take over its newly created Masters of Public Administration program. Starting out with five students, the program grew to 130 in three years. In addition to his administrative and managerial skills, he was able to secure more than $3 million in grant funding for the emerging graduate program over five years.

By the early ‘80s, Sternhell was ready to move exclusively into the operation of his own business, first with partners and then as CEO. He started Solutient as an information technology firm to provide services for a wide range of private companies and governmental jurisdictions. The firm continued to grow until in 2004 it acquired a Microsoft Gold Authorized Training Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

All his preparation was put to the ultimate test following Hurricane Katrina. Initially, the company capitalized on the work it performed for FEMA’s Region VI in Dallas, focusing on flood mapping. Sternhell and his staff invested more than a year to fully understand the agency’s rules and became the first to market with elevation and grant management services. Solutient has maintained the leadership position in this field since 2007. In 2010 Solutient opened an office in New York with Major League Baseball as a client.

Sternhell is eager to expand Solutient’s grant management skills and experience to related fields. “Our firm has the ability to assist state and local governments in the management of federal programs and federal dollars in the form of grants that these jurisdictions need desperately. In return for the funds, the Feds are requiring precise accountability to help manage funding at the state and local levels. Our goal is twofold: to use federal dollars wisely and to achieve clean audits for all of our clients.”