Jackie has a passion for improving lives and has spent her entire career in health care, with a special focus on population health. She was named president of Children’s HeartLink in 2015. 

She previously held leadership positions at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation as Chief Operating Officer and Institutional Officer for Research, where she led the Hearts Beat Back program. She also held a leadership position at HealthPartners, the largest consumer-governed nonprofit healthcare organization in the U.S. 

A registered dietitian, Jackie has served on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Board of Directors and served as editor-in-chief of Diabetes Spectrum and received the Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award from the ADA in 2018. Jackie has an M.S. in nutrition from the University of Minnesota. 

Read what Jackie is saying about Children’s HeartLink investing in India. 

Anne oversees program development and standardization, program impact measurement, quality improvement and research efforts at Children’s HeartLink. 

Anne likes working with systems and using stories and hard statistics to improve performance for social betterment. Before joining our team, she served as a senior research scientist at Allina Health and was vice president of a research and evaluation firm. Anne has a master’s degree in policy analysis and a doctorate in research methods from the University of Minnesota. Anne loves volunteering on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota International NGO Network and spending time outdoors with her family. 

Erin is responsible for setting Children’s HeartLink’s strategic and philanthropic goals, diversifying contributed revenue streams and building a robust major gifts program.  

Erin has more than 27 years of experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit fields, where she’s focused intently on bridging philanthropic visions with organizational missions. Most recently, Erin served as Executive Director of Children’s Hospital Association, an affiliated organization of Children’s Minnesota. Previously, she served as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and Sr. Philanthropy Officer for Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation; Director of Major and Individual Gifts for Planned Parenthood, MN, ND, SD; and Director of Communications at Family Philanthropy Advisors.  

Erin has earned her Certified Fundraising Executive credential from CFRE International and holds a Master’s in Arts Administration from Saint Mary’s University Winona and Bachelor’s degrees in Business Marketing and Fine Art from the University of Minnesota – Mankato. Erin is a retired professional bodybuilder, holding a national title as IPE World Champion. Currently, she enjoys distance running near her home in Northeast Minneapolis with her husband, Todd, and dog, Remy. 

Bistra leads Children’s HeartLink’s global thought leadership strategy with governments and international development institutions and leads country-level growth. 

She has worked at Children’s HeartLink since 2004 and is a passionate advocate of improving access to care for children who need pediatric cardiac services. She serves on the boards of One Heart Health and the Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts. 

She is also a member of the steering committee of the International Quality Improvement Collaborative, a global initiative aimed at improving cardiac care for children in low- and middle-income countries. A native of Bulgaria, Bistra has an MBA in nonprofit management from the University of St. Thomas and has studied global health at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Kia’s role as Children’s HeartLink’s Instructional Designer involves developing and maintaining educational content and trainings. 

She holds a Master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Central Florida. With seven years of experience, she specializes in online course accessibility, universal design and implementing Quality Matters principles. Her passion and connection with Children’s HeartLink stem from her own journey of overcoming childhood cancer. Kia enjoys spending time with her husband, reading, dancing and serving the community as a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. 

Jenny brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofits to her role as the Children’s HeartLink executive assistant. 

Her expertise includes a combination of high-level administrative skills as well as program development and fundraising skills. Jenny is a licensed occupational therapist with a background in social work and child welfare. She has volunteer experience in international child welfare efforts in Romania and India. 

Adriana leads our programs in India and Vietnam. Earlier in her career she worked for organizations focused on human rights, cultural competency and engaging diverse communities. Adriana has a Polish father and an Italian mother and was raised in Warsaw and Florence. She has master’s degrees in international development and public health from the University of Pittsburgh.

Laura is responsible for managing programs and expenses related to grant-funded work. 

She comes to Children’s HeartLink with 10 years of experience in the non-profit and philanthropic sector, including serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Azerbaijan. Before joining our team, she managed education grants for a charter school network, coordinating grant budgets, deliverables and donor compliance across multiple campuses and partners. In her spare time, you’ll find Laura walking local trails alongside her young family. 

LeAnn’s responsibilities as Business Operations Specialist include payroll, accounts payable and support of organization operations and HR. She joined Children’s HeartLink in 2020, after two decades in the billing department for a marketing agency.

Sam is responsible for overseeing marketing and communications efforts for Children’s HeartLink.  

With a background in TV news, public relations and nonprofit marketing, she leverages her unique skill set to advance our mission and brand recognition. She is a natural problem solver, relationship builder and believer in outside-the-box thinking. During her time off, you’ll find Sam and her husband staying busy with their two very active young boys.

Pam Hawley serves as the development coordinator at Children’s HeartLink. With 17 years of experience supporting nonprofits, Pam brings expertise in donor relations, event planning and operations. Her role focuses on ensuring accurate gift recording, donor appreciation and assisting with fundraising activities and events. Before joining Children’s HeartLink, Pam worked at Children’s Hospital Association and Five Oaks Church in Woodbury, Minnesota. A University of Minnesota graduate, she enjoys traveling, biking and volunteering. Pam and her family have traveled to 49 states and are excited to reach their 50th in Alaska in 2025.

She is a passionate relationship builder who learns with and from partners each and every day. Her career includes leadership and advancement for nonprofits such as Capital City Partnership, Ordway Center, Minnesota Women’s Consortium and Rochester Art Center where she helped build understanding and support for institutions and projects in both the public and private sectors. 

Most recently, she pivoted to participate in pandemic response systems development and implementation with the Minnesota Department of Health. She attended Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas in journalism and spent her early career in media. She recently completed the MBA and Fundraising Executive Education programs at St. Thomas. Lee loves the outdoors and is a cross-country skier, swimmer and grandmother to four inspiring children. 

Katie is responsible for managing advocacy projects at Children’s HeartLink. She has more than a decade of experience in global health policy advocacy and organizing for international nonprofit and faith-based organizations. 

Most recently she served as a senior leader on the US advocacy team for CARE, helping to lead campaigns for robust investments in global health and development programs. Katie’s passion for advocating for children who need pediatric cardiac services comes from her mom who was born with congenital heart disease. 

Samyukta’s role involves developing and fostering relationships with hospital partners and volunteers in India, as well as identifying geographic growth opportunities there. She has a master’s degree in sociology and a postgraduate diploma in transplant coordination. 

Based in Vijayawada, Samyukta has been working in the NGO and development sector since 2014, including with an organization that sparked her investment in transforming heart care for children. Her interests include reading, listening to Indian classical music and art, and she enjoys spending time deep within nature. 

Ann is responsible for the development and oversight of our operations and organizational systems, including human resources, information technology, physical infrastructure and financial functions. She was previously our finance specialist and international programs assistant. Earlier in her career Ann worked as a Spanish teacher and in the public health field. 

Julie is responsible for supporting the marketing and communications department’s initiatives and operations by designing, creating and executing marketing projects. With more than a decade of experience in marketing and communications, Julie lends her expertise to sharing stories of impact; testing, optimizing and recommending best practices; and contributing to raising awareness of Children’s HeartLink. 

Julie grew up in Minnesota and enjoys exploring the Twin Cities with her husband and son. She also loves to swim, bike, read and explore new places with her book club.

Veera leads our programs in India. Based in Coimbatore, Veera is a consummate connector and trusted colleague who develops and strengthens relationships with our program partners. She has worked as a social work educator and practitioner, and she has a postgraduate degree in social work from the University of Madras and a predoctoral degree in psychiatric social work from NIMHANS in Bangalore. 

Heidi plays a pivotal role in supporting country directors and medical volunteers. As a mother of a child born with congenital heart disease, Heidi is passionate about the Children’s HeartLink mission. Her previous experience includes executive search and recruiting as well as volunteer management. She joined the team in 2022.

Andreas leads our programs in Brazil, China and Malaysia. Before joining our team in 2006, he worked with humanitarian aid programs in sub-Saharan Africa. He has a master’s degree from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. Andreas has had wanderlust since he was a child when he moved with his family from London to Nairobi and points in between.