Our Mission
To save the lives of children with heart disease, we partner with organizations to train medical teams, provide education and transform health care in underserved parts of the world.
Our Vision
Children around the world have access to high-quality heart care.
Read Our Core Values here.
We got our start in 1969, when a young doctor serving in Vietnam asked his father in Minnesota to perform lifesaving surgery on Vietnamese children with heart disease.
Children’s HeartLink has thrived in Minnesota, a world leader in heart surgery, medical device development and global philanthropy.
We were once a medical mission organization. Now we train local medical teams in the countries where we work, making it possible for children to be treated in their own country. This is how we make a lasting impact. Last year alone we served over 135,000 children.
Our approach has changed over the years but our commitment to helping children with heart disease has never wavered.
Meet Our Staff
We share a passion for making high-quality care a reality for more kids with heart disease.
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Jackie Boucher
President
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Bistra Zheleva
Vice President of Global Strategy and Advocacy
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Anne Betzner
Vice President of Programs and Evaluation
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Stefano Perugini
Vice President of Development
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Wade Jones
Director of Operations
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Faith Adams
Communications Director
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Walter Abramson
Director of Leadership Giving
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Andreas Tsakistos
Country Director
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Adriana Dobrzycka
Country Director
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Barb Simonson
Finance Director
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Bobbi Morris
Events Manager
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Veeralakshmi Rajasekhar
In-Country India Consultant
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Rajashree Panicker
Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant
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Ann Odens
Finance Specialist
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Zhanna Petersen
Marketing Services Specialist
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Courtney Geolat
International Programs Assistant
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Aleta Nimlos
Executive Assistant
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Kate Grzywacz
Project Management Specialist
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Abby Straub
Development Coordinator
Jackie Boucher
President
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, where she was chief operating officer and institutional officer for research, and led its Hearts Beat Back program, and at HealthPartners, the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the U.S. A registered dietitian, Jackie has served on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Board of Directors. She 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.
Bistra Zheleva
Vice President of Global Strategy and Advocacy
Bistra leads our global thought leadership strategy with governments and international development institutions, and she leads our country-level growth. She has worked at Children’s HeartLink since 2003 and is a passionate advocate of improving access to care for children who need pediatric cardiac services. She serves on the boards of Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts, and One Heart Health. 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.
Anne Betzner
Vice President of Programs and Evaluation
Anne Betzner, Ph.D., oversees program development and standardization, program impact measurement, quality improvement and research efforts. Anne likes working with systems and using stories and hard statistics to improve performance for social betterment. Before joining our team she served as senior research scientist at Allina Health and was vice president for 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 serving her community through volunteering with The Martha Ripley Memorial Foundation, The Humphrey School of Public Affairs Alumni Board, The University of Minnesota Alumni Association Collegiate Council and her church.
Stefano Perugini
Vice President of Development
Vice President of Development Stefano Perugini has more than 20 years of experience in leadership, partnership development portfolio management, grantmaking and strategy development with international institutions, NGOs, the private sector and governments. Prior to joining Children’s HeartLink, he was Head of Institutional Partnerships – Foundations Partnerships at UNICEF in London. His previous assignments include Progressio and BRAC in London, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in South Sudan, the European Union Delegation to Eswatini (Swaziland), and the United Nations Development Program in Yemen, among others. Stefano was born in Venezuela and moved to Italy with his family when he was 5. He holds two master’s degrees, in development economics and international cooperation from the University of Tor Vergata and in economics of public administration and international relations from the University of Roma Tre, both in Rome.
Wade Jones
Director of Operations
Wade is responsible for the development and oversight of our administrative and financial systems, including finances, accounting, grants management, information technology, human resources, risk and legal management, internal control and physical infrastructure. Wade joined Children’s HeartLink after 17 years at Medtronic, including 5 years working for the Medtronic Foundation, most recently as operations lead. At Medtronic he also served as a senior program manager in global finance training and development, and worked in its largest business unit, CRDM (Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management). Putting his skills to use for a small nonprofit organization that has a mission that aligns with his personal mission has been a goal of Wade’s for many years. Wade has served on several local boards, and he has an MBA in Finance from the University of Kansas.
Faith Adams
Communications Director
Faith has worked in marketing communications her entire career, primarily in the medical and health care field. She worked at the University of Minnesota Foundation after a career as a consultant and writer working with a diverse group of nonprofit and for-profit clients. Health equity is a cause she cares deeply about.
Walter Abramson
Director of Leadership Giving
Wally advances our mission through charitable giving from individuals and families. He cares deeply about connecting with people who are passionate about saving the lives of children with heart disease. Wally has worked in fundraising for 25 years, for the United Negro College Fund and Minnesota Land Trust, among others. He joined our team in 2015.
Andreas Tsakistos
Country Director
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.
Adriana Dobrzycka
Country Director
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.
Barb Simonson
Finance Director
Barb believes that providing sound financial management and advice strengthens organizations like ours, and she gets great satisfaction from helping us do a world of good. An independent consultant and an expert in nonprofit finance, Barb advises many nonprofit organizations in addition to Children’s HeartLink.
Bobbi Morris
Events Manager
Bobbi is happiest when she’s planning and producing fundraising events, conferences and meetings. She’s been doing this work for a variety of organizations for 25 years. Bobbi leads the strategy and execution of our large annual fundraising event, HeartLink Gala.
Veeralakshmi Rajasekhar
In-Country India Consultant
Based in Coimbatore, Veera is a consummate connector and trusted colleague who develops and strengthens relationships with our program partners in India. 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.
Rajashree Panicker
Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant
Rajie assesses and reports on the impact of our pediatric cardiac programs in the developing world. Based in Coimbatore, India, she has worked with the Public Health Foundation of India and Karnataka Health Promotion. She has an MPH degree from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she specialized in international health systems and health priorities.
Ann Odens
Finance Specialist
Ann supports our vendor relationships related to finance and assists with budgeting, restricted grants, payroll, accounts payable and other key finance functions. She was previously our international programs assistant. Earlier in her career she worked as a Spanish teacher.
Zhanna Petersen
Marketing Services Specialist
Zhanna brings both professional and personal experience to her communications position at Children’s HeartLink. Being a parent of a child with heart disease, Zhanna is passionate about making high-quality medical care a reality for more families around the world. A native of Russia, she has taught English as a second language and worked as a freelance writer. She worked at a news agency in Moscow before she met her husband and moved to Minnesota, where she earned a master’s degree in strategic communication from the University of Minnesota.
Courtney Geolat
International Programs Assistant
Courtney came to Children’s HeartLink from Nacel Open Door, where she was a travel coordinator assisting international exchange students. She is passionate about other cultures and spent time in the Philippines working with at-risk girls.
Aleta Nimlos
Executive Assistant
Aleta has a deep and abiding interest in other cultures. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in Spanish Trans-Atlantic History, focusing her thesis on the history of smallpox in Peru as part of her emphasis on the Early Modern History of Medicine. She has served as an organizational liaison to the Consulate of Mexico, and came to Children’s HeartLink most recently from Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities.
Kate Grzywacz
Project Management Specialist
Kate oversees IT strategy, office redesign and other special projects. Kate grew up in Poland and moved to Minneapolis with her family when her physician husband accepted a medical research position. She has an M.A. in German studies.
Abby Straub
Development Coordinator
Abby supports our development team by ensuring the integrity of donor data and assisting with event management administration. She has a background in project management, and event and volunteer management. Abby also works as a wedding photographer.
Meet Our Board of Directors
They ask hard questions and give us the guidance we need. They’re our best ambassadors and go above and beyond to support our ambitious goals.
Officers
Jackie Boucher, President
Children's HeartLinkHeather Hudnut Page, Chair
Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Philips HealthcareJeff Evanson, Vice Chair
Chief Commercial Officer, Outlook TherapeuticsDannette Smith, Secretary
Secretary to the Board of Directors, UnitedHealth Group Inc.Patrick Stoneking, Treasurer
Attorney, Robins Kaplan LLPJoseph Dearani, M.D., Medical Director
Chair of the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic; and Professor of Surgery, Mayo College of MedicineDavid Overman, M.D., Medical Director
Cardiovascular Surgeon and Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Children’s MinnesotaDirectors
Guillaume Bastiaens
Cargill, RetiredJohn Finnegan, PhD
Dean, University of Minnesota School of Public HealthSusan H. Gebelein
Business and Leadership Consulting LLCJeff Haan
Audit Partner and Professional Practice Partner, KPMG’s Northern Heartland Business UnitJannie Herchuk
Audit Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLPTom Jollie
Senior Vice President, PadillaMark Lewin, M.D.
Co-director, Seattle Children's Heart CenterGeoff Martha
Executive Vice President and Group President, Restorative Therapies Group, Medtronic, Inc.Andrew Nelson
Senior Advisor, HealthPartners, Inc, and Senior Research Fellow HealthPartners InstituteMichael O'Leary
Office Managing Partner, Ernst & YoungRobert Rosenbaum
Partner, Corporate Group, Dorsey & Whitney LLPKenneth Stein, M.D.
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Rhythm Management and Global Health Policy, Boston ScientificElizabeth Sweeney
Children's HeartLink, RetiredDirectors Emeriti
Thomas A. Keller III
Principal, Gray Plant Mooty, RetiredMeet Our International Advisory Board
They are experts in global health and advocates for children's health, and we benefit from their advice and expertise.
James A. Rice, Ph.D., Chair
Managing Director & Practice Lead, Governance & Leadership, Gallagher IntegratedAldo Castañeda, M.D., Ph.D.
Founder, Pediatric Cardiac Surgical Unit of Guatemala; Professor Emeritus of Surgery, Harvard Medical SchoolKathy Jenkins, M.D., MPH
Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Executive Director, Center for Applied Pediatric Quality AnalyticsMolly Joseph
CEO, UnitedHealthcare Global and Executive Vice President of Global Health, UnitedHealth GroupJohn C. Langenbrunner, Ph.D.
Expert Advisor on Social Health Insurance, Jakarta, IndonesiaSrinath Reddy, M.D.
President, Public Health Foundation of IndiaKate Tulenko, M.D., MPH, MPhil, FAAP
CEO, Corvus HealthLijing L. Yan, Ph.D., MPH
Head, NCD Research Program, Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, ChinaLiesl Zühlke, MB ChB, D.C.H., MPH, Ph.D.
Director of the Children’s Heart Disease Research Unit, Cape Town, South Africa
Our Philanthropic Partners
