Our Mission
We save children's lives by transforming pediatric heart 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 helped over 177,000 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 children 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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Marc Vaillancourt
Vice President of Development
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Faith Adams
Communications Director
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Andreas Tsakistos
Country Director
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Adriana Dobrzycka
Country Director
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Bobbi Morris
Events Manager
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Veeralakshmi Rajasekhar
In-Country India Consultant
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Pat Tollefson
International Programs Manager
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Ann Odens
Operations Manager
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Zhanna Petersen
Marketing Services Specialist
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Tara Kumar
Grant Writer
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. (Information current as of November 3, 2020. All directors are independent voting members.)
Officers
Jackie Boucher, President
Children's HeartLinkJeff Evanson, Chair
Chief Commercial Officer, Outlook Therapeutics,
Dannette Smith, Secretary
Secretary to the Board of Directors, UnitedHealth Group Inc.Taryn Lynch, Treasurer
Audit Partner, DeloitteMark Lewin, M.D., Medical Director
Co-director, Seattle Children's Heart CenterDavid Overman, M.D., Medical Director
Cardiovascular Surgeon and Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Children’s MinnesotaDirectors
Tom Armitage, M.D.
Medtronic, RetiredJohn Babitt
Partner, Life Sciences, EYGuillaume Bastiaens
Cargill, RetiredAnu Codaty
Vice President & General Manager, Interventional Pain, MedtronicJohn Finnegan, PhD
Dean, University of Minnesota School of Public HealthSusan H. Gebelein
Business and Leadership Consulting LLCJeffrey Gleason
Partner, Robins KaplanJeff Haan
Audit Partner and Professional Practice Partner, KPMG’s Northern Heartland Business UnitGeoff Martha
CEO, Medtronic, Inc.Betsy Moran
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, RetiredDarren Nauss
Founder & CEO, RAZR Marketing, Inc.Andrew Nelson
Senior Advisor, HealthPartners, Inc, and Senior Research Fellow HealthPartners InstituteHeather Hudnut Page
Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Philips HealthcareRobert Rosenbaum
Partner, Corporate Group, Dorsey & Whitney LLPKenneth Stein, M.D.
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Rhythm Management and Global Health Policy, Boston ScientificPatrick Stoneking
Attorney, Jeff Anderson & AssociatesElizabeth 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 IntegratedKathy Jenkins, M.D., MPH
Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Executive Director, Center for Applied Pediatric Quality Analytics, Boston Children's HospitalJohn C. Langenbrunner, Ph.D.
Expert Advisor on Social Health Insurance, Jakarta, IndonesiaNick Seddon
Senior Vice President, Strategy and Transformation, OptumKate 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

