About ACHA
Board of Directors/Staff
The Adult Congenital Heart Association is overseen by an elected Board of Directors. The members of the Board meet monthly to discuss ACHA matters and each member spends at least 12 hours a month working for ACHA, from fundraising independently to working with volunteers on numerous ACHA committees. Each member brings a variety of talents to the Board and working together, they are able to combine their strengths to best serve ACHA's mission to educate and advocate for adults with congenital heart defects.
The ACHA staff play an integral role in the day-to-day workings of the organization, liaising between members of ACHA, ACHA's Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Board, and medical professionals around the world.
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Board of Directors |
Staff
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Heather Abbott has over eight years of Marketing and Business Development experience and currently manages the Gift Card Corporate Sales program and the 3rd Party Gift Card program for a major NY based retailer. She also has over three years of experience as a Board Member for two local Cornell Alumni groups. Coupled with her professional and non-profit Board experiences, Heather brings her enthusiasm for helping find “lost” adult congenital heart defect (ACHD) patients and prior fundraising experience to the ACHA Board of Directors. She is also the NYC area ACHA Local Leader. Heather received her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from Cornell University in 1998 and received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Cornell University in 2003.
Elizabeth Adams, DO, is a pediatrician at the Penn State Children’s Hospital, and maintains a strong interest in the field of pediatric cardiology. Beth was born in Allentown, PA in 1975. Her only heart surgery, performed at Duke University in 1983, was to repair a large ventricular septal defect and a double-chambered right ventricle. Beth is no stranger to the ACHA. She discovered the TCHIN listserv back in the mid 90’s and has been a member since the early days of the ACHA. Beth was fortunate to attend the first National Conference in Boston, and is amazed by the growth of the ACHA over the last 10 years. She has been active with the ACHA and has assisted with a number of projects such as authoring the layperson edition of the Bethesda Guidelines. She is also active in helping to run the Hershey area ACHA local group. Beth is currently living on her farm in Manheim, Pennsylvania with her dog, cat and an endlessly changing array of farm animals.
Brian Altman was born with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and a ventricular septal defect (VSD). Brian had corrective surgery in 1984 and is currently being seen at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Brian lives and works in DC. He is the Director of Public Policy and Program Development at the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPAN USA). Prior to joining SPAN USA, Brian served as the Legislative Representative at the American Counseling Association and as a judicial law clerk. Brian received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University.
Glenn Barnard , Administrative Assistant, is a recent graduate of Elon University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English – Creative Writing, and a minor in communications. Glenn was born with a Single Left Ventricle heart defect, and underwent the Fontan proceduret. He is currently being followed at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and lives in Bucks County. Glenn is eager to grow with ACHA and help wherever and whenever needed. The voice of one is seldom heard, but the voices of many carry through the wind to the ears of those who are already listening, and are loud enough for those who never thought to listen. In his spare time, Glenn likes to write and is currently at work on his first novel, which incorporates many of his experiences with CHD.
Stephen Brabeck, MD, FACC, is a practicing adult cardiologist with Cardiopulmonary Associates in Monterey, California. He was born in 1950 with a Tetrology of Fallot and atresia of the left pulmonary artery. He had corrective surgery at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in 1955, and went back to Mayo in March 2007 for a pulmonary valve replacement and modified Maze procedure. He had been associated as Board member with the American Heart Association (AHA) for over 15 years, serving at the divisional and affiliate level, both as Board member, divisional president, and affiliate president-elect. He currently holds a clinical teaching appointment at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine.
Dr. Brabeck was aware of the ACHA for some time, but came face to face with the organization at its Fourth National Conference in San Francisco in 2006. He was extremely impressed with the passion and empowerment displayed by the speakers and attendees, and became committed to be involved. He hopes to contribute his personal and professional experienced to help further the mission of the ACHA, especially as it relates to furthering education, both public and professional, as to the unique care needs and resources available for the growing number of adults with congenital heart disease. Married with five children, four whom have flown the coop to the four corners of the world, Dr. Brabeck and his wife Elise reside with their one remaining child and their Jack Russell terrier in Carmel Valley, California.
Nicole Vickery Borek , a native resident of Huntsville, AL, joins ACHA on the cusp of years in the non-profit sector and several Board positions, as well as Chairing the SCORE Chapter in the Huntsville, AL area for two years just prior to her most recent surgery as a Tetrology of Fallot repair patient. Mrs. Borek has an extensive background, varied career experiences in both commercial real estate banking and government contracting as well as public relations and customer service. Additionally, her expertise in budgeting, event coordination, managing both commercial and government contracts as well as intellectual property management leads her to various consulting projects; she has also counseled start-up non-profits and assisted in procuring SBA loans.
William R. Davidson, Jr., MD
William R. Davidson, Jr., MD
Penn State Heart & Vascular Institute
M.S. Hershey Medical Center, H047
Penn State College of Medicine
Hershey, PA 17033
Jory Fisher lives in Lynchburg, Virginia with her husband Dave and two of their children. She is a life, career, and consultative coach; a collaborative law attorney; and a child advocate. Jory received her BA from Southern Methodist University, her MA from Middlebury College, and her JD from the University of Virginia. She is a candidate for ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. Jory learned about ACHA while researching congenital heart defects online. She had discovered she had an atrial septal defect after a “random” echocardiogram at age 54. Her ASD was repaired in 2008, and she has healed beautifully.
Elyse Foster, MD received her undergraduate degree and M.D. from Tufts University. She did her residency in Internal Medicine and Cardiology Fellowship at Boston University Hospital. She joined the faculty at University of California, San Francisco in 1989, and she is currently Director of the Adult Echocardiography Laboratory and the UCSF Adult Congenital Heart Disease Practice. The UCSF Core Research Echocardiography Laboratory has analyzed echocardiography data for numerous large clinical trials under her direction. Her current research interests include the natural history of congenital heart disease and vascular function in patients with repaired congenital heart disease. Dr. Foster has had an active role in the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the International Society of Adult Congenital Cardiac Disease. She is currently the co-Chair of the newly formed Committee on Adult Congenital Heart Disease of the AHA.
Kevin Gordon, Vice-Chair hasn't allowed his CHD (d-TGA) to keep him from a successful career and a wonderful life. Professionally, Kevin has significant experience in retail sales, sales management, advertising, marketing, consumer research, technology development, e-commerce, retail concept development, strategic planning, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, financial strategy, and new ventures. After 20+ years in corporate life with America's largest consumer electronics retailer, Kevin is now a founding partner in a retail strategy consulting firm. Personally, Kevin has traveled much of the world, and continues to pursue his passions for friends, books, music, theater, photography, sports cars, and (spectator) sports. Kevin finally hooked up with ACHA when he attended the Third National Conference held at the Mayo Clinic in 2004. Kevin is excited about the opportunity to use his professional skills to help others with ACHDs learn more about their condition and find helpful treatment.Kevin lives in Minnesota (Twin Cities) with his wife, and their adorable Shih Tzu.
Rachel Linstead Goldsmith, Program Manger, joins ACHA with a background in health policy and administration from her work coordinating quality improvement and federal grant management at Philadelphia FIGHT, an AIDS service organization serving over 6,000 people. Her non-profit experience also includes work in media policy reform, affordable housing & environmental advocacy. Rachel received her Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College and earned a Paralegal Certificate from Villanova University.
Barry Meil, ACHA Board Chair, is a resident of Potomac, Maryland, develops commercial real estate in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, after recently selling a chain of child care centers. Meil has served on the Board of several health-related charitable organizations and runs the Meil Family Foundation. His son, Jason, was born with tetralogy of Fallot in 1981. Jason had corrective surgery in 1984 and found ACHD care with help from the ACHA..
Jessica Nevin has been active in medical advocacy since 2004. She was formerly the chapter leader of the Bay Area Turner Syndrome Society from 2004 - 2007 and has been active in outreach for that organization since. She also has an extensive background in politics, having served as a congressional page, Senate intern, and congressional campaign volunteer. She graduated with a BA in political science from UC-Berkeley in 2007 and is currently pursuing a masters in political science. She hopes to go on to complete a PhD. She has just begun her involvement with ACHA and looks forward to the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those affected by congenital heart defects. She is particularly interested in efforts to build a local chapter in San Francisco and to fund raise. A survivor of aortic stenosis, BAV, and coarctation of the aorta, she lives in San Francisco and works there as an administrative assistant. She enjoys travel, reading, cooking, foreign languages, and her friends and family."
Fatima Oswald, Operations Manager, joins ACHA with a background in non-profit management and administration, as well as public policy. She has experience working for a non-profit consulting firm creating strategic plans and development capabilities for various non-profits. Fatima also has eight years of environmental-related work experience in the private, non-profit, and public sectors. Fatima holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, and a Master’s in Public Administration, both from the University of Washington in Seattle.
Peggy Powers, Treasurer, began working in pediatric cardiology in 1994 and was surprised to find out how many adult patients the practice continued to follow! This launched her interest in ACHD and the way care is delivered, and her eventual discovery of ACHA. In 2000, Peggy became Executive Director of the Center for ACHD at California Pacific. She coordinates a monthly education and support group meeting for ACHDers and their loved ones, and quarterly ACHD case management conferences for medical providers. Peggy enjoys living in Berkeley with her partner and their son, and has been an active board member at her son's school.
Jennifer Ross is a mother of a 20-year old with congenital heart disease and a 18-year old with heart disease. Since their diagnosis she has focused on starting a support group called Custom Hearts, Mended Little Hearts, in Washington, DC. This group offers support for families with children who have congenital heart disease in the Maryland, Virginia, and DC area. She has also worked hand in hand with the Children's National Medical Center by sitting on the Heart Institute Family Advisory Board. After being involved with these two groups over the past five years she began to seek out an adult organization for her children as they become adults. She brings experience in lobbying, fund raising, group organization, and grant writing to the ACHA board. Her goal is to make great changes for the CHD community and my children, impacting the ACHA from a parenting point of view.
Amy Verstappen, President/CEO, joined the ACHA board in 2000, and was ACHA's first Fundraising Chair. She became ACHA Board President in 2002, and stepped off the ACHA Board to become ACHA's first paid President and Executive Director in January 2006. Before her personal experiences as a complex congenital heart survivor led her to patient advocacy, Ms. Verstappen worked as an educator with children and adults in a variety of settings. Ms. Verstappen received a Bachelor of Science in Sociology-Anthropology from Swarthmore College in 1983 and a Masters in Education from Lesley College in 1989. She has co-authored a number of publications on adults with congenital heart disease and has served as an ACHD consultant in venues such as the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the International Society of Adult Congenital Cardiac Disease (ISACCD).
George H. Warren, MD, is a 62-year-old with tetralogy of Fallot, for which he was operated upon in 1955 and 1964. He is a physician and a retired pathologist, whose diagnostic work, teaching, and professional publications focused upon diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. Introduced to the ACHA through those who share in his care at the Boston Adult Congenital Heart (BACH) program, George’s interests reflect his belief that complex CHD conditions require lifelong cardiology care. He has shared in the development of an ACHA website Directory of ACHD programs in North America, and he has assisted the development of the Colorado ACHA support group in Denver, Colorado.
Nicole Wolverton ,Director of Development and Events joins ACHA with ten years of experience in non-profit fundraising and volunteer management. Nicole attended Temple University and has a certificate in grant-writing from The Grantsmanship Center. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of and is active on the Philadelphia Flying Phoenix dragon boat team, a competitive all women’s club crew on the Schuylkill River.
David Watkins, became involved with ACHA in 2005 after being diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve. After surgery, he competed in the Ironman triathlon where he raise awareness and hope for those diqgnosed with congenital heart disease. In 2006, he was honored with the Medtronic Global Heroes Award for his dedication to motivating patients and healthcare providers. With over 15 years of experience as a business development director, hospital executive, and clinician, Dave brings a depth of medica expertise to ACHA. He has worked with top pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies in the areas of research and development (phase I-IV clinical trials) and in sales, marketing and executive leadership positions. Dave is a certified trainer on behavioral managment and organizational change, and has worked with physician groups and managed care organizations to establish best practice quidelines through evidence-based medicine. He is also a national speaker on cardiovascular and psychiatric care, and served on the White House Panel on Mental Health.
ACHA was deeply saddened by the loss of Jim Wong on February 6, 2010. He was very committed to ACHA and gave tirelessly to the congenital heart community. Please visit his Memorial Page to learn more about Jim.
Jim first became involved with ACHA when he led the team that organized the San Francisco Regional ACHA Conference in 2003. He was elected to the ACHA Board of Directors in 2004, and was later elected Vice President and then Board Chair in 2005. After a one year break, he re-joined the Board of Directors in 2008. Jim was also conditionally appointed to the NIH Director's Council of Public Representatives in 2008. In his professional life, Jim has held a variety of management and product/business development roles and is presently a Sr. Product Strategist at Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. Jim received his Bachelor of Science in chemistry summa cum laude from the University of California at Berkeley in 1977. He continued his education at UC Berkeley and received his PhD in chemistry in 1981.