The Hope Heart Institute has a staff of talented and hard working individuals that come together to form an incredible team. Get to know our staff, who truly are the Heart of The Hope.

Mark Nudelman
President & CEO

A Bellevue native, Mark graduated with a business degree from WSU's Hotel & Restaurant administration program. After graduation he took a job in Maui with Renaissance Hotels (formally Stouffer Hotels.) Mark later returned to Seattle, to work at the Mayflower Park hotel for several years before transferring to the Warwick Hotel. In 1996, Mark transferred to Jamaica and took on the task of closing up a large resort as General Manager. While there, several high-pressure situations honed his management skills - a hurricane, a labor walk-out, and a massive power outage over the Christmas holiday. Mark built trust among his employees and the community as he resolved the labor dispute and aided in the renovation of the town square. Mark successfully closed the resort with full employee compensation packages.

It was then that Mark made the leap to healthcare. He joined Premier, the largest healthcare purchaser for hospitals, in charge of the Physician Program for the Western region. He traveled more than 100,000 miles a year and was the sales award winner for seven consecutive quarters. One of his mentors at Premier left to start an online education and training company, Safeware, and Mark joined him in the marketing arena. It was a great transition into his role at Wellspring EAP, a subsidiary of The Hope Heart Institute (having since been sold) before taking a more active role at The Hope as the Chief Operating Officer.

In 2008 Mark assumed his current role as President and CEO. He oversees all divisions of The Hope and ensures employees have all they need to be successful in their jobs. He hires the finest professionals and lets them do their job while serving as an advocate and resource. Mark also works to deepen board affairs and nurture community relationships.

Mark resides in Sammamish, Washington with his wife Laura and three daughters.

Mnudelman@hopeheart.org

Jamie R. Jensen
Vice President Development & Marketing

Jamie Jensen joined The Hope Heart Institute in 2003 as Special Event Manager responsible for the On Wings of Hope Gala and Hope Heart Classic Golf Tournament. As Vice President of Development and Marketing, Jamie currently manages all of The Hope's fundraising programs and events.

Before joining The Hope, Jamie owned a production company working with dozens of non-profit organizations around the Puget Sound on fundraising events and marketing. Jamie is a 16 year veteran of television production working in Seattle as a documentary, special projects and news producer at KIRO-TV, KOMO-TV and KING-TV. She began her career as a producer/reporter/weather anchor at KYMA-TV in Yuma, Arizona. Jamie has occasional opportunities to work as a freelance producer for NBC news including the Today Show, Dateline and NBC Nightly News. She has been a speaker on media issues at northwest educational conferences as well as for Journalism students at Pacific Lutheran University.

Community service is at the heart of everything Jamie does. She recently completed a term as Director of Entertainment for the Kitsap County Fair and Stampede, in Bremerton, Washington. She has served on executive committees and as a board member for several Seattle non-profit organizations including: The Woodland Park Zoo Society - Wildkeepers and Rise n' Shine. Jamie joined the Board of the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the Emmy Awards) in 1995. She served four years as Chair of the Emmy Awards Committee, (she remains a member of that committee) before serving two years as Vice President and four years as President of the Northwest Chapter. Jamie currently serves as Secretary on the Executive Board of the National Television Academy in New York.

Jamie lives in Kingston, Washington with her husband, three dogs and two cats.

jjensen@hopeheart.org

Laura is one of The Hope’s newest additions bringing a great background in communications, fitness and the non-profit sector. As Director of Promotions and Corporate Relations she is responsible for acquiring sponsors for several larger events, such as the golf tournaments and the gala. In addition to that, Laura works with The Hope’s partnership with Dream Dinners on a variety of levels.

Prior to joining The Hope, Laura spent three years at Radio Disney as a Promotion Manager and Account Executive. She has also been an Event Coordinator for the City of Hope Cancer Research Center as well as a Promotion Coordinator for 710 KIRO.

Laura is a Walla Walla native. She received her BA in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast News from Washington State University.

Exercise is one of Laura’s many passions. She is an AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor and currently teaches kickboxing at Allstar Fitness in West Seattle. Laura and her husband Bryan love to spend time with their 2 dogs, Rylie and Sawyer. They also enjoy camping, hiking and spending time with friends and family. Another passion is travel… a trip to Africa is in the works.

lsuter@hopeheart.org

Carol Coughlin
Development Associate

Carol Coughlin started as the The Hope Heart Institute receptionist, she quickly moved into her current position working with the Development Department in event planning and managing the donor base. Like the hundreds of other people Carol has talked with at events and health fairs, her life has also been affected by heart disease. Her grandfather, Marvin Snyder, was one of Dr. Sauvage’s first open heart surgery patients in the 1960s.

Before coming to The Hope, Carol worked as a Title 1 Para-Educator with the Highline School District for nine years. She was lucky enough to work at Parkside Elementary where she not only attended school, but her children did as well. Carol has an associate degree in Early Childhood Education from Highline Community College. She has 20 years experience working along side her mother, Jean, in child care.

Also known as “Tiny”, Carol enjoys volunteering time to organizations such as ICARE. She has recently taken two mission trips to Mexico to deliver toys to children and helped in a veterinary clinic. Carol is married and busy raising four teenagers. She and her husband are either at one of their children’s sporting events or on the road in the RV whenever they can slip away.

Her hopes for the future are that The Hope continues to spread the word of Cardiovascular Research and Education and that every child has the opportunity to learn to live a heart healthy lifestyle.

ccoughlin@hopeheart.org

Fianna Dickson
Director of Public Relations

Fianna brings a fantastic communications and public speaking background to The Hope. A native of Spokane, Fianna graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in Public Relations and holds a Master’s Degree in Communication and Classical Rhetoric.

As the Director of Public Relations, Fianna focuses on increasing visibility for the organization through media relations and strategic partnerships. Like most Americans, she knows far too many people who have suffered from heart disease and values the chance to practice PR for such a worthwhile cause.

Aside from her duties at The Hope, Fianna teaches evening classes in the Speech department at Bellevue Community College. Her civic involvement includes chairing the Miss Washington Fashion Show. She’s honored to give back to the Miss America Organization that paid for her entire college education as Miss Washington 2003.

Fianna recently adopted a Corgi/Fox Terrier mix. Thanks to Lucy, Fianna has a new appreciation for long walks, chasing birds, and stopping to smell the flowers. She also enjoys hiking, boating, traveling and anything she can experience with good friends and family. Fianna looks forward to returning to Italy next year, where she lived in 2001…this time with her parents.

fdickson@hopeheart.org

Robin Tanner
Public Relations Associate

Robin Tanner joined The Hope in 2007 after a marriage and relocation to the Northwest. She brings a journalistic background to The Hope, having worked as a producer, writer and reporter at ABC affiliates in Harrisonburg, Virginia (WHSV-TV) and Washington DC (WJLA-TV). Prior to that Robin anchored the nightly KBYU News Digest.

Proficient in Spanish and Portuguese, Robin has put both languages to use in her international travels. She spent a semester in Southern Mexico teaching literacy and served as a volunteer missionary for a year and a half in Brazil. Most recently, Robin fulfilled a life-long dream of going to Africa where she worked in Mozambique with the NGO "Care for Life" helping to rebuild homes and volunteering in orphanages.

Robin graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, Broadcast Journalism emphasis. Although Robin is starting a new life in the Pacific Northwest after five years on the east coast, she admits at heart she is still a displaced Arizonan who craves summer, Mexican food, wearing flip flops in December and her family. She is the oldest of five children. She and her husband Christian recently celebrated his graduation from Seattle U’s Law School.

rtanner@hopeheart.org

Nancy Adams
Vice President of Finance

Nancy Adams has been overseeing finance operations, business planning & analysis and accounting services to The Hope Heart Institute since 2005. She is responsible for financial reporting to the board, government and other legal entities and she manages the daily financial operations of The Hope. Nancy has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.

Prior to The Hope, Nancy spent 12 years working in Corporate Business Planning Finance at the Headquarter Offices of AT&T Wireless Services in Redmond, WA. Her key accomplishments at AT&T Wireless were to manage IT Finance Operations and Business Planning processes for IT Department Budgets exceeding $1B. In 1999, she implemented a system solution and process which by the 2005 saved the company $36M annually. Nancy was a member of many successful teams that saved millions of dollars in tax credits, trained finance employees and successfully completed the acquisition of 19 cellular companies. Nancy was nominated by her internal customers for Circle of Excellence Awards.

In addition to her Finance responsibilities, Nancy participates in Hope fundraising events and in Hope educational programs. Nancy has a personal interest in cardiac arrhythmia research and education. Her son, Jesse died on May 21, 2003, of Sudden Cardiac Arrhythmia at the age of 21. Nancy joined the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Foundation (SADS) in 2004. She was asked to serve as Secretary/Treasurer of the SADS Foundation Board in 2006. Hope management, in support of Nancy’s passion, hopes to add cardiac arrhythmia education to its Teen Take Heart program in 2007.

Nancy is married to Matthew Adams, an attorney in Bellevue, WA. She has a daughter Angela, a son Ian and a stepson Josh. She has 3 grandchildren Mackenzie, Marshall and Kennady.

nadams@hopeheart.org

Julie Folsom
AP/PR/HR/Benefits Manager

Julie Folsom has been helping to keep everything running smoothly at The Hope since 2003 as she supports the employees in our Finance department.

A Seattle native, Julie is a 1976 graduate of Shoreline High School, the “Bicentennial Year”. Julie attended North Park College in Chicago, Illinois where she studied classical music, with an emphasis in voice. She also completed accounting classes at Edmonds Community College and South Central Community College.

Aside from singing, Julie loves to read, watch movies and travel. While cooking isn’t exactly her forte, she has been known to make some of the best cabbage, sweet potatoes and fried rice in town!

Julie and her husband James have been married for 25 years. They have one son and two daughters; Tyler-23, Riley-20, Haley-19. The two youngest still live at home, although they too are getting ready to fly from the nest.

Julie counts it an honor to work with an organization that has such a necessary mission. She enjoys working with such passionate, kindhearted, generous, funny and extremely talented people.

jfolsom@hopeheart.org

Christine Wieland, M.I.T.
Director of Education

Christine Wieland came to The Hope after 13 years of teaching in the Issaquah School District. She received a biology degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota and spent the following year as a chemical technician with a pharmaceutical company.

Chris slightly switched directions after that job and served as a youth minister for her church in Washington for two years. During that time she recognized her passion for working with children. Chris’ first teaching opportunity came in an impoverished town in Mississippi where she taught 5th graders in a volunteer summer school.

She went on to receive her Masters in Teaching from Seattle University. Chris completed her student teaching at Issaquah High School and stayed there for five more years. She taught life science to at-risk students and general biology and physical science. From there she joined the core team in opening Skyline High School. At Skyline, she taught biology, International Baccalaureate biology, physical science and chemistry and served as department head. At the district level, she participated in curriculum adoption and alignment of the science curriculum at all levels.

As Education Director at The Hope, Chris supports education and outreach programs. Her main project involves working closely with her colleagues at the University of Washington on the middle school science curriculum, Youth Take Heart. The Hope, the U and MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) are partners on the National Institute’s of Health SEPA (Science Education Partnership Award) grant that funded the development and implementation of the program. The program trains teachers in the summer and supplies kits of materials during the school year.

Chris is in the early stages of developing a “Teen Take Heart” program. With such a vast science-teaching background, Chris finds her work at The Hope exciting as she explores heart disease and prevention and shares it with students. She is honored to be able to participate in a mission such as Dr. Sauvage’s for the Hope.

Chris and her husband Kurt love traveling, spoiling their two orange tabby cats, Mitty and Mowgli, watching old movies and spending summers hiking and backpacking together. By herself, she is a bookworm.

cwieland@hopeheart.org

Laurie Sween, M.Ed.
Kids Take Heart Program Manager

Laurie Sween joined The Hope Heart Institute in 2004 as an Education Coordinator. In collaboration with an advisory council of certified teachers and organizations such as The Pacific Science Center, Laurie developed the 4-unit Kids Take Heart (KTH) Health & Fitness Curriculum. She piloted the program across 12 school districts from Seattle to Spokane with thousands of 3rd-5th grade students. She also presented KTH to teachers statewide at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s 2006 Summer Institutes and smaller regional conferences such as the Washington Alliance of Physical Education Recreation and Dance.

This July she’ll conduct a Kids Take Heart Summer Teacher Institute providing comprehensive training for local teachers to implement the curriculum in their individual classrooms. Additionally, Laurie helps with Community Outreach and Events whenever possible.

Laurie has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Northwest University and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. She taught 3rd – 5th grades at Discovery Elementary in the Issaquah School District for five consecutive years. During that time, she received a grant from the Freeman Foundation and accompanied 12 other K-12 teachers on a study tour of Japan. Laurie was also awarded a technology grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Laurie enjoys outdoor concerts, exploring new places, board games and spending time with her husband Shawn.

lsween@hopeheart.org

Kristen McHenry
Community Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator

Kristen joined The Hope in 2006 and is thrilled to be bringing heart health awareness and education to the public as the Community Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator. She is especially interested in educating women about the disease, as she has many personal connections to women with heart problems.

Kristen graduated from Evergreen State College in 1994 with a BA in Performing Arts and Filmmaking. While studying dance in college, she became fascinated with the psychology and theory of movement. Kristen studied Laban Movement Theory, and eventually went on to attend the Brenekke School of Massage. Kristen also pursued a two-year Mind-Body therapy certification at the ARC Institute. From there she worked as a mind/body counselor and massage therapist.

In 2001, Kristen joined a fledgling non-profit called the Depression Wellness Network. As Program Director, she developed programs for adults with depression, led support groups and taught workshops. She also implemented a volunteer program which trained clients of the Network to provide peer support to others with depression while actively working on their own healing.

After the organization closed, Kristen moved on to manage Viva Day Spa, a wellness spa on Lower Queen Anne. While there she implemented the Spa’s first free Skin Cancer Screening Program.

In her “spare” time, Kristen writes fiction and poetry, creates fine art for her side business Roaring Rose Designs, and produces and edits the ARC Institute Newsletter. A trip to Ireland is in the works sometime this year. Currently in her car CD deck: Nina Simone, which she sings along to very loudly and badly with the car windows rolled up. She shares an apartment in beautiful downtown Ballard with her husband, two cranky cats, two bouncy fire-bellied toads, and a goldfish.

kmchenry@hopeheart.org

Anne Harrington
Youth Take Heart Communications Coordinator

Anne Harrington grew up as a military dependent, otherwise known as an Army brat, all over the world. Her family made homes in Bolivia, El Salvador, Germany, Panama, South Carolina and Turkey. Despite all of those moves, Anne considers Seattle her hometown since she has lived here longer than anywhere else (a total of 17 years!).

As the Communications Coordinator for Youth Take Heart, Anne has developed strategic communications for the program to best reach middle school students and their families. Through this communication the families are in a better position to develop better skills for adopting a heart healthy lifestyle. Prior to her position with Youth Take Heart, Anne worked with Dr. Margaret Allen and Dr. Tom Wight, now at the Hope Program at the Benaroya Research Institute.

Outside of the Hope, Anne is actively pursuing fine arts. She works in a variety of media, but is currently focusing on pastel. She recently returned from a three month adventure in Southeast Asia and looks forward to many more adventures on this earth.

aharrington@hopeheart.org

Michelle Morris, BS, CCRP
Clinical Research Administrative Specialist

Michelle Morris accepted a part-time position with The Hope in 2005 –13 short months after her 9lb 12oz baby daughter was born.

Michelle was born in a small Kansas town with about as many people as our office building. She even survived an F5 tornado on March 13, 1990 while working at a Pizza Hut, although she doesn't have a dog named Toto but her grandmother's name is Dorothy.

After completing a year at Washburn, a private law school, she moved to Colorado where she graduated cum laude from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Speech Communication; emphasis in disorders and a minor in Psychology.

Michelle moved to Seattle in January of 1998, when even the locals were complaining about all the rain. Although her job was in banking/loan processing, her heart was still with healthcare. By 1999 she was working at Overlake Hospital and soon was supporting the Director of Critical Care, the Cardiac Service Management Team and Physicians.

Staying in the field of cardiology and continuing with her love of paperwork - the regulatory aspect of research couldn't be a more perfect fit for her.

mmorris@hopeheart.org

Liz McKinney, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator

Liz McKinney is an instrumental asset to physicians doing cardiovascular clinical research as she sorts through the mountains of paperwork required to do the studies. She works with a great team in a variety of exciting and challenging pursuits.

Liz wasn’t always in the business of clinical research. She graduated with a Math Sciences Degree from Stanford and her first career was as a software developer in the oil industry. Liz worked for Occidental, Sohio and finally, Shell Oil Company at the Bellaire Research Lab in Houston. All told, Liz spent 15 years in the “oil patch.” After moving to the Northwest, she was a partner with Good Northwest Corporation, developing educational and environmental CD-ROMs.

Liz credits an RN friend for initiating her move into clinical research by nonchalantly asking one day if computers could help with her clinical research business… thus began a love affair with clinical research that continues to this day. Liz likes the unique combination of science, medicine and business that makes clinical research so fascinating and challenging.

Liz recently served as a chaplain intern and earned two units of clinical pastoral education (CPE) at the VA Hospital in Seattle. She has been active in the Kairos Prison Ministry for almost 10 years.

A native of Bakersfield, California, she and her husband have lived on Bainbridge Island since 1992. Liz says if she could have just one luxury a day it would be a helicopter ride to and from work!

lmckinney@hopeheart.org

Kristin Eis, MBA, CCRP
Clinical Research Coordinator

Kristin Eis joined The Hope in 2007 as a research coordinator.

Kristin has nine years experience in electrophysiology and research working at Guidant (now Boston Scientific) with pacemakers, defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization devices.

Kristin grew up in Lewiston, Idaho and attended college at the University of Idaho getting her degree in Chemical Engineering. After college she joined the U.S. Navy and served as an officer for more than four years in Port Hueneme, California working in, of all things, construction. She met her husband, Jeffrey, in Minnesota after taking a job with Guidant. They have two children, Franklin – 3 ½ and Jackson (JJ) – 1 ½. While moving twice, getting married and having two children she obtained her Masters of Business Administration from Portland State University in 2005.

She enjoys (or used to before 2 kids) running and bicycling, gardening, snow skiing and being with her family outdoors.

keis@hopeheart.org

Heather Chewning, BS, CCRC
Clinical Research Coordinator

Heather Chewning joined The Hope in 2006 as a Research Coordinator. Prior to The Hope, she worked at a medical device company in quality assurance as a Documentation Specialist.

Heather left Woodinville, Washington to attend the University of Portland where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Her previous research experience includes Gastroenterology/Hepatology at the University of Washington. Recently, Heather received her Health Care Assistant Category E license. She is now able to give therapeutic agent injections, which helps with her current study.

She enjoys camping, hiking, and snowmobiling. Heather lives with her fiancé, Billy and their two cats, Cody and Ciera. A summer 2008 wedding is in the works!

hchewning@hopeheart.org

Sue Keller
Research Coordinator

Sue Keller joined The Hope in 2007 after a 6 year respite for quality family time raising her active, now teenage son. She brings 20 years of experience in health care starting as a Public Health Nutritionist and moving into the Pharmaceutical industry. Sue spent 15 of those years in Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs. A transfer brought her family to Seattle and Sue joined the Sales division with responsibilities for an area managed care account. Sue received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition from the University of Rhode Island. The field of nutrition remains a lifelong interest of hers. Sue maintains a long-standing and ongoing commitment to volunteerism and is a current member of the Kirkland Park Board. Sue grew up in New Jersey, a state that the singer/songwriter John Gorka likens to ‘Ohio, only more so’. However, she feels at home in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to her work at The Hope, Sue can be found at her house where the light comes in from all four directions with the west being her favorite in winter. She spends her free time on the sidelines of Crossfire games and baseball tournaments. Sue travels as much as time and money allows.

skeller@hopeheart.org

Charlena Amrine
Clinical Research Coordinator

Charlena Amrine has been with The Hope since September of 2007. She has worked as a jack of all trades from receptionist to office manager bringing 15 years of experience in the medical field and 6 years of clinical research experience ranging from patient screening, recruitment, enrollment and complete study follow through. Charlena works closely with the cardiologists and coordinators at Overlake Internal Medicine Associates as a research assistant and is looking forward to conducting her own research studies as a study coordinator in the future.

Charlena grew up in Snohomish and recently moved back to Washington from California. She graduated from the MTI College of Business and Technology in Sacramento, CA. She has also completed training and education in phlebotomy, EKG, and medical transcription.

In addition to her work at The Hope, Charlena is exploring her new Northwest home. She spends her free time hiking, going on long walks, reading, occasionally playing her acoustic guitar, and spending time with family, friends, and her awesome cat named Miya.

camrine@hopeheart.org