The American Heart Association Announces Greater Southeast Board of Directors

Middle Tennessee is home to three members of the newly announced American Heart Association’s Greater Southeast Affiliate (GSA) Board of Directors for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Local directors include: Dr. Kiersten Espaillat, DNP, APN, Stroke Coordinator, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Ms. Dawn Rudolph, Chief Experience Officer, Saint Thomas Health; Mr. Keith Wolken, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SMS Holdings Corporation, respectively.

Mr. Keith G. Wolken has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SMS Holdings Corp. since November 2004. He has served on the board of the American Heart Association since 2005 and is a past Chairman.

“As a longtime supporter of the American Heart Association, I am very pleased and honored to serve on the GSA Board,” states Wolken. “Our company, SMS Holdings, adopted the AHA as our primary charitable focus in 2003. However, it was in 2004 when we lost our friend and founder, William T. Coakley, to a heart attack that our efforts on behalf of the AHA took on a deeper, more personal meaning. The work that the GSA Board does is extremely important. Not only does it support the local affiliate members, but also the national strategy and initiatives of the American Heart Association. This includes important advancements in research and the prevention of stroke and heart attack.”

Dr. Espaillat received her undergraduate and Master’s in Nursing from Vanderbilt University and a Doctorate in Nursing from University of Tennessee Health Science Center. For the past five years, she has worked in research, quality monitoring and education for stroke care.

“I want to thank the American Heart Association for the honor of being able to serve on the GSA board. I am dedicated to the mission of the AHA in the effort to reduce deaths from heart disease and stroke,” states Espaillat.

Rudolph received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Indiana University and her MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. Active in various community organizations, Rudolph served as the 2012 chair for Nashville’s American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement to fight heart disease in women.

“I’m honored to continue my partnership with the American Heart Association.’” said Rudolph. “Through this position, I hope to advocate for the mission to preserve the health of our community, a mission that is close to my heart.”

The Greater Southeast Affiliate serves Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico. Board members will assist the organization in achieving its 2020 impact goal to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent.