Josserand And Gardner To Lead American Heart Association In 2008-09

Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 15 Jul 2008 - 13:00 PDT

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The American Heart Association's new national officers begin their 2008-09 terms on July 1.

David A. Josserand, executive vice president and chief strategic officer of the Dalton Agency in Jacksonville, Fla., is national chairman of the board. Josserand will be responsible for the association's business affairs, public relations and fund raising, and will preside over all Board of Directors and Administrative Cabinet meetings. Josserand has been an American Heart Association volunteer since 1998. He chaired the association's Communications & Marketing Coordinating Committee from 2003 to 2007 and is a board member with the association's Greater Southeast Affiliate.

Timothy J. Gardner, M.D., medical director of the Center for Heart & Vascular Health in Newark, Del., is national president. Gardner, an association volunteer for more than 25 years, will serve as chief volunteer scientific and medical officer, responsible for medical, scientific and public health matters. From 2004 to 2006, Gardner chaired the association's organizing committee for the association's annual Scientific Sessions, which is one of the largest cardiovascular science conferences in the world.

Debra W. Lockwood, executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Provident Group in Baton Rouge, La., will be secretary-treasurer for a second consecutive year. In this role, Lockwood oversees the association's operational functions and revenue-generating opportunities. An association volunteer for more than 10 years, Lockwood is a member of the national Board of Directors and Administrative Cabinet. A certified public accountant, she is a member of the Louisiana Society of CPAs and the American Society of Appraisers in Business Valuations.

Neil M. Meltzer, president of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and senior vice president of LifeBridge Health, also in Baltimore, is chairman-elect. Meltzer began volunteering for the association in 1995 and has been a member of the national Board of Directors and Administrative Cabinet since 2005. He serves on several association committees, including the Advocacy Coordinating Committee, Development Committee and Corporate Operations Committee. He is also a past member of the association's Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Board of Directors.

Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., medical director of the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, is president-elect. An association volunteer for more than 15 years, Yancy has been a member of the national Board of Directors and Administrative Cabinet since 2005. In 2003, Yancy received the association's Physician of the Year Award. He played a key role in developing the association's Web-based patient education tool, Heart Profilers.

About the American Heart Association

Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart diseases and stroke. These diseases, America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases, claim nearly 870,000 lives a year. In fiscal year 2006-07 the association invested more than $554 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit http://www.americanheart.org.

American Heart Association