American Heart Association-NWA announces board chair, president
by December 18, 2020 12:07 pm 1,476 views
Lisa Christianson (left) and Charlotte Rankin.
The American Heart Association’s Northwest Arkansas chapter announced Lisa Christianson as chairman and Charlotte Rankin as president of its 2020-2022 board of directors.
Christianson has been a board member since 2016 and is the head of U.S. category management and the Customer Insight & Innovation Center at Unilever in Rogers. She joined Unilever in 2018 as the director of category management, Walmart/Sam’s Club, after spending 13 years at PepsiCo in sales, strategy and insights functions.
Rankin is the chief administrative and chief nursing officer at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers. She was recruited to Mercy nearly 20 years ago to lead the collaboration and advancement of the hospital’s cardiovascular program and continues to advocate for patient care, wellness and excellence in health-care service.
Rankin was called to nursing after her father died of a heart attack. This is her second stint on the board, having served since 2016.
“These two experienced leaders epitomize our mission of being relentless in our quest for healthier lives for all,” said AHA-NWA Executive Director Serena Munns. “They’re both hands-on volunteers who want to make a difference in the health of Northwest Arkansas.”
The priority of the board of directors is to build resource capacity and improve the health of Northwest Arkansas through education and community support, according to a news release. Christianson and Rankin will further lead the board, staff and volunteers in a renewed effort to eliminate tobacco use and vaping, increasing food security and reducing high blood pressure through clinics and community relationships.
The NWA board of directors is rated by the AHA as a “Gold Standard Board.” The board’s primary makeup comes from those in the medical profession, C-suite corporate leaders and community leaders. Each member must participate in at least one fundraising and one health-related activity.
In addition, the board reflects the community profile for both racial and ethnic diversity. The group also includes at least one heart or stroke survivor. Members lead initiatives that focus on the local mission, which is to address the region’s rising obesity problem.
Other NWA board members are:
- Immediate Past Chairman, Chuck Fehlig, Fehlig & Associates
- Immediate Past President, Dr. Richard Kyle, Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks
- Debbie Alsup, PPI Beauty
- Buster Arnwine, Reckitt Benckiser Group
- Charles Cole, Washington Regional Medical Center
- Ashu Dhanjal, Northwest Health
- Sheila Gamble, Sanofi
- Joe Grady, The Retail Firm
- Sherene Jagla, Newell Brands
- Tony Loyd, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.
- Kevin Macero, GlaxoSmithKline
- Diana Marshall, Walmart
- Tom McDonald, Bayer Healthcare
- Ed Morgan, The Emerson Group
- Scott Rouse, Tyson Foods Inc.
- Jim Daniels, Reckitt Benckiser Group