Inaugural advisory board kicks off year of service

Goals include fundraising, “friend-raising” and advocacy

From left: Dr. Greg Hundley, Rick Burton, Kathy Pauley Hickok, Dr. Kenneth Ellenbogen, Mitch Haddon, Nancy Belleman, Roger BoevŽ, Dr. George Vetrovec, Charles Reed, Dr. Vigneshwar Kasirajan, Ken Blaisdell, Marshall Orr.

Fulfilling the vision of director Greg Hundley, M.D., the inaugural Pauley Heart Center Advisory Board held its kickoff dinner in November 2019.

“In addition to increasing engagement in our community in the mission of Pauley, I am excited to have a close network of professionals I can call on for advice,” Hundley said of the philanthropists, community leaders and business leaders who comprise the board. “I admire the unique and extremely valuable experience they bring to the table.”

Each of the board’s 12 members is eligible to serve two three-year terms to help Pauley implement objectives in the areas of education, research and clinical care. The board members’ formal duties include making the center a priority in their philanthropic giving, engaging their personal networks for fundraising or educational events, and advocating on behalf of the center to all constituents.

The well-rounded board includes individuals with deep ties to Richmond and who represent a variety of industries.

Roger Boevé, retired executive vice president of Richmond-based Performance Food Group, is the Pauley Heart Center advisory board chair. “I currently serve on several advisory boards and understand the power an advisory board can generate to support a cause,” said Boevé, a member of the Massey Cancer Center advisory board and the MCV Foundation Leadership Council.

Pauley Heart Center’s mission, he said, is critical and compelling.

“Heart failure affects millions and can affect anyone at any time,” Boevé said. “We are fortunate to have available in our area a world-class cardiovascular care center, equal to none. Each year, thousands of patients are treated here, ranging from noninvasive cardiology procedures to heart transplantation. The center has become known worldwide for its groundbreaking work.”

The advisory board will capitalize on Pauley Heart Center’s reputation for excellence through advocacy, “friend-raising” and fundraising.

A deep, personal connection to Pauley’s mission motivated Rick Burton to join the advisory board. His spouse, Mike, was successfully treated at Pauley for a persistent cardiac arrhythmia that confounded physicians in other practices. “A doctor friend sent us to Dr. Ken Ellenbogen at Pauley, who performed an ablation,” he said. “It returned Mike to a normal life in every way. Indeed, it’s certainly fair to say that it gave us his life back.”

Burton, a retired attorney, sees his role on the board as an ambassador for Pauley — both to make the community aware of the extraordinary work and research being done there and to encourage individuals and businesses to financially support Pauley’s mission.

For advisory board member Nancy Rosenthal Belleman, the opportunity to promote and connect Pauley’s services to the community proved irresistible. “As a former board member of the Jenkins Foundation [a grant-making foundation devoted to improving the health of greater Richmond], I’m attuned to underserved and uninsured populations in the city of Richmond,” she said. “The research arm of the Pauley Heart Center will directly impact those most in need.”

With 2020 underway, the advisory board is ready to get to work.

“This is an exciting time at Pauley,” Boevé said.