The American Heart Association Regional Office in Huntsville, Alabama, has announced that Kaitlynn Roark, Founder & CEO, Libertas Technologies, is this year’s winner of their 2025 Leaders of Impact Campaign.

Roark was the top fundraiser for this year’s campaign. The proceeds from this campaign will directly support lifesaving research, health education, and community initiatives in the Rocket City and across the nation.

This year’s Leaders of Impact campaign ran from September 18 to November 5.

MaryClaire McCarthy, American Heart Association’s development director for Huntsville, shared her organization’s thankfulness for those who led this year’s campaign.

“We are so grateful for the hard work and unwavering dedication of our nine Leaders of Impact,” McCarthy said.

She continued, “Together, this group raised more than $50,000 benefiting the American Heart Association’s 2026 Huntsville Heart Ball, and we could not be prouder of these incredible leaders and everything they have accomplished over the past seven weeks.”

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The 2025 AHA Huntsville Leaders of Impact are:

Emily Burnsides: Real Estate Lead Generator, REMAX Today
Clark Dunn: Founder, Beyond Rockets & Behind the Cubicle
Morgan Gehrdes: Plant Biotechnologist, HudsonAlpha
Migdalia Gomez: Social Media Consultant and Custom Travel Agent, Unlocked Vistas
John Mark McClelland: VP Relationship Manager, Merit Bank
Angela May: Senior Retail Manager, CB&S Bank
Kaitlynn Roark: Founder & CEO, Libertas Technologies
Andrew Smith: Founder & Owner, Huntsville Explorer
David Warren: Operations Manager of Space and Development Operations, Radiance Technologies

For Warren, the mission of the AHA’s Leaders of Impact fundraising initiative hits close to home.

“My personal journey as a young heart attack survivor reminds me every day how critical awareness and timely action are. I hope my story touches hearts, raises awareness, and empowers people to take action—for themselves, their loved ones, and their communities,” he said.

Warren spoke about the honor of participating in the campaign, sharing that he’s “… honored to be part of the American Heart Association’s 2025 Leaders of Impact campaign and to help advance their mission to save and improve lives.”

The winner of this campaign will be celebrated at the 2026 Huntsville Heart Ball. This fundraising event will be held at the Von Braun Center on Saturday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m.

Jada Leo, CEO of the Westmoreland Company, is this year’s Heart Ball chair.

The Huntsville Regional AHA office also holds a yearly Heart Walk to raise funds for the organization’s CPR readiness initiative.

According to the American Heart Association’s website, “9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital die. In most of those cases, bystander CPR was not performed.”

Next year’s walk will take place on Saturday, May 9, 2026. The location is still to be determined.

Anyone interested in participating can sign up to start or join a team. Individuals can also participate without joining a group.

Several Huntsville businesses and individuals have already signed up for next year’s walk. At time of publication, over half of the Heart Walk’s local goal of $555,000 has been raised.

Visit the AHA’s Heart Walk website to register or learn more.