Our staff has a strong commitment to serving the many constituents of our organization. But first and foremost, they focus their energies on those who take advantage of our programs and services.

Meet the SH Team; men, women, doctors, nurses, and community leaders of Eagle County Colorado whose mission is to teach, promote and save lives from SCA.  Of course, we wouldn’t be here without the help and support of our families and volunteers who have helped build this organization to where it is today.

Starting Hearts Board of Directors

  • Starting Hearts
    Executive Director
    Chairman of the Board

  • Starting Hearts Instructor

  • Starting Hearts
    Director of Education
    Instructor

  • Starting Hearts
    Director of Business Development

  • Division Chief of EMS at
    Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District in Breckenridge, Colorado.

  • Medical Director
    Emergency Medicine Common Spirit Health, Frisco

  • Dr. Katie Austin-Boulos
    Dr. Katie Austin-Boulos

    Licensed Doctor of Audiology

  • Dr. Katarina Nelson
    Dr. Katarina Nelson

    MD, FACC Cardiologist

Starting Hearts Staff

  • Katelyn Brenstuhl
    Katelyn Brenstuhl

    Director of Operations
    Katelyn is a Florida native, now proud to call Colorado Springs home. She is a devoted mother of two with a deep passion for health, fitness, travel, and photography. With a natural drive to make a difference, she’s leading the establishment of Starting Hearts’ third office, building a skilled team of instructors and field personnel to bring lifesaving education and emergency preparedness to her community.

  • Dave Breitenfeld
    Dave Breitenfeld

    Summit County AED Field Manager

  • Dr. Harris Effron
    Dr. Harris Effron

    American Red Cross Instructor Trainer & Retired Cardiologist
    Harris is a retired Cardiologist where he graduated from Northwestern University Medical School. He completed his Cardiology Fellowship at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and served as the Interventional Cardiologist and Chief of Cardiology at Kaiser Permanente, and Scripps Memorial Hospital San Diego.

  • Brooke Rey
    Brooke Rey

    Eagle County Instructor
    Certified Athletic Trainer
    Sports Physiology Teacher

  • Kate PIttel
    Kate PIttel

    Eagle County Field Manager
    Kate is a proud Colorado native, driven by a deep-rooted love for the outdoors, a commitment to giving back to my community, and a lifelong passion for science and medicine. She began as a Starting Hearts volunteer and also helps with some of our operational responsibilities. Kate applies purpose with passion in everything she does.

Starting Hearts Advisory Board

  • Doe Browning
    Doe Browning

    Philanthropist and Philanthropy Consultant; Board Member, Colorado, Mountain College Foundation, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Bravo! Vail Joined Board March 2015

  • Robert Jacqmin
    Robert Jacqmin

    Former Medical Director, Hewitt’s Health Management Practice Joined Board June 2017

  • Alan Markowitz
    Alan Markowitz

    Chief Cardiac Surgery and Surgical Officer, Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute Joined Board January 2011

  • Morton Mower
    Morton Mower

    Emeritus. Co-Inventor of Implantable Defibrillator Joined Board January 2011

  • Toby Mower
    Toby Mower

    R.N., B.S., M.S. Ph.D., Philanthropist Joined Board January 2011

  • Mary Sperling
    Mary Sperling

    Retired special education teacher, Charitable contributor to MS Can Do, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Project Angel Heart, Minneapolis Uptown Foodshelf. Joined Board March 2015

  • Cathy Tobin
    Cathy Tobin

    PrepMD LLC; Boston Scientific; United States Army Joined Board January 2011

  • Maggie Seldeen
    Maggie Seldeen

    Founder & Director of High Rockies Harm Reduction

Starting Hearts Volunteers

  • Robert Burleson
    Robert Burleson

    Blog Content Writer
    Robert enjoys writing patient-orient content for nonprofit organizations in a volunteer capacity and is also an occasional volunteer writer for NIH Clinical Center News. He is based in Virginia and retirement to him just means keeping the volunteer activity moving forward.

  • Vinita Kulkarni
    Vinita Kulkarni

    Blog Content Writer
    Vinita is a Medical Doctor in India who is passionate about using her hands-on clinical experiences to educate and empower the community. Through Starting Hearts, she hopes to raise awareness about important health topics - especially heart health - that can lead to meaningful, lasting change.

  • Nnenna NWokoye
    Nnenna NWokoye

    Social Media Team
    Nnenna is a Virtual Assistant volunteering for Starting Hearts. She enjoys using her skills to help spread awareness about heart health and saving lives.

Photos often speak louder than words.

Browse our photo gallery to watch our volunteers and constituents in action.