Medtronic VP Named Chair of AHA’s Twin Cities Board

John Mack, VP and general manager of Medtronic’s Cardiac Surgery business, was elected chair of the American Heart Association’s Twin Cities Board, for a two-year term.
 
“We are honored to have John’s expertise and leadership to guide us into the future,” said Holly Messick, executive director of the American Heart Association in Minnesota. “As we set out to announce our 2030 goal, we need strong local partners to help us be nimble to make an impact where we are most needed.”
 
Mack will head up a group of 24 other local healthcare professionals and business and community leaders on the Twin Cities Board. He joins Dr. Jokho Farah, of People’s Center Clinics & Services, who was named president of the local board in 2018, becoming the first woman of color and first Somali-American to hold the position.
 
Together they guide the AHA’s mission and local activities to improve the cardiovascular health of the Twin Cities community—from health legislation to local health initiatives to fundraising activities that expand and improve systems of care, research grants and education programs. 
 
“My goals as chair of the board are to help raise awareness of the overall mission of the AHA, advance research, strengthen local relationships AHA has with government agencies, other organizations and members of the community,” said Mack.
 
At Medtronic, Mack oversees the cardiopulmonary, blood management, cannula, MICS, OpCab, ablation, surgical heart valves and repair businesses. Mack has been with Medtronic for over 24 years and in the Structural Heat/Cardiac Surgery business since 2000. He is a past recipient of both the Wallin Leadership Award and the Medtronic Star of Excellence Award. He sits on numerous boards including MC3 Cardiopulmonary and Camp Odayin. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Minnesota.