Our dedicated Board of Directors provides their talent, time and expertise to ensure that the Heather Abbott Foundation has the right tools, strategies and vision to fulfill our goals.
HEATHER ABBOTT, Founder & CEO
Heather Abbott is a RI native and currently a Newport, Rhode Island resident. She has a B.S. in Accounting from Stonehill College and an MBA from Providence College. Heather has spent most of her career in Human Resources Management and remains a part-time employee with Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.
Heather has been recognized by the Orthopedic Association in 2014 with their Spirit of an Active Lifestyle Award, was named Providence Business News’ 2015 Woman to Watch in the area of social services, received the President’s Medal of Excellence in 2015 from Stonehill College and was given an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters in 2015 from Framingham State University as well as an honorary Doctorate in Public Service in 2016 from Providence College.
Additionally, Heather has been interviewed in many national media publications and broadcasts including People Magazine, Glamour Magazine, CNN, ESPN, the Today Show, and a variety of others. Heather leads the Board of the Heather Abbott Foundation in addition to speaking to audiences across the country about her experiences since the Boston Marathon bombing.
CYNTHIA LIMA, Chairman
Cynthia Lima is President of C-Suite Communications LLC. She is also a Senior Partner at SP Consulting, a nationally recognized public affairs and public relations firm. Cynthia is a leading communications strategist, executive coach, and media/public speaking trainer. As Chairman of the HAF Board of Directors, Cynthia is most interested in helping The Heather Abbott Foundation establish corporate partnerships and mutually-supportive relationships with other non-profit organizations and agencies.
JAMES BANKS, Secretariat
James O. Banks is a Sr. Program Manager at Raytheon Company where he has been employed for 32 years. Jim specializes in the management of large programs focused primarily on U.S. Navy, Homeland Security, Intelligence Community and NATO efforts. Jim holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island. Jim resides with his wife Lori in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. They have four adult children – two sons and two daughters.
KEVIN HORST, Director
After nearly 30 fulfilling years with Costco Wholesale, Kevin Horst retired to check some things off his wish-list. One of the first things was running the Boston Marathon in 2017 to benefit The Heather Abbott Foundation and others helping to improve life for people living with physical challenges. Over the years he has enjoyed working with community, religious and business organizations that make the world a better place. He considers it an honor to be directly working with Heather and her board to further her mission. Hailing from Tacoma, Washington he has lived in Boston for two decades and is a confirmed New Englander. He lives in Boston with his husband Mike.
MALINA JACOBOWITZ, Vice President
An award-winning marketer, Malina Jacobowitz has long experience in design, branding and campaign management, as well as a background in web development, usability and project management. Malina Jacobowitz currently serves as the Senior Director of Marketing at APIC, the leading professional association for infection preventionists (IPs) and epidemiologists. Malina studied Anthropology at The Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA), and the George Mason University (Fairfax, Va), and resides in Northern Virginia with her two children.