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, a native of Rhode Island, currently resides in Newport. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Stonehill College and an MBA from Providence College. With a professional background rooted in Human Resources and Compliance, Heather has been employed by RTX Corporation since 2007.
Her dedication and resilience have earned her numerous accolades. In 2014, she received the Spirit of an Active Lifestyle Award from the Orthopedic Association. The following year, she was honored as a Woman to Watch in Social Services by Providence Business News, received the President’s Medal of Excellence from Stonehill College, and was named a Woman of Spirit and Courage by Rhode Island Women in Higher Education. She has also received honorary doctorates in Humane Letters from Framingham State University (2015) and Stonehill College (2019), as well as an honorary Doctorate in Public Service from Providence College (2016). In 2021, she was recognized as a CNN Hero.
Heather has shared her inspiring story through numerous national media outlets, including People and Glamour magazines, CNN, ESPN, and the Today Show, among others. She serves as the Chair of the Board for the Heather Abbott Foundation and travels the country as a motivational speaker, sharing her journey and insights following the Boston Marathon bombing.
Kevin Horst
Chairperson
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.
James O. Banks
Secretariat
James O. Banks is a retired Program Director from Raytheon Company (now RTX), where he dedicated 40 years to managing complex weapons and sensor programs. His work supported key clients including the U.S. Navy, the Department of Homeland Security, the Intelligence Community, NATO, and allied nations.
Mr. Banks holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island. In retirement, he enjoys golfing and spending time with his wife, Lori, in Bradenton, Florida. They have four adult children and five grandchildren, all residing in southern New England.
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.
Laurie Rice
Laurie hails from Los Angeles, California. She completed her Bachelor of Arts at Northwestern University, as a dual major in History and Slavic Languages and Literatures. She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2001, having received her Masters in Hebrew Letters in 1999.
She has been serving as the co-senior Rabbi of Congregation Micah in Nashville, TN since 2006. She has been a runner since the age of 18 and completed 23 marathons. She discovered HAF as an incredible way to run Boston and has been grateful to run 2 (and soon 3) Boston’swith the HAF team. She loves spending time with her husband and co-rabbi, Flip, and their three children. Second to that, she loves to run and help others rediscover the joy of running through the gift of prosthetics.