President

Nancy Holland

In 2015, Nancy collapsed in a restaurant from sudden cardiac arrest.  Her life was saved thanks to the quick action of a bystander who performed CPR until help arrived with an AED.  She was told her event was a fluke that was unlikely to happen again.  But, Nancy’s story doesn’t end there.  Three years later while on vacation in Tahiti she suffered not one, but two heart attacks.  Nancy was later diagnosed with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection - SCAD.

 

Nancy has turned her life-changing diagnosis into a passion.  Since 2015, Nancy has been a tireless advocate for hands-only CPR and has taught countless individuals this lifesaving skill.  Nancy currently services on many boards and committees - all of which promote heart health in some fashion:

 

- Johnson County HeartSafe Foundation (2016 to present)

- Johnson County Emergency Medical Services Board (2018 to present)

- American Heart Association Ambassador (2016 to present)

- American Heart Association Go Red For Women Executive Leadership Team (2019)

- American Heart Association Kansas Advocacy Committee (2020 to present)

- WomenHeart Champion (2019 to present)

- WomenHeart Advocacy Corps (2020 to present)

 

Nancy also works as a WomenHeart Champion at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City where she meets with other women who have had recent heart-related events to share her story, offer information on heart health and let them know that there are better days ahead.

 

Nancy is a graduate of Louisiana State University and previously worked as a web developer and editor at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation before stopping work to raise her two sons.

Vice President

Joe Stellwagon

Joe has been involved with HeartSafe since 2018 having joined this organization to help improve the public's understanding and response to sudden cardiac arrest.  Joe is a current licensed Kansas Paramedic and retired from Johnson County Med-Act ambulance in 2019 after 27 years. He currently works for Johnson County Community College as an EMS lab instructor and Kansas Instructor Coordinator.  He is a certified instructor for American Heart Association and American Health Safety Institute.  He is a member of the Kansas Emergency Medical Services Association, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, and National Association of EMS Educators.  He has an associate degree in EMS from Johnson County Community College.   Joe's hobby is teaching families first aid topics to better prevent and respond to their own emergencies.  

Secretary

Brad Robbins

Brad, a Captain for the Leawood Police Department, has been a member of the Johnson County Heartsafe Foundation since its inception and has served as the board's secretary since 2020. He has been a CPR/AED/First Aid Instructor since 2000, helped facilitate the introduction of AEDs into Leawood's patrol cars in 2002 and has twice been recognized with the LPD's Lifesaving Award.

As a division commander, Capt. Robbins supervises one of the department's three divisions and is now the agency’s primary Public Information Officer. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas and has also completed the State of Kansas' Certified Public Manager program and the FBI's National Academy police executive program.

Treasurer

Daren Pfeifer

Daren is an EMS Relations Director at HCA Midwest Health where he focuses on building EMS relationships, education, and emergency preparedness. Daren has worked in EMS and healthcare for over 25 years. He was chosen as a recipient of the Star of Life award by the American Ambulance Association in 2000 for his work educating youth about public safety and EMS careers. Daren is a founding member of the Johnson County HeartSafe Foundation and has been on the Board of Directors Since 2016.
Daren is a Kansas and nationally registered paramedic, holds an associate degree in nursing from Hutchinson Community College, bachelor of nursing from the University of Kansas, and master of public administration with a graduate certificate in disaster and emergency management from Park University.
He is a member of Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, and the Kansas Emergency Medical Services Association. He has worked with youth as a baseball coach and a Boy Scout den leader. Daren is also active in MidAmerica Regional Council where he has worked to pass legislation to improve end of life issues.

Member at large

Brad Fowler

Brad is the American Heart Association Training Center Coordinator for AdventHealth Shawnee Mission.  He oversees 10 Training Sites and 592 individual instructors throughout the Johnson, Wyandotte, and Linn Counties in Kansas and train an average of 2,500 people each year.   His training center offer classes for those expecting parents/grandparents, Heartsaver classes for those non-healthcare workers that need CPR/First Aid certification, and BLS, ACLS and PALS classes for those Healthcare workers that need recertification.

Brad is a retired Paramedic of 25 years.  He has been teaching classes for the last 27 years ranging from basic CPR and First Aid, to ACLS for Experience Providers, and everything in between.   

Member at large

Chris Bell

Chris currently works for Consolidated Fire District #2 as a Driver Operator/AEMT for Consolidated Fire District #2. CFD2 serves the cities of NE JoCo such as Mission, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, and Westwood. He has been with the department for 15 years and helps the department by teaching CPR classes to the community.  Chris earned a Bachelors's Degree from Pittsburg State University.

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