More Ways to Give

Contact: JHicks@mhif.org

Jesse Hicks serves as the Vice President of Advancement for the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. He provides leadership to our Development Team and has the honor of connecting the generosity of the community to support our vision of creating a world without heart and vascular disease.

Prior to joining MHIF, Jesse served as the Senior Director of Development and Interim President for the Hennepin Healthcare Foundation at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) in Minneapolis, a position he held since January 2015. While there, Jesse and his team secured more than $25 million annually to support the mission of HCMC and support their patients, programs, and physicians.

With a passion for philanthropy, Jesse enjoys his role in establishing a culture of generosity and making transformational change for an organization!

Jesse is a graduate of Saint John’s University with a major in psychology. He lives in Mankato with his wife and three children.

Contact: LVarco@mhif.org

Lynn serves as Director of Development leading a philanthropy team focused on major and planned gifts, annual giving and prospect research. He is dedicated to connecting benefactors to Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s life-saving mission to support world-class cardiovascular research and education.

As an advocate, he works to build donor relationships, secure philanthropic investment and engage contributors with MHIF’s pioneering advances in patient care that unlock new discoveries and create breakthrough therapies. Lynn has worked in philanthropy for over 20 years holding leadership roles in human service and healthcare nonprofits.

Lynn earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Chicago, holds an MA in Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas and was a Policy Fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Contact: NMeyerwilson@mhif.org

Nancy Meyer Wilson serves as the Senior Leadership Giving Director at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. During her 11 years with the organization, she led the development of MHIF’s major gift program and now focuses on working with leadership donors.

Nancy brings a very personal commitment to this work having lost a sister to sudden cardiac arrest due to an arrhythmia at the age of 40. Also, one of her nephews had aortic valve replacement as a child. “It is a privilege to work with the physicians and teams at MHIF and most importantly the philanthropic leaders and community who make their work possible.” she said.

Nancy earned her master’s in organizational leadership from St. Catherine University and her BA from the University of Minnesota. She has two adult children, both getting married in 2026!

Contact: JGottlieb@mhif.org

Jessica Gottlieb serves as a Major Gifts Officer at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, where she supports philanthropic partnerships that fuel innovative cardiovascular research and education to improve patient care in Minnesota and beyond. With more than 8 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and operations, Jess is passionate about connecting generous supporters with opportunities to advance lifesaving heart and vascular innovation.

Prior to MHIF, Jess was a gift officer at the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and completed her certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. She earned her Masters of Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, with a certificate from the Medical Industry Leadership Institute. She majored in Biology and Jewish Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, and worked in pharmaceutical sales at Eli Lilly, and Company for 13 years before making the career jump to the non-profit sector. 

Jess lives in the western suburbs with her two kids, Jack and Sarah and her husband Brent.

Contact: KConzemius@mhif.org

Kiirsten Conzemius serves as a Annual Giving Officer at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, where she engages our community with opportunities to support innovative cardiovascular research and education to improve patient care in Minnesota and beyond. With more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and operations, Kiirsten is passionate about crafting meaningful messaging, building engaging events and deepening connections with our generous donor community. 

Prior to MHIF, Kiirsten was Director of Annual Giving at the Blake School and a Development Officer at Children's Minnesota. She earned her degree in Political Science at Hamline University. Kiirsten lives in the western suburbs with her family and is actively involved in volunteering at her kids' school. 

Contact: MForster@mhif.org

Maggie works as the Donor Relations and Stewardship Coordinator for the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. In this role, she helps ensure donors feel appreciated and informed, thoughtfully connecting their generosity to meaningful progress toward creating a world without heart and vascular disease.

She provides essential advancement operational support, ensuring that acknowledgments, reporting, and fundraising processes are accurate, timely, and aligned with MHIF’s mission.

She brings 15 years of donor relations and nonprofit experience, having served in roles at Gustavus Adolphus College and the Minneapolis Jewish Federation before joining MHIF in 2020. Maggie holds a BA in communication studies from Gustavus Adolphus College and an MS in speech communication from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She lives in Jordan with her husband and three daughters.

Contact: HDayton@mhif.org

Heather Dayton serves as the Development Support Specialist for the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, bringing more than 15 years of experience advancing philanthropy and operational excellence in mission-driven organizations. 

Heather is passionate about empowering fundraising teams, coordinating meaningful grant efforts, and strengthening operations in ways that keep the donor experience at the heart of every interaction. She loves to connect with donors, partners, and key stakeholders so they feel inspired, informed, and truly appreciated at every stage of their philanthropic journey.

Prior to joining MHIF, Heather served as the Director of Wellbeing at the YMCA of the North, advancing their mission beginning in 2011, and now lends her time to the Community Board and Mission Advancement Committee for Camp St. Croix. She also serves as a Judicial Board Member and Development Committee member for Compassionate Action for Animals.

A lifelong Minnesotan, Heather enjoys spending time with her adult children and grandchild, diving into DIY projects, and caring for her three rescued pit bulls and her horse.

Contact: IZaia@mhif.org

Isabel Zaia serves as the Prospect Research Analyst for the development team, where she focuses on identifying community members whose interests align with MHIF's work, and supporting a thoughtful, robust fundraising pipeline. Her work blends data analysis, research, and storytelling, equipping her team with insights that help foster meaningful, long‑term relationships with community supporters.

Before joining MHIF, Isabel worked for Partners In Health Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC) as an infectious disease Contact Tracer and Case Investigator. In this role, she collaborated with local health departments to provide education, documentation, and monitoring related to the spread of COVID-19. She earned her BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2020. 

Outside of work, Isabel enjoys pursuing her artistic projects, cycling the Grand Rounds, and spending time with her pets.