GotAED
Today, Darren Sudman, announced that he will stepping down from the day to day operations at Simon’s Heart this year. Darren and his wife, Phyllis, co-founded the organization fifteen years ago following the sudden and unexpected death of their son, Simon. Over the last eight years, Darren has served as the Executive Director of Simon’s Heart and he will continue his work into the Fall to ensure a smooth and successful leadership transition.
As a result, Simon’s Heart is commencing a search for its next inspiring leader and the process will be led by board members, Rayna Jones and Ken Fair. The successful candidate will be curious, passionate and inspiring. S/he will be eager to expand on the programs that have been protecting the lives of children, which include youth heart screenings, a national cardiac registry, a crowdfunding site for AED devices, and a hands-only CPR activation.
“It’s time for a change,” said Darren Sudman. “After Simon died, there was no obvious path forward. We decided to lean in and use our tragedy to prevent other families from losing children to detectable and treatable heart conditions. The time is right for me to take a step back, exhale and invite another innovative and passionate leader to protect hearts and save lives. I’m excited to see where this leads, and I look forward to serving on the board and being a co-founder. Simon will always be my son and this will always be my cause.”
“We will miss Darren’s leadership and passion in day-to-day operations, but we are also excited for the Sudman family,” said Eldwin Thay, Board Chair. “They have sacrificed so much and have shared their grief so publicly to build an organization that educates and engages students and parents about sudden cardiac arrest and death. Simon’s Heart is in a really good place and we are excited to welcome a new leader to continue our great work in the community.”
Qualified candidates can find application information here.
To recommend a candidate, please send an email to career@simonsheart.org.
Darren shares more insight into his decision to step back in this brief video.
