Board of Directors

Maura Flynn Galganski, RN, Secretary

Maura has recently retired from Children’s Wisconsin, ending a career of over 43 years. She has worked in the NICU and in the Herma Heart Institute. Most recently, she was the fetal cardiac program coordinator.

Maura attended the Minnesota Residential Camp for several years and currently is the Nursing Director for Camp Odayin’s Wisconsin Residential Camp. She is also involved in planning the Flannels & Friends fundraiser.

In her retirement, Maura hopes to travel more and also enjoys yoga, water classes and sewing.

Micaela Griffin, Treasurer

As a former camper, Micaela has experienced first-hand how Camp Odayin helps children with heart disease develop independence, confidence, and acceptance. She volunteers as a counselor for summer and winter camp and served on the Camp Odayin Alumni Committee during 2020. Micaela holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Winona State University and currently works for the State of Minnesota Department of Commerce. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, drawing, reading, and spending time with her husband Micah (who is also an amazing volunteer and former camper). Micaela attributes much of who she is today to Camp Odayin and is excited to give back to our heart family in her new role.

Jaymie Gruis

Jaymie has a passion for the healthcare and medical device industries. He is currently the Senior Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI) where he has served in various roles over the past 10 years. Prior to CSI Jaymie spend 12 years at Medtronic working primarily in Corporate Finance and the Neuromodulation division. He first learned of Camp Odayin while working at CSI and playing in the Whole Heart Golf Tournament, and he was touched by the inspirational stories of the campers and their families. Jaymie is a graduate of Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, IA, and he is currently enrolled in the Executive MBA program at the University of St. Thomas, Opus School of Management. Jaymie lives in the Twin Cities with his wife, son, and twin daughters. When not at work, school, or his daughter’s volleyball matches, Jayme enjoys exercising, golfing, and traveling.

Vicky Hidalgo, Vice Chair

Vicky is the head of early in career talent at Nordstrom. She and her team provide strategic guidance to all business units, serving as a trusted consultant to diversify the talent pipeline through early talent acquisition and development programs. Vicky is a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion who believes in the importance of promoting self-reflection, active learning, and actionable commitments to create positive change. She has been involved with Camp Odayin since 2008 and has enjoyed every minute of it from lifeguarding during waterfront and dressing up in costumes for evening activities to emceeing fundraisers and contributing insights as a board member. Vicky holds a bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, and a master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her wife, Abby, and playing peek-a-boo with her twin toddlers, Rio and Remy.

Tom Hipkins

Tom is an attorney at Fredrikson & Byron in Minneapolis. He has been at Fredrikson since 2005 and is a shareholder and Chair of the Patents group. Tom also serves on Fredrikson’s Attorney Development and Retention Committee. Tom has been a faithful supporter of Camp Odayin for several years and has attended the Have a Heart Benefit, Whole Heart golf tournament, and Heart & Sole fun run. Fredrikson has also been a cheerful contributor to Camp Odayin. Tom has experience serving non-profits in a leadership capacity. He is currently an elder at Emmaus Church, White Bear Lake. He has also served on the board of Liberty Classical Academy and Twin Cities Christian Legal Aid and is involved in an organization called e5 that serves in the Little Earth Housing Community. Tom and Eve live in White Bear Lake and have five children.

Fred is a native of Ames, Iowa and is affectionately known as “The Mayor”. He is an Iowa State Cyclone basketball legend, a 10-year NBA veteran and former executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves and former head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Fred is currently the head coach for the University of Nebraska men’s basketball program. His professional playing career ended abruptly at the age of 33 after undergoing open-heart surgery to repair an aneurysm in his aortic root. Since then, Fred (and his special heart) has become a member of the Camp Odayin family with frequent visits to camp to shoot hoops with our campers. He is proud to be a part of an organization that provides life changing experiences for kids with heart disease.

Dr. Jonathan Johnson

Dr. Johnson is a pediatric cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, where he is the Chair of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and the Medical Director of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Program. Jon is a native of Wisconsin, receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin before heading to Detroit, Michigan for medical school. He came to Mayo for his pediatric residency in 2005 and never left, finishing his pediatric cardiology training there and joining the staff in 2011. He volunteered at Camp Odayin as a pediatric cardiology fellow, is thrilled to have been able to return as an attending doc, and is now ecstatic to be joining the Board of Directors. In his free time, Jon enjoys traveling, writing, and spending time with his wife Alissa and two wonderful kids.

Dr. Brian Joy

Brian is the medical director of the CVICU at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital where he works as both a pediatric intensivist and pediatric cardiologist. Brian received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota. After completing his residency at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, he completed his fellowship training at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in both pediatric cardiology and pediatric critical care medicine.  He took his first job at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH before coming back here in 2016 to the University of Minnesota.  In his free time, Brian enjoys spending time and traveling with his wife and three boys.  Brian has volunteered at Camp Odayin as a camp doc for multiple years and is excited to be joining the Board of Directors.

John Mack

In January 2023, John retired from Medtronic after 26 years where he served as the President of Medtronic Cardiac Surgery. John has a proven record of visionary leadership, transformational change, and business turnarounds.  John is a selfless, high-integrity leader who leads from the front. His passion for creating wealth, developing people, consistently delivering top growth results, and building a strong culture of accountability is palpable from the moment you meet him. 

John is also a current and past board member, as well as a Board Observer of several organizations.  John lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area with his wife of over 30 years. John has 2 adult children. In his personal time, John enjoys travel, exercise, and golf. 

Sara Meslow

Sara is the Executive Director and founder of Camp Odayin, a lifelong camper, and a heart patient herself. She has worked and volunteered at many camps and holds undergraduate degrees in Social Work & Communication from Concordia College, Moorhead MN, and a graduate degree in Youth Development Leadership from the University of Minnesota. Sara is very familiar with the cardiac care world. She has had a catheter ablation to correct her supraventricular tachycardia, and had an Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) as a result of ventricular tachycardia. She believes in the positive impact summer camp can have on everyone, especially children with special heath concerns.

Leah Saarela, Chair

Leah is the HR Shared Services Director of Global Compensation at Medtronic.  Leah has been at Medtronic for over 16 years and has held a number of positions at both the business level, supporting Cardiac Rhythm Management, and the corporate level.  She graduated from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management with a Corporate Finance degree and has an MBA from Capella University. She is also the mother to an amazing daughter who is a Camp Odayin camper. She is honored to serve on the board of Camp Odayin to be part of an organization that provides campers and families care and support along their journey with heart disease.

Dr. Andy Schneider

Andy Schneider, MD is a native of Minneapolis and loves all things Minnesota.  He earned his medical degree at Loyola University of Chicago, completed his training in pediatrics and cardiology at Mayo Clinic, followed by advanced training in pediatric heart rhythm disorders at Texas Children’s Hospital.  He was fortunate to land a job in his hometown at The Children’s Heart Clinic, affiliated with Minneapolis Children’s Hospital, serving children with complex congenital heart disease and heart rhythm disorders.  Andy was first introduced to Camp Odayin during pediatric cardiology fellowship, having served as a physician volunteer during residential summer camps and family camp.  He and his family were able to see firsthand the powerful impact Camp Odayin has on the mental and physical well-being of children with various forms of heart disease.  The impact that Camp Odayin has on Andy’s patients cannot be overstated, and Andy is proud to have the opportunity to serve Camp Odayin in this advanced capacity.

Erik Schuck

Erik is Executive Vice President at Dem-Con Companies.  In his role he is responsible for the operational execution and P&L’s of the Company’s Business Units.  He also plays a critical role in the Company’s strategy development, acquisition analysis and integration and new business development.  Over the past 18 years he has also held executive roles in diverse settings from nimble startups to Fortune 500 companies.  He graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Wisconsin Madison.  Erik’s daughter is an enthusiastic Camp Odayin camper and he is excited and honored to be a part of such a great organization. Erik and his wife live in Lakeville with their 2 kids and are avid traveling campers.

Michael Stuart

Michael is a Senior Institutional Advisor with First Midwest Bank in Chicago where he provides fiduciary and investment management solutions to institutional investors in the Midwest including privately owned middle market companies, non-profit organizations and public pension funds.  Michael earned an M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his wife and two sons, volunteering, and playing golf.

Dr. Shweta Stuart

Shweta is a parent to a heart warrior and a general pediatrician.  Shortly after their son’s second open heart surgery, Shweta and her husband Michael, became actively involved with The Children’s Heart Foundation.  With the CHF, she has successfully co-chaired black-tie galas and heart walks, and been involved with several other events to raise awareness around congenital heart defects.  In the pre-COVID era, she was also an active volunteer at her kids’ school.  Shweta received her medical degree at the University of Illinois in Chicago and completed her residency training at Rush University.  After that, she worked in a private pediatric practice for 5 years, before transitioning roles to become a Pediatric Hospitalist.  Shweta often jokes that this role has given her the opportunity to be both a full time mom and a full time pediatrician!  She resides in Chicago with her husband Michael and their two sons, Noah and Caden.  In her free time, Shweta enjoys exercising, baking, traveling, and watching sports.

Tanya Sullivan

Tanya is the Director of Finance for Boston Scientific’s Cardiac Rhythm Management and Diagnostics Division.  Tanya has been with BSC for over 15 years holding various roles in Finance supporting strategic planning, investment valuations, acquisitions, & manufacturing, and a few years within R&D supporting portfolio and project management.  She has been an active member of the Women’s Network for over 10 years between the MN global and more recently at the Global level.  She currently is the Co-Lead for the Global Women’s Network employee resource group.   Tanya has a BS in Accounting from MN State University, Mankato and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management.   She lives with her husband and 10 year old boy/girl twins.  She enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors in the summer gardening & biking, and playing volleyball and golf. Tanya is a current supporter and participator within the Epilepsy Foundation of MN, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Alador Yemaneab

Alador is a Senior Solution Consultant at software company ServiceNow but has an extensive clinical history working for a local healthcare organization for over 17 years as a Pharmacy Technician and then moving into the IT world as a Senior Epic Analyst. He has been volunteering at summer, winter, family, and day camp for over 16 years. Most recently he has become an active member on the events committee helping plan Happy Hearts Happy Hour.  He is always able to connect with campers of all ages, being a kid at heart himself and able to create lifelong family connections.  Everyone often remembers him for his outgoing, fun-loving spirit or one of his crazy costumes.