American Heart Association

DENISE MCGRAW has returned to the American Heart Association (AHA) as a development director. She most recently served as executive director of Girls on the Run Upstate NY, Inc. Before that, McGraw worked at the AHA as a development director for the Syracuse Heart Challenge for five years. In her role as a development director at the AHA, McGraw will be working with the local volunteers and sponsors on the Syracuse Go Red for Women campaign, which focuses on empowering women and raising awareness that heart disease is women’s greatest health threat.

BRITTANY TAYLOR has joined the AHA in a newly created position. She will be the community impact director for Central New York and Northeast Pennsylvania and based in Syracuse. Before joining the AHA, Taylor was a program director at Liberty Resources, a social-services agency in Syracuse. In her new role, Taylor will drive the execution of health-impact goals within the areas she covers by focusing on the local priorities of hypertension and nutrition security, with a focus on diverse communities.

BRIANNA DURKEE has joined the AHA as government-relations director role in Albany. Prior to joining the AHA, Durkee worked at a boutique lobbying firm in Albany for three years as a legislative analyst and lobbyist specializing in energy, health care, and more. In her new role, Durkee will lead the AHA’s efforts to advocate for policies across New York state to create healthier communities. Durkee’s priorities will include expanding maternal-health coverage through Medicaid, securing funding for the Double Up Food Bucks program, and prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes.