Heather Huntsman
Director of Technical and Scientific Support

Heather D. Huntsman is a solutions-focused and resourceful professional equipped with more than 15 years of training and experience in basic, applied, and translational science environments. Throughout her career she has been driven by asking the right questions which has led her to gain extensive experience in reviewing, evaluating, and interpreting findings in a broad range of biomedical disciplines, including stem cell biology, physiology, aging, and women’s health issues across all domains of medicine, and the influences of sex/gender and race/ethnicity on public health trends. She has used her expertise to support biomedical research at the NIH and DoD in various capacities including scientist, communications specialist, and grants manager. She also has a unique background as an athlete and coach which is a mentality that she brings to the workplace every day allowing her to excel in fast-paced team settings, lead through her work ethic and determination, and inspire others to do the same. Heather earned a Masters’ degree in exercise science from George Washington University, and a PhD in muscle physiology from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and prides herself in being a leader that listens and never stops learning.

Deborah Sartin
Director of Project Management Office

Deborah Sartin, Director of the Project Management Office, for Ripple Effect Communications, Inc. brings 15+ Years’ professional experience developing PMOs from inception to service delivery.  She is an accomplished leader managing enterprise technical and business projects for federal, corporate, education and non-profit organizations.  

Created and managed an Office of Business Excellence and several PMO Centers of Excellence to drive organizational maturity in strategic planning, process improvement, quality management, contract management, and project portfolio management  

Ms. Sartin received her M.S. in Management Information Systems from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.  

Ms. Sartin holds CMMI Associate, ISO Certified Auditor, PMP, CSM, SAFe SM, Prosci, ITIL, CIPM, and Balance Scorecard certifications.

Early Work History  

1990s  

Ms. Sartin worked as a federal contractor to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) managing technical support and training.  She also managed technical support and training for Mead Packaging, a global manufacturing company.  In addition, she worked as a Project Manager for an international telecommunication firm, Global One where she launched call centers in the Americas. She has a breadth of experience in all aspects of technology services, shifting organizations from traditional service models to innovative transformational models.  

Recent Work History  

2000-2012  

Ms. Sartin managed projects in the banking industry and worked as a business process improvement analyst for a telecommunications firm.  In these roles she developed metrics to improve IT staff performance as well as processes and procedures for organizational efficiencies. She served as a Technology Support Manager for T-Mobile’s global call center. She delivered the best customer experience via outstanding customer relationship management.  She also worked as an account executive and technical recruiter for Robert Half Technology. Ms. Sartin is frequently requested as a guest speaker and trainer on project management and organizational change management topics.  

Current Work History  

In 2012, Ms. Sartin joined the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) as their inaugural Project Management Office (PMO) Director. From the success of this role, she was promoted to the role of Director, Office of Business Excellence to lead strategic planning, process improvement and project portfolio management. After her tenure at ASHA, Ms. Sartin developed and expanded PMOs at educational institutions including West Virginia University, the University of Pennsylvania, Success Academy Charter Schools in NYC, and the Univ. of TN Health Science Center.  She also provided Project Management consultation services with a global consulting firm where she helped clients establish Agile project management best practices.  

Patrick McCarthy
Director of Strategic Growth

Why is communications so important for a business’s success? 

It’s becoming a lost art. In a world of 280 Twitter characters, everyone has become reactionary. The first story isn’t the whole story—research matters. Be methodical, thoughtful, and evidence-based, and that’s how you succeed.  

What are some of your hobbies? 

Sports. Golf is a passion of mine, and I coach my step-daughter’s hockey team. I enjoy reading books—biographies and historical nonfiction. Traveling is a big, big hobby, and I love exploring new cultures with my family.  

Fun fact about you? 

I soloed in an airplane before I got my driver’s license.  

What are you proudest of? 

I’ve worked hard to surround myself with good, like-minded coworkers, many of whom have become close friends. That we’re willing to spend time together means I’ve earned trust and respect and tried to lead by example, and I’m very proud of that.