Sara Childre, President and CEO
Ms. Childre learned the value of self-management, organization and service at an early age as the daughter of a Marine Corps general. She earned a degree in psychology at East Carolina University. Her interest in the field of human development led to several long-term research projects with HeartMath® founder Doc Childre, a leading authority on optimizing human performance. Since 1991, Ms. Childre has helped oversee and develop HeartMath seminars, educational products and scientific programs. She was appointed vice president and CFO of the institute in 1992 and president and CEO in 1998.
Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Director of Research
Mr. McCraty, with IHM since its inception in 1991, worked with founder Doc Childre to formulate the organization's research goals and create its Scientific Advisory Board. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Stress, holds memberships with the International Neurocardiology Network, American Autonomic Society, Pavlovian Society and Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback and is an adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate University.
Mr. McCraty and his research team regularly participate in collaborative studies with other U.S. and international scientific, medical and educational institutions; they have worked in partnership with research groups at Stanford University, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Southampton General Hospital in England and the Miami Heart Research Institute, among others. His research has been published in journals that include the American Journal of Cardiology, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Stress Medicine, Biological Psychology and Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science.
Brian Kabaker, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Sales & Marketing
Prior to joining HeartMath, Mr. Kabaker co-founded and ran a successful electronics firm that developed revolutionary technology in the area of electrostatics. His innovative sales and marketing strategies quickly propelled the company into a leadership position in the marketplace. The company's technologies are still in use today by high-tech companies around the world. Mr. Kabaker was named the Institute of HeartMath's director of facilities in 1997 and chief financial officer and director of sales and marketing in 2001. His focus is on increasing revenues and maintaining and growing the HeartMath brand.
Robert A. Rees, Ph.D., Director of Education and Humanities
Before coming to HeartMath, Dr. Robert A. Rees had taught more than 30 university courses in the arts, humanities and social sciences at the undergraduate, graduate and continuing-education levels. He taught and worked in administration for 25 years at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr.
Rees was a 1995-96 Fulbright lecturer in American studies at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania. He was executive secretary of the Articulated Instructional Media Program, funded by the Carnegie Institute, at the University of Wisconsin; assistant dean in the college of fine arts and director of continuing education in the arts and humanities at UCLA; and director of studies for four UCLA programs in Europe, one in France and three in England – the University of Cambridge, Royal College of Art and Royal College of Music. Dr. Rees is the author of numerous scholarly studies in the humanities and is a playwright, filmmaker and published poet. He develops educational applications of the HeartMath system.
Katherine Floriano, Executive Director
When she joined the Institute of HeartMath at its inception in 1991, Ms. Floriano brought with her a background in social work, banking and real estate. As director of facilities, she negotiated the purchase of the nonprofit institute's 160-acre research and education center, obtained permits, planned renovation, oversaw contractors and managed use of the completed facilities. In 1997, she turned to fundraising and board development when she was named IHM executive director, the position she holds today. Perhaps her most important role is as ambassador for IHM's work in education, corporate and political arenas at the local, state and national levels. Her passion for IHM's work and its impact on children has made her a perfect spokesperson in working with corporate and private philanthropists to obtain funding for special project.
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