Skip to main content
  • Heart Attack and Stroke Symptoms
  • Volunteer
  • Learn CPR
  • ShopHeart
    • Healthy Living
    • Healthy Eating
      • Add Color
      • Cooking Skills
      • Eat Smart
      • Heart-Check Foods
      • Losing Weight
      • Recipes
    • Healthy Lifestyle
      • Healthy Habits
      • Life's Essential 8™
      • Mental Health and Well-being
      • Quit Smoking/Tobacco/Vaping
      • Sleep
      • Stress Management
    • Fitness
      • Fitness Basics
      • Getting Active
      • Staying Motivated
      • Walking
    • Pets and Your Health
      • Best Friend Fridays
      • Horses Have Heart
    • Company Collaboration
      • Food System Strategy
      • Heart-Check Certification
      • Well-being Works Better™
    • Health Topics
      • Aortic Aneurysm
      • Arrhythmia
      • Atrial Fibrillation
      • Cardiac Arrest
      • Cardiac Rehab
      • Cardiomyopathy
      • Cholesterol
      • Congenital Heart Defects
      • Diabetes
      • Flu Prevention
      • Heart Attack
      • Heart Failure
      • Heart Murmurs
      • Heart Valve Disease
      • High Blood Pressure
      • Infective Endocarditis
      • Kawasaki Disease
      • Metabolic Syndrome
      • Myocarditis
      • Pericarditis
      • Peripheral Artery Disease
      • Sleep Disorders
      • Stroke
      • Venous Thromboembolism
    • Caregiver Support
    • Consumer Health Care
    • Support Network
    • Professional Resources
    • Professional Heart Daily
      • Communities
      • Education
      • Guidelines & Statements
      • Journals
      • Meetings
      • Professional Membership
      • Research
      • Science News
    • Quality Improvement
      • Get With The Guidelines®
      • Healthcare Certification
      • Hemorrhagic Stroke Initiative
      • International Quality Care
      • Mission: Lifeline®
      • Mitral Valve Reference Center Award
      • Outpatient Quality Improvement
      • Research and Publications
      • Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator
      • Target: Aortic Stenosis™
      • Target: Heart Failure℠
      • Target: Stroke℠
    • Educators
      • Kids Health Initiatives
      • NFL PLAY 60
      • School Programs
      • Teaching Gardens
    • Data Science
    • Health Care by Food™
    • Million Hearts Collaboration®
    • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Heart Club
      • Corporate Volunteer Opportunities
    • Find an Event Near You
      • CycleNation
      • Heart Walk
    • Advocate
      • Federal Priorities
      • Media Advocacy
      • Policy Research
      • State Issues
      • Heart Powered
    • In Your Community
    • For Companies
    • Go Red for Women
      • Research Goes Red
    • Ways to Give
      • American Heart Challenge
      • Cor Vitae Society
      • Create a Tribute Page
      • Donor Advised Fund
      • Fundraising Events
      • Gifts of Stock and Mutual Funds
      • Heritage Brick Walk
      • Honor a Loved One
      • Kids Heart Challenge
      • Make a Crypto Gift
      • Make a Memorial Gift
      • Monthly Giving As Seen On TV
      • Paul Dudley White Legacy Circle
      • Raise Your Way
      • Retail Supporters
      • Social Impact Funds
      • Wills and Trusts
    • Donate Once
    • Donate Monthly
    • About Us
      • 2028 Impact Goal
      • AHA Family of Entities
      • AHA Financial Information
      • CEO Roundtable
      • Our First Century
      • Our Lifesaving History
      • Our Impact
      • Scientific Research
      • Health System Transformation
    • Heart & Stroke News
      • Content Editorial Guidelines
      • Noticias en español
    • International Programs
      • CPR Lifesavers in India
      • International Gold Standard Confidence
    • Bernard J. Tyson Office of Health
      • Advancing Health for Everyone
      • EmPOWERED to Serve
      • Well-Being Works Better
    • Policy Research
      • Advocacy Fact Sheets
      • Policy Positions
    • AHA Ventures
    • Annual Report
    • Career Opportunities
    • Contact Us
    • Media Newsroom
    • Podcast Network
    • CPR and First Aid
    • Course Card Information
    • CPR Purchase Options
    • Find A Course
    • Find A Training Center
  • or
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Tik Tok
    • X formerly known as Twitter
    • YouTube
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
American Heart Association heart and torch logo
American Heart Association
  • Donate Once
  • Donate Monthly
  • donateDonate
  • Trending Search

    • find my cpr card
    • bls
    • ecard
    • acls
    • find my acls card
  • Healthy Living
    • Healthy Eating
      • Add Color
      • Cooking Skills
      • Eat Smart
      • Heart-Check Foods
      • Losing Weight
      • Recipes
    • Healthy Lifestyle
      • Healthy Habits
      • Life's Essential 8™
      • Mental Health and Well-being
      • Quit Smoking/Tobacco/Vaping
      • Sleep
      • Stress Management
    • Fitness
      • Fitness Basics
      • Getting Active
      • Staying Motivated
      • Walking
    • Pets and Your Health
      • Best Friend Fridays
      • Horses Have Heart
    • Company Collaboration
      • Food System Strategy
      • Heart-Check Certification
      • Well-being Works Better™
  • Health Topics
      • Aortic Aneurysm
      • Arrhythmia
      • Atrial Fibrillation
      • Cardiac Arrest
      • Cardiac Rehab
      • Cardiomyopathy
      • Cholesterol
      • Congenital Heart Defects
      • Diabetes
      • Flu Prevention
      • Heart Attack
      • Heart Failure
      • Heart Murmurs
      • Heart Valve Disease
      • High Blood Pressure
      • Infective Endocarditis
      • Kawasaki Disease
      • Metabolic Syndrome
      • Myocarditis
      • Pericarditis
      • Peripheral Artery Disease
      • Sleep Disorders
      • Stroke
      • Venous Thromboembolism
      • Caregiver Support
      • Consumer Health Care
      • Support Network
  • Professional Resources
    • Professional Heart Daily
      • Communities
      • Education
      • Guidelines & Statements
      • Journals
      • Meetings
      • Professional Membership
      • Research
      • Science News
    • Quality Improvement
      • Get With The Guidelines®
      • Healthcare Certification
      • Hemorrhagic Stroke Initiative
      • International Quality Care
      • Mission: Lifeline®
      • Mitral Valve Reference Center Award
      • Outpatient Quality Improvement
      • Research and Publications
      • Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator
      • Target: Aortic Stenosis™
      • Target: Heart Failure℠
      • Target: Stroke℠
    • Educators
      • Kids Health Initiatives
      • NFL PLAY 60
      • School Programs
      • Teaching Gardens
      • Data Science
      • Health Care by Food™
      • Million Hearts Collaboration®
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Heart Club
      • Corporate Volunteer Opportunities
    • Find an Event Near You
      • CycleNation
      • Heart Walk
    • Advocate
      • Federal Priorities
      • Media Advocacy
      • Policy Research
      • State Issues
      • Heart Powered
      • For Companies
    • Go Red for Women
      • Research Goes Red
      • In Your Community
  • Ways to Give
      • American Heart Challenge
      • Cor Vitae Society
      • Create a Tribute Page
      • Donor Advised Fund
      • Fundraising Events
      • Gifts of Stock and Mutual Funds
      • Heritage Brick Walk
      • Honor a Loved One
      • Kids Heart Challenge
      • Make a Crypto Gift
      • Make a Memorial Gift
      • Monthly Giving As Seen On TV
      • Paul Dudley White Legacy Circle
      • Raise Your Way
      • Retail Supporters
      • Social Impact Funds
      • Wills and Trusts
      • Donate Once
      • Donate Monthly
    • About Us
      • 2028 Impact Goal
      • AHA Family of Entities
      • AHA Financial Information
      • CEO Roundtable
      • Our First Century
      • Our Lifesaving History
      • Our Impact
      • Scientific Research
      • Health System Transformation
    • Heart & Stroke News
      • Content Editorial Guidelines
      • Noticias en español
    • Bernard J. Tyson Office of Health
      • Advancing Health for Everyone
      • EmPOWERED to Serve
      • Well-Being Works Better
    • Policy Research
      • Advocacy Fact Sheets
      • Policy Positions
    • International Programs
      • CPR Lifesavers in India
      • International Gold Standard Confidence
      • Annual Report
      • AHA Ventures
      • Career Opportunities
      • Contact Us
      • Media Newsroom
      • Podcast Network
  • CPR and First Aid
      • Course Card Information
      • CPR Purchase Options
      • Find A Course
      • Find A Training Center
  • or
  • Heart Attack and Stroke Symptoms
  • Learn CPR
  • Volunteer
  • ShopHeart
  1. Home
  2. Around the AHA
  3. Two leaders honored for empowering volunteers

Two leaders honored for empowering volunteers

Susan Croushore (left) and Martha Stark are recipients of this year’s Morgan Stark Memorial Award, recognizing their extraordinary leadership developing AHA volunteer strategies. (Photos courtesy of Susan Croushore, Martha Stark)
Susan Croushore (left) and Martha Stark are recipients of this year’s Morgan Stark Memorial Award, recognizing their extraordinary leadership in shaping greater engagement with the Association’s new and existing volunteers and encouraging diversity. (Photos courtesy of Susan Croushore, Martha Stark)

Susan Croushore was a successful health system CEO. Martha Stark was a hard-working bank executive. Both also had a passion for volunteering when different circumstances led them to the American Heart Association decades ago.

Since then, the two have spent a combined 50 years in multiple AHA leadership roles and worked with and trained many volunteers in Cincinnati, Ohio, Philadelphia and Long Island, N.Y. They each have chaired local cause campaigns and are credited with creating national AHA initiatives that have strengthened the bonds between volunteers and staff.

For their extraordinary leadership in shaping greater engagement with the Association’s new and existing volunteers and encouraging diversity, Croushore and Stark are recipients of this year's Morgan Stark Memorial Award, which will be presented during a virtual event on June 22. The award is named for a highly respected philanthropist and financier and, though Martha shares his last name, they are not related.

"It's incredible to be getting an award with his name on it," Stark said. "Being recognized is an honor and a privilege, and standing alongside Susan for this award makes it truly special."

Croushore and Stark's partnership helped pave the way for innovative strategies to engage volunteers. In 2012, the two were asked to join the AHA's National Volunteer Oversight Group. At one point, they served as co-chairpersons and continued to collaborate on projects over the years.

They also led the Gold Standard Board program, which established best practices and recognition of boards of directors across the country. The Gold Standard Board program is a mainstay of the AHA's operations and serves to strengthen and sustain volunteer engagement.

"We realized early on that to try to paint every board or every volunteer with the same brush would be a great mistake," Stark said. "Instead, we learned the importance of having one-on-one conversations with the board to find out what's important to them and what matters to their communities."

This focus on community, they found, created a sense of pride in the volunteers.

"These changes gave local boards a feeling of purpose because they were keeping the funds in their community and directly benefiting their local areas all while aligning with the AHA's objectives," Croushore said.

For all their contributions, they are humble about receiving praise. They're also quick to credit all the AHA volunteers and staff members they worked with over the years.

"What always impressed me volunteering for the AHA were the relationships," Stark said. "I made friends for life. I always say that I benefited more personally and professionally from the AHA than I was able to give back."

Croushore and Stark agree that the focus on motivating and encouraging volunteers is more important than ever because of COVID-19.

"I'm hopeful that people become more aware that we need a better safety net in this country," Croushore said. "AHA's focus on underserved communities is a shining example of a better future. I truly hope this past year helps more people step forward to volunteer because they see what a fragile world we have and how kindness matters."

Both recently retired, Croushore and Stark said they are looking forward to a future devoted to hobbies, traveling and promoting the importance of volunteering.

"You don't even know the impact you may make in someone's life until years later," Croushore said. "That's what I'd want other American Heart Association volunteers to know. You look back and realize you were a part of something big. It may take some time to see that, but it does happen."


Last Reviewed: Apr 13, 2021

X formerly known as Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email Print

Around the AHA

  • New American Heart Association president driven by fairness, doing right by patients
  • Remembering Cass Wheeler
  • What Actually Happened
  • A Century of Heart
  • For stroke survivors, exercise may offer a mental health boost
  • Awardee celebrated for decades of impactful service supporting AHA mission
  • Awardee has devoted his career to exploring the heart-brain connection
  • Bay Area executive honored for service in helping people live longer, healthier lives
  • For a healthy Father's Day, try a blend of tradition and taste
  • 'Forever chemicals' exposure in utero may raise blood pressure in kids years later
  • Mobile stroke treatment unit is just one way honoree has driven better care
  • Gold Heart honoree has long focused on championing communities
  • Dental executive to be honored for integration of oral, medical care
  • Awardee thrives at intersection of innovation and care
  • Ensuring optimal cardiovascular care is central to honoree's calling
  • Awardee is birthing a movement for equitable maternal health
  • Susan Lucci to be honored for off-screen role: fighting heart disease
  • Honoree shows communities exceptional dedication through patient care, research
  • Honoree is a longtime AHA volunteer with a heart for service
  • What does the sugar in beverages do to your body?
  • Supporting heart health, one dish at a time
  • Singer Amy Grant reflects on rare heart condition that could have killed her
  • The Bugher Foundation has provided valuable funds, ideas to support AHA research, researchers

*All health/medical information on this website has been reviewed and approved by the American Heart Association, based on scientific research and American Heart Association guidelines. Find more information on our content editorial process.

American Heart Association

National Center
7272 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, TX 75231

Customer Service
1-800-AHA-USA-1
1-800-242-8721

Contact Us

Hours
Monday - Friday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. CT 
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT
Closed on Sundays

Tax Identification Number
13-5613797

About Us

  • About the AHA/ASA
  • Our Impact
  • Annual Report
  • AHA Financial Information
  • International Programs
  • Latest Heart and Stroke News
  • AHA/ASA Media Newsroom
  • Careers

Get Involved

  • Donate Now
  • Make a Memorial Gift
  • Ways to Give
  • Advocate
  • Volunteer
  • Go Red For Women
  • ShopHeart
  • ShopCPR

Our Sites

  • American Heart Association
  • American Stroke Association
  • CPR & ECC
  • Professional Heart Daily
  • More Sites
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • X formerly known as Twitter
  • Tik Tok
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • National Health Council Standards of Excellence Certification Program page for Standards of Excellence
  • Better Business Bureau page for American Heart Association
  • Charity Navigator Home
  • Secured by Sectigo page for SSL certificates
  • AHA Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Copyright Policy
  • Ethics Policy
  • Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Linking Policy
  • Whistleblower Policy
  • Content Editorial Guidelines
  • Suppliers & Providers
  • State Fundraising Notices


©2025 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
The American Heart Association is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
*Red Dress ™ DHHS, Go Red ™ AHA ; National Wear Red Day® is a registered trademark.

Speed Bump

American Heart Association logo

This link is provided for convenience only and is not an endorsement of either the linked-to entity or any product or service.

Proceed