Martha became Chair of The Children's Heart Foundation's Board of Directors in January 2019 and has been active with The Children's Heart Foundation since 2005 in various roles, both on the national level and with the Illinois Region. Most recently she served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors. Martha has a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting and Finance from Northern Illinois University. As a CPA, she began her career in public accounting with Grant Thornton, was Corporate Controller at U.S. Robotics and was the V.P of Finance at education consulting firm, 95 Percent Group. 

Martha's passion for The Children's Heart Foundation emanates from personal experience on the importance of CHD research. Martha's sister, Anna Marie, was born with a critical CHD during a time when there were no treatment options available for "blue babies". She lived only 3 days. When Martha's son Drew was born some 35 years later, thanks to advancements in CHD research, there were options for babies born with the critical CHD. Drew has had 3 open-heart surgeries and 8 cardiac catheterizations, and despite these obstacles, he is a thriving college student today.