Dan and Jennifer Pickett will co-chair the 2017 Capital Region Heart Ball.
As chairs of the Capital Region Heart Ball on Feb. 25, Jennifer and Dan Pickett, CEO of nfrastructure, are bringing together organizations and businesses to help improve the health of Capital Region residents.
“The American Heart Association is one of the most impactful of its type in our community,” Dan Pickett said. “One of the foci of the Pickett Family Foundation is health care. I’m also a director at Albany Medical Center, which now has an affiliate agreement with Saratoga Hospital and Columbia Memorial Health. Chairing the Heart Ball puts a lot of our philanthropy into one area, health care.”
The Picketts plans to highlight the work of area hospitals, their leaders and the American Heart Association at the Capital Region Heart Ball.
“The American Heart Association works with the local health care organizations, investing toward the future to ensure comprehensive and cost-effective care,” Jennifer Pickett said. “This means better care and outcomes in our community.”
“Giving back is a big part of nfrastructure’s culture. We typically have one large event and one grassroots event that we support in a 12- to 18-month timeframe,” Dan Pickett said. In addition to the Heart Ball, nfrastructure is currently supporting JDRF. The company also maintains a philanthropy committee, which accepts applications from employees to support charities and causes that matter to them.
“We are a workforce of more than 300 people locally, which, when you consider their families, we’re talking about more than 1,000 people,” Pickett said. “We have a large presence in the community, with a lot of dedicated folks who get together to support the community.”
As nfrastructure combines with Zones out of Seattle, Pickett sees the company growing more in the community, and being able to continue its philanthropic giving.
“Dan has been part of the Heart Ball’s leadership team in past years, and we are honored that he and Jennifer are chairing this year’s gala,” said Kathy Lanni, chief community officer of SEFCU and chair of the Capital Region Advisory Board of the American Heart Association. “The success of the Capital Region Heart Ball lets the American Heart Association continue the research and community programs that improve the heart and brain health of the communities where we live, work and play.”
Dan and his wife Jennifer have been touched by heart disease. “We had a parent who was effectively cared for and had a great outcome because of the research of the American Heart Association and the local hospitals,” Jennifer Pickett said. “This year is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the American Heart Association and local hospitals for their commitment and their results in advancing heart health in our community. It’s a unique point in time, these organizations partnering with the American Heart Association. It will take the impact they have on our community to a higher level. This is a great year to recognize that.”
The Capital Region Heart Ball is set for Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Springs. For information, visit CapitalRegionNYHeartBall.heart.org or contact Sharon Horton, 518.626.8754 or [email protected].