75th Annual Affair of the Heart Luncheon and Fashion Show
Thursday, February 9, 2023
2023 Event Co-Chairs
Kara Walsh
Luncheon Co-Chair
Kara Walsh is a native Washingtonian. She is a former third grade teacher at Burning Tree Elementary School in Bethesda, Maryland. She and her husband, Neil Borg, have three children; Jack (14), Quinlan (13) and Gibson (11). She attended her first Affair of the Heart Luncheon in 2017 and was impressed by the event, the speakers, the fashion show and the love and commitment to increasing awareness of cardiovascular health issues and funding related to research. Kara pursued becoming an active member of The Women’s Board and joined in 2018 as a way to give back with a full heart to her community, friends, and family. Currently, she is the Membership Chair and welcomes all new members and our new Young Women with Heart committee (for women 40 years young and younger).
Kara’s commitment to bringing awareness to cardiovascular health issues developed after she had open heart surgery at the age of 40 (2014) at The Cleveland Clinic for a left atrial myxoma. In 2017, she had a cardiac ablation to treat a separate cardiac issue; SVT (supraventricular tachycardia.) Today she is healthy, happy, and thrilled to be championing this cause.
She is honored and excited to be co-chairing the 75th Diamond Jubilee An Affair of the Heart Fashion Show and Luncheon with the beautiful Deb Wells.
Deb Wells
Luncheon Co-Chair
Deb joined the Women’s Board in 2018 after attending the Affair of the Heart Luncheon for several years. Deb has served as the Service Committee Chair and is dedicated to bringing up to date information and opportunities to the Women’s Board members. She is honored to lend her time and energy to this longstanding event.
Deb’s passion for promoting women’s health goes back decades. The American Heart Association tapped into Deb’s personal experience with stroke in 1998 and the placement of a pacemaker to manage her sick sinus syndrome in 2004. Deb has been the keynote speaker for Go Red for Women® luncheons and became a regular, frequent speaker for advocacy appeals in San Antonio and now Washington D.C. In 2009 the San Antonio Business Journal honored Deb as a “Healthcare Hero” for her work in the community as a healthcare advocate.
Deb is the Founder and CEO of the Wells Health Group, a Washington D.C. based health policy and government relations firm. She founded WHG in 2012 to help provide clients with specialized guidance in developing and implementing reimbursement, health policy, market access, private equity financing and mergers and acquisition due diligence. Deb brings a rare combination of more than 35 years of healthcare industry executive leadership, coupled with we-recognized government relations.