April Dawn Shinske

April Dawn Shinske leads integrated marketing communications that optimize the power of storytelling coupled with the metrics-driven digital strategies and people-first leveraging of AI. 

With more than two decades of experience directing audience-centric campaigns across platforms to build brand equity; position executives as thought leaders; advance brand reputation; and inspire volunteers, donors and staff teams to take life-saving action, April Dawn has been the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer for The Marfan Foundation and its divisions since July 2023, telling the stories of people living with genetic aortic and vascular conditions. She is the author of the Marfan Foundation Community Companion - a GPT that empowers community members to thrive. 

Previously, April Dawn spent 21 years at the American Heart Association (AHA) as an internal and executive communications and innovation leader. Her work at AHA culminated in a role as National Director Donor Experience from 2021 to 2023. Previous AHA roles included Director, Internal Communications, Eastern States region, and Senior Director Internal Communications & Innovation for the Founders Affiliate -- serving the northeastern United States where she was honored to be a founding staff member of the Northeast Health Equity Consortium. She began her AHA career as a fundraiser and logistics coordinator, and spent time as a data quality expert and corporate systems trainer for the organization. Prior she worked briefly in secondary-education textbook publishing at Pearson Education and as a freelance journalist.