Board of Directors

Mike is currently serving as the President of In A Heartbeat.  In addition he is a motivational speaker and passionate about sharing his story and using it to help others. Mike is a sudden cardiac arrest survivor. In 2006, Mike went into sudden cardiac arrest and was very fortunate to survive. Mike has served as  [Read More...]

Joan is a Special Education teacher for K-2 students who have social, emotional and behavioral needs. She began her quest to save lives in 2006 when her son, Mike suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. Joan has served as a volunteer and spokesperson for the American Heart Association. In 2007 Joan spoke to the Wallingford Board  [Read More...]

Alyssa Hyatt currently holds the position of Associate Athletic Director at Quinnipiac University.  Alyssa worked with In A Heartbeat President Mike Papale through her former job as the Assistant Athletic Director for Men’s Basketball Academic Support at Quinnipiac.  Alyssa has a Masters in Higher Education Administration as well as a master’s degree in business administration  [Read More...]

John Papale currently works as a Customer Success Manager at Zappi, an automated market research platform. Prior to that John was a member of the coaching staff for the Men’s Basketball team at Boston University where he also earned a Master’s degree in Project Management.  John has volunteered and participated in numerous fundraising functions to  [Read More...]

Born and raised in Wallingford, CT, Matt Gade graduated from the University of Connecticut with his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Sport Management. At UConn, Matt worked for six years under Hall of Fame Coach Geno Auriemma and his historic women’s basketball program. Destined for a career in athletics, Matt decided to change his life  [Read More...]

University of Saint Joseph Athletic Director Bill Cardarelli has announced the hiring of Brandon Gade as the sixth head women’s basketball coach in University history for the upcoming 2016-17 season. Gade has seven years of coaching experience, including five at the collegiate level, and takes over the reins at USJ after spending last season as  [Read More...]

Mike Papale is currently employed by Metro North Railroad as a conductor. Prior to Metro North, Mike was employed in the insurance industry for over 20 years. He also spent three years teaching Middle School at St. Francis of Assisi Middle School in New Britain, CT. In addition, he has been heavily involved in the  [Read More...]

Conor J. Meehan is a Portfolio Analyst at BNY Mellon Wealth Management in the Los Angeles office. In this role, he provides asset allocation recommendations for client portfolio rebalancing and executes trades to implement those strategies. He is also responsible for preparing customized client reviews which analyze current asset allocation, performance and potential future investments.  [Read More...]

Sara MacDonough-Civitello is a member of the Quinnipiac University Sports Medicine and Athletic Training staff. She works directly with the Men’s Basketball Team, teaches within the Sports Medicine Program, and serves as a Clinical Instructor and Mental Health Liaison for the Athletic Department as a whole. Sara is a certified CPR, AED, and Basic Life Saving  [Read More...]

As a Coast Guardsman, Chris has served both coasts of the country as well as taking his service overseas to the  Middle East in the Arabian Gulf. Working for the Coast Guard has brought Chris’ two passions together; his love for mechanics and serving his country. However in January 2017, Chris suffered a sudden cardiac  [Read More...]

Kevin is a graduate from Central Connecticut State University. Upon graduation he took his management degree and passion for sports and became the Connecticut area developer for the Florida based i9 Sports franchise. i9 Sports is the nations number one provider of youth sports programs for children ages 3 and up. As the first franchise  [Read More...]

Sean Hitchcock is currently a Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Right Choice in Milford, CT. In 2019, Sean suffered a heart attack that led to cardiac arrest. Fortunately, these events happened at Prolete Physical Therapy where there were medical professionals as well as an AED donated by In A Heartbeat that saved his life! Throughout  [Read More...]

Patty Gatcomb, APRN, is a Family Nurse Practitioner who is board certified in Advanced Diabetes Management. She obtained her bachelors degree from Salve Regina College and Masters of Science in Nursing from Southern Connecticut State University. Patty has spent her 40 year career at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital in clinical research and  [Read More...]