MINNEAPOLIS, MN--(Marketwired - Jan 10, 2014) -  The Board of Directors of Children's HeartLink, a global nonprofit organization working to promote sustainable cardiac care for children with congenital and acquired heart disease in underserved regions of the world, announced today that they have selected Jennifer L. Soderholm as Children's HeartLink's next president.

"After a thorough and deliberate selection process, the board is delighted that Jennifer will assume the leadership of Children's HeartLink," said Molly Joseph, chair of the Board of Directors. "In Jennifer, we are gaining a respected leader with proven success growing nonprofit health organizations. That experience, combined with her passion for and commitment to children's health, makes Jennifer uniquely qualified to lead Children's HeartLink as it strives to further its impact and reach."

"I am honored to have this opportunity to lead Children's HeartLink," said Jennifer L. Soderholm. "It is a privilege to join an organization so committed to meeting the needs of the most vulnerable and supporting the families that are the bedrock of healthy communities around the world. I look forward to joining a great staff, partnering with generous community leaders and walking alongside the caring medical personnel to positively contribute to health and well-being of children in need of cardiovascular care."

Soderholm currently serves as vice president of development for the University of Minnesota Medical School and University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview at the University of Minnesota Foundation. She replaces Elizabeth Perlich Sweeney, who has served as president since 2002. Perlich Sweeney will continue to serve as president until Soderholm begins in mid-February.

The selection comes after an extensive international search lead by a committee of members of the Children's HeartLink Board of Directors in partnership with an executive search firm. The search committee was chaired by Susan Gebelein of Business and Leadership Consulting LLC. Committee members included Molly Joseph from UnitedHealth Group; Joseph A. Dearani, M.D. of Mayo Clinic; David M. Overman, M.D. of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and John R. Finnegan Jr., Ph.D. with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Soderholm grew up in the Twin Cities and attended the University of Minnesota, where she received a bachelor's degree in speech communications. She joins Children's HeartLink after a 20-year career in health care and philanthropy.

About Children's HeartLink
 Founded in 1969, Children's HeartLink is a global nonprofit organization partnering with health care centers in underserved regions of the world to promote sustainable cardiac care for children with congenital or acquired heart disease. Children's HeartLink currently supports partner hospitals and programs in Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, Ukraine and Vietnam. Congenital heart defects are the world's most common major birth defect, affecting one in every 120 children. Nearly 90 percent of those newborns are in areas of the world where appropriate medical care is inadequate or unavailable. For more information on Children's HeartLink, please visit www.childrensheartlink.org.