Houston Heart Ball

2025 HEART OF HOUSTON CHAIRS

Russ and Judy Labrasca

"My wife Judy and I are honored to Chair the 2025 Heart of Houston Gala, driven by our families’ experiences with heart disease and American Heart Association’s lifesaving mission. After 48 years in banking and my retirement as a Managing Director at Citi Private Bank, it now allows us more time to volunteer with AHA, where we’ve witnessed the remarkable impact of their work—from pioneering heart transplant techniques to funding medical breakthroughs that extend countless lives. Through the Heart of Houston campaign, we’re committed to uniting our local community in Houston to ensure this vital work continues into the next century, creating a future of health and hope for everyone.”

2025 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE

Dr. Michael Sweeney

“My wife Laura and I are excited to have you join us at the Heart of Houston Gala this year, where I am deeply honored to receive the American Heart Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. My training and journey steered me through several continents learning from some of the finest physicians of our time, but as a proud native of Wharton, Texas I am particularly proud that some of those were an integral part of the birth and growth of our own dynamic Texas Medical Center. A major part of my own pursuit of happiness stems from the honor of being entrusted with the health and life of someone else. There is no finer calling, and no better place on earth to aspire to it than here in Houston. We have been blessed. Won't you celebrate with us as we acknowledge the remarkable progress made by AHA funding of projects, research, teaching, learning, and healing in the Texas Medical Center, and recognize the miraculous events -past, present, and future- that continue to provide hope and inspiration to us all.”

Together, we are relentlessly focused on the heart of our community. Through the Heart of Houston Heart Ball campaign, we celebrate our collective success in driving change, funding science and improving health outcomes for everyone, everywhere. That means taking our efforts beyond the ballroom, working every day to help every heart.

For more than 100 years, the American Heart Association has made bold moves to save lives and pioneer scientific discoveries. We haven’t done it alone. We reach our goals working with organizations and individuals who share our vision for better health. The Heart of Houston campaign unites supporters with a shared purpose to raise the critical funds we need to ensure our work continues. Throughout our campaign we celebrate our milestones, we thank our sponsors, and we honor our heroes. We come together to achieve something bigger than ourselves. We live fierce and fight for all.