Martha S. Porter to Lead 2026 New Mexico Heart Walk and 5K Run

Leadership Spotlight: A Community-Centered Champion Takes the Helm of New Mexico Heart Walk 2026

Porter as the newly appointed chair of the 2026 New Mexico Heart Walk and 5K Run, slated for September 19 at Avanyu Plaza in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

• The article profiles Martha S.
• It frames Porter’s selection as a reflection of lived experience with cardiovascular disease and her long-standing commitment to the American Heart Association (AHA) mission within New Mexico.

The narrative notes the loss of her father to a massive heart attack, her mother’s survival of a stroke, and Porter’s own support for her husband after a cardiac arrest, alongside her own management of high blood pressure.

These experiences are presented as driving factors for her volunteer leadership.

The description covers a range of roles from entry-level teller to associate national bank examiner, and it notes statewide recognition for leadership and community engagement.

A quote attributed to her emphasizes the motivational aim of saving lives through awareness and education.

• Porter’s involvement with cardiovascular health is described as deeply personal.
• Professional background is summarized as a banking career spanning more than three decades, with current employment at UMB Bank.
• Her prior service to the AHA is documented as prior membership on the New Mexico board of directors, followed by a return in 2025 with a renewed emphasis on health equity.

A central stated objective of the campaign is to increase bystander CPR and CPR literacy in the community.

• Porter is presented as leading a year-round, statewide effort to mobilize companies, organizations, and families in fundraising for lifesaving initiatives and expanding CPR education.
• She explicitly underscores the CPR imperative by citing data from the AHA: nine in ten people who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest do not survive, and more than half do not receive bystander CPR; the prevention potential of immediate CPR is described as potentially doubling or tripling survival chances.
• A core philosophy attributed to Porter is the belief that increasing CPR preparedness in households translates into better outcomes, particularly in rural or peripheral locations where help may be delayed.

This framing reinforces the event’s dual aims of fundraising and public health education.

• The Heart Walk is characterized as the AHA’s largest community-facing initiative, designed to unite businesses, survivors, and volunteers to promote physical activity, fund research, and advance equitable access to heart-healthy education and resources.
• Under Porter’s leadership, the 2026 event emphasizes building a “community of lifesavers”—neighbors ready to act before emergency responders arrive.
• The narrative highlights the event’s expected scale, noting hundreds of participants and the commemorative aims: celebration of survivors, remembrance of those lost, and support for ongoing progress in heart and stroke health within the state.
• Porter views the Heart Walk as a vehicle for corporate engagement, describing it as a platform for employee wellness, team-building, and demonstrations of community commitment to the AHA mission of advancing longer, healthier lives.

• The 2026 Heart Walk is reported to be supported by Delta Dental of New Mexico and Presbyterian Health, indicating local corporate backing and health-system partnerships that aid event logistics and visibility.
• For organizations or individuals seeking involvement, the piece provides contact pathways: Sherri Wells, with an email address for inquiries, and a public-facing registration portal at NewMexicoHeartWalk.org.

• The article situates Porter’s leadership within the AHA’s broader mission to be a “relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.” It reiterates the AHA’s long-standing engagement in public health information, research funding, policy advocacy, and community resources, underscoring that the organization operates with a global reach powered by a large volunteer base.
• It reiterates the non-profit’s stated ethos of advancing health equity through its programs, education, and outreach, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that lifesaving information, like CPR training, is accessible across diverse communities in New Mexico.

It does not provide quantitative outcomes from prior Heart Walk iterations, specific budgetary details, or measured impacts of CPR education campaigns in New Mexico.

• The source content focuses on Porter’s biography, leadership role, and event logistics.
• The piece does not present alternative viewpoints or critiques of the Heart Walk framework, nor does it articulate any potential limitations or challenges associated with the 2026 campaign beyond general statements about community engagement and education.

• While the article asserts a renewed focus on health equity upon Porter’s return to the NM AHA board in 2025, it does not specify which equity strategies will be prioritized or how success will be measured in this dimension.
• Details about the precise structure of the year-round statewide engagement program (e.g., cadence of events, dedicated regional committees, or CPR training delivery methods) are not elaborated.
• The scope of corporate participation beyond the named sponsors is not quantified, nor are participant targets or fundraising goals disclosed in the source.

• Community organizations, employers, and volunteers are invited to participate in a national public health initiative adapted to New Mexico contexts, with a particular emphasis on expanding CPR knowledge and readiness.