ALBUQUERQUE, April 22, 2026 - For Martha S. Porter, the fight against heart disease and stroke isn't theoretical - it's personal.
After losing her father to a massive heart attack, watching her mother survive a stroke, supporting her husband through cardiac arrest and managing high blood pressure herself, Porter understands how quickly cardiovascular disease can change a family forever. That lived experience is what drives her volunteer leadership with the American Heart Association and what now brings her to a new role as chair of the 2026 New Mexico Heart Walk and 5K Run, set for Sept.
19. "If by bringing awareness I can save one life, then my volunteer work would have been worth it," Porter said.
Porter is leading a year‑round statewide effort to engage companies, organizations and families in raising lifesaving funds and expanding CPR education, a central focus of this year's Heart Walk campaign. According to the American Heart Association , nine in 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside the hospital do not survive, and more than half do not receive bystander CPR.
Martha S.
Porter, a New Mexico banking professional with longstanding volunteer engagement, has been named chair of the 2026 New Mexico Heart Walk and 5K Run, scheduled for Sept.
19 at Avanyu Plaza at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
The source frames Porter's involvement as rooted in multiple personal encounters with cardiovascular disease: the sudden death of her father from a heart attack, her mother’s survival of a stroke, her husband’s experience of cardiac arrest, and her own management of high blood pressure.
Porter has characterized these events as the impetus for sustained volunteer activity with the American Heart Association (AHA) and for prioritizing public education about life‑saving measures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Under Porter’s leadership, the New Mexico Heart Walk campaign will prioritize year‑round statewide engagement of employers, civic organizations, and families to raise funds and broaden access to CPR education.
The Heart Walk will continue AHA’s stated aims of promoting physical activity, supporting research funding, and expanding equitable access to heart‑healthy education and resources.
A central message emphasized in the source is the need to build “a community of lifesavers” — laypersons prepared to initiate action before emergency services arrive.
The AHA statistics cited in the source were used to justify CPR education as a campaign priority: the association reports that most individuals who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital do not survive and that more than half do not receive bystander CPR.
The source reiterates the AHA position that immediate bystander CPR can substantially increase an individual’s chance of survival.
Porter used her family history to illustrate this gap, recounting an episode in which her mother did not know how to perform CPR when Porter’s father suffered a heart attack while they lived outside Belen and help had not yet arrived.
The 2026 New Mexico Heart Walk and 5K Run is described as the AHA’s largest community‑facing initiative in the state, bringing together businesses, survivors, and volunteers.
The event is presented as an opportunity for organizations to promote employee wellness and demonstrate community commitment.
The source explicitly states that funds raised through the event remain in New Mexico.
Corporate sponsorship and community partnerships for the 2026 walk are noted; the event is supported by Delta Dental of New Mexico and Presbyterian Health.
The source provides contact information for participation inquiries and registration: Sherri Wells (email) and the event website NewMexicoHeartWalk.org.
Porter brings more than three decades of experience in the banking sector and is currently employed by UMB Bank.
Her career trajectory has included positions from teller to associate national bank examiner, and she is portrayed as a recognized statewide leader with a record of community involvement.
She previously served on the AHA‑New Mexico board of directors (noted service in 2022) and rejoined the board in 2025 with an expressed emphasis on health equity.
AHA‑New Mexico board member Suzanne Mirabal is quoted in the source highlighting Porter’s community ties and personal connection to cardiovascular disease as assets for the role.
The source specifies the date and venue (Sept.
19 at Avanyu Plaza, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center) and states that hundreds of participants are expected.
The event will mark survivors, remember those lost, and support ongoing efforts to improve cardiovascular outcomes across the state.
The walk includes both community engagement and fundraising components; precise registration procedures are directed to the provided contact channels.
No specific participation targets, fundraising goals, or detailed program schedules were reported in the source.
The article reiterates the AHA’s organizational mission and standing: a century‑long role as a health information source, a commitment to equitable health in all communities, a global volunteer base, and activities that include research funding, public health advocacy, and resource provision for people affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke.
The source asserts the AHA’s focus on translating scientific advances into policy and care improvement but does not provide programmatic metrics or evidence of local impact tied directly to the New Mexico Heart Walk.
For organizations and individuals interested in involvement, the source supplies a named contact (Sherri Wells) and the event website for registration.
The piece positions the Heart Walk as an avenue for community engagement, workplace wellness initiatives, and local fundraising to support AHA activities in New Mexico.