Richard Silliman Legacy Award

Dick Silliman is known to many in the American Heart Association community for his generosity and support. Having chaired the 2017 Portland Heart Ball, Dick brought a vision for what the American Heart Association’s impact in Oregon could be and he helped set the market up to achieve that. Driven by a passion to improve and better things for future generations, Dick dedicated himself to being a builder. Not just of skylines around the world, but of people and the community.

Those closest to Dick would say time and circumstances had smiled upon him throughout his life and he felt it was his duty to share his good fortune. He leaves a profound legacy of compassion, kindness and gratitude.

The American Heart Association of Oregon & southwest Washington is honored to continue his legacy through the Richard Silliman Legacy Award. This award will shine a spotlight on the work of individuals who are making an impact by building healthier and better community for the next generation.

Richard Silliman Legacy Award Nominees

Teresa Johnson

Teresa Johnson embodies the spirit of the Richard Silliman Legacy Award through nearly 30 years of dedicated service advancing community health across Oregon. Her work expanding access to hypertension education, community health screenings, and patient navigation has created lasting impact within underserved communities. Teresa is highly respected for her ability to build trust, foster strong partnerships with community based and faith based organizations, and collaborate across internal programs to strengthen the future healthcare workforce.

Teresa educates and inspires communities through culturally responsive cardiovascular health initiatives that meet people where they are. She leads programs such as Blood Pressure Sundays, Community Health HUB screenings, and faith based initiatives like Worship in Pink, offering hands on education on hypertension, heart disease prevention, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle choices. These welcoming spaces provide personalized counseling, connect individuals to ongoing care, and amplify awareness of CPR training and emergency response—ensuring lifesaving knowledge reaches those most at risk. Her approach emphasizes trust, empowerment, and action, fostering a culture of prevention and resilience.

A hallmark of Teresa’s legacy is her deep investment in the next generation. She co coordinates Play Smart Youth Heart Screenings, making preventive cardiology a routine part of care for adolescents and families. She mentors and supports Community Health Workers, strengthens interpreter and parent education programs, and helps design community programming that embeds cardiovascular health, movement, and nutrition into everyday life. Through her leadership shaping Community Health HUB services, Teresa reduces barriers such as transportation and childcare, creating sustainable pathways for youth and families to access and maintain heart healthy care.

Across these efforts, Teresa equips young people with knowledge, confidence, and access, inspires future healthcare professionals, and builds community led systems that will advance cardiovascular health for generations to come.

Jacob Powell

Jacob Powell is an Assistant Professor of Practice with Oregon State University Extension whose innovative work protects the health and safety of agricultural workers and their families. He has developed and delivered farmer focused first aid, CPR, and wildfire preparedness programs that address the unique risks of agricultural work. His nationally recognized, peer reviewed courses and practical emergency planning tools have generated measurable impact, including an estimated $1.6 million in prevented wildfire losses and over $11,000 in injury related cost savings, while helping save lives and strengthen rural communities.

Jacob educates and inspires through hands on, bilingual workshops and accessible training materials focused on cardiovascular health, emergency response, and overall wellness. Through more than 50 workshops and 119 presentations, he has reached over 2,700 participants, increasing knowledge of CPR, trauma care, heat illness prevention, nutrition, and emergency readiness for farm workers across Oregon.

Committed to the next generation, Jacob mentors youth and emerging agricultural leaders through tractor safety programs, disaster preparedness education, and inclusive curriculum development. By prioritizing underserved farm workers, women, and rural communities—and incorporating innovative tools like drone technology—he is building a safer, healthier, and more resilient agricultural future.

Ali Wright, PA

Ali Wright, PA is an exceptional provider at Multnomah County Health Department’s Northeast Clinic whose work has led to measurable improvements in health equity and chronic disease outcomes. He created and led an innovative four-part group class series for patients living with hypertension and diabetes, empowering participants through education on diagnosis, nutrition and exercise, medication management, and the mental health impacts of chronic illness. His ability to connect with honesty, compassion, and cultural humility has made this model especially effective. Through strong collaboration with medical assistants, pharmacists, and nurses, the initiative helped the Northeast Clinic achieve the highest diabetes control rates in the metro area.

Ali educates and inspires patients to improve cardiovascular health through creative, community-centered approaches. His hypertension curriculum integrates practical tools such as healthy recipe sharing, partnerships with Biketown to provide free bike rental vouchers, farmer’s market collaborations to improve food access, and the incorporation of the Health Department’s Smoking Cessation Program. These efforts not only raise awareness of cardiovascular disease but also remove real barriers to lifestyle change, leading to sustainable health improvements.

Committed to building the future of community health, Ali is expanding this successful group-care model to address other chronic conditions affecting underserved populations. His scalable, evidence-based approach positions him as an emerging public health leader and a powerful advocate for the next generation of patients across the greater Portland metro area.