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After working more than eight years with the March of Dimes, Carla Marcellus has brought her nonprofit experience to the American Heart Association as the new metro executive director. Marcellus plans to spread the organization’s message, encourage healthy lifestyles and apply it all in her own life.

What brought you to the American Heart Association?

Well, actually I was not looking, I was approached by a headhunter, and like they say in “The Godfather,” it really was “an offer I could not refuse.” March of Dimes was a great experience because I got to do everything. But sometimes the problem with that is that you are not really an expert at anything because you are doing so much. This gives me chance to focus more on developing relationships, new sponsorships with companies, sharing the message. It affects everyone regardless of age, gender, race and level of physical fitness. Heart disease kills more people than the next seven causes of death put together. I am hoping that while working here it will rub off a little bit on me with eating better and exercising more.

What is your main objective?

To learn all the ins and outs, learn the mission by heart and … be a coach to the staff here. Help them with what can we do to develop the events to the fullest and how can we get more volunteers involved. I am excited to make the Heart Association more of a presence and more of the charity to support in Des Moines because it really affects everyone.

What were you doing before?

I was at the March of Dimes for about eight and a half years.

What position did you hold there?

I was the division director of Central Iowa and the state public affairs manager, so it was similar in that I was responsible for the fund-raising events and the mission programming for the central third of the state. And then within the last year, I became a public affairs manager, where I worked with the legislative session on pushing our issues. Being in Des Moines I was more involved with it than our directors in Cedar Rapids or Sioux City.

What is the rest of your professional background?

I graduated with a B.A. in interior design and minored in business, which did lead to creative thinking and finding out what people’s needs and wants are and how to best fulfill them. I did residential design work until I had kids and found out how hard it was to try to do the evening and weekend meetings that people wanted. And that is when I got into the nonprofit world. I worked in the development office at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. I did grow up here in Des Moines. After college, my husband and I were in Eastern Iowa and then about nine years ago is when I moved back to Des Moines.

What interested you in interior design?

The combination of art and business. I think that having a beautiful environment really does have an influence on you.

What was appealing about nonprofit work?

You are working to benefit others and make a difference every day at work. Working for charities, you get to meet so many different kinds of people, and I try to take something away from every person I meet.

How did you make your first dollar?

I was a clerk at (Camelot Cleaners Inc.) here in Des Moines. I worked for my mother who was a taskmaster and started me on the road to perfectionism.

What do you do in your spare time?

Laundry, housework. I have a son in seventh grade and a daughter in fourth grade, spending time with my family, my husband (a band director at Roosevelt High School) is busy though. … I love to read. I will stay up all night. r