Longtime volunteer brings financial expertise to mission of saving lives

As a senior partner of Deloitte, Alvin L. Royse did financial work for many Fortune 100 companies. Now, as a longtime volunteer for the American Heart Association, Royse contributes his financial skills to a nonprofit with very different dynamics.

"In business, the process for making decisions is normally much more structured," said Royse, 74, of Hillsborough, Calif. "In a nonprofit and in government, you have to be much more collaborative and able to build consensus among many diverse experiences and viewpoints."

Royse has been a steadfast volunteer for the association for more than 25 years. His efforts have earned him the Morgan Stark Memorial Award, bestowed to one volunteer for being an outstanding steward of resources, and a leader in finances, operations or human resources.

Royse, who has earned a number of AHA awards over the years and has served as the chairman and treasurer of the board of directors, said this illustrates one of his favorite phrases: "From success to significance."

"We spend our lives being successful in doing things in a work sense, but when you get into the nonprofit world, the significance of what you do for individual people is different," Royse said. Retired from his career at Deloitte, Royse (who also has a law degree) has served on his town council, as an executive in residence at USST in Shanghai, China, and on the boards of a number of nonprofit organizations.

"At the AHA, we save lives," he said. "Despite all the great things we did at Deloitte, we weren't saving lives. Here, you're impacting people day to day.''

Royse has worked on numerous initiatives for the American Heart Association and recently played an instrumental role in negotiating scientific publishing contracts for 11 of the organization's 14 scientific journals.

Royse also was instrumental in developing strategy on the association's 10-year "Enhance Invest Innovate" campaign in 2015.

"Al has made a tremendous impact on our mission," said AHA CEO Nancy Brown. "His financial acumen, coupled with his personal passion for fighting heart disease, have benefited the American Heart Association in countless significant ways over the years."

Under his leadership, the AHA launched Cardeation Capital – the association's venture capital fund – and Royse still today serves as the national volunteer on the Cardeation Fund Mission Investment Committee.

Outside of his volunteering and career, Royse has also had an impact in the halls of government and public service. At age 21, he was elected to the state legislature in North Dakota, where he grew up. He also served as mayor of his current city of Hillsborough, California, south of San Francisco.

His involvement with the American Heart Association came from a moment of serendipity in 1997, when someone at work asked him if he could step up to chair the San Francisco Heart Walk. Royse seized the opportunity to serve, and later developed a passion for the cause of fighting heart disease, developing a passion for personal reasons.

Many members of his family have had heart disease: Six of his mother's sisters died from heart conditions. In 2017, Royse himself endured a triple bypass surgery, but he recovered and feels well now. His involvement with the American Heart Association keeps him accountable for his health habits, Royse said.

"I became more cognizant of it, and it's done so much," Royse said. "It has opened my eyes to healthier habits like exercise. When you say I've contributed a lot to the Heart Association, I say I've been given back a lot more."

Over the years, Royse has enjoyed meeting many heart disease survivors, ranging from little kids born with congenital heart defects to twin adult sisters who both had heart conditions. He realizes more and more how deeply heart disease affects so many lives, and the importance of the American Heart Association's mission. That is what drives Royse to work as hard as he does.

"You can look at all the research, outreach and advocacy. At the end of the day, it all boils down to: We save lives," Royse said. "The organization has great people who are talented, active, dedicated people. It's effective. It gets results. It makes a difference."

As for the Morgan Stark Memorial Award, Royse said he feels humbled and grateful to receive it. He quotes famed basketball player Michael Jordan: "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."

"In all candor, I was just a part in the larger scheme of things," Royse said. "It takes a team to really make a difference."

Al Royse will be honored Thursday, May 2, in the AHA's online National Volunteer Awards ceremony, which begins at 6 p.m. Central and is open for public viewing.