Team Members
Kelly Fernandez
CEO and Consultant
About:
Kelly Fernandez, a founding member of the Heart to Heart Foundation, an initiative born from her deep passion for strengthening families and fostering authentic community. With a heart for service and a commitment to building lasting relationships rooted in faith, Kelly has dedicated her work to supporting families as they navigate the challenges of modern life while remaining anchored in truth, love, and connection.
Alongside her husband, Chris, Kelly is a devoted mother to their three children—Johnathon, Krystal, and Kaylie. Together, their family has personally experienced the profound impact of a strong, faith-filled community, which continues to inspire and shape the mission behind her work.
Currently serving in Family Ministry at St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville, North Carolina, she has seen the real and pressing needs of parish families. Through the ministry, Kelly has encountered both the beauty and the struggles within family life, further fueling her desire to create spaces where families feel seen, supported, and spiritually nourished.
Kelly believes that strong families are the foundation of a thriving Church and society. Through the Heart to Heart Foundation, she works to cultivate meaningful opportunities for formation, fellowship, and accompaniment, helping families grow closer to one another and to God. Her work is marked by compassion, intentionality, and a firm belief that transformation begins in the home but flourishes in a connected, faith-filled community.
Michelle Suarez
Treasure, Vice President and Consultant
About:
Michelle is proud to serve Heart to Heart Foundation. As a wife and mother of eight, she is committed to supporting families and helping them cultivate their domestic church. Her deeply held values of prayer, integrity, and service guide both her family life and her work, shaping her commitment to faith, family, and serving others.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a degree in accounting and a concentration in international business, Michelle worked with clients across several industries before transitioning to full-time motherhood when her oldest child was born. She has homeschooled her children for more than fourteen years and has served her parish’s homeschool ministry through leadership roles, teaching, and organizing community events.
In the spring of 2023, she founded the Family Ministry at her parish after recognizing a need for stronger fellowship, support, and formation for families within the parish community. She is also currently in formation to become a Third Order Lay Carmelite, which continues to deepen her spiritual life and reinforce her belief in the importance of community.
Having witnessed the positive impact of fostering parish community, she is grateful for the opportunity to help bring similar opportunities to other parishes.
Chris Fernandez
Vice President
About:
Chris is proud to serve Heart to Heart Foundation. Chris is a mission driven executive whose work is shaped by a deeply rooted Catholic faith and a lifelong commitment to service. His leadership philosophy is grounded in integrity, stewardship, and the belief that faith should be lived through action. His involvement reflects a focus on sustainable impact, servant leadership, and building organizations that put people first.
His leadership efforts have been featured in national publications including Forbes, Fortune Magazine, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, recognizing his ability to bridge mission driven purpose with disciplined execution.
Above all, Chris is a husband and father. He and his wife are raising their 3 children with a strong foundation of faith, service, and responsibility. Family remains central to his life and leadership, reinforcing his belief that the most meaningful impact begins at home and extends outward into the community.
Chris continues to focus on building and supporting organizations that honor faith, family, and long-term positive change.
Christian Suarez
Vice President
About:
Christian Suarez is honored to serve the Heart to Heart Foundation and is deeply committed to strengthening families, building community, and living out his faith through service.
Christian is a devoted husband and father of eight children. Together with his wife, Michelle, he strives to cultivate a faith‑filled home centered on prayer, stewardship, and love. Their family life has reinforced his conviction that strong marriages, a spirit of welcome, and intergenerational community are essential to a healthy parish.
Academically, Christian graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering and earned a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University. Professionally, he is a mission‑driven technology and business leader with over two decades of experience guiding organizations through complex change. A United States Marine Corps veteran, his leadership is grounded in discipline, service, and accountability, balanced by empathy, humility, and genuine care for people. While his work spans manufacturing, supply chain, and enterprise technology transformation, his purpose remains rooted in using his gifts to follow God’s will and serve others.
Christian believes the Heart to Heart Foundation plays a vital role in walking alongside families and parish community members as they grow in faith and connection. He is grateful for the opportunity to support the Foundation’s mission and to help create communities where people feel welcome, supported, and strengthened.
Conor Crawford
Pro Bono Counsel
About:
Conor is proud to serve Heart to Heart Foundation. Though a corporate lawyer by trade, Conor is committed to pro bono service. He helped form and organize the nonprofit in 2026.
Conor is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law. While at Yale, Conor completed a Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy fellowship at the Vatican, where he researched the Second Vatican Council and authored “Vatican II as Grand Strategy: Means and Ends in the Modern Papacy from John XXIII to Benedict XVI.” He was a member of Virginia Law’s Saint Thomas More society, where he worked to foster the Catholic student community, including by conducting weekly guided Bible studies.
Conor has an extensive public service and volunteering background. Most notably, he served as Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable James E. Gritzner in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Conor’s biggest passion is spending time with his wife, Elizabeth, and son, Charlie.