The Heckenkemper Leader in Transplant Administration Award moves to the 2027 Transplantation & Donation Management Summit. Nominate a Leading Transplant Administrator for this National Honor.
Since 2012, the transplant administration community has gathered each year to recognize one of its own with the Heckenkemper Leader in Transplant Administration Award — a distinction that celebrates the people whose steady leadership keeps transplant programs running and patients at the center of the work. Beginning in 2027, the award will be presented by The Alliance at the Transplantation & Donation Management Summit.
The award carries a legacy deeply rooted in the history of transplant administration. Established in memory of Deedle Heckenkemper, it honors his lasting impact on the donation and transplantation community. Over a career spanning forty years, Deedle helped shape the field of transplant administration and became a nationally recognized authority on transplant finance, Medicare regulation, and organ acquisition reimbursement. Today, the award bearing his name is one of the field’s most respected honors, recognizing individuals whose leadership and service have made significant and lasting contributions to organ donation and transplantation.
For the Heckenkemper family, the award has always been personal.
“My father dedicated his career to advancing transplantation and strengthening the work of the professionals and programs that make it possible,” said Erica Lorenzo, daughter of Deedle Heckenkemper and a leader at Guidry & East, the award’s longtime sponsor. “He would be the first to say the recognition was never about him. Seeing this award continue at the Summit is a fitting away to honor his legacy while celebrating those who continue to shape the future of transplantation is exactly the kind of tribute he would have wanted.”
The list of past recipients, who were recognized at the UNOS Transplant Management Forum, reflects the depth of talent in this profession:
- Edward Zavala (2012)
- Angie Korsun (2013)
- Alexander Aussi (2014)
- Tracy Giacoma (2015)
- Betty Crandall (2016)
- Gene Ridolfi (2017)
- Gwen McNatt (2018)
- Brigitte Sullivan (2019)
- Ian Jamieson (2020)
- Linda Ohler (2021)
- Jennifer Milton (2022)
- Marian O’Rourke (2023)
- Nancy Metzler (2024)
- Derek Ginos (2025)
- Zeynep Tulu (2026)
Each recipient embodies the qualities the award was created to celebrate: collaborative leadership, a relentless focus on quality, and a deep sense of purpose. Reflecting on the honor she received in 2024, Nancy Metzler said, “We have the unique privilege as transplant administrators to support our team as they turn a tragedy into a miracle.” That sentiment captures why this recognition matters so much to the community it serves.
The Summit offers a fitting stage. Built expressly for transplant administrators, transplant clinicians, quality leaders, and the donation community, it convenes the very peers and collaborators who understand firsthand the demands and rewards of this work.
“We are honored to welcome the Heckenkemper Award, the preeminent recognition of excellence in transplant management, to the Management Summit,” said Paul Myoung, Chief Operating Officer at UCSF Health and Co-Chair of the 2027 Transplantation & Donation Management Summit. “This Summit brings together the professionals who lead transplant programs and strengthen the systems that make transplantation possible. Presenting this award among fellow leaders celebrates the recipient’s contributions, inspires our shared pursuit of excellence, and carries the distinction of recognition by peers who understand the impact of this work.”
“Stewardship of this award is a responsibility The Alliance takes seriously,” said Amit Mathur, MD, Surgical Director, Liver Transplant Program Director, Enterprise Transplant Quality and Compliance, Mayo Clinic Arizona and Chair-elect of The Alliance Board of Directors. “Transplant administrators are often the quiet architects of everything that makes a program work, and they rarely stand in the spotlight. Continuing this tradition — with the Heckenkemper family’s blessing — lets us keep telling the field something it needs to hear: this leadership matters, and it is seen.”
We look forward to celebrating the next recipient alongside all of you. Please consider nominating a leading transplant administrator today.
Make plans now to attend the Transplantation & Donation Management Summit, March 16–18, 2027, in New Orleans. A transplant administrator-only workshop will be held on March 15.
