The Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance (The Alliance) is pleased to announce its 2026 Board of Directors, reflecting both strong leadership continuity and the addition of new voices from across the donation and transplantation community. As the organization looks ahead to a pivotal year, The Alliance also extends its sincere appreciation to several long-serving directors who will conclude their terms at the start of 2026.
The Alliance is proud to introduce its 2026 Executive Committee, an exceptionally experienced and respected leadership team that will guide the organization through a period of continued system evolution. Jennifer Prinz, President and CEO of Donor Alliance, will continue her service as Board Chair, joined by John Magee, MD, Transplant Surgeon at University of Michigan, as Immediate Past Chair and Jon Snyder, PhD, Director of Transplant Epidemiology at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, as Treasurer. Together, they provide stability, institutional knowledge, and strategic leadership at a critical moment for the field. Amit Mathur, MD, Surgical Director and Liver Transplant Program Director at Mayo Clinic Arizona, has been named Chair-Elect, and Susan Stuart, President and CEO of CORE, will serve as Board Secretary. Collectively, this distinguished group brings deep expertise, steady governance, and a shared commitment to advancing donation and transplantation nationwide.
The Alliance’s twenty-seat board is intentionally structured to ensure balanced representation, with equal participation from organ procurement organizations and transplant programs, alongside dedicated seats for associations that play essential roles across the donation and transplantation continuum. These include the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), American Hospital Association (AHA), Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), American Society of Transplantation (AST), American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and The Joint Commission.
The Alliance is also pleased to welcome six new directors whose collective expertise spans clinical care, administration, policy, and payer engagement:
- Bradley Adams, JD – President and CEO, Southwest Transplant Alliance (Dallas, TX)
- Aleah Brubaker, MD – Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgeon, Assistant Professor of Surgery, UC San Diego (San Diego, CA)
- Clark Kensinger, MD – Surgical Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, Piedmont Transplant Institute (Atlanta, GA)
- Ashley B. Thompson – Senior Vice President, Public Policy Analysis and Development, American Hospital Association (Washington, DC)
- Andrea Tietjen, MBA, CPA – Assistant Vice President of Transplant, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston, NJ)
- Harry Wilkins III, MD, MHCM – President and CEO, Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network (Chicago, IL)
“These leaders bring a breadth of perspective that reflects the full donation and transplantation continuum,” said Karri Hobson-Pape, Executive Director of The Alliance. “Their experience and commitment strengthen the Board’s ability to guide our work and support professionals navigating a rapidly evolving system.”
In addition, The Alliance extends heartfelt thanks to the directors completing their terms as of December 2025, recognizing their lasting contributions to the organization and the broader community of practice:
- Leonard Achan, RN, MA, ANP – President and CEO, LiveOnNY (New York)
- Nancy Foster – Vice President, Quality and Patient Safety Policy (Retired), American Hospital Association (Washington, DC)
- Richard Gilroy, MD – Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgeon (Salt Lake City, UT)
- Kristin Mekeel, MD – Chief Quality Officer, UCHealth Anschutz Medical Center (Aurora, CO)
- Kevin Myer, MHSA – President and CEO, LifeGift (Houston, TX)
“The leadership, time, and commitment of our outgoing directors have shaped The Alliance into the organization it is today,” Hobson-Pape added. “We are deeply grateful for their service and the impact they have made on professionals nationwide.”
With these appointments, The Alliance Board of Directors enters 2026 well-positioned to advance collaboration, education, and shared leadership across the donation and transplantation community.
The full 2026 Board of Directors includes:
Bradley Adams
, JD, CPABoard Role: OPO Representative to the Board
President & CEO
As an advocate for organ and tissue donors and their loved ones, Brad Adams protects the gift of life by serving as President of Southwest Transplant Alliance, the organ procurement organization designed by Medicare to manage the donation process for much of the State of Texas. He regularly champions efforts to provide for a reliable and effective donation framework at both the state and national levels, helps drive healthcare policies and decisions that ensure the donation and transplantation system in the United States is fair, accessible, transparent, and accountable, and collaborates with healthcare leaders and law enforcement officials throughout Texas to align donation with other public priorities. Brad speaks frequently at the local, state, and national levels on several topics unique to organ donation and serves as a Board Member of Donate Life Texas.
Aleah Brubaker
, MD, PhDBoard Role: Transplant Representative to the Board
Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgeon, Assistant Professor of Surgery
Dr. Brubaker is an MD PhD trained surgeon scientist who practices adult and pediatric liver and kidney transplant at UC San Diego Heath and Rady Children’s Hospital. She completed her medical and doctoral training at Loyola University in Chicago and went on to complete her surgical residency and transplant fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Brubaker is the founding member of CONCORD, a national consortium focused on the impact of normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) on donation after circulatory death (DCD) abdominal allograft utilization and outcomes. Her clinical and research interests are centered on the ability of in situ and ex situ machine perfusion to metabolically rehabilitate organs in an effort to expand the available donor pool and improve access to safe transplant for waitlisted recipients.
Jan Finn
, RN, MSN, CPTCBoard Role: OPO Representative to the Board
President & CEO (Retired)
As an experienced leader in the OPO community, Jan Finn is skilled in guiding organ and tissue donation increases through data-driven decisions and a strong improvement focus. Her successful strategies — such as building a strong foundation through relationships with hospital leaders, staff, and physicians — have proven to be a cornerstone of Midwest Transplant Network’s (MTN’s) culture. Finn worked purposefully with MTN’s team during the Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative to engage the entire donation service area (DSA) in increasing the number of organ transplants. MTN still adheres to key, high-leverage changes, including a robust donation after circulatory death program, an on-call critical care team of physicians who manage every organ donor, and a DSA-wide donation and transplantation advocacy council representing large donor hospitals meeting quarterly to refine effective donation practices.
Finn began her career as a Registered Nurse in Joplin, Missouri, which led her from being a director in the critical care environment to working for MTN. In her early years at MTN, the combined hospital development/organ procurement/community awareness role taught her about each of the OPO’s now-specialized roles. As President & Chief Executive Officer for MTN, Finn is responsible for building the right culture, which she believes starts with a highly effective, innovative, and cohesive leadership team who recognize the importance of how to keenly focus staff on doing the right things. A tenant of MTN’s leadership team is a biannual leadership development institute aimed at expanding knowledge, ensuring consistency, and a building resolute strategic plan. These efforts have helped MTN rank in Tier 1 for performance and place among the top of all OPOs based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports for number of organ donors and number of transplants.
Finn currently serves as the Board Chair for The Alliance, an independent nonprofit committed to increasing organ availability and eliminating deaths on the organ transplant waitlist; on the Board of Trustees and as the Chair for the Donation Board of Trustees for MTF Biologics; as a member of the Missouri Governor’s Organ Donation Advisory Committee; and offers service to the community as a board member for Friendship Inn of Kansas City and the Gift of Life Foundation in Overland Park, Kansas. Her recent national tenures as the President of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations and the President of the North American Transplant Coordinators Organization helped shape her commitment and leadership ability as well as an appointment to Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation; UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing Board of Directors and numerous other leadership roles.
Finn’s prior service to the donation community includes teaching at the NATCO introductory course, serving on numerous UNOS committees, helping lead the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Breakthrough Collaborative as a faculty member and later serving as HRSA’s National Improvement Leader. Finn is passionate about donation and enjoys water skiing and spending time on the beach in Florida. She is an honored donor family and recipient family member who lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, with her husband, Larry, and perfect little dog, Fitzgerald Grant. She is a proud grandmother of five and raised two sons who grew up learning all about organ and tissue donation.
John Gutowski
, MBA, MHA, FACHEBoard Role: Transplant Representative to the Board
System Administrative Officer, Digestive Health and Transplant
John Gutowski, MBA, MHA, FACHE is the System Administrative Officer at MUSC Health in Charleston, SC supporting the Digestive Health, Endocrine & Metabolism and Transplant, Nephrology and Hepatology Service Lines. His interests include cost containment and revenue enhancement, quality and outcomes, performance improvement and operational efficiency.
Born and raised in the greater New York City area, he received his B.A. in fine arts at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, his MBA from the Citadel Graduate College, and his MHA from The Medical University of South Carolina. Following his undergraduate studies, John worked as a professional sailing coach for the US Optimist National Team training youth sailors both within the Unites States and abroad. John began his career in transplantation as the Manager of Business Operations at the Medical University of South Carolina Transplant Center. In 2013, John joined the team at Yale-New Haven Transplantation Center where he served as the Transplant Administrator and as the Operations Manager for Thoracic Surgery at Yale Medicine. In 2018, he joined the University of Colorado Hospital as the Executive Director for Transplant Services, taking on Digestive Health in 2021, as well as serving in interim roles with Heart & Vascular and Pulmonary service lines.
John has been active in the community recently joining the Board of Directors of the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance and continues to serve on the Board of the American Transplant Foundation. He has served on several other boards including National Kidney Foundation and Donor Alliance. John has served on the OPTN Membership and Professional Standards Committee, serving as a member of the Performance Enhancement Subcommittee and the Transplant Administrators Committee. Additionally, John has served on the ASTS Legislative and Regulatory Committee, the AST Transplant Administrator and Quality Executive Committee and most recently joined the AST Public Policy Committee. Since 2013, John has been an active member of various Chapters of the American College of Healthcare Executives advancing to board certified Fellow in 2015.
Richard Hasz
, MFS, CPTCBoard Role: OPO Representative to the Board
President & CEO
Rick Hasz is President of Gift of Life Donor Program where he sets strategic direction for all clinical and administrative activities of this non- profit, independent organ procurement organization (OPO), to provide organ and tissues for transplantation. Additionally, he oversees Gift of Life’s Family House, Gift of Life Institute, Gift of Life Transplant Foundation, and Transplant Pregnancy Registry International and works with over 300 hundred employees and volunteers and represents the organization in local, regional, national and international forums. Rick has shared his knowledge and expertise with government and other national organizations. He served as a faculty member for the HRSA Breakthrough Collaborative and has provided expert testimony for National Academy of Sciences on Organ Donor Intervention Research, Donation after Circulatory Death, and, most recently, on a Fairer and More Equitable, Cost-Effective, and Transparent System of Donor Organ Procurement, Allocation and Distribution. He also provided testimony to the HHS Advisory Committee on Blood & Tissue Safety & Availability. Recently Rick served as a technical expert panel member for the CMS Kidney Transplant Initiative.
Rick holds membership in the North American Transplant Coordinator’s Organization, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the American Association of Tissue Banks. Rick is a past President of the American Board of Transplant Certification and holds certifications as a Certified Procurement Transplant Coordinator and a Certified Transplant Preservationist. Rick has delivered lectures and educational sessions for over 70 organizations and professional societies in the U.S. and internationally. He has also contributed to over 50 publications in peer reviewed journals to improve the science of donation and transplantation.
Rick obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Forensic Science degree from George Washington University.
Clark Kensinger
, MDBoard Role: Transplant Representative to the Board
Surgical Director, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant; Associate Medical Director, LifeLink of Georgia
Dr. Clark Kensinger earned his medical degree from University of Virginia School of Medicine after completing his undergraduate studies at Washington and Lee University. Dr. Kensinger completed his general surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and his abdominal transplant surgery fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. He also completed a critical care fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is board certified in general surgery and critical care.
Dr. Kensinger is a multi-organ transplant surgeon specializing in liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation. He serves as the Surgical Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation at the Piedmont Transplant Institute. In addition, he is the Chief Medical Officer for LifeLink Foundation and the Director of LifeLink’s Donor Care Unit at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.
Matthew Kirschen
, MD, PhDBoard Role: SCCM Representative to the Board
Assistant Professor Associate Director, Pediatric Neurocritical Care Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology
Dr. Kirschen is an Assistant Professor in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Pediatrics, and Neurology, and the Associate Director of pediatric neurocritical care at CHOP. His research focuses on detecting and preventing brain injury in critically ill children. He is the vice-chair of the Ethics, Health, Law and Humanities Committee, a joint committee of the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, and the American Neurological Association, and is a member of the AAN Brain Death Workgroup.
John Magee
, MDBoard Role: Immediate Past Board Chair; ASTS Representative to the Board
Professor of Surgery
John Magee, MD, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College. He completed his General Surgery residency at the University of Michigan in 1996. During his residency, Dr. Magee spent three years as a research fellow in the Department of Surgery at Duke University Medical Center. He also completed the Post-Doctoral Research Training Program at the University of Michigan. Following General Surgery training, he completed a two-year Multi-Organ Transplant Surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty in 1998.
Jorge Mallea
, MDBoard Role: AST Representative to the Board
Consutant, Department of Critical Care | Medical Director, Lung Restoration Center
Jorge M Mallea, M.D. is a consultant in the Department of Critical Care Medicine and the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics at Mayo Clinic Florida. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Transplantation. He serves as the medical director for Lung Bioengineering Jacksonville (LB-JAX) a joint project between Mayo Clinic and United Therapeutics. Dr. Mallea serves as the chair for the American Society of Transplantation (AST) Recovery and Preservation Community of Practice and is a member of the AST Regenerative Medicine advisory group. He represents AST as a board member of The Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance. He is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Dr. Mallea received his M.D. degree at the Universidad Nacional de San Agustin. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at New York Medical College in New York. He completed a fellowship in Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Saint Louis University, Missouri. He joined the lung transplant team at Mayo Clinic Florida in 2011.
Dr. Mallea’s research interests include lung repair and regeneration, organ preservation, and cell and cell-derived therapies. He has served as principal investigator in clinical trials involving endobronchial valves to treat emphysema, mesenchymal stem cells to treat COPD, and a centralized ex vivo lung perfusion system.
Amit Mathur
, MD, MS, FACSBoard Role: Board-Chair Elect; Transplant Representative to the Board
Surgical Director, Liver Transplant Program Director, Enterprise Transplant Quality and Compliance
Dr. Amit Mathur is a Professor of Surgery and Consultant in the Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona and the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He serves as the Surgical Director of Liver Transplantation at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and as Enterprise Director for Transplant Quality and Compliance, and an Associate Medical Director for Contracting and Payer Relations (Transplant) at Mayo Clinic.
His clinical interests are in liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation, and utilization of extended criteria donor organs. His academic interests focus on clinical outcomes and health care utilization after transplantation and complex surgery, barriers in access to deceased donor and living donor transplantation, and quality of transplant care delivery. He serves as the Program Evaluation Specialist for the National Living Donor Assistance Center. He is dedicated to transplant surgical education, research, and financial issues in transplantation.
Dr. Mathur is certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of several professional societies and has received a number of honors and awards for his scholarly and research activities, including the 2022 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Rising Star in Transplantation Award. Dr. Mathur has published extensively in peer-reviewed publications, books, and other publications related to his expertise.
Paul Myoung
, MHA, FACHEBoard Role: Transplant Representative to the Board
Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Adult Services
Board Role: ACHE Representative to the Board
Vice President, Communications and Marketing Operations
Emma O’Riley has over twenty years of experience as a marketing and communication professional, gaining experience and expertise through varied industries. She is a data-driven, operations-focused, creative marketing and brand strategist with a proven track record of success in new media and magazine publishing, advertising, product marketing and brand experience and design. As the head of marketing operations and brand experience for the American College of Healthcare Executives, she is managing and directing integrated marketing, editorial and design teams in creating effective, on-brand communications for all channels (print, web, email, mobile and podcast) for the organization. Additionally, Emma works to plan, lead and execute branding and creative strategies across multiple platforms and formats to support the organization’s communication and marketing initiatives.
Erin Perkins
, MBA, MT(ASCP)Board Role: The Joint Commission Representative to the Board
Associate Director, Standards Interpretation Group, Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations (ACO)
Erin Perkins is an experienced professional specializing in Laboratory Standards Interpretation, where she helps teams navigate complex guidelines with clarity and consistency. With a strong analytical approach and a commitment to accuracy, Erin evaluates standards, interprets requirements, and supports cross‑functional partners in applying them effectively.
She is known for her clear communication, collaborative style, and ability to translate detailed standards into practical guidance that drives alignment and informed decision‑making. Working closely with leaders across the organization, Erin contributes to a culture of precision, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Jennifer Prinz
, RN, BSN, MPH-HPABoard Role: 2025/2026 Board Chair; AOPO Representative to the Board
President & CEO
With a tenure of more than 25 years in the organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation, Jennifer Prinz serves as President & CEO of Vital Impact Group – a new system organization created through a partnership between Donor Alliance, the OPO serving Colorado and Wyoming; and LifeSource, the OPO serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and portions of western Wisconsin.
While there are organ procurement organizations in every state, Donor Alliance, under Jennifer’s leadership, stands out as a leader in the field and has improved the climate for transplant patients in Colorado and Wyoming.
Jennifer has been instrumental in raising Coloradans’ and Wyomingites’ willingness to sign up as organ and tissue donors. Last year more than 950 thousand residents added their names to the organ, eye and tissue donor registries. Colorado’s donor designation rate has climbed over six percent in her tenure, (to 68%) and now is the highest in the nation. Also, despite the pandemic, she was able to lead Donor Alliance to a record number of organ recoveries, and lifesaving transplants in 2020. Thanks to Jennifer’s leadership, Donor Alliance has achieved outstanding clinical and operational outcomes, culminating in a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2018.
As both a donor and recipient family, Jennifer and the Donor Alliance team continue to focus on maximizing donation and transplantation in Colorado, Wyoming, and across the country.
Jon Snyder
, PhD, MSBoard Role: Board Treasurer
Director of Transplant Epidemiology
Jon Snyder, PhD, is the Director of Transplant Epidemiology for the Chronic Disease Research Group of the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI). In his role, he serves as the Director of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. He is a Statistical Editor for the American Journal of Transplantation, an Associate Editor of Transplantation, and he has co-authored more than 190 publications. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the Clinical Policy Board of LifeSource and is a member of the Board of Directors of The Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance. Dr. Snyder is the recipient of the 2023 Research Excellence Award from Hennepin Healthcare and the University of Minnesota Medical School and the 2024 “Quiet Giant” award from Donate Life America. Dr. Snyder earned his Doctorate in Epidemiology and his Masters in Biostatistics from the University of Minnesota.
Susan Stuart
, RN, MPMBoard Role: Board Secretary; OPO Representative to the Board
President & CEO (Retired)
Susan A. Stuart began her career in healthcare as a registered nurse, witnessing first-hand the comfort that donation offers donor families and the second chance at life that it offers recipients.
Today, as President & CEO of The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), Susan is honored to lead a staff of more than one hundred employees who, like herself, believe that donation is the right choice for every grieving family as well as for the recipients who receive those precious gifts of life.
CORE is one of 56 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, NY. CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues and corneas for transplant within this service region and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities the organizations serves. CORE’s mission is to Save and Heal lives through donation, ultimately ending the deaths of those on the transplant waiting list, while maintaining integrity for the donation process, dignity for the donors, and compassion for their families.
In 2019, CORE earned the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a Presidential-level honor, the award recognizes exemplary U.S. organizations and businesses. CORE is one of only five Pennsylvania and two West Virginia organizations ever to achieve the Baldrige Award in its more than 30-year history.
Susan has served on several boards of directors, including Donate Life America and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Susan is the past president of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO).
In 2016, Susan completed the year-long Baldrige Executive Fellows Program — nationally recognized as one of the top continuing education programs in leadership development worldwide.
Board Role: AHA Representative to the Board
Senior Vice President, Public Policy Analysis and Development
Ashley Thompson is senior vice president, public policy analysis & development for the American Hospital Association (AHA), a position she has held since 2015. In this role, Ashley provides leadership, strategic direction and management in the development, articulation and advocacy of the association’s policy positions. Additionally, she leads AHA’s formal policy development process, which solicits input from key hospital leaders on issues related to advocacy, public policy and field leadership. Ashley has held various policy roles in the association over her 20-year tenure.
Ashley also served as Health Policy Advisor to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, where she served as policy lead for Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) on Medicare Part A issues, including those related to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health care and hospice. During her time with the Committee, she developed and drafted the Medicare provisions adopted in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, including provisions related to value-based purchasing and post-acute care payment reforms.
Additionally, Ashley spent seven years at hospitals and health systems, working in the areas of strategic planning, finance and policy at UChicago Medicine, NorthShore University HealthSystem, and Sinai Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Bucknell University and her Master’s in Healthcare Administration from the University of Michigan.
Andrea Tietjen
, MBA, CPABoard Role: Transplant Representative to the Board
Since 1999 Andrea has managed all transplant administrative, finance, and quality activities at CBMC. She is a licensed CPA and holds degrees from Douglass College, Upsala College, Regis University, and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from Purdue University. Andrea remains very active in the transplant community, specializing in transplant finances. She recently concluded two terms as an OPTN Board of Director, serving one term as Treasurer and is currently serving as AST LD COP Finance Workgroup Chair, LD Financial Incentives Task Force Co-Chair, and TxAQM COP Past Chair as well as leading the efforts of The Alliance’s Payor Collaborative Steering Committee.
Janice Whaley
, PhD, MPH, CPTC, CTBSBoard Role: OPO Representative to the Board
President & CEO
Dr. Janice F. Whaley is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Donor Network West and Donor Network West Foundation, the third-largest Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) in the United States. She joined the organization in January 2019, bringing with her a wealth of experience and a proven track record in organ recovery performance. Under her leadership, the organization has substantially increased organ recovery across multiple metrics, saving hundreds more lives. Her dedication to advocacy, operational excellence, and leadership in northern California, northern Nevada, and nationwide is a testament to her passion for the field.
Before assuming her current role at Donor Network West, Dr. Whaley held leadership and clinical positions in three other OPOs, achieving similar successes. As Chief Operating Officer of LifeShare of Oklahoma, she doubled the number of organ donors early in her five-year tenure. Before that, she served as Managing Director of Clinical Operations at LifeGift in Houston, Texas, where she successfully managed the complex processes of working with five transplant centers and 24 transplant programs, leading the region to record-setting numbers of donors recovered.
A staunch advocate for organ donation, Dr. Whaley has served in multiple roles on national boards and committees related to donation and transplantation. She has been President of the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT), which later awarded her the Dr. Oscar Salvatierra Vanguard Award for Multicultural Leadership. She was appointed by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a faculty member for the 2012 National Learning Congress (NLC). She served on the Secretary of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Advisory Council on Transplantation (ACOT). In addition, she was appointed as the Co-Chair of the Organ Recovery Collaborative Network (ORCN) ASTS/UNOS/AOPO Taskforce by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS). In 2021, the San Francisco Business Times recognized Dr. Whaley as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business. Most recently, she was appointed to the governing board of directors for Access to Healthcare Networks (AHN). This non-profit organization provides access to healthcare services to help individuals, families, and organizations manage healthcare effectively and affordably.
Dr. Whaley holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership, received in 2024, a Master of Public Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a postgraduate certificate from the Harvard Business School’s Executive Management Program. Additionally, she is dually certified in organ and tissue recovery through the American Board for Transplant Certification (ABTC) and the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB).
Harry E. Wilkins III
, MD, MHCM, FACSBoard Role: OPO Representative to the Board
President and CEO
Dr. Harry Wilkins is President/CEO at Gift of Hope, IL. Until October 2020, Dr. Wilkins was a practicing Acute Care Surgeon with the Quincy Medical Group in Quincy, Illinois and served as the Administrative Medical Director for Midwest Transplant Network. Dr. Wilkins has been actively involved in the Health Resources Services Administration’s (HRSAs) efforts at improving organ donation and transplantation rates receiving the Medal of Honor from HRSA from 2007 through 2009 for his role in the Organ Donation and Transplantation Breakthrough Collaborative (ODTBC) as faculty member, serving as its co-chair in 2008.
Dr. Wilkins completed Medical School at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois through their 6 year Honor’s Program in Medical Education in 1986. Following a one-year internship in Internal Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, he returned to Chicago to complete a surgical residency at Columbus Hospital Programs before completing a Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland in 1993. He received a Master’s of Science in Health Care Management (MHCM) degree from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2009.
Dr. Wilkins is a well-known and highly respected physician champion for donation and a national speaker and leader. He has served on and led multiple national workgroups and councils and presented nationally and internationally.
