Celeste Braly, MSN, RN, CPHQ is the Director of Quality and Compliance for the UW Health Transplant Center in Madison, Wisconsin, where she leads enterprise-wide strategy for transplant quality, regulatory alignment, and patient safety across all solid organ programs. A nationally recognized leader in transplant quality and performance improvement, Celeste brings more than 32 years of nursing experience and 11 years in leadership, with deep expertise in transplant quality governance, CMS Conditions of Participation, OPTN policy, and building system wide quality processes to support hospital, OPO, and Transplant Center collaboration.
Celeste has played a pivotal role in building and scaling one of the most successful transplant programs in the country, recognized as the largest transplant program in the nation in the UNOS 2025 Quality Survey. She is known for designing and implementing integrated quality infrastructures that embed regulatory compliance, predictive analytics, and continuous improvement into daily operations—advancing both program performance and patient outcomes.
She holds a Master of Science in Nursing in Clinical Systems Leadership from the University of Arizona and is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). Celeste is a co-author of the OPTN–CMS Regulatory Crosswalk, a nationally recognized resource supporting transplant programs in aligning regulatory requirements with clinical practice.
Celeste serves on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Transplantation’s Transplant Administration and Quality Management Community of Practice and is a founding member and Steering Committee leader of the National Transplant and Donation Quality Collaborative, advancing quality infrastructure and shared learning across the donation–transplant continuum. She also serves on the Executive Leadership Council of the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance and is a frequent national speaker on transplant quality, regulatory strategy, and performance improvement.
Recognized for her systems thinking, collaborative leadership style, and commitment to a non-punitive, just culture approach, Celeste is deeply dedicated to mentoring the next generation of transplant quality leaders. She is passionate about creating psychologically safe learning environments, translating complex regulatory challenges into practical strategies, and helping emerging leaders grow with confidence and purpose.
Outside of her professional work, Celeste enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, traveling, fishing, and refining her skills as an aspiring grill master.
