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Michael Kenney

In 2026, I am answering the call to... save and heal more lives through donation.
Job Title: Chief Legal Officer
Organization: Donor Alliance
Age: 36
Years in Donation and Transplantation: 8
What makes your career in organ donation and transplantation special?

What makes my career in organ donation and transplantation special is deceptively simple to answer: the mission. To save and heal lives through donation is not a tagline; it has become a calling. Every negotiation, every policy, every partner conversation exists in service of that singular purpose. When the mission is that clear and that meaningful, work becomes something more.
But mission alone doesn’t move the needle. What I have learned over my career is that we accomplish far more together than any of us can alone. The relationships I’ve been lucky to form with transplant centers, elected officials, regulators, business and industry leaders, and OPO colleagues across the country are so important and valuable because no one saves lives alone. Relationship is the foundation everything else is built on. Collaboration isn’t just a strategy; it’s an obligation we all share when the stakes are this high.
That combination—an unwavering mission and a deep belief in partnership—is what continues to make this work the most meaningful of my career.

Biography

Michael Kenney is the Chief Legal Officer at Donor Alliance and most recently served as General Counsel and Director of Human Resources for the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE), a leading organ procurement organization in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Over nearly eight years at CORE, he ensured thorough legal and regulatory compliance, negotiated contracts, advised on all internal and external legal matters, and developed broad strategies to advance organ donation at the federal, state, and local levels.

Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University School of Law. During his tenure at CORE, he strengthened the organization’s legal and compliance programs, guided it through the significant HR challenges of the pandemic, and served as a trusted face before municipal, state, and federal legislators during a period of substantial CMS reform. Among his most meaningful accomplishments, he helped advance legislation adding organ donor registration language to hunting and fishing licenses—an initiative that generated more than 45,000 new donor registrations in its first year alone.

He was nominated for The Alliance 40 Under 40 by Susan Stuart, President & CEO of the Center for Organ Recovery & Education. “Michael continues to demonstrate the vision, influence, and commitment to mission that define a true 40 Under 40 honoree,” Stuart wrote, praising the warmth, quick wit, and humanity he brings to every aspect of his work.