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Noell Olsen

In 2026, I am answering the call to... recognize new timing, readiness, and stress cues influencing families and donation.
Job Title: Director of Governance & Data Strategy
Organization: Cascade Life Alliance
Age: 35
Years in Donation and Transplantation: 9
What makes your career in organ donation and transplantation special?

What makes my career in organ donation successful is a willingness to dive deeply into many forms of information—data visualizations, chart notes, industry research, and insights from fields such as psychology, public policy, population trends, and medical and legal developments. Looking across these areas helps paint a broader, clearer picture of organ donation. Through learning and extensive research, I often discover critical details that shape how I understand the data in front of me and how I think about future projections.
I take pride in my ability to look at challenges from multiple perspectives and to view problems in new ways. Using the information I gather and study, I can visualize complex systems and mentally build and rebuild them, which helps me develop thoughtful, well-supported ideas. I enjoy gathering data, asking questions, and distilling complexity into something clear and usable.
What makes this work meaningful is knowing that better data, communicated thoughtfully, helps our teams make better decisions—and that those decisions ultimately serve donors, families, and the patients waiting for a gift of life.

Biography

Noell Olsen serves as Director of Governance and Data Strategy at Cascade Life Alliance (CLA), overseeing teams responsible for quality assurance, information systems, business intelligence, and process improvement. She has been with CLA for nearly a decade, beginning her career as an Administrative Assistant before gravitating toward roles that aligned with her background in information technology and her strength as a systems thinker.

At CLA, Noell has collaborated with clinical leadership to develop equitable staff-tracking reports aimed at reducing burnout and has reimagined hospital data metrics to support clearer, more collaborative engagement in the mission. She served multiple terms on the AOPO Data Committee, including leading several task forces, and oversaw UNION, a collaborative effort involving 42 OPOs. She has also served on the committee for the Crest Data Summit and currently serves on the planning committee for the Horizon Data Summit. Her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art strongly influences her approach to data, emphasizing thoughtful messaging, attention to audience, and ethical responsibility.

She was nominated for The Alliance 40 Under 40 by Craig Van De Walker, Executive Director of Cascade Life Alliance. “Noell represents the very best of emerging leadership,” Van De Walker wrote, noting her rise from an administrative role to data strategy leadership and her influence on how performance is measured across the national organ procurement community.