OPO Leaders Elected to Champion Organ Donation
Mission
MCLEAN,
Va., June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the
Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) announced the
appointment of its new President and the newly-elected members of
the 2024-2025 Board of Directors, whose terms will commence
immediately.
Dorrie Dils, President &
Chief Executive Officer of Gift of Life Michigan, has been
appointed as the incoming President of AOPO. As President, Dils
will serve as the organization's spokesperson and chair the Board
of Directors. Her main objective will be to maintain progress and
stability in the organ donation and transplantation system,
promoting collaboration, equity, organ utilization, and research
efforts to save more lives and reach 50,000 organs transplanted in
2026.
"The value of this Association is beyond measure, and I am eager
to further enhance AOPO's support for our members over the coming
year," said Dorrie Dils. "Our
success hinges on our commitment to the crucial work we undertake
and our willingness to improve. The impact of our efforts is
profound – not only for the donor families who we support during
their toughest times but also for the thousands in dire need of
life-saving organ transplants."
Dils began her career as a nurse in a Level I trauma intensive
care unit and later transitioned to organ donation in 1991. She has
made significant contributions in the field, having served on the
Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) OPO, Thoracic,
and Transplant Administrators Committees. She has previously
chaired the AOPO Ethics Committee and Advocacy Committee.
Jeff Trageser, Executive Director
of Lifesharing, has been elected as the AOPO President-Elect. In
this capacity, he will lead the strategic planning process,
collaborate with AOPO committees and advocate for issues impacting
the organ donation and transplantation system on a national level.
He will serve as the AOPO President on the 2025-26 Board of
Directors.
Jeff Trageser earned his Bachelor
of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Leadership from
San Diego State University and has been
a Registered Nurse since 1998. Trageser has over 30 years of
experience working in the San
Diego healthcare systems. As an OPO leader, he is guided by
data-driven and patient/people-centered excellence. Nationally,
he's served as Chair of the AOPO Procurement Council and as a
member of the AOPO Data and OPO IMPACT Committees. Trageser has
also led the OPTN Deceased Donor Designation (DDR) Review Workgroup
and was a representative on the United Network for Organ Sharing
(UNOS) OPO Committee Region 5.
Additionally, AOPO welcomes new Board members Terry Shambles,
Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer at Midwest Transplant
Network, as Secretary/Treasurer, and Christy Tosney, Chief Performance and Technology
Officer, DonorConnect, as the OPO Population Group 2 Member
Representative.
AOPO extends its sincere gratitude to departing Board members
Barry Massa – Immediate Past
President, Tasha Flowers –
Secretary/Treasurer, and Sarah
Fewell – OPO Population Group 2 Member Representative for
their dedicated service and significant contributions to the
organization.
The full AOPO 2024-25 Board of Directors includes:
President: Dorrie Dils, President and CEO, Gift of
Life Michigan
President-Elect: Jeff Trageser, Executive Director,
Lifesharing
Immediate Past President: Colleen McCarthy, Vice
President of Organ and Tissue Donation, Versiti Wisconsin
Secretary/Treasurer: Terry Shambles, Treasurer and Chief
Financial Officer, Midwest Transplant Network
Medical Advisor: Luke Y Shen, Medical Director, Texas
Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA)
Medical Advisor-Elect: Stephanie M Pouch, MD, MS, FAST,
FIDSA, Assistant Medical Director, LifeLink of Georgia
At-Large Member: Jennifer Prinz, President and CEO,
Donor Alliance
At-Large Member: Clint Hostetler, COO, LifeShare of
Oklahoma
OPO Population Group 1: Wayne Dunlap, Executive
Director, New Mexico Donor Services
OPO Population Group 2: Christy
Tosney, Chief Performance and Technology Officer,
DonorConnect
OPO Population Group 3: Kurt
Shutterly, COO, Center for Organ Recovery & Education
(CORE)
OPO Population Group 4: Rick
Hasz, President & CEO, Gift of Life Donor Program
About the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations
(AOPO)
The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations
(AOPO) is the not-for-profit trade association leading the nation's
organ donation community to save and improve lives through organ,
eye, and tissue donation. Founded in 1984, AOPO advances organ
donation and transplantation by driving continual improvement of
the donation process, collaborating with stakeholders, and sharing
successful practices with its 48 member OPOs. AOPO envisions a
future where every opportunity for donation results in lives saved.
For more information, please visit www.aopo.org.
Contact Information:
Jenny Daigle |
jdaigle@aopo.org
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SOURCE Association of Organ Procurement Organizations