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