Per the HRSA OPTN Board of Directors Designation Agreement (PDF - 56 KB), the Secretary of Health and Human Services held a special election for the OPTN Board of Directors in two phases, including (1) an election for the 11 Regional Councillors, held from May 2, 2025, through May 6, 2025; and (2) a national election for the remaining Board seats, held from May 23, 2025, through June 2, 2025. OPTN voting members elected a new 34-member Board of Directors for the OPTN.
The OPTN Board of Directors, along with Board Officers, is listed below.
Board of Director Officers
Board Officer statements: 2025 OPTN Board of Directors Officer Statements (PDF - 442 KB)
| Eligible Voters: All OPTN Voting Members | |
|---|---|
| Board Officer Position | Nominees |
| President | John C. Magee, MD, Attending Surgeon, Division of Transplantation, Jeremiah & Claire Turcotte Professor of Transplant Surgery, Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Michigan |
| Vice President | Shelley Hall, MD, Chief of Transplant Cardiology, Congestive Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Baylor University Medical Center |
| Vice President of Patient Donor Affairs | William (Bill) Ryan, MBA, Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Transplant Life Foundation; Family Member of a Deceased Donor |
| Treasurer | Alan Reed, MD, MBA, FACS, Professor and Chief of Transplant and HPB Surgery, Iowa Carver College, Director, Iowa Health Care Organ Transplant Center, and Adjunct Professor of Accounting, Henry B. Tippie School of Management, University of Iowa |
| Secretary | Justin Wilkerson, MBA, Deputy Director of Human Services, Illinois Army National Guard; Liver Transplant Recipient |
Note: Due to the distinct responsibilities of Regional Councillors—such as representing and coordinating regional activities—the Associate Councillor for Region 10, Austin Schenk, MD, PhD, FACS, will step into the Region 10 Councillor role on the Board, to replace John C. Magee, MD, who will serve as Board President. This will increase the Board size to 35 Board members.
2025 OPTN Board of Directors
2025 Board of Directors: Personal Statements (PDF - 442 KB)
Transplant Physician and Surgeon Representatives
John C. Magee, MD, Attending Surgeon, Division of Transplantation, Jeremiah & Claire Turcotte Professor of Transplant Surgery, Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Michigan
Alan Reed, MD, MBA, FACS, Professor and Chief of Transplant and HPB Surgery, Iowa Carver College, Director, Iowa Health Care Organ Transplant Center, and Adjunct Professor of Accounting, Henry B. Tippie School of Management, University of Iowa
Dan Meyer, MD, Chief of Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery, and Chief of Cardiac Transplantation and Advanced Cardiac Circulatory Support, Baylor Scott and White Health – Dallas
Shelley Hall, MD, Chief of Transplant Cardiology, Congestive Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Baylor University Medical Center
Kymberly D. Watt, MD, Medical Director of Liver Transplantation Program, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic
George Bayliss, MD, Medical Director, Division of Transplantation, Rhode Island Hospital, and Professor of Medicine, Brown University
Joseph Magliocca, MD, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, Executive Director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center, and Surgical Director of Pediatric Liver Transplantation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Patient, Donor, and Family Member Representatives
John J. Sperzel III, BS, previously Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, T2 Biosystems, Inc.
Gitthaline (Candie) Gagne, USN, HM1 (Ret.), previously Level 3 Surgical Technologist, UPMC McKeesport and Retired U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman
Justin Wilkerson, MBA, Deputy Director of Human Services, Illinois Army National Guard
Peter Nicastro, MS, MBA, previously Finance Director, Cigna
Jen Benson, BA, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of The Transplant Journey Inc. and The Transplant Collective, and Operations Manager, RLBenson & Associates
James Cason, MA, previously Mayor of Coral Gables, FL, and former U.S. Foreign Service Officer
Cody Reynolds, father of a Pediatric Transplant Recipient
John Hodges, MA, previously Faculty Research Assistant, Center for Remote Sensing, Department of Geography, Boston University
William (Bill) Ryan, MBA, Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Transplant Life Foundation
Organ Procurement Organization Representatives
Samantha Endicott, MPH, CPTC, Senior Director, Organ Optimization, New England Donor Services
Darren Lahrman, MBA, CPTC, BSRC, Executive Director, LifeLink of Florida
Kevin Lee, MPA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mid-America Transplant
Transplant Hospital Representative
Joshua Gossett, DNP, MBA, RN, FACHE, Director of the Pediatric Transplant Center, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Voluntary Health Association Representative
Annette Needham, DNP, NP-C, NEA-BC, CCTC, Transplant Quality Manager, UC Davis Transplant Center; and Secretary, NATCO Board of Directors
Histocompatibility Representative
Cathi Murphey, PhD, MS, Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory Director, Southwest Immunodiagnostics, Inc.
Non-Transplant Professional Representatives
Jerold Mande, MPH, Chief Executive Officer of Nourish Science, Adjunct Professor of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University; guided the development of the original National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) as a legislative assistant in the U.S. House and Senate
Mary E. Homan, DrPH, MA, MSHCE, Mountain Region Vice President of Theology and Ethics, CommonSpirit Health
Regional Councillors
Region 1 Councillor: Nahel Elias, MD, Medical Director for Quality, Division of Transplantation, Massachusetts General Hospital
Region 2 Councillor: Kenneth Chavin, MD, MBA, PhD, Director of Abdominal Organ Transplant, Temple University Health System
Region 3 Councillor: Ari Cohen, MD, MBA, Director, Ochsner Transplant Institute, and Director of Transplant Research and Surgical Director, Liver Transplant Section, Ochsner Health System
Region 4 Councillor: Ryan Davies, MD, Clinical Director of Pediatric Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, and Interim Chief of Pediatric Solid Organ Transplantation, UT Southwestern Medical Center/Children’s Medical Center
Region 5 Councillor: Andrew M. Courtwright, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Utah
Region 6 Councillor: Gina-Marie Barletta, MD, Medical Director, Pediatric Kidney Transplantation, and Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Oregon Health & Science University
Region 7 Councillor: Reynold Lopez-Soler, MD, PhD, Professor of Surgery, Division of Transplant, Loyola University Medical Center, and Section Chief of Renal Transplant, Edward Hines Jr. VA Medical Center
Region 8 Councillor: Mark Wakefield, MD, Director and Primary Surgeon of Renal Transplant Program, University of Missouri Health Care
Region 9 Councillor: Meelie DebRoy, MD, Section Chief, Kidney Transplant, Department of Surgery, Westchester Medical Center
Region 10 Councillor*: Austin Schenk, MD, PhD, FACS, Quality and Patient Safety Officer, Comprehensive Transplant Center, and Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Transplantation Surgery, Ohio State University
Region 11 Councillor: Vincent Casingal, MD, Chief, Division of Abdominal Transplant, and Surgical Director, Adult and Pediatric Kidney Transplant, Atrium Health-Carolinas Medical Center
*Austin Schenk, MD, PhD, FACS, will assume the role of Region 10 Councillor because the current Region 10 Councillor, John C. Magee, MD, was elected as President of the OPTN Board of Directors.
Associate Regional Councillors
Associate Region 1 Councillor: Michael F. Daily, MD, MS, FACS, Section Chief of Transplant and Surgical Director, Solid Organ Transplantation Surgery, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Associate Region 2 Councillor: Michael Marvin, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery and Chair, Department of Transplantation and Liver Surgery, Geisinger Medical Center
Associate Region 3 Councillor: Kenneth Newell, MD, PhD, Professor of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, Emory University School of Medicine
Associate Region 4 Councillor: Brad Adams, JD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Southwest Transplant Alliance
Associate Region 5 Councillor: Abbas Ardehali, MD, MPH, FACS, Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiac Surgery, Vice Chair of Transplantation, William E. Connor Chair in Cardiothoracic Transplantation, and Director of Heart, Lung, & Heart-Lung Transplant Programs, UCLA Medical Center
Associate Region 6 Councillor: Kevin Koomalsingh, MD, Surgical Director, Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Providence St. Vincent’s Medical Center
Associate Region 7 Councillor: Paul A. Stahler III, MD, FACS, Surgical Director, Kidney Transplant Program, Hennepin County Medical Center
Associate Region 8 Councillor: Anthony Panos, MD, MSc, Professor of Surgery and Director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Programs, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Associate Region 9 Councillor: Niraj M. Desai, MD, Director, Center for Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, North Shore University Hospital
Associate Region 10 Councillor: Dean Kim, MD, Surgical Director, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant, Henry Ford Hospital; Chief, Transplant Service, Children’s Hospital of Michigan; and Associate Professor of Surgery, Wayne State University
Associate Region 11 Councillor: David Bruno, MD, FACS, Director of Transplant Service Line and Chair of Division of Transplant, Hume-Lee Transplant Center, Virginia Commonwealth University
Learn more about the special election
- Special election webinar slides (PDF - 1 MB)
- Special election webinar recording
- FAQ (PDF - 198 KB)
- Information and process regarding the special election
The application period was open from March 3, 2025, through April 4, 2025, and select applicants are being invited to participate in interviews on a rolling basis. The TNC received a total of 300 applications, including:
- 182 (61%) organ transplant professionals (e.g., transplant surgeons; transplant physicians; and representatives of organ procurement organizations, transplant hospitals, voluntary health organizations, transplant coordinators, and non-physician transplant professionals);
- 46 (15%) individuals with lived transplant experience (i.e., transplant candidates, transplant recipients, organ donors, family members of transplant recipient, family members of deceased donor);
- 27 (9%) non-transplant professionals (e.g., professionals from law, theology, ethics, health care, public health, social and behavioral sciences, and labor and management unrelated to health care).
- 20 (7%) organ transplant professionals with lived organ transplant experience;
- 15 (5%) non-transplant professionals with lived experience; and
- 10 (3%) individuals who are organ transplant and non-transplant professionals.
The OPTN Board is the governing body that oversees and participates in policy development for OPTN operations. The Board is responsible for oversight of organ allocation policies, OPTN membership criteria, and OPTN management and membership policies. All Board Directors must adhere to the OPTN Code of Conduct.
Serving as a Director on the OPTN Board requires at least 12 hours time commitment per month. Directors are expected to attend two multi-day meetings per year, as well as monthly meetings. This is a voluntary position.
Individuals will be ineligible for consideration if they currently serve on the OPTN Board, served on the OPTN Board in the last 10 years or are currently on the Transitional Nominating Committee (TNC); have financial, personal, business, or professional relationships with the OPTN or members of the OPTN Board outside of and beyond their primary role; are employed by or a subcontractor to current OPTN contractors; and are personally, or employed by an entity that is, pending criminal, serious ethics, or regulatory action.
Applicants will be screened for 1) Availability (i.e., at least 12 hours per month), 2) Alignment with Modernization, and 3) Conflicts of Interest (COIs). Following that step, TNC members will score applicants in various categories based on their position:
- Organ transplant professionals: Professional organ transplantation experience, ethics, finance, governance, logistics or operations experience.
- Individuals with lived organ transplant experience: Lived transplantation experience, ethics, finance, governance, logistics, or operations experience.
- Non-transplant professionals: Non-transplant professional experience, ethics, finance, governance, logistics or operations experience.
The TNC, with input from HRSA, will finalize dates for the special election, publicly solicit candidates and develop a slate of candidates for a vote by OPTN members later in the spring. OPTN members will vote on the Board of Directors from that slate, adhering to the current Board configuration percentages. This process largely mirrors the current OPTN election process while taking steps to facilitate establishment of a new, independent Board of Directors.
The special election brings new providers, patients, and representatives of transplant hospitals and organ procurement organizations to the Board just as in previous elections. There will be a period where the current Board and new Board will overlap for continuity of operations and knowledge transfer.
The TNC will be temporary and transitional, specific to the circumstances of the special election held by the Secretary of HHS.
- Chair: General Janet Wolfenbarger (Ret. USAF), MS
- Retired United States Air Force General
- Member, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Corporation
- Member, Board of Directors, AECOM (an infrastructure firm)
- Former Chair, Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services
- Trustee, US Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation (2016-Present)
- Co-Chair: Pamela D. Paulk, MSW, MBA
- Former President, Johns Hopkins Medicine International
- Living kidney donor
- Andre Dick, MD
- Surgeon-in-Chief, Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Colleen Jay, MD
- Surgeon and Director, Living Donor Program, Wake Forest University
- Dominic Adorno, MS
- President & CEO, DonorConnect
- Edward Hickey, JD
- President, American Association of Kidney Patients
- Eric Gibney, MD
- Nephrologist and Program Director, Piedmont Transplant Institute in Atlanta, GA
- Gena Johns, BSN
- Program Manager, Kidney/Pancreas Transplant, University of Florida Shands Transplant Center in Gainesville, FL
- Lisa Lee, PhD, MA, MS
- Former Executive Director, Presidential Bioethics Commission
- Former Chief of Bioethics, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
- Lorrinda Gray-Davis
- President, Transplant Recipients International Organization
- Liver transplant recipient
- Margie Shaw, PhD, JD
- Director, Clinical Ethics at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY
- Sean Kumer, MD
- Surgeon, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, University of Kansas Health System
- Yesenia Diaz, BS
- Founder and General Contractor, Industry Grade Construction Group
- Two-time kidney transplant recipient
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced the new 34-member Board of Directors for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). This launch of the OPTN Board of Directors advances HRSA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen OPTN governance, mitigate conflicts of interest, and modernize the organ donation, procurement, and transplantation system within the United States.
Voter turnout showed strong engagement from the OPTN community, with an 83 percent participation in the national election—a notable increase from the 68 percent average turnout in national elections over the past three years.
In accordance with the National Organ Transplantation Act of 1984 (NOTA) and the OPTN Final Rule, the new Board reflects the wide range of experience within the transplant community. The newly elected Board of Directors will officially begin their terms on July 1, 2025.
The new 34-member Board is comprised of:
- 17 (50%) transplant physicians and surgeons
- 4 transplant physicians: 1 cardiologist, 2 nephrologists, 1 hepatologist
- 12 transplant surgeons: 9 abdominal transplant surgeons (3 with pediatric focus), 3 thoracic transplant surgeons
- 1 pediatric transplant specialist
- 9 (26%) transplant recipients, a transplant candidate, organ donors, and family members
- 5 transplant recipients
- 1 living organ donor
- 1 family member of an adult transplant recipient
- 1 family member of a pediatric transplant recipient
- 1 family member of a deceased donor
- 8 (24%) representatives of organ procurement organizations (OPOs), transplant hospitals, voluntary health associations, transplant coordinators, histocompatibility experts, non-physician transplant professionals, and the general public
- 3 OPO representatives
- 1 transplant hospital representative
- 1 voluntary health association representative representing transplant professionals
- 1 histocompatibility representative
- 1 governance/finance expert
- 1 ethics expert
- Of the 34-person Board, a total of 14 have lived experience as a transplant candidate, transplant recipients, organ donors, and/or family members.
The 11 Associate Regional Councillors are comprised of 10 transplant surgeons/physicians and one OPO representative.