LIFEGIFT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Lecturer
- Director of Experiential Learning for the School of Social Sciences Rice University Read More
Dr. Lesane-Brown is a lecturer in the Psychological Sciences department and the Director of Experiential Learning for the School of Social Sciences at Rice University. She is also Affiliated Faculty in the Center for African and African American Studies. Dr. Lesane-Brown earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside; her M.S. in Counseling Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino; and her Ph.D. in Personality Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Lesane-Brown teaches core courses in the Psychological Sciences department, such as Health Psychology, Multicultural Psychology, and Research Methods, with a strong focus on service- and active-learning teaching strategies. She serves as a faculty representative on the Committee for Undergraduate Curriculum, and in the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry. Dr. Lesane-Brown also serves on the Social Policy Analysis Major Advisory Board.
Dr. Lesane-Brown's research focuses on two areas: the process, content, and consequences of race socialization among black children and adolescents; and the process of parent-child communication about health, coping mechanisms used by children with a chronic illness, and health care access among young adults diagnosed with sickle cell disease during their transition from pediatric to adult health care.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development
- Vice President, Human Resources and Organizational Development Read More
David Staley serves as the vice president of human resources and organizational development at LifeGift. He began his career at LifeGift in 2015 after serving as director of human resources at LifeNet Health, based in Virginia Beach, VA. Previously, Staley served as a human resources executive for Fortune 50 companies, privately held organizations and non-profit organizations. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Staley has a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute and is a Senior Certified Professional through the Society for Human Resources Management.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Vice President for CHI St Luke 's Health System
Treasurer; Vice President, CHI St Luke's Health System, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Read More
Treasurer; Vice President, CHI St Luke's Health System, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center
Deborah (Deb) Maurer is a Vice President for CHI St Luke's Health System, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center (BSLMC) in Houston, Texas. Her responsibilities include the Multi-Organ Transplant service line which includes the Ventricular Assist Devices and hepatology clinical programs. Ms. Maurer provides administrative oversight which includes daily operations, quality and personnel management, financial and strategic planning as well as program development. She received her Nursing Diploma from Geisinger Medical Center School of Nursing in 1986 and her MBA from Southern California University for Professional Studies in 2001.
Ms. Maurer's transplant career started in 1991 and she has been privileged to hold various administrative leadership positions at well-respected transplant hospitals including the University of Chicago, UPMC and Banner Health. She also has experience managing national transplant networks for Kaiser Permanente and Cigna Health. Ms. Maurer's previous OPTN Committee experience includes serving on Operations and Safety and Membership and Professional Standards. She is passionate about her work in transplantation and her advocacy to patients, families, donors and their families and is humbled by her 30 years of experience.
Secretary; Retired Pediatric Transplant Pulmonologist Read More
Secretary; Retired Pediatric Transplant Pulmonologist
Dr. Mallory is a retired pediatric transplant pulmonologist who came to Texas and Texas Children's Hospital twenty years ago to start what has become the most active such program in the world. He intends to continue activity on LifeGift's Board after stepping down from clinical practice while continuing a part-time presence at Texas Children's Hospital and the Baylor College of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Chairman President and CEO, DePelchin Children 's Center
Jenifer Jarriel was raised as one of seven sisters who learned early the values of working hard to achieve goals, helping others and giving back. She truly believes in making the world a better place and her role as President and CEO of DePelchin Children's Center presents that opportunity to her every day. A nonprofit organization, DePelchin Children's Center is an accredited foster care and adoption agency. DePelchin's approach to caring for children integrates prevention, foster care, adoption services and residential care programs.
Prior to Ms. Jarriel's position at DePelchin Children's Center, she served in senior information technology leadership positions in Academic Medical Centers within the Texas Medical Center. Jarriel has held numerous board leadership positions in professional organizations, and she holds an undergraduate degree from University of Houston Central Campus and an MBA from Houston Baptist University.
Ms. Jarriel devotes her time and talent to other organizations in Houston as board member of The Periwinkle Foundation and LifeGift. In addition, she serves on the board for the Texas Alliance for Children and Families, representing DePelchin and serving as a voice for Texas' most vulnerable children and families.
Job Titles:
- President of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth
- President, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth Read More
Joseph DeLeon became president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth in January 2018. Mr. DeLeon returned to Texas Health Fort Worth after almost five years as president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth. He is a former captain of the United States Air Force Medical Services Corps and has served in health care management since 1991. Mr. DeLeon first joined Texas Health in 2005 as vice president of professional services and business development at Texas Health Fort Worth, where he was responsible for all ancillary functions, strategic planning and business development activities for the hospital. In January 2013, he was named president of Texas Health Southwest. Under Mr. DeLeon's leadership, Texas Health Southwest achieved the Truven 100 Top Hospital two years in a row and the Pinnacle of Excellence Award for Patient Experience from Press Ganey. The Texas Health Southwest leadership team also worked to bring Texas Health Clearfork online and become a joint replacement destination. DeLeon is an active leader in the community, serving as chairman of the boards of Texas Rehabilitation Hospital and the Tarrant County March of Dimes, and on the boards of North Texas Community Foundation and the Healthy Tarrant County Collaboration. He previously served as president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. DeLeon has been recognized many times for his leadership of the hospital, including a 2017 Minorities in Business Award from the Fort Worth Business Press. The awards recognize Tarrant County's top minority leaders in business and the community. Honorees are chosen based on professional achievements, community contributions, philanthropy and other milestones. A graduate of Leadership North Texas, Leadership Fort Worth and Leadership Bryan-College Station, he was previously named to the Fort Worth Business Press 40 under 40 and holds a Certificate of Leader Development from the U.S. Army War College Commandant's National Security Program. Mr. DeLeon is also an associate with the American College of Healthcare Executives. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in business management in 1991 and a master's in public administration in 1994 from Texas A&M University.
Job Titles:
- CTBS, Vice President of Tissue Services
- Vice President of Tissue Services
Joseph Kreeb serves as the vice president of tissue services at LifeGift. He began his career at LifeGift in 2018 as the director of tissue services and moved to the vice president role in 2019. Kreeb leads the planning, development, execution, evaluation and strategic direction of clinical tissue operations across LifeGift's service areas. He is responsible for the implementation of nationally recognized best practices and designs and deploys innovative approaches to develop an effective and efficient tissue recovery program, quality process management, personnel management, fiscal responsibility and increased tissue donation and transplantation. Kreeb has more than 26 years of experience in healthcare and has served in a variety of leadership roles within the donation and transplantation community. Prior to joining LifeGift, Kreeb previously served as director of tissue services at Tennessee Donor Services in Nashville, TN. He attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Organ Operations
- Senior Director of Organ Operations Read More
Kaitlyn Fitzgerald serves as the senior director of organ operations at LifeGift. She began her career at LifeGift in 2018 and leads the planning, development, execution, evaluation and strategic direction of clinical organ operations. Fitzgerald is responsible for the implementation of nationally recognized best practices and designs and deploys creative approaches to develop an effective and efficient organ recovery program, quality process management, personnel management, fiscal responsibility and increased organ donation and transplantation. Prior to joining LifeGift, she served as the manager of organ recovery at LifeShare Transplant Donor Services in Oklahoma, OK. Fitzgerald obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, OK.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
Kevin Myer has served as President and Chief Executive Officer at LifeGift since 2013. Prior to his tenure at LifeGift, Myer worked at the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), where he served as the business director for the Center for Transplant System Excellence. In this role, Myer led efforts to improve the organ transplantation system through multiple funded research projects using non-traditional approaches and collaborative research teams. He has more than 25 years of experience in the organ and tissue donation and transplantation community and proven expertise in clinical research, patient safety and healthcare systems leadership. Myer is a graduate of Cornell University and the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University where he obtained his Master of Science in Health Administration.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Compliance
- Vice President, Quality and Regulatory Affairs Read More
Kristine Browning serves as the vice president of quality and regulatory compliance at LifeGift. She began her career at LifeGift in 2020 as the director of quality systems and moved to the vice president role in 2021. Browning leads LifeGift's quality assurance and improvement processes, compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and policies for organ and tissue recovery services. She is responsible for developing and administering quality systems processes and supporting performance improvement initiatives. Browning has more than 28 years of experience in health care. Throughout her tenure in healthcare and the donation and transplantation community, Browning has served in a variety of leadership roles. Prior to joining LifeGift, she previously served as transplant quality coordinator at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX. Browning attended the Foothills Hospital, School of Nursing in Calgary, AB.
Job Titles:
- Senior Medical Director, 3ive Labs
As an engineer, physician, and innovator, Dr. Black speaks a multitude of technical languages and serves as an intermediary and catalyst in the ever-demanding path of medical device development. His experiences prior to joining 3ive Labs includes serving as a Family and Flight Medicine physician in the United States Air Force in which he deployed twice leading the rapid response team for F-22 pilots in Okinawa, Japan and serving as Chief of the Medical Staff at Manas Transit Air Base in Kyrgyzstan; Medical Affairs Manager for a MedTech development firm where he participated in the build-out and testing of over 25 medical devices with contribution on more than 30 patents; and, most recently Associate Director of Texas Medical Center's TMC Innovation focused on building and launching novel medical device and digital health companies.
During his tenure at TMC Innovation, Dr. Black had the opportunity to review and screen over 2000 healthcare startups for entry into the well-known accelerator, TMCx; advise over 100 medical device and digital health companies who have collectively raised more than $2.5B; and aided in the launch of 10 healthcare startups as advisor to TMC Bio design who have now raised >$30M. Dr. Black is dedicated to supporting the development of novel technologies that will bring value to patients.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of External Relations
- Vice President, External Relations Read More
Lauren Quinn serves as the vice president of external relations at LifeGift. She began her career at LifeGift in 2017 as the director of donation systems and moved to the vice president role in 2018, leading the new external relations service line. Quinn leads the donation systems, communications and family aftercare teams, and is responsible for all matters related to the establishment of effective donation programs at all donor hospitals, the branding of LifeGift and its mission in the community, and a superior aftercare experience for donor families. Quinn has spent almost 20 years working in the donation community, serving in several roles at the Center for Donation and Transplant in Albany, NY before relocating to Houston. She has a master's degree in organizational communication from the University at Albany.
Job Titles:
- Financial Advisor With Keystone Wealth Management
- Treasurer Financial Advisor, Keystone Wealth Management, LLC
M. Adriana Valencia, CRPC Treasurer; Financial Advisor, Keystone Wealth Management, LLC As a Financial Advisor with Keystone Wealth Management, Adriana Valencia aims to help others gain more clarity and control over their financial lives. This rewarding career aligns perfectly with her commitment to family and education. She specializes in wealth management and the design and management of financial plans for high net worth individuals and small business owners. Ms. Valencia is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, which marks her as a specialist in retirement planning rather than a general practitioner. Fluent in English and Spanish, Ms. Valencia was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States in 1998. She previously enjoyed a career that spanned numerous upwardly leadership positions during the 16-year tenure within a world-leading publicly traded food service producer. Ms. Valencia transitioned into the financial services industry in 2003. She is a board member for LifeGift, and she is also a member of the International Women's Leadership Association. She prides herself on her integrity and her friendly and helpful personality. Ms. Valencia has been married to her husband, Tommy, for more than twenty years.
Job Titles:
- Position of Senior Vice President of Texas Children 's Hospital
- Senior Vice President, Texas Children 's Hospital Read More
Matthew (Matt) Girotto currently holds the position of senior vice president of Texas Children's Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, responsible for the Department of Anesthesia, Food and Nutrition, Pathology, PT/OT, Radiology and Surgery. This includes physician services organization activities, transplant, trauma, educational programs, division and departmental administration and departmental research. Girotto has held a variety of positions since joining Texas Children's Hospital in August 2002.
Mr. Girotto's responsibilities include leading a senior leadership team of three executives and over 1,600 staff while partnering with Medical Chiefs and a medical staff of over 700 medical doctors and advanced practice providers.
Mr. Girotto earned his B.B.A. in Finance and Management from Texas A&M University; his M.H.A and M.H.R. from Washington University; and his Certificate in Health Care Management from Rice University.
Mr. Girotto's board involvement includes LifeGift; St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School; and Nora's Home.
In his free time, Mr. Girotto enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his kids' sports teams, hosting friends and families, cooking, skiing, fishing, almost any sport and live music.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Donation Communication Services
- Vice President of Donation Communication Services Read More
Michelle Gilbert serves as the vice president of donation communication services at LifeGift. She began her career at LifeGift in 2018 as the director of communications center for donation and moved to the vice president role in 2022. Gilbert leads the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of donation communication services while optimizing operations and establishing strong partnerships internally and externally across the organization. She is responsible for administering and coordinating exceptional customer care in donation communication to maximize donation opportunities across LifeGift. Gilbert has more than 28 years of experience in health care and throughout her tenure in the donation and transplantation community, she has served in a variety of leadership roles. Prior to joining LifeGift, Gilbert previously served as software product manager at MTF Biologics and manager of tissue recovery and communications center at Midwest Transplant Network in Kansas City, Mo. She has a Bachelor of Science in cellular and molecular biology from Missouri State University and a Master Business Administration from the University of Illinois.
Job Titles:
- President
- President / Chief of Hospital Services of Cook Children 's Medical Center
- President / Chief of Hospital Services, Cook Children 's Medical Center Read More
Nancy C. Cychol is President/Chief of Hospital Services of Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, one of the largest children's hospitals in the country. After joining Cook Children's in 1984, Ms. Cychol held several leadership positions prior to her promotion to president in 2003. Before joining Cook Children's, she was employed by Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, IN and Children's Medical Center of Dayton in Dayton, OH.
As president, Ms. Cychol oversees operations of the 444-bed medical center and is responsible for more than 4,600 employees across 42 specialties and subspecialties. This includes a nationally respected Magnet® designated nursing staff ranked in the top three percent of all healthcare organizations nationwide. She directs a highly skilled staff of nurses, technologists, therapists, child life specialists, chaplains, teachers, social workers, translators, and more than 760 physicians, dentists, and advanced practice providers. Under Ms. Cychol's leadership, Cook Children's has become the home of a designated Level II pediatric trauma center, a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit and one of the largest pediatric transport programs in the country.
Ms. Cychol received her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing and a master's degree in administration from Indiana University. She currently serves on the boards of the Cook Children's Surgery Center/Hurst, Cook Children's Surgery Center/Prosper, and MedStar Mobile Healthcare. Also, she is a donor mom and serves on the LifeGift board. Ms. Cychol and her husband John, who live in Colleyville, have two sons, Ryan and Nicholas. Their son John IV is deceased.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Senior Executive Vice President
- Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Read More
Patricia Rubin serves as the senior executive vice president at LifeGift. She began her career at LifeGift in 1997 where she leads the accounting, facilities and information technology teams. Rubin's background includes more than 25 years in leadership roles in healthcare organizations and three years in public accounting. She is a highly motivated professional who values excellence and is results oriented. Rubin received her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Rider College in Lawrenceville, NJ. She is also a certified public accountant in the state of Texas.
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Read More
Patrick Wood, MD, serves as the executive vice president and chief medical officer at LifeGift. He began his career at LifeGift in 1991 as an associate medical director. Dr. Wood's involvement at LifeGift increased over the years and in in 2015 he moved to the chief medical officer role. Prior to joining LifeGift, he worked with the private practice group, Transplantation and General Surgery Associates, performing complex hepatobiliary surgery as well as routine general surgery. Dr. Wood attended medical school at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, NY. He completed a five-year surgical residency at New York University in New York City, and a fellowship in transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer of Houston Methodist Hospital
- Executive VP & Chief Innovation Officer Houston Methodist Hospital Read More
Roberta L. Schwartz is the executive vice president and chief innovation officer of Houston Methodist Hospital, one of the Texas Medical Center's founding institutions. She is responsible for overseeing all operations at the 952-bed hospital, which has been named by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 hospital in Texas for nine straight years and has also been named to the publication's prestigious "Honor Roll" of America's best 20 hospitals four times. In her role as chief innovation officer, Dr. Schwartz is responsible for advancing and expanding Houston Methodist's digital innovation platforms, including telemedicine, artificial intelligence and big data.
Prior to joining Houston Methodist, Dr. Schwartz worked as director of business development for Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, as a consultant and project manager to several academic medical centers for APM/Computer Sciences Corporation, and for CMS (HCFA).
Dr. Schwartz earned a master's in health science from Johns Hopkins University and an honors undergraduate degree from Barnard College at Columbia University. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Texas School of Public Health. Dr. Schwartz has been recognized nationally for her professional and non-profit work. She was most recently recognized by Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women Leaders as one of its 10 Women to Watch. Dr. Schwartz is also involved with LifeGift, Robert M. Beren Academy and the UOS Synagogue, Young Survival Coalition and many breast cancer organizations.
Job Titles:
- Retired Executive Read More
Sharyn Ivory has previously served on the LifeGift Board of Directors for many years and in every office including Board Chair. She recently vacated her board position, taking the required time off prescribed by the Bylaws and is honored to serve on the board again. Ms. Ivory is a retired executive from Covenant Health in Lubbock, TX and owned a consulting firm for many years. These careers provide her with the experience to be a productive partner with LifeGift in fulfilling its fiduciary responsibility for oversight of a non-profit. Ms. Ivory has a heart for transplant and is honored to serve, yet again, being an active member of our board.
Job Titles:
- Community Member
- Community Member Read More
Mr. Sanders served as CEO of Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital for 20 years. In 2014, after 32 years, he retired from Memorial Hermann. Prior to joining Memorial Hermann, Mr. Sanders held several CEO positions at other hospitals.
Mr. Sanders was always inspired by excellent leadership. Great leadership is a passion of his and he has always tried to practice great leadership. Over the course of Mr. Sanders' career, he had the privilege of working for two outstanding System CEO's, Dan Wilford and Dan Wolterman. He highly respects these two individuals due to their integrity and how they treated people.
Mr. Sanders thoroughly enjoy being part of a healthcare organization and serving on LifeGift's board. Over the years, he has gained considerable knowledge about transplantation and he is very passionate about LifeGift's Innovation Committee. Mr. Sanders is proud to be affiliated with LifeGift, one of the largest and highest performing organ procurement organizations in the country.
In his free time, Mr. Sanders enjoys playing golf 3-5 times a week.
Job Titles:
- Partner, Levin & Atwood, LLP Read More
Stuart "Stu" Levin is admitted to practice law in the states of Texas and Connecticut and before various federal courts. He is a 1971 graduate of Syracuse University (A.B. with honors and magna cum laude) and received his juris doctor's degree from the University of Connecticut (1974, with honors and law review associate editor). Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Levin served on active duty as a U.S. Air Force Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, where he was responsible for military and civilian prosecutions.
After being honorably discharged from the Air Force (with an Air Force Commendation Medal), Mr. Levin was employed as an in-house attorney by the Panhandle Eastern Corporation (now a part of Duke Energy). He later served Mitchell Energy (now a part of Devon Energy) as Manager of Regulatory Affairs- Gas, and later worked for the Coastal Corporation (now part of El Paso Energy) as a senior staff attorney. Mr. Levin established the firm that evolved into Levin and Atwood in 1989.
Mr. Levin is married to Carol Reiss Levin and they have two sons, Jason and Todd, three grandchildren, Hayley, Addison and Parker. He is also active in numerous community and professional organizations, including Katy Bar Association (Charter President), the Westside Shrine Club (Secretary), Katy Rotary Club, the Breath of Life Children's Center, the Katy YMCA (former director), Board of Directors-Houston Methodist West, and the Epilepsy Foundation of South Texas/Gulf Coast (former President). Mr. Levin's areas of practice concentration include merger and acquisition, real estate, business and commercial law, corporate law, wills, trusts and estates.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Vice President, Trauma Service Line and System Integration, Memorial Hermann Health System Read More
Thomas "Tom" Flanagan, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., L.P., is the Vice President of the Trauma Service Line and System Integration for Memorial Hermann Health System. Mr. Flanagan is based at Memorial Hermann - Memorial City corporate headquarters, as well as Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, which is renowned for providing leading-edge care in trauma, heart, neuroscience, orthopedics, women's health, general surgery and organ transplantation services. Memorial Hermann's Red Duke Trauma Institute provides 24/7 emergency and trauma care in addition to serving as the primary teaching hospital for UTHealth Medical School.
With almost four decades of both clinical and administrative healthcare experience, Mr. Flanagan is widely recognized for his proficiency in crisis management and disaster preparedness. He began his career as a respiratory therapist before becoming an emergency room nurse and then a Life Flight nurse, where he would eventually rise through the ranks to run the entire program.
Mr. Flanagan has been named "National Program Director of the Year" by American Eurocopter and the Association of Air Medical Services and "Emergency Nurse of the Year" by the Greater Houston EMS Council. He received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing and was honored by HealthWeek with a Nursing Excellence Award for Nursing and Administration. Mr. Flanagan was the recipient of the Memorial Hermann Dan S. Wilford Spirit Award, an honor given to one employee whose personal values and attributes most closely reflect those of former president and chief executive officer of Memorial Hermann.
Mr. Flanagan serves as a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council and as a board member for LifeGift. He has also served in several healthcare and community board capacities including the Harris County Department of Education's Center for Safe and Secure Schools, the EMS Departments at both Houston Community College and San Jacinto Community College. Mr. Flanagan received a bachelor's in nursing from UTHealth School of Nursing and a master's in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.