Special Election
Vote now for the OPTN Board of Directors and the Associate Regional Councillor in Your Region.
Voting members should have received an email on May 23, 2025, with a voting link and instructions.
If you are a voting member and have not received this information, please reach out to OPTNBoardSupport@air.org.
Per the HRSA OPTN Board of Directors Designation Agreement, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may hold a special election for the OPTN Board of Directors when the Secretary determines that doing so is in the best interest of OPTN, and the organization designated to serve as the OPTN Board of Directors shall abide by the terms and results of such a special election and ensure a smooth and efficient transition to the new Board.
OPTN Board of Directors and Associate Regional Councillor nominees
The Transitional Nominating Committee (TNC) recommended a slate of candidates to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who approved the nominees for this national election. The ballot for the OPTN Board of Directors election will be open from 11 a.m. ET on May 23, 2025, to 11:59 p.m. ET on June 2, 2025. To maximize participation and allow for an extended voting period, the beginning of the national election was moved up from May 27, 2025, to May 23, 2025. The national ballot will include candidates for the Board of Directors, as well as a regional section where voters can select Associate Regional Councillors. Those elected will begin their terms on July 1, 2025.
Voting representatives for each member organization, as well as individual members with voting privileges, will be emailed instructions and their ballot on May 23, 2025.
Member institutions have designated one person to serve as a voting representative on their behalf, as well as an alternate if the primary representative is unavailable to vote on the ballot. Member electors who represent individual members (as defined in OPTN Management and Membership Policy F.8) are also voting representatives.
For the regional section of the ballot, each member institution or individual member with voting privileges will cast one vote for their region’s Associate Regional Councillor, who will serve on the OPTN Membership and Professional Standards Committee for two years prior to rotating onto the Board
Personal statements for nominees are available for review here: 2025 OPTN National Election Candidate Biographical and Personal Statements
Board of Director nominees
| Board Position | Nominee(s) |
|---|---|
| Transplant Physician and Surgeon Representatives | |
| Abdominal Transplant Surgeon (vote for one) |
Jeffrey Lowell, MD, FACS, Medical Officer, U.S. Department of State, and Clinical Professor of Surgery, George Washington University 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 |
| Thoracic Transplant Surgeon (vote for one) |
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 Aleem Siddique, MD, Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center |
| Transplant Cardiologist (vote for one) |
Shelley Hall, MD, Chief of Transplant Cardiology, Congestive Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Baylor University Medical Center Claudius Mahr, DO, Executive Director, Institute for Advanced Cardiac Care, and System Director for Heart Failure, Medical City Healthcare |
| Transplant Hepatologist (vote for one) |
David Goldberg, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, and Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Kymberly D. Watt, MD, Medical Director of Liver Transplantation Program, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic |
| Transplant Nephrologist (vote for one) |
George Bayliss, MD, Medical Director, Division of Transplantation, Rhode Island Hospital, and Associate Professor of Medicine, Brown University Hassan Ibrahim, MD, MS, Director of Living Kidney Donor Program, Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas |
| Transplant Specialist – Pediatric (uncontested) |
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 | |
| Transplant Recipient – Heart (vote for one) |
John J. Sperzel III, BS, previously Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, T2 Biosystems, Inc. Steven Weitzen, JD, previously Counsel, OlenderFeldman LLP |
| Transplant Recipient – Kidney (vote for one) |
Aimee Adelmann, MS, Principal and Founder, A2A Consulting Gitthaline (Candie) Gagne, USN, HM1 (Ret.), previously Level 3 Surgical Technologist, UPMC McKeesport and Retired U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman |
| Transplant Recipient – Liver (vote for one) |
David Rodriguez, previously Patient Relationship Specialist, University Transplant Institute Justin Wilkerson, MBA, Deputy Director of Human Services, Illinois Army National Guard |
| Transplant Recipient – Lung (vote for one) |
Kevin Donald Huckaby, Molding Department Manager, Atrion Medical Products, Inc. Peter Nicastro, MS, MBA, previously Finance Director, Cigna |
| Transplant Recipient – Pancreas (vote for one) |
Jen Benson, BA, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of The Transplant Journey Inc. and The Transplant Collective, and Operations Manager, R.L. Bension & Associates, Inc. Dale Rogers, AAAS, previously staff at Umatilla County Information Technology Division supporting the Health Department |
| Family Member of a Transplant Recipient (vote for one) |
James Cason, MA, previously Mayor of Coral Gables, FL, and former U.S. Foreign Service Officer Krystal L. McLear, BA, Cardiometabolic Care Specialist, Novo Nordisk |
| Family Member of a Pediatric Transplant Recipient (vote for one) |
William (Bill) M. Remak, MPH, MS, MT, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, California Hepatitis C Task Force, Inc. (Grandfather of a Pediatric Transplant Recipient) Cody Reynolds, Program Manager, Chickasaw Nation (Father of a Pediatric Transplant Recipient) |
| Living Organ Donor (vote for one) |
Trysha Galloway, previously Director of Research/FSO ITPSO, The Learning Chameleon Inc. John Hodges, MA, previously Faculty Research Assistant, Center for Remote Sensing, Department of Geography, Boston University |
| Family Member of a Deceased Organ Donor (vote for one) |
Precious McCowan, PhD, MS, Research Assistant, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine William (Bill) Ryan, MBA, Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Transplant Life Foundation |
| Non-Physician Transplant Professional Representatives | |
| Organ Procurement Organization Representatives (vote for three) |
Samantha Endicott, MPH, CPTC, Senior Director, Organ Optimization, New England Donor Services Brett Gordon, BS, President and Chief Executive Officer, Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency Darren Lahrman, MBA, CPTC, BSRC, Executive Director, LifeLink of Florida Kevin Lee, MPA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mid-America Transplant |
| Transplant Hospital Representative (vote for one) |
Joshua Gossett, DNP, MBA, RN, FACHE, Director of the Pediatric Transplant Center, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford Chad Rhoden, DNP, APRN-BC, Assistant Director of Clinical Operations, UF Health Shands Hospital |
| Voluntary Health Association Representative (vote for one) |
Teresa Bueno, DNP, MBA, MSN, APRN-C, FNP, CCTC, VAD-C, FHFSA, Adult Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support APRN, Memorial Transplant Institute; and Councillor-at-Large, NATCO Board of Directors Annette Needham, DNP, NP-C, NEA-BC, CCTC, Transplant Quality Manager, UC Davis Transplant Center; and Secretary, NATCO Board of Directors |
| Histocompatibility Representative (vote for one) |
Valia Bravo-Egana, PhD, MBA, Laboratory Director, Technical Supervisor, and Clinical Consultant, Histocompatibility/Immunology Laboratory, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University Cathi Murphey, PhD, MS, Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory Director, Southwest Immunodiagnostics, Inc. |
| Non-Transplant Professionals | |
| Governance/Finance Expert (vote for one) |
Eric Briesemeister, MS, MBA, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer of UnityPoint Health—Jones Regional Medical Center, and Director of the Cedar Rapids Regional Network 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 |
| Ethics Expert (uncontested) |
Mary E. Homan, DrPH, MA, MSCHE, Mountain Region Vice President of Theology and Ethics, CommonSpirit Health |
| Regional Councillors | |
| Region 1 Councillor (uncontested) |
Nahel Elias, MD, Medical Director for Quality, Division of Transplantation, Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Region 2 Councillor (uncontested) |
Kenneth Chavin, MD, MBA, PhD, Director of Abdominal Organ Transplant, Temple University Health System |
| Region 3 Councillor (uncontested) |
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 (uncontested) |
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 (uncontested) |
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 (uncontested) |
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 (uncontested) |
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 (uncontested) |
Mark Wakefield, MD, Director and Primary Surgeon of Renal Transplant Program, University of Missouri Health Care |
| Region 9 Councillor (uncontested) |
Meelie DebRoy, MD, Section Chief, Kidney Transplant, Department of Surgery, Westchester Medical Center |
| Region 10 Councillor (uncontested) |
John C. Magee, MD, Attending Surgeon, Division of Transplantation, Jeremiah & Claire Turcotte Professor of Transplantation Surgery, University of Michigan Health Systems |
| Region 11 Councillor (uncontested) |
Vincent Casingal, MD, Chief, Division of Abdominal Transplant, and Surgical Director, Adult and Pediatric Kidney Transplant, Atrium Health-Carolinas Medical Center |
Associate Regional Councillor nominees
| OPTN Region | Nominee(s) |
|---|---|
| Region 1 (CT, Eastern VT, ME, MA, NH, RI) (vote for one) |
Michael F. Daily, MD, MS, FACS, Section Chief of Transplant and Surgical Director, Solid Organ Transplantation Surgery, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Nicole Valenzuela, PhD, F(ACHI), HLA Laboratory Director, NorDx Clinical Laboratories, MaineHealth |
| Region 2 (DE, DC, MD, NJ, PA, WV) (vote for one) |
Stephen Gray, MD, MSPH, Surgical Director, Liver Transplant Program, and Associate Professor of Surgery, George Washington University Michael Marvin, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery and Chair, Department of Transplantation and Liver Surgery, Geisinger Medical Center |
| Region 3 (AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, PR) (vote for one) |
Douglas Keith, MD, FAST, Medical Director, Kidney Transplant Program, Ascension Sacred Heart Kenneth Newell, MD, PhD, Professor of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, Emory University School of Medicine |
| Region 4 (OK, TX) (vote for one) |
Brad Adams, JD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Southwest Transplant Alliance Joel Adler, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, and Staff Surgeon, Dell Seton Medical Center |
| Region 5 (AZ, CA, NV, NM, UT) (vote for one) |
Anand Annamalai, MD, FACS, President and Director of Organ Transplant and Cancer Surgery, House Medicine 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 |
| Region 6 (AK, HI, ID, MT, OR, WA) (vote for one) |
Kevin Koomalsingh, MD, Surgical Director, Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Providence St. Vincent’s Medical Center Mary C. Smith, MD, FACS, Surgical Director of OHT/MCS/Adult ECMO, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center |
| Region 7 (IL, MN, ND, SD, WI) (vote for one) |
Alan Betensley, MD, Medical Director of Transplant Informatics, Outpatient Director of Lung Transplant Services, and Medical Director of Lung Transplant North Region, Canning Thoracic Institute, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine Paul A. Stahler III, MD, FACS, Surgical Director, Kidney Transplant Program, Hennepin County Medical Center |
| Region 8 (CO, IA, KS, MO, NE, WY) (vote for one) |
Ryan Fischer, MD, Section Chief of Hepatology and Transplant Medicine, Children’s Mercy Kansas City Anthony Panos, MD, MSc, Professor of Surgery and Director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Programs, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics |
| Region 9 (NY, Western VT) (vote for one) |
Niraj M. Desai, MD, Director, Center for Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, North Shore University Hospital Deirdre Sawinski, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College |
| Region 10 (IN, MI, OH) (vote for one) |
Paul Lange, MD, FCCP, Intensivist, Ascension Borgess Hospital, and Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, Western Michigan University, Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine 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 (KY, NC, SC, Southern OH, TN, VA) (vote for one) |
David Bruno, MD, FACS, Director of Transplant Service Line and Chair of Division of Transplant, Hume-Lee Transplant Center, Virginia Commonwealth University Malay Shah, MD, Surgical Director of Liver Transplantation, University of Kentucky |
Learn more about the special election
- Special election webinar slides
- Special election webinar recording
- FAQ
- 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