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AOPO Names New Foundation Board President and Secretary-Treasurer
Leaders Tasked with Supporting Organ Donation Research to Save More Lives

McLean, VA (April 12, 2023) – Today, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) named its first Foundation President as Joseph Nespral, MD, Chief Executive Officer, at Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA) and Secretary-Treasurer as Tasha Flowers, CPA, Director of Finance and Information Technology at ARORA (Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency).

Joseph Nespral, MD, CPTC
AOPO Foundation President
Texas Organ Sharing Alliance CEO

Nespral has over 35 years of experience in the organ donation and transplantation field, with an extensive background in OPO leadership operations, restructuring, policy analysis, business development, and quality improvement. He earned his degree in Medicine at Central East University in the Dominican Republic and is Board Certified as a Procurement Transplant Coordinator. Nespral has also served on various national committees throughout his career, including the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) OPO and Patient Affairs Committees and the Executive Committee of the Texas Transplant Society.

Currently, Nespral leads the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance, the organ procurement organization (OPO) providing organ donation and recovery services to Central and South Texas. Nespral will serve a two-year term in his leadership role on the Board of Directors, setting up the Foundation’s strategic plan and research efforts to advance organ donation and transplantation.

“I am honored to lead the AOPO Foundation to bring new knowledge and innovation to the community of practice,” said Joseph Nespral. “Our focus is on OPO advancement, addressing challenges in facilitating the organ donation process, and finding solutions to help our community save more lives.”

Tasha Flowers, CPA, CGMA
AOPO Foundation Secretary-Treasurer
ARORA Director of Finance and IT

Additionally, AOPO named Tasha Flowers, CPA, Director of Finance and IT at ARORA, as the Foundation’s Secretary-Treasurer. Flowers also serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the AOPO Board, acting as an intermediary leader to align finances between the two organizations. She earned a master’s in business administration from Harding University and is a certified public accountant with over 18 years of experience in not-for-profit financial management.

AOPO announced the Foundation’s Board of Directors in December 2022 and the Board recently finalized the Foundation’s mission statement as “Advancing research to improve the outcomes of organ and tissue donation”. The Foundation will prioritize and fund research in the field of organ donation and transplantation to facilitate innovation and help OPOs save more lives.

“We formed the AOPO Foundation as a way to support our commitment to reach 50,000 annual organ transplants in 2026,” says Steve Miller, AOPO Chief Executive Officer. “Research, innovation, and the sharing of knowledge are critical to increasing donation and maximizing the number of organs transplanted across the United States. We are confident these new leaders are equipped to carry out our Foundation’s mission”.

The AOPO website features a page for the Foundation and profiles of each Board member.

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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 their OPO members. The vision of AOPO is to pursue the day when every donation opportunity results in lives saved. For more information, please visit www.aopo.org.