Contact Information:
Jenny Daigle | jdaigle@aopo.org

AOPO Launches New Foundation and Names Board of Directors

McLean, VA. (December 5, 2022) — Today the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) unveils its newly formed AOPO Foundation set to launch in 2023. The AOPO Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to administering research in the field of organ donation and transplantation. The organization will expand the work of AOPO’s Organ Donation Research Collaborative (ODRC) to bring new knowledge and innovation to the community of practice, specifically focused on organ procurement organization (OPO) advancement. AOPO also is announcing the appointment of the Foundation Board of Directors who will be leading the research efforts.

The Foundation Board members begin their term on January 1, 2023. They are tasked with developing the bylaws, budget, and strategic plan for the research organization and are eligible to serve two consecutive two-year terms. The Foundation Board consists of nine members selected by the AOPO Board of Directors, eight appointees are from AOPO member OPOs and one member is not affiliated with AOPO or its member organizations. The Foundation will start with a budget of $1 million dollars and has already received $13,000 from an anonymous donor.

AOPO Foundation Board Members:

• • • Tasha Flowers, CPA, CGMA, Director of Finance, ARORA (AOPO Secretary-Treasurer)
    • Kyle Herber, President and CEO, Live on Nebraska (AOPO At-Large Member)
    • Marty Sellers, Organ Recovery Surgeon, Tennessee Donor Services (AOPO Medial Advisor)
    • Suzanne Conrad, CEO, Iowa Donor Network
    • Lori Markham, COO, Midwest Transplant Network
    • Joe Nespral, CEO, Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA)
    • Tom Mone, CEO, OneLegacy
    • Mike Moritz, MD, Medical Director, Gift of Life Donor Program
    • Bill Leinweber, President and CEO, National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI)

“We formed the AOPO Foundation as a way to support our commitment to 50,000 organs donated in 2026,” says Barry Massa, AOPO President and Executive Director, LifeCenter Organ Donor Network. “With more research going into organ donation and transplantation, we will discover more effective technologies and processes which will lead to more organs donated and ultimately more lives saved.”

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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.