Senior Leadership Team Members
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dorrie Dils
Dorrie Dils is responsible for overall operations, management and compliance. She reports to the Gift of Life Governing Board. Dorrie is also the President of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO).
Vice President, Administration/CFO
Sharon Bayliss
Sharon Bayliss oversees all of Gift of Life's financial functions, administrative services, and the human resources department.
Vice President, Performance Excellence
Kristin Delli Carpini
Kristin Delli Carpini oversees Gift of Life’s strategic planning process, the quality department, business intelligence reporting and leads performance improvement efforts across all departments of the organization.
Vice President, Clinical Operations
Jeff Patierno
Jeff Patierno oversees the clinical operations departments responsible for the organ and tissue donation process from referral through recovery.
Vice President, Donation Optimization
Bruce Nicely
Bruce Nicely is responsible for the overall performance and direction of organ and tissue recovery operations. He is responsible for partner relationships that advance donation.
Vice President, Compliance and General Counsel
Jeffrey Wisniewski
Jeff Wisniewski oversees all of Gift of Life's internal legal and regulatory functions including contracts, the technology department and compliance with both regulatory bodies and the uniform anatomical gift act (UAGA).
Vice President, Communications and External Relations
Patrick Wells-O’Brien
Patrick Wells-O'Brien oversees all of Gift of Life's community outreach efforts, public education, marketing, events, internal and external communications, governmental affairs, family support services and fundraising.
Department Directors
Director, Marketing and Communications
Racha Kardahji
Racha Kardahji leads internal and external communications, including website, social media, print materials, digital assets and public relations to provide consistent branding and public support for donation.
Director, Public Education and Community Outreach
Remonia Chapman
Remonia Chapman leads community outreach, public education programs and the family support/aftercare. She is also the Program Director for the Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP).
Director, Information Technology Services
Eric Anderson
Eric Anderson is responsible for Gift of Life’s information technology services and cyber security.
Director, Administration
Jamee Zielke
Jamee oversees the facilities, materials and sterilization departments and administrative staff.
Director, Finance
Lori Lawyer
Lori provides strategic leadership in all finance functions of the organization, including analysis of financial results, regulatory reporting, and preparation of reports for leadership review.
Director, Preservation and Placement
Brytany Bailey
Brytany Bailey oversees the organ allocation, recovery, preservation and research departments and efforts.
Director, Human Resources
Courtney Kupres
Courtney Kupres directs and provides strategic leadership in all human resource functions and fosters a people-first, inclusive work culture.
Director, Hospital Development
Mary Pat Butcher
Mary Pat Butcher is responsible for partnerships and working relationships with donor hospitals, medical examiners and funeral homes.
Director, Laboratory Services
Walter Herczyk
Walter Herczyk is responsible for overseeing the operations of Gift of Life’s full-service laboratory.
Director, Quality
Misty Brock
Misty Brock oversees all quality assurance functions, audits, and regulatory compliance.
Director, Tissue Services
Ryan Cormier
Ryan Cormier oversees tissue donation, from referral and screening through surgical recovery of donated gifts, maintaining the highest standards for recovery and empathy for donor families.
Director, Donation Authorization
David Moder
David Moder ensures that donors' documented decisions are honored, and works with the families of those not on the Donor Registry to create a legacy through organ donation.
Director, Advancement
Susan Rink
Susan Rink leads the organization’s fundraising efforts to raise money for programs that support organ and tissue donation and grow the Michigan Organ Donor Registry.
Board of Directors
Governing Board
- Chair: Kathleen Vogelsang, CFA, Van Andel Institute, donor family member
- Immediate Past Chair: Pamela Sexton , Old National Bank
- Chair Elect: Richard Boothman, Esq., Boothman Consulting Group, LLC
Directors:
- Damanpreet Bedi, M.D., Corewell Health Dearborn Hospital
- Richard Boothman, Esq., Boothman Consulting Group, LLC
- Denise Brooks-Williams, Henry Ford Health System
- Carolyn Cole-Brown, Michigan Medicine
- Terra DeFoe, Ph.D., Office of Senator Elissa Slotkin
- Dorrie Dils, President & CEO, Gift of Life Michigan, ex-officio
- Kandiss Ecton, State Farm
- Sherrie Farrell, Esq., Dykema
- Janice Firn, University of Michigan Medical School
- Ann Hollenbeck, Esq., Jones Day
- Rachel Kuntzsch, Public Sector Consultants, heart transplant recipient
- John Magee, M.D., Michigan Medicine
- Leslie Rocher, M.D.
- Pamela Sawhney, R.N., Esq.
- Sarah Scantamburlo, MSW, MS, PA-C, CNS Healthcare, kidney transplant recipient
- Christian Schafer, Esq., Trinity Health
- Pamela Sexton, Old National Bank
- Kathleen Vogelsang, C.F.A., Van Andel Institute/donor family member
- Shannon Wilson, Priority Health
Advisory Board
- Chair: Reg Dawson, Community Tissue Services
- Chair Elect: Gabriel Maine, Ph.D., Corewell Health East
Board Members:
- Harry Anderson, M.D., St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor
- Peter Archangel, heart transplant recipient
- Meredith Barrett, M.D., Michigan Medicine
- Amy Brown, M.S.N., R.N., Michigan Health & Hospital Association
- Valerie Canary, R.N., Hurley Medical Center
- Reg Dawson, Community Tissue Services
- Artelia Griggs, Universal Exam Solutions/donor family member
- R. Michael Hofmann, M.D., Mercy Health St. Mary’s
- Dean Kim, M.D., Children’s Hospital of Michigan
- Emad Kishi, M.D., Ascension St. John Hospital
- Sangjin Lee, M.D., Corewell Health West
- Julie Lepzinski, R.N., B.S.N., Henry Ford Genesys Hospital
- Noel Lipinski, Merkle Funeral Services
- Gabriel Maine, Ph.D., Corewell Health East
- Carrie McCulloch, B.L.A., Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan/donor family member
- Adhnan Mohamed, M.D., Henry Ford Hospital
- Kurt Schumacher, M.D., S.C. Mott Children’s Hospital
- Kyle Sheehan, M.D., Michigan Medicine
- John Stanifer, M.D., Munson Medical Center
- Randy Swain, R.N., Ascension Providence Hospital
- LokMan Sung, M.D., Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office
- Staff: Bruce Nicely, Vice President, Donation Optimization, Gift of Life Michigan
Detroit MOTTEP Foundation
The Detroit MOTTEP Foundation is also a separate entity with its own Board of Directors. Gift of Life MOTTEP is a partnership between Gift of Life Michigan and the Detroit MOTTEP Foundation.