Bruce Nicely, vice president of donation optimization at Gift of Life Michigan was awarded the 2025 Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization’s Annual Meeting recently.
Bruce joins Suzanne Conrad, CEO of Iowa Donor Network in receiving the award this year.
This award is given to individuals who have made significant, enduring contributions to the organ procurement community and have actively championed and supported AOPO’s mission to save and heal lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation.
“Nicely’s long-standing collaboration with AOPO and other national partners reflects his commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and compassionate donor care,” said AOPO CEO Steve Miller in an announcement from AOPO on the recognition.
For more than 35 years, Bruce has been a dedicated leader in organ and tissue donation. He began his career as a donation coordinator at LifeNet Health in Virginia before taking on clinical leadership roles at HonorBridge in North Carolina and at Gift of Life Michigan since 2011. As Vice President of Donation Optimization, Bruce helps drive major advancements, including pioneering one of the nation’s first donor recovery centers and leading operational improvements, especially in donation after circulatory death (DCD) practices, which have enhanced organ and tissue donation.
A respected national voice, Bruce has been an active member of AOPO, contributing to both the Tissue and Procurement Councils, as well as serving as the Chair of the Annual Meeting in 2018. He currently serves on the AOPO ACIN Task Force and represents AOPO as part of the ASTS Procurement Training Work Group. He has presented and published research widely, including at AOPO, the American Society of Transplantation (AST), the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), and NATCO. He played a key role in modernizing the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) standards and served as president of NATCO, as well as a member of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Board.
Bruce has spent his career devoted to honoring life, supporting families, and strengthening the systems that make organ donation possible. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor Bruce.
