Donor Alliance Announces 2013 Governing Board of Directors

DENVER, Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Donor Alliance, the federally-designated, non-profit organ procurement organization and American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) accredited tissue bank serving Colorado and Wyoming, today announced the 2013 Governing Board roster. The announcement follows another successful year in 2012, with nearly 400 lives saved and healed through organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Among the 2013 changes, Judy Hutchinson will take over as the Chair of the Governing Board of Directors through 2013. Hutchinson is the chair of the Donor Alliance Ethics Committee and boasts extensive experience in medical ethics, including serving on the Governor's Ethics Advisory Board and the Governor's Commission on Life & the Law. A former University of Colorado Health Sciences Center faculty associate, Hutchinson also holds decades of experience in the healthcare industry.  

"I feel it is a great privilege and honor to serve as Chair of the Donor Alliance Board of Directors," said Hutchinson. "Donor Alliance is staffed by trained professionals who are committed to the organ & tissue donation process and to honoring those who have consented to be organ and tissue donors. I feel blessed to work in a field where we support those who chose to give the gift of life."

In other moves, attorney and living kidney donor Bradley T. Kornfeld will move into the role of chair-elect. Currently managing partner at Kornfeld Companies, LLC, he has been an advocate for organ donation since his father was one of the world's first successful double-lung transplant recipients in 1993. Kornfeld also serves on the Living Donor Committee of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

After joining the Board in 2012, Kevin M. Smith will begin his second year as Secretary/Treasurer. Smith is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Colorado Institute for Drug, Device and Diagnostic Development (CID4), a non-profit organization committed to growing the life science industry cluster in Colorado. Smith also served as former board member of the Donor Awareness Council, the Colorado BioScience Association and several other area organizations.    

"I continue to be invigorated by each board member's passion and commitment to help Donor Alliance achieve its mission to save lives," said Sue Dunn, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. "We are confident that this expert group of talented individuals will continue to provide strong leadership and direction for our organization going forward."   

 2013 Governing Board of Directors:

• Judy Hutchinson, MA serves on the Governing Board of Directors as the Chair. Hutchinson boasts extensive experience in medical ethics and is the Donor Alliance Ethics Committee Chair.
• Bradley T. Kornfeld Esq. serves on the Governing Board of Directors as the Chair Elect. Kornfeld is an attorney and managing partner at Kornfeld Companies, LLC. Kornfeld is also a living kidney donor.
• Kevin M. Smith, CPA serves on the Governing Board of Directors as the Secretary/Treasurer. Smith is president and CEO of Colorado Institute for Drug, Device and Diagnostic Development (CID4) and former board member of the Donor Awareness Council.
• John P. Harney, BA, MBA, FACHE is the CEO of University of Colorado Hospital.
• Igal Kam, MD is the Kidney & Liver Surgical Director for the University of Colorado Hospital and the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Liver Transplant and Transplant Surgery.
• W. Ben Vernon, MD is the Medical Director of Centura Transplant Services at Porter Adventist Hospital and a transplant surgeon.
• Mary M. White, MBA, FACHE is president and CEO of Swedish Medical Center in Denver.
• Nancy Williams, BS, JD is a principal with investment advisory firm Hewitt, EnnisKnupp (an AON company).

Under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) board regulations for organ procurement organizations, the Governing Board acts as the full, legal authority for management and provision of all organizational services.

Donor Alliance facilitated organ recoveries from 126 donors in 2012, resulting in nearly 400 lives saved. The organization also worked with 1,017 tissue donors and their families to recover lifesaving and healing tissue, providing bone and skin grafts that will impact thousands of lives.

Join the 67 percent of Coloradans and 59 percent of Wyoming citizens who have registered to be organ and tissue donors. For more information about organ and tissue donation, please visit DonorAlliance.org. To register to be an organ and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeColorado.org, DonateLifeWyoming.org or call 303-329-4747 or 1-888-256-4386 for more information.

About Donor Alliance

Donor Alliance is the federally-designated, non-profit organ procurement organization and an American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) accredited tissue bank serving Colorado and most of Wyoming. As a recognized leader in facilitating the donation and recovery of transplantable organs and tissues, Donor Alliance's mission is to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. To achieve this mission, Donor Alliance employs an effective family approach and recovery programs in more than 100 hospitals. Donor Alliance also inspires the public to register as organ and tissue donors through community partnerships, public outreach and education campaigns throughout its donation service area. For more information visit the Donor Alliance website, or the Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming Facebook pages.

SOURCE Donor Alliance