Dr. Rose has nearly 8 years of FDA experience and served as the Assistant Director for the Division of Restorative, Repair and Trauma Devices in CDRH’s Office of Orthopedic Devices where she led a large and diverse team of engineers, clinicians, and scientists. She brings a comprehensive understanding of FDA regulations, guidance, and decision-making, as well as a wealth of knowledge about regulation of devices and combination products for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. She signed multiple Substantial Equivalence (SE) letters for Restorative & Repair orthopedic devices and combination products, including bone void fillers and allograft-based products. Dr. Rose is an Engagement Partner with Bruder Consulting Venture Group (BCVG)

I graduated St. Louis University School of Medicine. My anatomic/clinical pathology residency program was University of Missouri, Kansas City. I completed fellowships in Transfusion Medicine and Cytopathology at the University of Colorado. I have been an Associate Medical Director at AlloSource for approximately 2 1/2 years. I am CTBS certified. I am a member of the AATB Physicians Council and I served on the Monkey Pox Physicians Council Work group.

David Staley serves as the vice president of human resources and organizational development at LifeGift. He began his career at LifeGift in 2015 after serving as director of human resources at LifeNet Health, based in Virginia Beach, VA. Previously, Staley served as a human resources executive for Fortune 50 companies, privately held organizations and non-profit organizations. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Staley has a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute and is a Senior Certified Professional through the Society for Human Resources Management.

As a dynamic executive coach, educator, and transformational change catalyst, Laura Walling-Sotolongo uses her experience in various aspects of Tissue Banking including leadership development, employee training, donor screening, tissue authorization, recovery, processing, distribution, and quality systems to produce impactful bottom-line results. in her current role as the Sr. Director, Talent + Optimization at New England Donor Services, Laura brings high energy, positivity, and consistent results to organizational & talent development, leadership coaching, and learning design.

She graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Molecular Biology and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, and CTBS certified.  She is driven by operationalizing strategies with tactics that engage, align, empower, and develop NEDS' employees and leadership team to help them cultivate their strengths and support positive change that maximizes their potential.

Michelle A Post, MA, LMFT, CTBS is a licensed marriage and family therapist (CA, FL, Colorado) and international life & business coach in private practice. She has specialized in grief, loss, trauma, suicide prevention and stress management since 2000. In 2007 when she joined OneLegacy in Southern California, Michelle further focused her grief and loss specialty with donor families, and her burnout-prevention training and teaching within high-stress, healthcare environments. Michelle left OneLegacy in 2019 to launch her own international coaching business to help others via destination retreats, teaching and consulting, and telehealth. She has written several books - including "Help Me Understand... A guide to help children understand hospitals, death, and organ, cornea, and tissue donation.”, She is a co-host of the weekly podcast “Keeping Your Sh*t (bleep) together in a Stressed World”  where they use transparency, humor, professional and lived experience to help others on their personal & professional journeys.

Shortly after completing a graduate degree in Thanatology I entered the world of Organ Procurement Organizations.  More specifically, working with both organ and tissue families, obtaining authorization, and providing aftercare support.  Along the way I spent more time focusing on the education and training side of my profession and found myself in a leadership role as the manager of the organ and tissue teams who are holding donation conversations with families.  While in this role I have been able to support new team members and develop new training tools for current and future team members.

Jeremy Benavides, Medical Examiner Liaison and Forensic Outreach Coordinator at Lifeshare Network. Before Lifeshare, I was at the Office of The Chief Medical Examiner Oklahoma(OCME). I served in many capacities starting in the autopsy lab as a Pathologist Assistant. I then transferred to Death Investigations before being appointed Chief of Death Investigations for the state of Oklahoma(OCME). I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in microbiology. 

Amanda Abbott joined Indiana Donor Network April of 2009 as a Tissue Recovery Coordinator with CTBS certification, then picking up Organ Surgical Recovery Coordinator shifts before transitioning to the Forensic Outreach Coordinator April 2021. She has been a certified Mediolegal Death Investigator since 2009 serving 8 years as an elected Coroner IN Indiana. She has also worked as a forensic pathologist assistant for 3 years.  She has served her community as a certified EMT/ firefighter, 911 Dispatcher and Funeral Director. 

Caitlin Riordan, CTBS is a Team Lead in the Tissue Operations Department at New England Donor Services. She started at NEDS, then Lifechoice Donor Services, in 2013. Caitlin has a degree in Chemistry and Biology. Prior to Donation, she spent six years working in the Hospital Setting as a CNA and ED Tech. Throughout her career as a Donation Professional, Caitlin has spearheaded many Donation Development projects and initiatives in the Police, Fire, EMS, and Hospital Communities. She is currently a part of many improvement initiatives at NEDS and serves as a member of the AATB Donor Family Services Council.

Erik Fay began his work in the transplant field in 2018 as a Tissue Donation Coordinator with New England Donor Services. During his time in the Tissue Operations Department he became a subject matter expert in tissue donation. Erik achieved the title of Certified Tissue Banking Specialist in 2020 and ultimately was promoted to the position of Tissue Donation Coordinator III. After working as a Preceptor training new hires in the role, he was promoted to Tissue Operations Trainer in April 2022 and Tissue Operations Clinical Educator in March of 2024.

 Erik is a 2011 graduate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. There he studied Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. He is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, Golden Key International Honor Society, and recipient of the W.E.B. Dubois Outstanding Achievement Award. Erik served as a law enforcement officer for 6 years, receiving multiple Merit Awards and even a Life Saving Award. Erik ultimately found his true passion in working with donor families. He lives at home in Marlborough MA with his wife and 3 children.

With over 20 years of experience in standards-setting and accreditation, Eduardo is a seasoned association executive with a proven track record of relationship and program management, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. In his current project with AATB, Eduardo is working alongside the organization's leadership to reimagine and rebuild the Association's Standards Program. In his time as an association executive, Eduardo has published extensively on topics ranging from the use of quality management systems in the perioperative setting to how associations should approach the use of standards-setting in fulfilling their mission.

Mr. Sindaco joined AATB in 2023 as Director of Standards. Prior to joining AATB, he spent 18 years at the United States Pharmacopeia, heading operations for standards and serving as Executive Secretariat to the Council of Experts. He initially joined USP’s quality department after holding various operations, quality, and regulatory affairs leadership positions in the blood and clinical laboratory industries. Mr. Sindaco earned a B.A. in Biology from Franklin and Marshall College, an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation from the University of Florida, and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Melissa Greenwald, MD is an internationally recognized expert in cell, organ and tissue safety and policy. Dr. Greenwald is a graduate of the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine who spent 25 years on active duty in the US Public Health Service with over 14 years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulating human tissues for transplantation. Dr. Greenwald also spent four years at the Health Resources and Services Administration where she retired as the Director of the Division of Transplantation. Dr. Greenwald now directs her own consulting business specializing on safety management and regulatory affairs for cell, organ and tissue products. Dr. Greenwald serves the tissue banking industry in various roles, including Medical Director, Scientific Advisor, and Regulatory Affairs. She serves on the AATB standards committee as a representative of the Physicians Council.

Shabnam M. Namin, PhD, MBA, CTBS Dr. Shab is the President of 42Bio, a start-up biotech company based out of Gainesville, FL. 42Bio is a leading company in several technologies such as the development of magnetic separation devices for biological materials, placenta-based cosmetics, and veterinarian medical products. She is the former VP of R&D-Operations for VIVEX Biologics, Inc. where she was responsible for leading product development of all cell and tissue-based and placenta-derived products for the company. Her main interests are the development of regenerative therapies and providing tools to increase research in the development of needed therapeutics. Dr. Shab received her Bachelors and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Florida International University. In addition, she received an MBA and MS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami and an MS in Biotechnology from Harvard University. During her early studies, Dr. Shab spent several years working in many different facets in the tissue engineering realm, focusing on the commercialization of cell and tissue-based products. She has multiple publications and patents for her work on the development of these therapies. She is currently the Chair of the Scientific & Technical Affairs Committee (STAC) for the American Association of Tissue Banks.

Lesly Gatton is a Recovery Partner Director at Solvita. Prior to this role, she served as the National Trainer for tissue recovery. She is a Certified Tissue Banking Specialist and has more than 10 years of experience in tissue banking. Lesly earned her Master of Science degrees in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Louisville School Of Medicine and attended Wake Forest University for her undergraduate education. She is committed to improving the quality of tissue recoveries and maximizing tissue donors’ gifts to improve and save the lives of recipients.

Katie Gunning is the Manager of Tissue Procurement for Mid America Transplant. She has been with MAT for the past 12 years, 10 of which she was a front-line member on the tissue team.  Katie has held the role of tissue ocular procurement coordinator, Tissue team lead and Tissue Clinical Trainer. Prior to MAT, Katie was an Athletic Trainer for many athletic teams around Missouri and was the first responder on scene for injuries that may occur.  This is where her anatomy skills proved to be extremely beneficial when she moved into tissue recovery.  Katie has a BS in Athletic training, a MS in healthcare management and a certificate in surgical technology. 

After earning a BS in microbiology from McNeese State University and finishing up 6 years as a special operations forward air controller in the Louisiana Air National Guard, Kip Hanks began employment with the FDA as a field investigator in 1997. After a few years as a generalist covering multiple FDA-regulated products, he became a district biologics specialist and then the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) biologics national expert. In this role, Kip was responsible for providing regulatory and guidance interpretation and application to ORA staff, training and mentoring new investigators, serving on policy and document workgroups and advising ORA senior leadership on biologics-related matters. In July 2021, he joined the American Association of Tissue Banks as its first director of regulatory and governmental affairs. In this role, Kip establishes and communicates the AATB official position regarding regulatory issues that may impact AATB member organizations to the FDA and other applicable governmental and standard-setting organizations. He provides expert interpretation, guidance, strategy and counsel on existing laws, regulations, standards, and guidance that impact AATB members.

Melissa has 20+ years of experience in medical device, combination product, and human tissue new product development research, engineering, and commercialization. She has experience in Quality System design, implementation, maintenance, and compliance. Melissa has held Quality leadership positions serving as the Management Representative, Head of Quality and official FDA correspondent for prescription eye-glass lens manufacturer QSpex Technologies, Inc., and Chemence Medical Products, Inc, a global manufacturer of adhesive-based Class II medical devices for would closure. During an 11-year tenure with Kimberly-Clark Health Care, Melissa held positions in Regulatory Affairs, Product Development, and Process Engineering. In addition to Quality Systems expertise, Melissa is skilled at developing comprehensive regulatory strategies to support new product development, including pre-market approval requirements for U.S. and E.U. She is a member of the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS) and holds an active RAC certification. Melissa holds a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Georgia and an MS Degree from the University of Georgia School of Pharmacy in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs. Melissa is a founding member and currently serves as the Chief Quality and Regulatory Officer for StimLabs, LLC based in Roswell, Georgia. In her current role, Melissa is responsible for all aspects of Quality and Regulatory Affairs for StimLabs including Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Quality Engineering, Quality Management Systems, Donor Services, and global regulatory affairs. Melissa is a member of the AATB Quality Counsel and has been serving as a member of the AATB program committee for the last three years and is the chair of the committee this year. In collaboration with AATB council membership and AATB Liaisons, Melissa was responsible for development of the agenda and speaker content for this year’s meeting.