Jackie Warn is a seasoned leader with nearly 30 years of experience driving quality, regulatory compliance, and performance excellence across diverse sectors, including biotechnology, tissue banking, healthcare, and laboratory operations. Renowned for her strategic vision, she has led the development and implementation of enterprise-wide regulatory affairs and quality management systems, ensuring strict adherence to top-tier standards while advancing operational efficiency. An active contributor to the field, Ms. Warn serves on multiple committees and councils within the American Association of Tissue Banks. She holds an MBA, a BS in Business Administration, and an AAS in Medical Laboratory Technology. Her professional certifications include CMQ/OE from the American Society for Quality and MLT from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.

Jennifer Drago has over 15 years of combined experience in Quality and Regulatory Affairs in blood banking, medical devices, and tissue and organ procurement. She has served as the AATB Quality Council leadership since 2017 and has participated as a member of the Quality Council Change Control Subgroup. Jen is a CTBS, Certified Quality Auditor, a Certified Manager of Quality and Operational Excellence, and has her Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification.

Laurie Agle, BS, CTBS, has been in Tissue Banking for over 20 years working in call centers, recovery, training, and is currently the Senior Director of Quality Systems at Vivex Biologics.  Laurie is on the Quality Council and is the Vice-Chair of the Certification Committee with previous service on the Ethics Committee and several AATB task forces.

Jackie Warn is a seasoned leader with nearly 30 years of experience driving quality, regulatory compliance, and performance excellence across diverse sectors, including biotechnology, tissue banking, healthcare, and laboratory operations. Renowned for her strategic vision, she has led the development and implementation of enterprise-wide regulatory affairs and quality management systems, ensuring strict adherence to top-tier standards while advancing operational efficiency. An active contributor to the field, Ms. Warn serves on multiple committees and councils within the American Association of Tissue Banks. She holds an MBA, a BS in Business Administration, and an AAS in Medical Laboratory Technology. Her professional certifications include CMQ/OE from the American Society for Quality and MLT from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.

Jennifer Drago has over 15 years of combined experience in Quality and Regulatory Affairs in blood banking, medical devices, and tissue and organ procurement. She has served as the AATB Quality Council leadership since 2017 and has participated as a member of the Quality Council Change Control Subgroup. Jen is a CTBS, Certified Quality Auditor, a Certified Manager of Quality and Operational Excellence, and has her Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification.

Laurie Agle, BS, CTBS, has been in Tissue Banking for over 20 years working in call centers, recovery, training, and is currently the Senior Director of Quality Systems at Vivex Biologics.  Laurie is on the Quality Council and is the Vice-Chair of the Certification Committee with previous service on the Ethics Committee and several AATB task forces.

Leah began her career in donation in 2006 as a Tissue Recovery Coordinator for Connect Life, previously CNY Eye & Tissue Bank. She continued her career as a Tissue Recovery Coordinator at MTF Biologics and helped manage birth tissue acquisition programs with several hospitals in Upstate New York.   

In 2019, Leah relocated with her family to Nashville, Tennessee, to join DCI Donor Services, as the Birth Tissue Program Director. In this role, she is responsible for establishing new birth tissue donation contracts, program development, personnel training, and maximizing acquisitions over multiple hospital programs. Leah had roles within the medical community as a paramedic, medical and pharmaceutical sales, and Donor Coordinator throughout her career.  They all lead to her unique insight into relationship building with all levels, from patient to provider.

Noelle Edwards, MD, FAAP is an Associate Medical Director for LifeNet Health and member of the Physician’s Council since 2022. She is a Pediatrician and has been passionate about tissue donation since being introduced to the industry as a tissue recovery technician prior to medical school. Noelle serves as the current Physician's Council Secretary and has been an active member of AATB Physician’s Council, participating in educational talks on Allograft Cancer Transmission, Adequate Medical Records, Sepsis case reviews, and a Tuberculosis panel discussion. She has also been an active contributor in the AATB Tuberculosis and Sepsis Working groups, and has been the Physician’s Council Track Representative in the planning committees for the 2024 and 2025 Annual Meetings. Dr. Edwards hopes to continue to progress the tissue banking industry by serving the AATB and its Physician Council members in striving for the advancement of evidence-based decision-making and providing forward-thinking educational opportunities. She seeks to align tissue banking Medical Directors through the shared goal of utilizing the most recent scientific and medical knowledge to optimize donor gift utilization and safety.  

Dr. Alrabaa completed internal medicine residency at the New York Medical College-Saint Vincent Hospital in Staten Island, New York in 2004, then Infectious Disease Fellowship at the University of South Florida and was inducted Alpha Omega Alpha member with the university in 2010. She is currently a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and the medical director of LifeLink Tissue Bank of Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico. Dr. Alrabaa is an attending physician at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) where she actively sees patients and teaches medical students, residents and fellows. She is Co-Director of Organ Transplant Infectious Diseases and a member of Infection Prevention committee at TGH. Dr. Alrabaa is affiliated with the Florida Department of Health as a supervising attending physician for tuberculosis services.  Her areas of expertise include preventing and treating infections in solid organ transplant recipients, preventing and treating healthcare associated infections, travel related infections, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and tissue transplant donors screening and selection. She is a member of the American Society of Infectious Diseases (IDSA) and a member of the physician council at the American Association of Tissue banking (AATB).

Melissa Greenwald, MD, FAST 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 then directed her own consulting business specializing in safety management and regulatory affairs for cell, organ and tissue products.  She now proudly serves as Chief Medical Officer of the American Association of Tissue Banks. 

Bravin Herring, CTBS, CEBT, is the technical trainer for Artivion Inc, based in Columbus, OH. He comes with a strong recovery background from his time at both Lifeline of Ohio and We Are Sharing Hope SC. Bravin has over 10 years of operating room and tissue banking experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in health information management from WGU and is currently working on a master's degree in education technology and instructional design. Bravin is also a member of the RADE council and an active member of the Education Committee.

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.

TBD

Kelli James is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Southwest Transplant Alliance, where she leads the team responsible for PR, media, branding, and messaging. She plays a key role in educating Texans about the importance of organ and tissue donation and inspiring them to join the donor registry. In addition, Kelli oversees the Donor Family Support team, helping families navigate resources and programs after the loss of a loved one. With over a decade in the donation community, including roles at Nevada Donor Network and Donate Life Nevada, she brings deep experience and a strong public health background to her work. Kelli holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Health with a focus on Human Biology from Western Oregon University and is passionate about the lifesaving mission of donation.

Katie Sauce is the Director of Community Engagement and Foundation Relations at Southwest Transplant Alliance. She leads fundraising initiatives and community engagement programs, building relationships with partners across STA’s service area to amplify the organization’s mission. Katie also directs STA Foundation efforts, supporting innovation and donor programs, while developing strategies to create a sustainable funding pipeline and educate the community. With over a decade of experience in Texas non-profits and government, she brings expertise in strategic planning, donor stewardship, event management, and public policy. Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government with a business certification from the University of Texas at Austin.

Juan Pablo holds a PhD in Biomedicine and Tissue Engineering and an MSc inBiomedical Engineering from the University of Barcelona, along with a BSc inBiomedical Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey. He is a Level I member ofMexico’s National System of Researchers (SNI-I) and a current member of the Scientificand Technical Affairs Committee (STAC) of the AmericanAssociation of Tissue Banks (AATB).

He brings over 15 years of international experience in translationalresearch, biomedical innovation, and regulatory science. He has led thedevelopment and scale-up of collagen-based medical devices, includingdecellularized tissues, heart valves, dermis, and peripheral nerves, securingregulatory approvals and national patents. His expertise spans the full productlifecycle under GMP and ISO 13485 standards, with a strong focus onquality-by-design and risk-based methodologies.

Currently, he leads the scientific pipeline at ITC(Instituto de Terapia Celular), driving the development of AdvancedTherapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) based on mesenchymal stromalcells (MSCs), extracellular vesicles (EVs), and biofunctional scaffolds. Inparallel, he serves as National Academic Director of BiomedicalEngineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey, fosteringinnovation-driven education and strategic collaboration between academia,industry, and clinical stakeholders.

I am a first-generationCuban American born and raised in Florida.  After earning my bachelor’sdegree in chemistry from the University of South Florida (Go Bulls!), I spent 7years in a pharmaceutical Microbiology QC lab and 3 years in New Product Developmentat a medical device manufacturer. As soon as I interviewed at LifeLink TissueBank, I knew the tissue arena was where I wanted to build my foreverhome.  That was 19 years ago and I’ve loved every minute of supporting thewonderful mission of tissue donation.

 In my current role, I am theDirector of Quality Control and I also oversee our Supplier Quality Managementprogram. I am CTBS certified and an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality andOrganizational Excellence (CMQ/OE).  In my spare time, I exercise thecreative part of my personality with more crafts than any single person shouldever try to master, spending time with my family and friends, and visiting theDisney parks as often as I can.  (I love Disney so much that I married aman named Mickey.)

Lauralee Brown has dedicated more than 30 years to the field of donation and transplantation, including the past 24 years specializing in tissue donation. She began her career as a critical care nurse caring for heart and lung transplant recipients, later serving over a decade in leadership and consulting roles at organ procurement organizations.

Currently, Lauralee is Sr. Director of Corporate Communications at MTF Biologics. She serves on the AATB Donor Family Council (since 2019) and the Donate Life America Advisory Council, and in 2022 received Donate Life America’s Quiet Giant Award for her exceptional contributions to increasing organ, eye, and tissue donation through service and commitment.

Lauralee holds a Master of Science in Health Administration from the University of Kansas and is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality. As a grateful tissue recipient, she is passionate about ensuring the highest level of care and support for donor families, using her own story to give voice to the many untold stories of lives saved and healed through tissue transplantation.

Matthew Niles grew up in Pennsylvania. He went to The Center for Executive Education at the Fox School of Business at Temple University; the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; and Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.

As a former emergency room and critical care nurse, Niles has had the opportunity to care for donors and their families at the bedside. Inspired by the power of organ, tissue, and eye donation, he’s chosen to make it his life’s work. As a donor family, transplant recipient friend, and friend of someone whose gift of an organ transplant did not come in time, Niles is passionate about the Donate Life mission and doing all we can to honor donors and their families, and work to eliminate the national transplant waitlist.

Under Network for Hope’s legacy organization, LifeCenter Organ Donor Network, Niles was the Chief Operating Officer, and previous to that, he was the Director of Clinical Services at the Washington Regional Transplant Community. Overall, Niles has been in healthcare for 25 years.