Ralph M. Powers, Jr., DDS, CTBS

In 1971, while working as a Surgical Technician, Dr. Powers had his first exposure to tissue donation. He later received a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from Old Dominion University and trained further in blood banking and HLA immunology. This training allowed him to work closely with the kidney transplant program at Eastern Virginia Medical School. A DDS was earned at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1987 followed by a General Practice Residency at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals. Ralph has over 40 years exposure to all facets of transplantation. The last 25 were focused on allograft use in dentistry. Currently, he has “the best job in the world” – retirement. However, he stays active as a medical writer and consultant focused on health communications and non-profit management. Ralph actively supports the American Association of Tissue Banks in their educational efforts.

Gregory Ray, MD

Dr. Gregory Ray is the Medical Director at CryoLife in Kennesaw, GA. Dr. Ray is past Chair of the AATB Physicians’ Council, has served on the AATB Board of Governors, and is currently on the AATB Standards Committee. Dr. Ray received his B.S. degree in Biology from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA and his M.D. degree from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA. He completed a fellowship in Molecular Medicine at the Institute for Molecular Medicine and Genetics at MCG. 

He completed postgraduate training in Anatomic Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and was Chief Resident at Emory University in 2000. Dr. Ray is certified by the American Board of Pathology in both Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, with a special interest in cardiovascular pathology. He is a fellow of the College of American Pathologists and a member of the Society of Cardiovascular Pathology. Prior to joining CryoLife in 2003, Dr. Ray served as Laboratory Medical Director and Staff Pathologist in four Atlanta area community hospitals.

Darrel Lewis, MBA, CTBS

Education Director

Darrel joined MTF Biologics in 2001 as an Education Director.  In this capacity, Darrel has worked with a number of tissue banks and organ procurement organizations throughout the United States providing tissue recovery, screening, and regulatory education.  Darrel has developed a number of education and training materials including the production, direction, and editing of two tissue recovery training videos.  In addition to these duties, Darrel has been involved in many specialized tissue recovery development assignments and research projects for major universities.  He has maintained his CTBS since 1992 and has been an AATB member since 1993.  Prior to joining MTF, Darrel was Assistant Manager of Tissue and Eye Procurement at Midwest Transplant Network in Westwood, Kansas. Darrel received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Webster University in 1998 and an MBA from Avila University in 2005.

Walter Recker, BS, CST, CTBS

Walter began working with LifeCell in 2003. He currently holds the position of Regional Field Manger. In this capacity, Walter works with a number of tissue banks and organ procurement organizations throughout the Central United States and is responsible for the coordination of tissue procurement, and on-site training as well as technical and material support. Walter is a Certified Surgical Technologist, Certified Tissue Banking Specialist and active member of the American Association of Tissue Banks.