As Director of Business Development at Steri-Tek, Jeff Sauter is focused on collaborating with medtech and biotech innovators in helping achieve optimal E-beam/X-Ray sterilization and processing throughput of their medical device, combination device, drug/biologic products. Jeff has 15+ years’ experience consulting within the medical device and biotech arenas. Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Aaron Strickland is the Co-founderand VP of R&D of iFyber, the parent company to NovaSterilis where he servesas their Chief Science Officer.  Aaronhas over 20 years of research experience across a diverse array of fields,including synthetic chemistry, analytical chemistry, microbiology and molecularbiology, and nanotechnology. Aaron leads multidisciplinary teams as theprincipal investigator and study director on both corporate-funded projects andfederal grants and contracts for numerous federal agencies.  Aaron is currently leading an NIH-fundedeffort to explore scCO2-basedsterilization of drug substances and drug products.

Aaron received his Ph.D. inchemistry from the University of Wyoming and performed postdoctoral work inmicrobiology and biotechnology at Cornell University as a National ScienceFoundation Fellow.

Steven Clark, PhD is a nationally recognized occupational standards, assessment and web-system developer, who has worked with various private and public sector agencies for over twenty-five years. He has directed national projects for both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Most notably the CDC’s National Sudden Infant Death Investigation (SUIDI), the NIJ’s National Death Scene Guidelines Project. Dr. Clark and his company Occupational Research and Assessment (ORA) developed the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs.gov), the online Office Accreditation management systems for both the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) and the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME).  Dr. Clark formerly chaired the NIJ's Scientific Working Group subcommittee on Death Scene Investigation and the General Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Dr. Clark is the creator of the largest single web based medical examiner/coroner (ME/C) medicolegal case management system in the US (MDILog.com), as numerous data exchange systems that link with organ and tissue organizations, toxicology laboratories and several ME/C supported research projects (e.g., VDRS/SUDORS/CDR). In addition, he currently serves as the Research and Development Director for the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), Accreditation consultant to the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME).

Irma Sison, MD, MBA, CTBS, is the Director of Tissue Quality Assurance at LifeNet Health. Prior to joining Quality Assurance, Irma was the Manager of Donor Center.  Irma brings over 14 years of experience in organ and tissue donation. She began her career as a Donor Center Coordinator at LifeNet Health in 2008.  She has also held the positions of Manager of Hospital Services and Manager of Donation Services at Nevada Donor Network, Inc. She is actively involved with the AATB Education Committee and the Recovery and Donor Eligibility Council.  Irma received her BS in Biochemistry from Old Dominion University, her MBA from Longwood University, and her MD from De La Salle University College of Medicine. In addition, Irma is also a LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt and leads various process improvements at her organization.

Josh Brennan spent six years as an EMS professional and was an educator for the Red Cross. Josh has been with New England Donor Services since 2008 in various roles in the Tissue Operations Department. He is currently the Director of Tissue Operations. He has published three abstract articles with the American Association of Tissue Banks and was part of the creative development team for the Hopes Heroes - Donor Family Program. He has been invited to speak at multiple workshops/conferences/webinars on various topics, including Electronic Tissue Authorization, Call Center Scheduling, Algorithmic Tissue Screening, Electronic Tissue Allocation, DRAI competency & training, and Grief Concepts. Josh is currently serving on the AATB Education Committee and was the project co-manager on the development of the Sepsis Education Online Learning Tool for the RADE Council.

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 the 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 Manager. 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 in-site into relationship building with all levels, from patient to provider.

Leah earned a Bachelor’s degree in biology with a pre-med emphasis and is a Certified Tissue Bank Specialist. Leah is an active member of the AATB Living Donor Council and the Education Committee.

Erin Pidgeon is the Placenta Donation Program Manager at Lifeline of Ohio. In her three years working on the program, she has seen the program expand to 11 additional hospitals, including many from Ohio's rural communities. Erin enjoys working alongside partners from OBGYN offices and Labor and Delivery units to build strong processes and educate staff to support donation. Erin holds a Master's degree in Public Health from Ohio State University and has 7 years of experience working in the maternal and child health field. 

Irma Sison, MD, MBA, CTBS, is the Director of Tissue Quality Assurance at LifeNet Health. Prior to joining Quality Assurance, Irma was the Manager of Donor Center.  Irma brings over 14 years of experience in organ and tissue donation. She began her career as a Donor Center Coordinator at LifeNet Health in 2008.  She has also held the positions of Manager of Hospital Services and Manager of Donation Services at Nevada Donor Network, Inc. She is actively involved with the AATB Education Committee and the Recovery and Donor Eligibility Council.  Irma received her BS in Biochemistry from Old Dominion University, her MBA from Longwood University, and her MD from De La Salle University College of Medicine. In addition, Irma is also a LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt and leads various process improvements at her organization.

Josh Brennan spent six years as an EMS professional and was an educator for the Red Cross. Josh has been with New England Donor Services since 2008 in various roles in the Tissue Operations Department. He is currently the Director of Tissue Operations. He has published three abstract articles with the American Association of Tissue Banks and was part of the creative development team for the Hopes Heroes - Donor Family Program. He has been invited to speak at multiple workshops/conferences/webinars on various topics, including Electronic Tissue Authorization, Call Center Scheduling, Algorithmic Tissue Screening, Electronic Tissue Allocation, DRAI competency & training, and Grief Concepts. Josh is currently serving on the AATB Education Committee and was the project co-manager on the development of the Sepsis Education Online Learning Tool for the RADE Council.

Kai Sprando, MA TESOL, is the Instructional Designer at Infinite Legacy. In addition to 16 years of teaching experience for both language studies and Kenpo Karate, he also has a BA in Asian Studies, a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Instructional Design from UMBC, a certificate in DEI from Cornell, and has spent time studying at Takushoku University in Tokyo, Japan.

He is a passionate advocate for Trans Rights and Invisible Disabilities, and seeks to make space for voices at the table that might otherwise not get an opportunity. He seeks to educate around intersectionality and provide meaningful context around what it means to be included.

 When not teaching, he can be found playing video games, practicing belly dance with his dance troop, drawing, running his small crafting business, and spending time with his chosen family.

Melissa Onate is a Bilingual Community Outreach Coordinator at Infinite Legacy, specializing in Hispanic Outreach and community program building. A graduate of McDaniel College with a double major in Business Administration and Psychology, Melissa is passionate about her work at Infinite Legacy, where she actively contributes to spread the message about saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation and stilling hope in those on the wait list.

With nearly three decades of experience in journalism, creative services, communications and public relations, Sharon Cindrich has worked with a wide variety of organizations including Microsoft, Chicago Tribune, Random House, Mattel, The National Education Association, Disney and Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. Sharon holds a Master of Public Administration and Leadership from The John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, and her expertise in the healthcare, education and business sectors includes strategy, government affairs, social marketing, internal communications, health literacy and media management. Sharon is currently the chair of the Masters Committee for Central Ohio Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and is honored to serve the lifesaving and healing mission of organ, eye and tissue donation as Chief Communications Officer for Lifeline of Ohio, the largest regional organization in Ohio that facilitates donation.

Chris joined New England Organ Bank in October 2000 and now serves as the Vice President, Organ Utilization for New England Donor Services. Chris also served for two years as Vice President of Organ Operations at LifeGift in Texas before returning to New England Donor Services in September of 2021. Chris has served as the Chair of the AOPO Procurement Council and on many OPTN/UNOS Committees, including the OPO Committee, VCA Committee, Disease Transmission Advisory Committee and currently serves as a member of the Multi-Organ Transplantation Committee and as the Chair of the Operations and Safety Committee.

Corinne is the Executive Director, Chief Operations Officer, and Treasurer of the Anatomy Gifts Registry (AGR), a non-profit whole body donation program. AGR is one of the accredited Non-transplant Anatomic Donation Organizations, or NADOs. Corinne has over 12 years of experience in non-transplant tissue banking ranging from donor family services through research client services and executive management. Corinne has been active in the AATB Ad-Hoc committee, recently turned council, working on the physical assessment and risk assessment guidance documents, among other projects. 

Corinne has Bachelor's and Master's of Science degrees in human nutrition, focusing on clinical nutrition and epidemiology, and has completed her clinical dietetic internship at the University of Maryland,Medical Center, and holds a Registered Dietitian (RD) credential, and has been a Certified Tissue Banking Specialist (CTBS) since 2009.

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. 

Dr. Collins serves as a forensic pathologist with Newberry Pathology Associates and is a Medical Director for SharingHope SC, the Organ and Tissue Donation Services for South Carolina. After receiving her BS in microbiology, magna cum laude Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Georgia, Athens, Dr. Collins earned her MD from the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta. Following medical school, Dr. Collins completed an anatomic and clinical pathology residency at Wake Forest University/Bowman Gray School of Medicine. After residency, she completed a forensic fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina where she remained on faculty as a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Director of Forensic and Autopsy Pathology, and Chief Medical Examiner. Dr. Collins is a Diplomat of the American Board of Pathology, board-certified in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and forensic pathology. She is a member of the College of American Pathologists and past Chair of the Autopsy Committee. She is past President of the South Carolina Society of Pathologists, and past Chair for the Pathology/Biology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. She serves on the Board of Directors and is past-President for the National Association of Medical Examiners.

Emily L. Carter, CTBS, CEBT, is the Senior Account Manager for Donor Services at LeMaitre, Inc. Based in Salem, Massachusetts, she has steadily advanced her career in tissue recovery since 2015. Emily is an active member of the AATB community, contributing to the AATB RADE council and Education Committee, with a focus on providing diverse educational resources. Her current role spans the nation, where she oversees cardiovascular field training, tissue partner webinars, and serves as a vital link between tissue leaders and recovery teams. With a diverse medical background, Emily excels in communication with all stakeholders in the organ, eye and tissue donation industry.

Stefan Bernal is the Manager of National Recovery Network at LifeNet Health - he joined the team in 2018. Since his onboarding, his focus has been fostering healthy relationships with organizations and their front-line staff all throughout the United States. He has been an advocate for the highest standards and quality that LifeNet Health represents. Prior to LifeNet Health, Stefan worked at Nevada Donor Network, where he served as the Clinical Training and Development Coordinator. He is proudly from the Midwest, specifically a small town called Peru, Illinois. Stefan received his Certified Tissue Banking Specialist (CTBS) certification in 2016. He genuinely wants to change the world. Lastly, he likes long walks on the beach and gets frustrated writing his own bio.