Brian Bush, hired in March, spent 10 years with Mid-America Transplant Services, St. Louis, MO (and the IL region), in nearly every role — Organ/Tissue Recovery Coordinator, Hospital Development, Public Relations and Call Center Manager. Shortly thereafter, he began his career with the Illinois Secretary of State Office’s Organ/Tissue Donor Program and more recently served as Community Outreach Coordinator. Brian, who graduated from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale with a degree in Mortuary Science and Funeral Service, is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. He has served on the Donate Life America Donor Designation Collaborative and is currently the state team leader for Donate Life Illinois. Brian comes to IIAM with over 19 years of experience in the donation and transplant field.

Nancy Eckerd, hired in April, spent 10 years with Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, Rochester, NY, as Organ Recovery Coordinator and then as Team Leader. As a licensed practical nurse, Nancy spent many years prior to and after her tenure with the OPO working in hospitals — devoting 20 years to dialysis patients. This experience enabled her to develop expertise in relationship integration with doctors and administrative staff of varying levels. Nancy is also is well versed in electronic medical records and systems — which will be a great benefit to her new role with IIAM as a Placement Coordinator.

Jennifer Evans joined IIAM in August with a decade of experience in the transplant field. She started her career at the Utah Lion’s Eye Bank as a Recovery Technician, and after a move across the country, was a Tissue Donor Coordinator at Lifebanc in Cleveland, Ohio. More recently, Jennifer had served as a Donor Coordinator for the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, our parent organization, as well as Intermountain Donor Services in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has a degree in Health Administration, and is CTBS certified.

Hiring these three Placement Coordinators from OPOs is no coincidence. “Coming from the donor management side, their learning curve is minimal,” said Gina Dunne Smith, Executive Director of IIAM. “In the time-critical, high-pressure environment of a call center, they know our clients, they come in with the required skill sets and it doesn’t take long for them to get up to speed. With Brian, Nancy and Jennifer on the team, IIAM doesn’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk!”