Leadership

Jill Grandas

CEO, DCIDS/TDS

Jill Grandas is an organ procurement and tissue banking industry veteran with over 30 years of experience. In her role overseeing Tennessee Donor Services, Jill leads a team of selfless, hardworking employees who are committed to saving and improving lives.

In 1985, she began her nursing career in a Neurological Intensive Care Unit and became involved in several experiences where patients became organ and tissue donors. As a result of those experiences, she joined TDS in 1987 as an Organ Recovery Coordinator and has expanded her role over the years. She served in several positions within DCI Donor Services including Director of Hospital Services, Associate Director, and CEO for the Tennessee location. Since 2005, Jill has also been the CEO for DCIDS.

Jill is a Certified Procurement Transplant Coordinator (CPTC) and a Registered Nurse (RN). An active member of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, Jill currently serves on the Standards and Accreditation Committee and Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee. She has also served on both the UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee and has served on the Kidney/Pancreas Committee in past years. Most recently, Jill has participated in the newly formed Tissue Policy Group (TPG).

Amy Bonser

Performance Excellence Director, DCIDS

Amy Bonser began her career over 20 years ago as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the Pediatric ICU. After her best friend received the gift of a life-saving double lung transplant in 2003, Amy refocused her career to work in organ procurement.  She has held both clinical and leadership roles in the OPO industry and is professionally and personally committed to saving lives through organ and tissue donation.

Amy joined DCI Donor Services in February 2020 to develop and oversee the Business Intelligence, Performance Improvement and Death Record Review departments. These teams are committed to increasing donation and saving more lives by utilizing data to drive decision making and process improvement initiatives at DCIDS’s three Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) in Tennessee, New Mexico, and California as well as DCI’s Donor Services Tissue Bank and Sierra Donor Service’s Eye Bank.

Emily Bryan

Finance Director, DCIDS

Emily joined DCI Donor Services as a Staff Accountant in 2007 and was first promoted into a leadership role in 2014 as the Accounting Supervisor. In her current role as Director of Finance, she is responsible for all financial functions of the organization, including financial planning and analysis, fiscal and regulatory reporting, budgeting, and audits. She also oversees the Purchasing Department for the organization.

Emily is a licensed CPA in the state of Tennessee and earned a Bachelors of Science in Accounting from Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

Gretchen Budde

Bridge2Life Director, DCIDS

Gretchen joined DCI Donor Services in 2018 to lead the communication center with a focus on donor referrals and the authorization process.  She leads with the belief that by aligning personal values and a passion for donation, hope can be given in some of life’s darkest moments through the gift of donation.  With over 18 years of progressive experience in the field of donation, Gretchen continues to foster development through team collaboration and the pursuit of incremental and continuous improvement.

Gretchen is a graduate of the Art and Science Leadership program at Wharton’s School of Business, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in both Public Administration and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse and a master’s degree in Counseling from Lakeland University.  She is also a Certified Tissue Banking Specialist (CTBS) and holds her Certification in Thanatology (CT).

Elizabeth Campbell

Hospital Development Director, TDS

Deana Clapper

Chief Operations Officer, TDS

Deana joined Tennessee Donor Services in 2002, initially as an Organ Recovery Coordinator, and was promoted into leadership as Clinical Team Leader. In 2008, tissue recovery operations were added to the organization, providing Deana the opportunity to assist in the restructuring of the quality program. As the Director of Quality, she gained knowledge and an appreciation that continues to guide her decision-making.

As Senior Director of Clinical Services, Deana directed the organ operations within TDS. Under her leadership in that role, TDS experienced a 22% growth in organ donors and 31% growth in organs transplanted. Deana was responsible for strategic planning, budget development, and guidance with the help of four managers for a team of over 40, including organ recovery, family care, and perfusion coordinators.

Deana was recently named Associate Executive Director of TDS. In that position, her oversight will expand to all areas of the TDS donor program.

Deana earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Lipscomb University and a Master’s of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University. She was introduced to the organ donation process while working as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner for the Department of Trauma Surgical Services at Vanderbilt Medical Center. She has been an active member of multiple AOPO committees and councils over the years and looks forward to continuing her involvement throughout the industry.

Michael Clay

Family Services Director, DCIDS

Michael Clay is the Director of Family Services at DCI Donor Services. With over a decade of experience at several high-performing OPOs across the country, he provides direct support to a committed team of compassionate family support leaders at Tennessee Donor Services, New Mexico Donor Services and Sierra Donor Services.

Prior to being named the Director at DCI Donor Services, Michael served as the Director of Family Care at Southwest Transplant Alliance, Manager of Family Support Services at Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, Manager of Family Services at Nevada Donor Network, and Family and Hospital Services Coordinator with New Mexico Donor Services.

Michael has been a frequent speaker and content contributor for several national conferences and webinars. Michael has served twice as the Chair of the Donor Family Services Council for AOPO. He is also credited as founding one of AOPO’s most popular national events, “The Authorization Summit.” Michael is a member of The Alliance faculty and has presented on several of their live, national webinars. In addition, Michael is an active member of the Association of Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) and American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Michael received his bachelor’s degree in health and human performance from New Mexico Highlands University, where he was also an all-conference athlete on the men’s basketball team. Michael is the founder of BYC Elite Basketball, a nonprofit youth basketball program designed to serve “at promise” youth in New Mexico, Texas, and Southern Colorado.

Joe Garavaglia

Human Resources Director, DCIDS

As the Director of Human Resources, Joe is responsible for leading all people strategies.  Joe oversees initiatives such as DEI, recruitment, employee relations, benefits, and payroll.  He is most proud to support and represent the frontline employees who make organ and tissue donation become a reality each day!

Joe started his career in the manufacturing sector.  He joined DCI Donor Services in 2015 and found a deep passion for healthcare and improving the lives of others.  Joe holds certifications from HRCI (PHR) and SHRM (SHRM-CP).

Emily McKinley

External Affairs & Business Development Director, TDS

Emily is excited to lead the external affairs team at Tennessee Donor Services as they engage Tennesseans in their communities, develop strong corporate partnerships, and promote awareness and support for organ and tissue donation at local, state, and regional levels.

Emily has served in a variety of roles and in diverse industries but is most fulfilled when serving in a mission-focused and purpose-driven capacity. Among her favorite roles, Emily has had the privilege of leading the MCB Camp Pendleton Volunteer and Skills Development Program and nonprofit collective; advocating for patient- and family-centered healthcare systems, services, and reforms at Family Voices Indiana; and most recently, supporting sound conversation policy and outdoorsmanship at Tennessee Wildlife Federation.

She graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN, with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and has numerous published works credited to her name.

Brad Mitchell

IT Director, DCIDS

Leah Morrell

Birth Tissue Program Director, DCIDS

Leah Morrell is the Birth Tissue Program Manager for DCI Donor Services, which includes Tennessee Donor Services, Sierra Donor Services, and New Mexico Donor Services.  Since she joined DCIDS in 2019, her focus has been to expand the Birth Tissue donation program, enabling more mothers to give the Gift of Life through placenta donation.  Whether Leah is starting new hospital programs, managing her incredible team of Birth Tissue Coordinators, or speaking with potential donors, she strives to emanate passion for donation. 

Leah earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Quinnipiac University, then spent several years in Pharmaceutical Sales.  However, she found her true calling in 2006, when she began her career in Tissue Banking.  Leah is AATB certified and serves on the AATB Living Donor Council and Education Committee.

Sam Ramos

Sierra Donor Services Eye Bank CEO, DCIDS

Michele Rosdahl

Aftercare Manager, DCIDS

Michele earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Rogers State University and a Master of Education in Counseling from Northeastern State University

Michele Rosdahl and her team of Aftercare Coordinators are committed to supporting donor families in the months and years after their loved ones’ donation. Michele and her team have created a supportive program for donor families including scheduled mailings, access to DCIDS’s Caring for Families resource website, monthly live grief webinars, text-based grief support, and access to a wide range of grief-focused reading materials.  

For the past two decades, Michele’s career has focused on helping and supporting families through life transitions, first in the behavioral health and social welfare sectors, and now in organ procurement.

Marnae Salampessy

Tissue Recovery Director, TDS

Marnae began her career at OneLegacy in Los Angeles, California.  She is a graduate of the Art and Science of Leadership program at Wharton’s School of Business and earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from the University of California, San Diego and a Master of Management in Health Care from Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management. 

Marnae leads a diverse and hardworking group of individuals in reaching record-breaking tissue recovery milestones.  She is honored to be a part of the tissue recovery team and leading the way to achieving high quality tissue recovery metrics, innovative processes and streamlining procedures to increase efficiencies. 

Andrew Shunk

Senior Director, Clinical Operations, TDS

Drew joined Tennessee Donor Services in 2024 as the Senior Director of Clinical Operations.  

Prior to being named the Senior Director at TDS, Drew served as the Senior Director of Organ Operations and Clinical Director at Legacy of Hope. Previous roles within the OPO community include Advanced Practice Coordinator, Clinical Recovery Coordinator and Administrator on Call at Washington Regional Transplant Community (renamed Infinite Legacy) and Transplant Coordinator at LifeNet Health.

Drew is a Certified Procurement Transplant Coordinator and a Registered Paramedic.  He is also a member of the Leadership Development Committee for AOPO. His educational background includes a Doctor of Health Sciences from Eastern Virginia Medical School and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences with a focus on Transplant Donation Sciences.

Donna Smith

Chief Clinical Officer, DCIDS

Donna joined Sierra Donor Services in 2020 as the Senior Director of Clinical Services. She has worked in the field of organ donation since 2000, with experience in three Organ Procurement Organizations before SDS, where she led successful programs to increase donation and transplantation and build teams committed to the mission of saving and improving lives.

In her current role she is a member of the senior leadership team and oversees a team of dedicated individuals tasked with developing strategies and initiatives to increase organ donation in Northern California, and to increase the utilization of organs from SDS donors. Donna is a member of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) Impact Committee and COO council, Co-Chair of the ETCLC Quality Team, The Alliance Donation and Leadership Committee and the OPTN OPO Committee. Donna also served on the UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee in 2017 and 2018, and she was a member of the ODRC from 2013 to 2015 serving a one-year term as Treasurer on the Executive Committee.

Donna earned her Bachelor’s in Nursing and Master’s in Nursing and Organizational Leadership at Walden University.

Joel Smith

Chief Tissue Officer, DCIDS

Joel continues to lead the organization to record-breaking tissue recovery milestones. He is most proud of the innovations and progress his team has made in streamlining procedures that reduce redundancy and increase efficiency while improving benchmarks for recovery metrics.

He began his career at Mississippi Organ Recovery Organization, then served at Donor Network West and LifeShare of Oklahoma.

As past Chair of the AOPO Tissue Council, Joel made it his mission to increase collaboration among tissue recovery organizations.

Joel is a graduate of the Art and Science of Leadership program at Wharton’s School of Business and earned a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology from Mississippi State University. Joel is a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps.