America’s Blood Centers is proud to announce the inaugural group of leaders selected for our Executive Fellows Program, developed in collaboration with Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. These leaders will embark on a transformative journey to elevate their leadership skills and drive innovation across the blood community.
Meet Our Inaugural Fellows
The 2025-2026 cohort includes the following individuals:
- Heath Alls, Client Relations Manager, Carter BloodCare;
- JB Bowles, Senior Vice President of Business Development, OneBlood;
- Carlos Cockerham, Senior Director of Information Technology, LifeShare Blood Center;
- Stacey Connell, Senior Director of Human Resources, Community Blood Center of the Ozarks;
- Joy Duemke, Director of Marketing, North America, Terumo BCT;
- Darryl Elzie, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Inova Blood Donor Services;
- Amber Fuller, Senior Director of Technical Services, The Blood Connection;
- Dan Galasso, Chief Financial Officer, LifeSouth;
- Ruchika Goel, MD MPH, Senior Corporate Medical Director, Vitalant National Office;
- Shelley Harkey, Clinical Services and Research Manager, SunCoast Blood Centers;
- Mahtab Khan, Vice President of Finance and Procurement, New York Blood Center Enterprises;
- Kymberlie Kraemer, Manager of Manufacturing Operations and Product Management, The Community Blood Center;
- Jessica Lantz, Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, Bloodworks Northwest;
- Jennifer Lindburg, RN, Vice President, Quality Support Services, ImpactLife;
- Cliff Numark, Chief of Marketing, Vitalant;
- Theresa Pina, Vice President of Operations, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center;
- Beau Robertson, Director of Blood Center Services, Cerus;
- Bob Scanlon, CEO, Blood Bank of Alaska;
- Grace Sese, MD, Medical Director, Inova Blood Donor Services and Medical Director, Inova Apheresis Services;
- Andrea Sign, Director of Marketing, Communications and Donor Relations, Carter BloodCare;
- Robert Simpson, Vice President of Hospital Services, San Diego Blood Bank;
- Floyd Wilson, Vice President of Biologics Operations, OneBlood;
- Kate Witthaus, CEO, Northern California Blood Bank.
A Diverse and Accomplished Cohort
These 23 outstanding individuals represent a cross-section of ABC member organizations and industry partners, bringing extensive experience from across the blood community. The inaugural class features CEOs, c-suite executives, and senior leaders working in a range of blood center roles, including donor relations, finance, hospital services, human resources, information technology, clinical laboratory operations, marketing, medicine and science, quality, and operations.
Program Highlights
Our Executive Fellows will engage in a comprehensive year-long program that includes:
- A week-long Leadership Residency at Vanderbilt University;
- Quarterly in-person learning immersions;
- Monthly virtual learning sessions with renowned faculty;
- One-on-one executive coaching;
- A capstone project addressing real-world blood banking challenges.
Stay tuned for updates as we follow the progress of these exceptional individuals and the transformative effect of the Executive Fellows Program.