People: John Lilley joins Donor Network West as VP of Organ Operations

RENO, Nev. — Donor Network West, the federally designated organ procurement organization for Northern California and Northern Nevada, announced Aug. 14 four new members to its executive leadership team, including Reno’s John Lilley.

Lilley, who joined Donor Network West as the Vice President of Organ Operations in May, began his career in healthcare nearly 30 years ago when he served in the U.S. Air Force as a firefighter/paramedic.

After being honorably discharged, Lilley joined California Transplant Donor Network (CTDN, now Donor Network West) in 2001 as the first non-RN Clinical Procurement Coordinator; during his time there, he earned a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Nevada, Reno.

He departed from Donor Network West in 2015 to serve as Director of Organ Clinical Operations at OneLegacy while earning his MBA from Washington State University.

He returned in 2018 as Regional Director for Nevada. As a life-long learner, Lilley has returned to school in pursuit of his Master of Science in Nursing to obtain his Clinical Nurse Leader credential from UNR.

Other executive leadership team members announced Aug. 14 include Jeremy Gimbel, Chief Financial Officer; Kyle Kinsey, Vice President of Tissue; and Lauren Macmadu, Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

“As the second-largest organ procurement organization in the United States, serving more than 13 million people across 45 counties in Northern California and Northern Nevada, there is a significant amount of work that happens to connect our donor’s gifts to the more than 100,000 men, women and children waiting for a life-saving organ transplant,” Janice F. Whaley, CEO of Donor Network West, said in a statement. “Each of the individuals joining our executive leadership team brings tremendous experience in the organ and tissue recovery industry or their specific area of expertise.

"I am thrilled to welcome Jeremy Gimbel, John Lilley, Kyle Kinsey and Lauren Macmadu to Donor Network West and believe that their contributions will help Donor Network West reach new heights as we work toward a world where there is no longer a wait to receive an organ transplant.”