A Critical Mission Inspires New CEO Of Donor Network West

(San Ramon, CA) April 18, 2019 – Janice F. Whaley has a vision.  A vision to make organ and tissue transplantation a reality for all who wait for their second chance at life.  Ms. Whaley has focused her entire career on the mission of all the organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the country: to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation.

There is a sad reality for the individuals who wait for a transplant in the U.S., 22 of them will die each day because of the lack of available organs.  Ms. Whaley has worked in donation and transplantation for 27 years; she has grown with the industry and through her experiences recognizes the need for strong leadership to inspire teams to continuously improve efforts to save more lives. In 2013, she joined the General Management Program (GMP) at the Harvard Business School to refine her leadership skills and gain a different perspective to improve performance.

Ms. Whaley is featured as a successful executive leader in the Alumni Harvard Business Schoolpublication this month. In the video that accompanies the article, she shares her vision as a leader in the OPO community. “I was fortunate to find my passion and wrap my career around it,” she says.

April is National Donate Life Month, dedicated to highlight the life-saving impact of organ donation and the need to bring donation conversations to households throughout the country.

“Every day people die waiting for an organ transplant.  They are family and friends.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  We all have the power to do something to help,” says Janice F. Whaley, Chief Executive Officer for Donor Network West.  “Attending the GMP program at Harvard helped hone my leadership skills to inspire and engage my teams to look for the next opportunity to save lives.  We look forward to a day when everyone who needs a transplant has the opportunity to receive one.”

For over three decades, Donor Network West has served the Northern California and Nevada communities by connecting a donor’s gift to those in need. Ms. Whaley joined the organization as the Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2019 after a successful role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for LifeShare of Oklahoma.

More than 10,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in Donor Network West’s service area. The generosity of a single donor is life-changing for those who receive these gifts of life. Every donor has the potential to save eight lives through organ donation and can impact the lives of 75 more people with tissue donation.  Visit DonorNetworkWest.org or your local DMV to register as a donor.