Executives

Santokh Gill
President & CEO

Gill joined LifeCenter in March 2022. He is committed to leading LifeCenter Northwest by collaborating with our talented staff and working with the best hospitals and transplant programs in our region and beyond.

Gill brings more than 25 years of healthcare experience to our team. “I’m excited for the opportunity to blend science and business to motivate and inspire the great team at LifeCenter Northwest towards meaningful growth. I can’t imagine a more worthy cause than saving lives through organ and tissue donation.”

Anna Rawlings
General Counsel and Vice President Administration

A Washington state native and graduate of Harvard Law School, Rawlings brings over a decade of health law experience to the organization, including work at Ropes & Gray LLP, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. Rawlings provides counsel to LifeCenter Northwest and its board of directors, as well as oversight of the organization’s Quality and Regulatory Affairs, People Resources, and Community Relations Departments. This executive guidance will help ensure appropriate consideration of legal matters and risk reduction related to the organization’s mission and goals.

Kevin Peterson
Vice President, Accounting and Finance

Peterson joined LifeCenter in 2020 with more than 25 years in accounting and finance roles with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Washington State University. Peterson’s father was a double-lung recipient and connected with LifeCenter’s mission. “It struck a chord as a way to live out the thanks I have for the gift of life he received,” says Peterson. “LifeCenter’s focus on caring for donor families after donation is meaningful and resonated with me as a great way to honor the gift a donor has made.” In his current role, he oversees the Accounting and Information Technology Departments..

Leadership

Rachel Clark
Director, People Resources

Personal Statement: It is my honor to support the dedicated and talented employees of LifeCenter Northwest who work in our communities as stewards of the gift of donation. The selfless acts of our donors and their families inspire me daily to do and be my very best. I am grateful and humbled to be a part of this team and our mission-driven work.

Sean Farragher
Director, Quality and Regulatory Affairs

Personal Statement: Simply put, a good day’s work at LifeCenter translates directly into a life being saved or improved. It means a family is offered a light in a very dark place. It’s a very important job.

Catherine Hankins
Director, Tissue Donation Services

Personal Statement: Working in the world of organ and tissue donation is continually humbling and amazingly rewarding every day. I am incredibly lucky to work at LifeCenter Northwest where I am able to help save and improve lives through the gifts and generosity of our tissue donors and their families. What an awesome experience to know at the end of the day I have made a difference.

Rachel Houck
Director, Donation Development

Personal Statement: It is a rare opportunity to go to work and help make something good come from something tragic. I am honored to be part of a team that provides a small ray of light to our donor families during their darkest days. I am constantly inspired by the generosity and courage of our donor families.

Stacy McKean
Director, Organ Procurement

Personal Statement: Being able to see the generosity of the human spirit and the lives saved through organ donation is truly a blessing. I am honored to be part of a team of amazing people at LifeCenter who work tirelessly to support and honor the gifts of life. Every day I am inspired by our donor families and the opportunity to be a steward of the precious gifts of donation for those in need.

Brent Merry
Director, Information Technology

Personal Statement: After a career in Air Force Medicine Technology, I am humbled to continue my journey alongside so many passionate healthcare professionals in such a noble endeavor. I am privileged knowing what my team does every day contributes to improving Organ and Tissue donation.

Katherine Pliska
Director, Communications and Community Relations

Personal Statement: I am honored to be a part of the LifeCenter team where I get to share the stories of our selfless donors, work with our donor families and raise awareness for organ and tissue donation. There is no greater feeling than knowing each day we can make a difference in the lives of others.

Candy Wells
Director, Organ Utilization

Personal Statement: I am humbled by having the opportunity to work with an inspiring, dedicated group of tireless people; driven by the mission of offering hope and solace to grieving families, and hope and life to the recipients of their precious gifts. Today and every day I am reminded of how thankful I am to have the privilege to be part of an organization that shares the gift of life.

Governing Board Members

Sarah Tallon
Chair
Vice President, Operational Finance
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
Seattle, WA

John Harper
Vice Chair
Chief of Staff, Privacy and Regulatory Affairs, Microsoft
Redmond, WA

Joshua Ahsoak
Secretary
Staff Attorney – Tribal ICWA Representation Program
Alaska Native Justice Center
Anchorage, AK

Pam Palagi
Treasurer
Vice President of Finance
Montana Region of SCL Health
Butte, MT

Craig Hendrickson
Member at Large
Executive and Organization Development Coach
Kirkland, WA

Joyce Jackson
Member at Large
President & Chief Executive Officer Emeritus
Northwest Kidney Centers
Seattle, WA

Michelle James, MS, RN, CCTN
Member at Large
Clinical Director, Solid Organ Transplant Service Line
M Health Fairview, Solid Organ Transplant Care
Minneapolis, MN

Maija Katak Lukin
Member at Large
Alaska Native and Tribal Affairs Program Manager
National Park Service, Alaska Region
Wasilla, AK

Ken Price
Member at Large
Transplant Recipient
North American Sales,
Boeing Commercial Airplanes-Retired
Seattle, WA

LaMont Williams
Member at Large
Transplant Recipient
Senior Pastor,
Restoration Life Church
Seattle, WA

Santokh Gill
Non-Voting Member
President & CEO
LifeCenter Northwest
Bellevue, WA

Advisory Board Members

Debbie Page, Chair
Recipient Family Member
Bellevue, WA

Idoia Gimferrer, MD, PhD
Bloodworks Northwest
Seattle, WA

Laura Givens
Donor Family Member
Muckleshoot Child Development Center
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
Tacoma, WA

Jennifer Graves, RN, MS, Vice Chair
Kaiser Permanente
Seattle, WA

Patrick Healey, MD
Seattle Children’s Hospital
Seattle, WA

Stephanie Hill
CFO, Life Alaska Donor Services
Anchorage, AK

Christian Kuhr, MD
Virginia Mason Medical Center
Seattle, WA

Abhijit Lele, MBBS, MD, MS
Harborview Medical Center
Seattle, WA

Ahmad Mahallati, MD, MTS
Staff Nephrologist, Virginia Mason Medical Center
Seattle, WA

Okechukwu Ojogho, MD
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center
Spokane, WA

Krista Ralls, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN
Trauma Program Manager, Providence Alaska Medical Center
Anchorage, AK

Bobbie Rhodes-Clark
Vitalant
Spokane, WA

Glenda Roberts
Director, External Relations & Patient Engagement
Kidney Research Institute, UW
Seattle, WA

Derrek Shepherd
Donor Family Member
Jefferson City, MT

Chandrasekar Santhanakrishnan, MD
Transplant Surgeon
Swedish Medical Center
Seattle, WA

Todd Seiger
Swedish Medical Center
Seattle, WA

Michael Souter, MD
LifeCenter Northwest Medical Director
Harborview Medical Center
Seattle, WA

Timothy Stevens
Guidry and East, LLC.
Ridgefield, WA

Mark Sturdevant, MD
Transplant Surgeon
University of Washington
Seattle, WA

Deborah Swets
Recipient Family Member
Seattle, WA