Meet the TCOA Team
Steve Pitzer
President | CEO
Steve Pitzer comes to Transplant Coordinators of America with over 30 years of experience in the organ donation field. He got his start in the field in 1986 as an organ procurement coordinator in the U.S. Air Force. From there, Pitzer was employed with UNOS Organ Center as an organ placement coordinator.
Robert Koppenaal
Chief Operating Officer
Robert has 23 years of experience in healthcare. He began as a CNA before becoming an ICU nurse and later a House Supervisor, building a strong foundation in patient care, critical decision-making, and multidisciplinary coordination. In 2006 he transitioned into the OPO field working for the South Carolina OPO. He joined TCOA in 2010, his leadership, operational insight, and commitment to excellence led to his promotion to VP of Operations in 2019. In this role, he provides strategic oversight, ensures high-quality clinical performance, and supports teams dedicated to honoring the gift of donation and improving transplant outcomes.
Samuel Blanchette
Vice President of Operations
Samuel began his career as a paramedic, before transitioning into the field of organ donation, serving as a Tissue Procurement Coordinator before advancing to an Organ Preservationist Specialist at Midwest Transplant Network. His commitment to precision, quality, and patient impact led him to TCOA. At TCOA he has implemented streamlined workflows and processes to improve the efficiency and accuracy of organ offer intake and logistical coordination. He now serves as Director of Operations, where he focuses on developing best practices and integrating them into organizational systems to enhance performance and outcomes across the company.
Susan Fogus
Vice President of Quality & Compliance
With more than 20 years of transplant experience, Susan brings a diverse range of expertise that spans bedside nursing, transplant coordination, education, marketing, and regulatory affairs. Her career includes serving as a CMS surveyor conducting transplant re-approval and complaint surveys, as well as Director of Quality at a leading academic medical center in Texas, giving her deep, working knowledge of both CMS and OPTN regulatory frameworks. Susan brings all of that experience to her role as Vice President of Quality and Compliance at TCOA, where she oversees quality assurance, compliance, and data analysis for the organization.
Shanna Nimmons
Director of Quality & Training
Shanna serves as the Director of Quality & Training at TCOA, where top-quality customer service is her number one priority. Driven by a signature communication style, she excels at keeping clinical teams, clients, and partners perfectly aligned through complex organ offer workflows and high-pressure project management. Shanna leverages over 15 years of healthcare and operational expertise to pioneer vital training initiatives and process improvements. Her background includes serving with TCOA since 2013, managing medical practices at Roper St. Francis Healthcare, and launching her transplant career in 2009 as an Organ Procurement Coordinator in Charleston, SC.
Richard Gray Granger
Sr. Coordinator/Advisor
Gray joined TCOA with more than 20 years of experience as a senior organ placement specialist and CPTC with UNOS. In this role, Granger provided assistance to organ procurement agencies and transplant centers by allocating organs, assisting with transportation and providing input on policy development. He has served as a faculty member at university-sponsored symposiums and other public-speaking venues.
Toni Ashton
Coordinator
Toni has over 6 years experience with Lifepoint OPO and has a Nursing degree from Kirkwood Community College. She has extensive hospital experience in surgery, ICU, surgical trauma, digestive diseases ICU and has worked with TCOA since 2014.
Laura Anderson
Coordinator
Laura has experience as a Critical Care RN for 30 years, and she was an Organ Procurement Coordinator for 14 years. She received her CPTC certification in 2003. Laura has been an Organ Transplant Coordinator with TCOA since 2017.
Patrick Silva
Coordinator
Patrick received his Doctor of Medicine from degree from Far Eastern University-NRMF, Philippines & B.A. Psychology. He has been in Organ Transplant field since 2003 as a triage & recovery coordinator for the OPO in St. Louis and has been with TCOA since 2016.
Lindsay Koepke
Coordinator
Since 2018, Lindsay has had the privilege of working on both the donor and recipient sides of organ transplantation, supporting patients and families through some of life’s most meaningful moments. She is passionate about advocating for donation, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and helping make successful transplants possible. Her experience in transplant has strengthened her commitment to compassionate care, clinical excellence, and honoring every donor’s legacy.
Lynette Wiliams
Coordinator
Lynette began her career in the medical field in 1999 as an EMT/Firefighter. She earned her Paramedic license in 2002 and obtained her Registered Nurse (RN) license in 2018. In 2012, she entered the field of transplantation, working at a Kansas-based Organ Procurement Organization (MWOB) until 2017, when she joined TCOA as a Transplant Coordinator. In addition to her clinical experience, Lynette served as an instructor and Clinical Coordinator for the Paramedic Program at the UMKC School of Medicine from 2012 to 2020. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in both Psychology and Nursing.
Kimberly Phillip
Coordinator
Kimberly, RRT, has 15 years of experience as a Respiratory Therapist. She previously served at LifeQuest from 2021 to 2022 and has been with TCOA since 2022. Kimberly shares, “Being a Transplant Coordinator with TCOA has been the most rewarding job.”
Lauren Schroeder
Coordinator
Lauren has a BS in Nursing and an MBA from Southern Illinois University. She spent 8 years as a Recovery Coordinator with Mid-America Transplant Services in St. Louis, MO and has been with TCOA since 2015.
Luann Mitcham
Coordinator
Luann has 40 years experience as a Registered Nurse and over 30 years working in the Transplant/OPO field.
“Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you”
Charity Dycus
Coordinator
Charity, RN, BSN, CPTC has 10 years experience in Organ Procurement. She has been with TCOA since 2017, giving her almost 20 years experience in transplant.
Sarah Shuler
Coordinator
Sarah Shuler, RRT brings over 11 years of experience as a Critical care Respiratory Therapist, and 1.5 years as an Organ Procurement Coordinator at Lifequest in FL. She has been with TCOA since 2022
Mike Nunamaker
Coordinator
Mike brings 26 years of diverse healthcare experience to TCOA, including 12 specialized years in transplantation. His extensive background spans the ICU, ER, children's transport team, hyperbaric medicine, and clinical education, equipping him with the multifaceted skills required to ensure team success. Driven by a deep passion for saving lives through organ donation, Mike provides clinical excellence and dedication to every case.
Rebecca Taylor
Coordinator
Rebecca Taylor, MBA,CPTC is a healthcare professional with experience in supporting transplant centers with organ acceptance, screening and logistics. Rebecca also has experience in transplant quality and regulatory management focusing on optimizing transplant outcomes. She is dedicated to advancing patient care through collaboration, process improvement and excellence.
Thuy-Dung Huynh
Coordinator
Thuy-Dung is a RN with nearly two decades of dedicated healthcare experience since 2008. Specializing in the critical field of organ donation and transplantation, she served as an Organ Recovery Coordinator for Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network in Illinois from 2014 to 2017 before transitioning to her current roles as a Heart Transplant Coordinator at Christ Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Her expertise in organ donation and transplantation has eventually led her to join the team at TCOA in 2023.
LaTasha Gause
Coordinator
LaTasha, RRT-ACCS, has a background in respiratory therapy and organ recovery coordination, she bring years of critical care and transplant experience to Transplant Coordinators of America. Her passion for patient advocacy, donor management, and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams has shaped her commitment to supporting the transplant community and improving outcomes for patients and families during some of life’s most critical moments.
Elizabeth Turner
Coordinator
Elizabeth joined TCOA in 2020, bringing more than a decade of experience in the organ donation and transplantation field that began in 2009 after an earlier career in EMS. Prior to joining TCOA, she worked for nearly six years with WRTC (DCTC) before spending five years as a travel procurement coordinator supporting OPOs across the country. Those experiences provided her with a broad understanding of donation and transplantation practices nationwide and the opportunity to support patients and families from diverse backgrounds.
Christine Adams
Coordinator
Christine earned her Registered Nursing degree studying at the College of Central Florida and UPENN. She brings more than 10 years of clinical nursing experience, including ICU, CCU, cardiac, transplant, and mobile urgent care nursing. She worked at the NJ Sharing Network as an on-site procurement coordinator and has been with TCOA since 2023.
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Sharon Weaver
Coordinator
Sharon is an experienced nurse with a passion for patient care, teamwork, and process improvement. Her background in perioperative and transplant services reflects her commitment to supporting safe, efficient, and compassionate care.
The TCOA Team on the Road -
Conference Highlights
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