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Leadership and Governance

Building capacity and vision

Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) is a division of New York Blood Center, Inc. a not-for-profit corporation, and with world-renowned physician-scientists backed up by a stellar support network.

NYBC, along with its operating divisions Community Blood Center of Kansas City, Missouri (CBC), Innovative Blood Resources (IBR), Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD), and Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC), collect approximately 4,000 units of blood products each day and serve local communities of more than 75 million people in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT), Mid Atlantic area (PA, DE, MD, VA), Missouri and Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Southern New England. NYBC and its operating divisions also provide a wide array of transfusion-related medical services to over 500 hospitals nationally, including Comprehensive Cell Solutions, the National Center for Blood Group Genomics, the National Cord Blood Program, and the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, which — among other milestones — developed a practical screening method for hepatitis B as well as a safe, effective and affordable vaccine, and a patented solvent detergent plasma process innovating blood-purification technology worldwide.

MBC has been saving and sustaining lives since 1948 as an independent nonprofit blood center. In 2016, Innovative Blood Resources (IBR) formed strategic partnerships with New York Blood Center (NYBC) to create one of the nation’s leading blood centers, serving patients in the Northeast, Midwest, and nationally. Memorial Blood Centers, a division of IBR, will continue to build its local connections as a vital community resource that provides quality blood and biomedical services to our customers and partners.

Leadership

  • Board of Directors, Innovative Blood Resources

    Mark Schmidtlein
    Chair
    American Walnut Company

    Andrew Detlefsen
    Wells Fargo Bank

    Christopher Hillyer, M.D.
    New York Blood Center

    Timothy Kuck
    Crest Healthcare Supply

    Scott Lynch
    Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

    Elizabeth McQuail
    New York Blood Center

    Robert Schwartz

    Beth Shaz, M.D.
    New York Blood Center

  • Metro Advisory Board

    Tom Whelan 
    Chair
    Wheels Brewing Company 

    Rebecca Blaesing 
    Vizient

    Damon Fitzgerald
    Community Leader

    Steve Heintze 
    Alpha Source, Inc.

    Phillip Kibort, M.D.
    Children's Minnesota (retired)

    Timothy Kuck
    Crest Healthcare Supply

    Erik Lindell 
    U.S. Bancorp

    Deb Rodahl
    M Health Fairview 

    Madison Thelen
    University of Minnesota, Class of 2021

  • Northland Advisory Board

    Gary L. Doty
    Chair
    Doty Development Group

    James Cherveny 
    Essentia Health System (retired)

    Sara Clark
    Enbridge Energy

    Carl Crawford
    City of Duluth

    Courtney Edwards-Johnston
    Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College

    Greg Grell
    WDSE

    Matt Harrold
    Lamar Advertising

    Jesse Hurtig
    UnitedHealthCare

    Mary Matlack
    St. Luke’s Hospital

    Shelly Moen
    Essentia Health

    Justin Pederson 
    Minnesota Judicial Branch

    Gina Pudlick
    University of Minnesota-Duluth

    Brandon Skaudis
    Minnesota Power

    Stephanie Sklors
    The College of St. Scholastica

    Gayle Taylor
    LHB

    Keith Turner
    Lake Superior College

    Robert Unzen 
    Lake Superior Consulting

  • Leadership Profiles

    Kathy Geist, MBA, Senior Executive Director
    Bringing over two decades of experience in healthcare leadership and customer relations, Kathy oversees operations for Innovative Blood Resources and its divisions, Memorial Blood Centers and Nebraska Community Blood Bank. With a background in managing recruitment efforts, effectively maintaining lean processes, and forging collaborative relationships, her focus is on growing our presence in the community while expanding partnerships with businesses and organizations. She aims to ensure a positive experience for all who sponsor blood drives and donate at blood drives in the community. Kathy previously served as Director of Hospital Services for LifeSource, and held leadership roles with Hu-Friedy and Baxter Healthcare. 

    Jed Gorlin, MD, MBA, Medical Director and Vice President, Medical and Quality Affairs
    A leading authority in transfusion medicine, Dr. Jed Gorlin oversees Quality and Regulatory Affairs and Physician Services, provides medical education and transfusion support to hospital partners, and carries the organization’s mission and expertise to national blood centers, worldwide healthcare organizations, and prospective hospital and laboratory clients. He also serves as Medical Director of both Memorial Blood Centers and Nebraska Community Blood Bank, divisions of Innovative Blood Resources. In addition, he acts as a consultant for the Minnesota Department of Health and is Co-director of Transfusion Medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. 

    Previously on the boards of AABB and the National Blood Foundation, Dr. Gorlin has been a consultant to AABB-PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) projects in Rwanda and Tanzania and to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on national blood development programs in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. He also has presented on a variety of topics in Armenia, Peru, China, and Korea. 

    Dr. Gorlin was formerly acting medical director for transfusion services at Children’s Hospital in Boston where he held various positions at Children’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Board certified in pediatrics, and blood banking and transfusion medicine, he received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University, a doctor of medicine degree from Yale University, and a M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business.

    Mark Janzen, Ph.D., Vice President, Laboratory Services
    A member of the organization since 2003, Dr. Janzen is responsible for donor testing, manufacturing, and the organization’s industry-leading Immunohematology Reference Laboratory. Over his tenure, Janzen has overseen the redesign and relocation of the organization’s advanced testing laboratories, the transition to automated testing equipment, and the upgrade of the laboratory information systems. Prior to joining Memorial Blood Centers, he was with the National Marrow Donor Program.

  • Key Management

    Wendy Capetz
    Director, Marketing and Development 

    Angela Engblom
    Senior Manager, Duluth Operations

    Lindsey Garfield
    Director, Component Laboratory

    Aelgifa Kehr
    Senior Manager, Donor Testing

    Kendra Reynolds 
    Director, Quality and Regulatory Affairs

    Rick Teeter
    Director, Finance and Controller

    Nancy Van Buren, MD
    Associate Medical Director

    Cheryl Warholoski
    Director, Nebraska Operations

    Jen White
    Director, Hospital Services