Dr. Ketel is a retired transplant surgeon, most recently serving at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. She has held positions at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, among other posts. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Illinois Transplant Society, the United Network for Organ Sharing and the Association of Women Surgeons. She has served on the board of Gift of Hope since 2008.

A skilled executive with a valuable mix of financial, operational and international experience including aligning financial support with operational goals, process improvements, project management and Six Sigma.

Dr. Aneziokoro is board certified in nephrology and internal medicine with more than 20 years of medical practice experience. Known as “Dr. Ogb,” he completed medical school at the University of Ibadan College of Medical Sciences (Nigeria), residency training at Saint Joseph Hospital (Chicago) and fellowship at the University of Chicago Hospitals – Pritzker School of Medicine.

Ms. Flores has over 3 years of experience working with transplant recipients. She has focused her career on increasing access to transplant services to individuals who don’t qualify for any publicly funded insurance programs. She served at the Program Coordinator for the Illinois Transplant Fund for over a year and will continue so save and enhance the lives of others through her role as a Donation Specialist at Gift of Hope.

Letty is a Registered Nurse and active member of the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and Mujeres Latinas en Accion. Her passion is increasing health care access for disadvantaged individuals and growing young leaders.

Blanca brings an extensive public relations experience from her work, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, UNO Charter School Network and now as the Director of Public Relations and Community Outreach at Morton College. Her passion for serving others in the community is evident; she co-chaired Fiesta Del Sol Expungement Workshop Committee in 2016-17 and serves on the board for the Illinois Spina Bifida Association.

A media expert with over 15 years of experience, Carlos is the CEO of Imagen Marketing Consultants, advisor to Pro Export Columbia apparel and textile, publicist for Sony Discos and named by Hispanic Executive Magazine as “Chicago’s Marketing Crusader.”

As Executive Director for the Gift of Hope Community Foundation and the Illinois Transplant Fund, Audrena Spence provides organizational leadership and operational management of philanthropy strategies, initiatives and projects for grants, major gift campaigns, fund development and partnerships that serve to increase contributions to the Community Foundation, research programs and the Illinois Transplant Fund.

Prior to joining Gift of Hope, Spence served as executive director for the Metropolitan Family Services Calumet Center. Under her leadership and through new development and partnerships, the Calumet Center’s annual budget nearly doubled from 2007 to 2021. She also founded the Metropolitan Leadership Academy designed to enhance, enrich, identify and develop future leaders within the organization.

Spence has received numerous awards and recognitions for her civic engagement including selection to the Leadership of Greater Chicago Fellows Class of 2013; the Rainbow PUSH Dr. King/President Johnson Faith in Politics: Game Changer Visionary Service Award; the Chicago Defender’s Women of Excellence; State Farm’s “Go To Bat” Community Service Award; the National PanHellenic Council Chicago’s Community Service Leadership Award; and the All Stars Project of Chicago Community Spirit Award.

She also completed the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership program. Her active civic involvement has included work with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Black Social Workers, The Links, Inc. and others. Spence holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Harry Wilkins, MD is President/CEO of Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. In that role, he provides overall leadership for the organization, guides its strategic direction and ensures that the organization stays true to its mission — to save and enhance the lives of as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation. Before joining Gift of Hope in October 2020, Dr. Wilkins served as Attending Acute Care Surgeon for Quincy Medical Group. Dr. Wilkins holds a Doctor of Medicine from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a Master’s in Healthcare Management from Harvard.

Demetrio “D” Garcia is a seasoned GLOCAL (Global and Local) executive with over 30 years of national and international experience in business, engineering, operations, and business development. Garcia is a one-time road warrior who has worked in over 150 cities and lived on three different continents. He is an engineer turned entrepreneur and is partner and head of Global Business Development with Golden Hill Foods, a Specialty Food Ingredients, Spices, and Flavors company serving the food manufacturing and supply chain industry.

Garcia is a 2018 honoree of the Negocios Now Publication’s Who’s Who in Hispanic Power award. A Chicago native and graduate of the University of Illinois, he is a master networker and connector and continues to invest in local and national civic, business and non-for-profit organizations as well as mentoring youths and professionals for success. Garcia lives in Chicago with his wife who is an educator and has two adult children.

Garcia serves as a board member of numerous organizations including, Illinois Transplant Fund, Boy Scouts of America Advisory Council, Ronald McDonald House Charities Lurie Hospital, ALPFA-Association of Latino Professionals for America Chicago Chapter, Barrio Foundation (From the Barrio to the Boardroom) and Think Virtues Inc. Education, Leadership and Character Development.

Omar is a seasoned radio DJ and host with experience in the Chicago, Atlanta and Milwaukee markets who also specializes in marketing for real estate, insurance and nonprofit organizations including coordinating large events and festivals. Omar has combined this expertise with the desire to help the immigrant community and is passionate about saving lives through organ transplantation.