THE POWER OF PHILANTHROPY
IN ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION

Caitlyn Bernabucci is the Director, Community Affairs and Development for New England Donor Services, and has worked in the donation field since starting with LifeChoice Donor Services in 2006.

After her mother received a life-saving liver transplant in 2004, she pursued an opportunity to bring attention to the mission to save and heal lives through donation. She works with the Department of Motor Vehicles, community programs, leads all fundraising and development initiatives, including the organization of the Blue & Green 5K/Walks in CT and MA.

Caitlyn is a former Board Chair for Donate Life Connecticut, former Chair of Donate Life America’s Advisory Council and currently serves as State Team Liaison on Donate Life America’s Advisory Council.

With over 25 years of experience across a variety of sectors, Kim Casko is a service leader and change champion with a passion for helping individuals, teams, and organizations be their best selves. She is grateful to currently serve as Director of Client Services & Support for Elisse Glennon Consulting, a firm that partners with nonprofit leaders seeking to elevate the impact of their organizations.

Kim holds a bachelor's degree in management and psychology from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and a master's degree in higher education administration from Northwestern University in Illinois. Throughout her career, she has held various roles, including information technology consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, career advisor at the University of Maryland, change management director at the University of Illinois, and organizational effectiveness manager at ACT. She was President & CEO of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce from 2016 to 2023, successfully leading the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, a merger, and development of a community vision and strategic plan.

In the spring of 2023, Kim decided to take a year-long sabbatical from “careering” to rest, reset, and reprioritize. This has been her greatest challenge to date! She continues to dedicate time and attention to the “inner work” of being her highest and best self.

Kim resides in Iowa City with her husband, John, and their two cats, Omi and Tanis. She also spends a significant portion of the year in New York, where she is originally from. She enjoys spending time with her active nephews and animals of any kind (not to imply that her nephews are animals), doing yoga and meditation, and getting in/on/by water whenever she can.

With over 25 years of extensive experience in nonprofit, foundation, and healthcare leadership, Elisse Glennon is an energetic and empathetic change driver with a passion for empowering organizations to realize their full potential. She is the founder and principal of Elisse Glennon Consulting LLC, where she partners with nonprofit leaders seeking to challenge the status quo and elevate their impact.

Before establishing her consulting firm in 2022, Elisse held several notable leadership positions. She was Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at the NJ Sharing Network and Executive Director of their Foundation, where she led a restructuring that tripled their annual fund results. She was Vice President of Development at Palisades Medical Center and Executive Director of their Foundation, which she established and grew to $5M in revenue. She was also Chief Executive Officer of the United Way of Greater Union County, where she initiated and successfully completed a merger of five local United Way organizations in less than a year and was responsible for the local distribution of 9/11 funds.

Beyond her positions, Elisse has helped lead and shape the industries in which she’s served. She was a driver behind the establishment of the Association of Organ Procurement Organization’s first fund development council and served on numerous boards including Donate Life America, Hospital Fundraising Executives of NJ, and United Way of New Jersey Professional Association. Elisse has also received numerous awards in recognition of her contributions including the TJ Maciak Award from the Transplant Life Foundation and the Robert J. Smythe Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She was also named Woman of the Year Award by the Salvation Army and one of the Best 50 Women in Business by NJBiz.

Elisse holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Bucknell University, served as a faculty member at Fairleigh Dickinson University's Center for Non-Profit Excellence, and was selected for and completed Leadership New Jersey. She remains actively engaged in her community, serving on the boards of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber, Eastwick College, Moe-tion Dance Theatre, and the Bucknell University Alumni Association.

Elisse resides in Caldwell, NJ with her husband (an altruistic living kidney donor), four children, two cats, and a bunny. She is an avid Scrabble player and a budding Spartan Obstacle Course racer.

Bio coming soon.

Emily is a communications professional currently serving as the Director of Community Development at Indiana Donor Network. In her role, she oversees the management of Donate Life Indiana and Indiana Donor Network Foundation, as well as the organization's community outreach efforts, volunteer program, funeral home program, donor family events, and more.

She has experience developing and executing strategic campaigns focused on public outreach, community engagement, public relations, internal communications, and advertising in various industries. Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.

Sara Metzger serves as the Program Manager of Community Engagement & Foundation Relations at Southwest Transplant Alliance. In her role, Sara supports fundraising initiatives and events, leads community engagement efforts, and builds relationships with community partners to amplify STA’s mission of saving and healing lives through organ donation and transplantation. She also plays a key role in advancing STA Foundation programs that provide meaningful support to transplant recipients and donor families.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Sara began her career with Camp Ozark, where she led scholarship funding efforts and program initiatives for the Camp Ozark Foundation. She carries that same passion for service and community impact into her role at STA, where she remains committed to making a difference through the life-saving work being done each day. Outside of work, Sara enjoys spending time with her husband, Karl, their 2-year-old son, Micah, and their goldendoodle, Mabel—often exploring local parks and discovering new coffee shops in the area.

Eneida brings over a decade of experience in CRM management, strategic communications, and project leadership. She has worked across nonprofit and academic sectors, streamlining workflows, enhancing donor engagement, and optimizing data-driven decision-making. With an educational foundation in English and Communication, she is dedicated to blending technology, documentation, and thoughtful communication to foster meaningful connections.

Beyond the CRMs, spreadsheets, and strategy sessions, Eneida is a lifelong book lover, writer, and advocate for accessible information. She enjoys blending creativity with problem-solving—whether she’s managing projects, creating content, or connecting with fellow book enthusiasts. When she’s not working, you’ll find her reading and enjoying a day at a theme park.

Katie Sauce serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Foundation Relations at Southwest Transplant Alliance.

In her role, Katie leads fundraising initiatives and events, drives community engagement programs, and amplifies STA’s mission by building relationships with community partners throughout STA’s service area. As director, she also spearheads STA Foundation efforts that further advance STA’s impact in innovation and donor support initiatives. Katie plans and implements strategies to build a sustainable funding pipeline, educate community groups, and raises support for foundation programs.

Katie has over a decade of experience working with Texas non-profit organizations and government entities. She brings a unique perspective to STA Foundation programming through her expertise in strategic planning, donor stewardship, event planning, program management, public policy and legislative relations. Throughout her career, Katie has built and maintained successful relationships with key stakeholders in order to advance the missions of the organizations.

Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government with a certification in business from the University of Texas at Austin.

Theresa Shubeck has over four decades of professional philanthropic experience helping nonprofit organizations advance their missions, develop and execute strategies, raise critical funds, and train leaders. She has counseled nearly 250 institutions of all types, including social service, education, healthcare, faith-based, and the arts.

Theresa’s background in consulting and institutional positions includes capital campaigns, pre-campaign studies, advancement program assessments, board development, planned giving and executive search. During a 12-year tenure at the University level Theresa was involved in every area of student recruitment, alumni relations and development. Also on the institutional side, she held leadership roles for a Manhattan independent school and a social service agency in New Jersey. Theresa received the 2008 Robert J. Smythe Outstanding Professional Fundraiser Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals-New Jersey Chapter (AFP-NJ), nominated for conducting a successful debt-reduction campaign.

Theresa earned a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in English and Psychology, a Master of Letters from Drew University, and has completed additional graduate study in English literature. Her publications include her Master’s thesis Sweet Dreams: Robert Frost’s Search for Self; “For Donors Who Have Everything,” The Major Gift Difference for CASE Currents; and a variety of articles for The Monitor, published by the Diocese of Trenton.

Theresa’s current and former board service spans social service, faith-based, education and cultural organizations and she has presented at seminars for prospective adoptive parents through FTIA (Families Thru International Adoption). Her daughter Claire Xian is currently a student at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Bio coming soon.

Amanda Tibok joined NJ Sharing Network in its mission to save and enhance lives in 2012. Now serving as Executive Director of the Sharing Network Foundation, Amanda provides strategic direction and oversight of philanthropic initiatives to increase the number of lives saved through donation and transplantation.

Amanda spearheads the Foundation’s activities and programs to build and cultivate relationships and raise funds for clinical advancement, family support, public awareness and education, including the 5K Celebration of Life events which have grown to become one of the largest and most-recognized charitable events in the state.

Known for her collaborative leadership style and ability to build partnerships within the donation and transplantation community, Amanda has held leadership volunteer roles with the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) Fund Development Council, the Transplant Games of America/Transplant Life Foundation, and serves as a member of the NJ Advisory Board for Eversight.

Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and a Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Organizational Development from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is also a graduate of the Lead New Jersey Fellowship Program (2023).