LifeSource Announces New CEO, Kelly White

Hennepin Healthcare Chief Nursing Officer Will Serve as 2^nd CEO in the Nonprofit’s History

MINNEAPOLIS – LifeSource, the organ procurement organization (OPO) for the Upper Midwest, announced today that Kelly White, RN, MS, will become its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – only the second CEO since the nonprofit’s founding in 1989.  

White most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer for Hennepin Healthcare. Prior to her role at Hennepin Healthcare, White was Vice President of Patient Care & Chief Nursing Officer for North Memorial Health.   

Following a national search and extensive process of evaluating more than 100 strong candidates, the LifeSource Board of Directors chose White because of her deep understanding of the challenges facing local hospital partners, her relentless focus on innovation and improvement and her passion for the LifeSource mission.  

“Not only does Kelly have all the qualifications to successfully lead this organization,” said Peter Farstad, Interim CEO, “but she also has the heart to serve this breathtaking mission.”

“I had the privilege of supporting donors at the bedside early in my career,” said White. “Along my personal and professional journey, I became deeply invested in the mission of LifeSource. It’s an honor to serve as CEO of LifeSource and to do something with so much purpose.”

Kelly began her career as a surgical intensive care unit nurse at Hennepin and quickly elevated into leadership roles; she has a long tenure – in multiple settings – working in partnership with LifeSource to advance organ, eye and tissue donation. Some examples include:   

• Involvement in LifeSource’s first Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD) donation case at Hennepin Healthcare in 2004.    
• Leadership of Hennepin Healthcare’s Donation Committee.  
• Supporting implementation of Donor Memorial Walls at both North Memorial and Hennepin Healthcare (the first two in the LifeSource service area).  
• Providing critical input through LifeSource’s Board Strategic Planning Process, which led the development of key strategic areas of focus, like hiring a recovery surgeon and establishing a Donor Care Unit.    

“This is an incredibly important time in our communities to strengthen the ability, with our healthcare partners and donor families, to save more lives through organ, tissue, and eye donation,” said LifeSource Board of Directors Chair, Kim Simensen. “I feel confident that Kelly is the right person to lead this remarkable organization in its next stage of growth and impact.”  

White’s first day as CEO of LifeSource will be December 5, 2022.

About LifeSource

LifeSource is the non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation in the Upper Midwest, serving more than seven million people in communities across Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. LifeSource promotes donation in our communities through the Donate Life brand. We are relentlessly pursuing a day when no one dies waiting for a life-saving transplant. Learn more at Life-source.org.