Our board

Joseph DeLeon

Chair; President, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth

Joseph DeLeon became president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth in January 2018. Mr. DeLeon returned to Texas Health Fort Worth after almost five years as president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth. He is a former captain of the United States Air Force Medical Services Corps and has served in health care management since 1991. Mr. DeLeon first joined Texas Health in 2005 as vice president of professional services and business development at Texas Health Fort Worth, where he was responsible for all ancillary functions, strategic planning and business development activities for the hospital. In January 2013, he was named president of Texas Health Southwest. Under Mr. DeLeon’s leadership, Texas Health Southwest achieved the Truven 100 Top Hospital two years in a row and the Pinnacle of Excellence Award for Patient Experience from Press Ganey. The Texas Health Southwest leadership team also worked to bring Texas Health Clearfork online and become a joint replacement destination. DeLeon is an active leader in the community, serving as chairman of the boards of Texas Rehabilitation Hospital and the Tarrant County March of Dimes, and on the boards of North Texas Community Foundation and the Healthy Tarrant County Collaboration. He previously served as president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. DeLeon has been recognized many times for his leadership of the hospital, including a 2017 Minorities in Business Award from the Fort Worth Business Press. The awards recognize Tarrant County’s top minority leaders in business and the community. Honorees are chosen based on professional achievements, community contributions, philanthropy and other milestones. A graduate of Leadership North Texas, Leadership Fort Worth and Leadership Bryan-College Station, he was previously named to the Fort Worth Business Press 40 under 40 and holds a Certificate of Leader Development from the U.S. Army War College Commandant’s National Security Program. Mr. DeLeon is also an associate with the American College of Healthcare Executives. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in business management in 1991 and a master’s in public administration in 1994 from Texas A&M University.

Jenifer Jarriel, MBA

Past Chair; President and CEO, DePelchin Children’s Center

Jenifer Jarriel was raised as one of seven sisters who learned early the values of working hard to achieve goals, helping others and giving back. She truly believes in making the world a better place and her role as President and CEO of DePelchin Children’s Center presents that opportunity to her every day. A nonprofit organization, DePelchin Children’s Center is an accredited foster care and adoption agency. DePelchin’s approach to caring for children integrates prevention, foster care, adoption services and residential care programs. 

Prior to Ms. Jarriel’s position at DePelchin Children’s Center, she served in senior information technology leadership positions in Academic Medical Centers within the Texas Medical Center. Jarriel has held numerous board leadership positions in professional organizations, and she holds an undergraduate degree from University of Houston Central Campus and an MBA from Houston Baptist University.

Ms. Jarriel devotes her time and talent to other organizations in Houston as board member of The Periwinkle Foundation and LifeGift. In addition, she serves on the board for the Texas Alliance for Children and Families, representing DePelchin and serving as a voice for Texas’ most vulnerable children and families.

Deborah Maurer, RN, MBA

Treasurer; Program Administrator, UPMC, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute

Deborah (Deb) Maurer is a Program Administrator at UPMC, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her responsibilities include the Multi-Organ Transplant service line which includes the Ventricular Assist Devices and hepatology clinical programs. Ms. Maurer provides administrative oversight which includes daily operations, quality and personnel management, financial and strategic planning as well as program development. She received her Nursing Diploma from Geisinger Medical Center School of Nursing in 1986 and her MBA from Southern California University for Professional Studies in 2001.  

Ms. Maurer’s transplant career started in 1991 and she has been privileged to hold various administrative leadership positions at well-respected transplant hospitals including the University of Chicago, UPMC and Banner Health. She also has experience managing national transplant networks for Kaiser Permanente and Cigna Health. Ms. Maurer’s previous OPTN Committee experience includes serving on Operations and Safety and Membership and Professional Standards. She is passionate about her work in transplantation and her advocacy to patients, families, donors and their families and is humbled by her 30 years of experience.

George Mallory, Jr., MD

Secretary; Emeritus Professor, Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Mallory is a retired pediatric transplant pulmonologist who came to Texas and Texas Children’s Hospital twenty years ago to start what has become the most active such program in the world. He intends to continue activity on LifeGift’s Board after stepping down from clinical practice while continuing a part-time presence at Texas Children’s Hospital and the Baylor College of Medicine.

Academic appointments include: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, 1983-1984; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, 1984-1990; Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Assistant, then Associate Professor of Pediatrics, 1990-1999; Locum Tenems, Medical Director of Heart and Lung Transplantation, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK 2000-2001; Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, 2001-2008, Professor of Pediatrics, 2008-2021.

Dr. Mallory received his undergraduate at Harvard College, cum laude, Government major, class of 1970; medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, class of 1974, graduated AOA (honors); pediatric residency and pediatric pulmonology fellowship, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Mallory serves as Medical Director, Camp Blessing, Brenham, TX 2017-2021 and as Elder, First Presbyterian Church, Houston, TX 2016 – present

Dr. Mallory is the author of 99 refereed manuscripts, 20+ chapters and reviews. He joined the LifeGift board in 2014. Dr. Mallory is the father of two and grandfather of four. In his free time, he is an avid reader and cyclist.

Lance Black, MD, MBID

Chief Clinical Strategy Officer, Prana Thoracic

As an engineer, physician, and innovator, Dr. Black speaks a multitude of technical languages and serves as an intermediary and catalyst in the ever-demanding path of medical device development. His experiences prior to joining Prana Thoracic include serving as a Family and Flight Medicine physician in the United States Air Force in which he deployed twice leading the rapid response team for F-22 pilots in Okinawa, Japan and serving as Chief of the Medical Staff at Manas Transit Air Base in Kyrgyzstan; Medical Affairs Manager for a MedTech development firm where he participated in the build-out and testing of over 25 medical devices with contribution on more than 30 patents; and, most recently Associate Director of Texas Medical Center’s TMC Innovation focused on building and launching novel medical device and digital health companies. 

During his tenure at TMC Innovation, Dr. Black had the opportunity to review and screen over 2000 healthcare startups for entry into the well-known accelerator, TMCx; advise over 100 medical device and digital health companies who have collectively raised more than $2.5B; and aided in the launch of 10 healthcare startups as advisor to TMC Bio design who have now raised >$30M. Dr. Black is dedicated to supporting the development of novel technologies that will bring value to patients.

Nancy C. Cychol

President/Chief of Hospital Services, Cook Children’s Medical Center

Nancy C. Cychol is President/Chief of Hospital Services of Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country. After joining Cook Children’s in 1984, Ms. Cychol held several leadership positions prior to her promotion to president in 2003. Before joining Cook Children’s, she was employed by Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, IN and Children’s Medical Center of Dayton in Dayton, OH.

As president, Ms. Cychol oversees operations of the 444-bed medical center and is responsible for more than 4,600 employees across 42 specialties and subspecialties. This includes a nationally respected Magnet® designated nursing staff ranked in the top three percent of all healthcare organizations nationwide. She directs a highly skilled staff of nurses, technologists, therapists, child life specialists, chaplains, teachers, social workers, translators, and more than 760 physicians, dentists, and advanced practice providers. Under Ms. Cychol’s leadership, Cook Children’s has become the home of a designated Level II pediatric trauma center, a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit and one of the largest pediatric transport programs in the country.  

Ms. Cychol received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing and a master’s degree in administration from Indiana University. She currently serves on the boards of the Cook Children’s Surgery Center/Hurst, Cook Children’s Surgery Center/Prosper, and MedStar Mobile Healthcare. Also, she is a donor mom and serves on the LifeGift board. Ms. Cychol and her husband John, who live in Colleyville, have two sons, Ryan and Nicholas. Their son John IV is deceased.

Tom Flanagan

Vice President, Trauma Service Line and System Integration, Memorial Hermann Health System

Thomas “Tom” Flanagan, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., L.P., is the Vice President of the Trauma Service Line and System Integration for Memorial Hermann Health System. Mr. Flanagan is based at Memorial Hermann – Memorial City corporate headquarters, as well as Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, which is renowned for providing leading-edge care in trauma, heart, neuroscience, orthopedics, women’s health, general surgery and organ transplantation services. Memorial Hermann’s Red Duke Trauma Institute provides 24/7 emergency and trauma care in addition to serving as the primary teaching hospital for UTHealth Medical School.

With almost four decades of both clinical and administrative healthcare experience, Mr. Flanagan is widely recognized for his proficiency in crisis management and disaster preparedness. He began his career as a respiratory therapist before becoming an emergency room nurse and then a Life Flight nurse, where he would eventually rise through the ranks to run the entire program.

Mr. Flanagan has been named “National Program Director of the Year” by American Eurocopter and the Association of Air Medical Services and “Emergency Nurse of the Year” by the Greater Houston EMS Council. He received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing and was honored by HealthWeek with a Nursing Excellence Award for Nursing and Administration. Mr. Flanagan was the recipient of the Memorial Hermann Dan S. Wilford Spirit Award, an honor given to one employee whose personal values and attributes most closely reflect those of former president and chief executive officer of Memorial Hermann.

Mr. Flanagan serves as a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council and as a board member for LifeGift. He has also served in several healthcare and community board capacities including the Harris County Department of Education’s Center for Safe and Secure Schools, the EMS Departments at both Houston Community College and San Jacinto Community College. Mr. Flanagan received a bachelor’s in nursing from UTHealth School of Nursing and a master’s in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.

Matthew Girotto

Senior Vice President, Texas Children’s Hospital

Matthew (Matt) Girotto currently holds the position of senior vice president of Texas Children’s Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, responsible for the Department of Anesthesia, Food and Nutrition, Pathology, PT/OT, Radiology and Surgery. This includes physician services organization activities, transplant, trauma, educational programs, division and departmental administration and departmental research. Girotto has held a variety of positions since joining Texas Children’s Hospital in August 2002. 

Mr. Girotto’s responsibilities include leading a senior leadership team of three executives and over 1,600 staff while partnering with Medical Chiefs and a medical staff of over 700 medical doctors and advanced practice providers.  

Mr. Girotto earned his B.B.A. in Finance and Management from Texas A&M University; his M.H.A and M.H.R. from Washington University; and his Certificate in Health Care Management from Rice University. 

Mr. Girotto’s board involvement includes LifeGift; St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School; and Nora’s Home.

In his free time, Mr. Girotto enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his kids’ sports teams, hosting friends and families, cooking, skiing, fishing, almost any sport and live music.

Sharyn Ivory

Retired Executive

Sharyn Ivory has previously served on the LifeGift Board of Directors for many years and in every office including Board Chair. She recently vacated her board position, taking the required time off prescribed by the Bylaws and is honored to serve on the board again. Ms. Ivory is a retired executive from Covenant Health in Lubbock, TX and owned a consulting firm for many years. These careers provide her with the experience to be a productive partner with LifeGift in fulfilling its fiduciary responsibility for oversight of a non-profit. Ms. Ivory has a heart for transplant and is honored to serve, yet again, being an active member of our board.

Chase L. Lesane-Brown, PhD

Director of Experiential Learning for the School of Social Sciences Rice University

Dr. Lesane-Brown is a lecturer in the Psychological Sciences department and the Director of Experiential Learning for the School of Social Sciences at Rice University. She is also Affiliated Faculty in the Center for African and African American Studies. Dr. Lesane-Brown earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside; her M.S. in Counseling Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino; and her Ph.D. in Personality Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 

Lesane-Brown teaches core courses in the Psychological Sciences department, such as Health Psychology, Multicultural Psychology, and Research Methods, with a strong focus on service- and active-learning teaching strategies. She serves as a faculty representative on the Committee for Undergraduate Curriculum, and in the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry. Dr. Lesane-Brown also serves on the Social Policy Analysis Major Advisory Board. 

Dr. Lesane-Brown’s research focuses on two areas: the process, content, and consequences of race socialization among black children and adolescents; and the process of parent-child communication about health, coping mechanisms used by children with a chronic illness, and health care access among young adults diagnosed with sickle cell disease during their transition from pediatric to adult health care.

Stuart Levin, JD

Partner, Levin & Atwood, LLP

Stuart “Stu” Levin is admitted to practice law in the states of Texas and Connecticut and before various federal courts. He is a 1971 graduate of Syracuse University (A.B. with honors and magna cum laude) and received his juris doctor’s degree from the University of Connecticut (1974, with honors and law review associate editor). Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Levin served on active duty as a U.S. Air Force Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, where he was responsible for military and civilian prosecutions.

After being honorably discharged from the Air Force (with an Air Force Commendation Medal), Mr. Levin was employed as an in-house attorney by the Panhandle Eastern Corporation (now a part of Duke Energy). He later served Mitchell Energy (now a part of Devon Energy) as Manager of Regulatory Affairs- Gas, and later worked for the Coastal Corporation (now part of El Paso Energy) as a senior staff attorney. Mr. Levin established the firm that evolved into Levin and Atwood in 1989.

Mr. Levin is married to Carol Reiss Levin and they have two sons, Jason and Todd, three grandchildren, Hayley, Addison and Parker. He is also active in numerous community and professional organizations, including Katy Bar Association (Charter President), the Westside Shrine Club (Secretary), Katy Rotary Club, the Breath of Life Children’s Center, the Katy YMCA (former director), Board of Directors-Houston Methodist West, and the Epilepsy Foundation of South Texas/Gulf Coast (former President). Mr. Levin’s areas of practice concentration include merger and acquisition, real estate, business and commercial law, corporate law, wills, trusts and estates.

Roberta Levy Schwartz, PhD, FACHE

Executive VP & Chief Innovation Officer Houston Methodist Hospital

Roberta L. Schwartz is the executive vice president and chief innovation officer of Houston Methodist Hospital, one of the Texas Medical Center’s founding institutions. She is responsible for overseeing all operations at the 952-bed hospital, which has been named by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 hospital in Texas for nine straight years and has also been named to the publication’s prestigious “Honor Roll” of America’s best 20 hospitals four times. In her role as chief innovation officer, Dr. Schwartz is responsible for advancing and expanding Houston Methodist’s digital innovation platforms, including telemedicine, artificial intelligence and big data. 

Prior to joining Houston Methodist, Dr. Schwartz worked as director of business development for Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, as a consultant and project manager to several academic medical centers for APM/Computer Sciences Corporation, and for CMS (HCFA).  

Dr. Schwartz earned a master’s in health science from Johns Hopkins University and an honors undergraduate degree from Barnard College at Columbia University. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Texas School of Public Health. Dr. Schwartz has been recognized nationally for her professional and non-profit work. She was most recently recognized by Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Women Leaders as one of its 10 Women to Watch. Dr. Schwartz is also involved with LifeGift, Robert M. Beren Academy and the UOS Synagogue, Young Survival Coalition and many breast cancer organizations.

Kristyn Sorensen, JD, PhD

Associate Vice President for Research Integrity, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Dr. Sorensen currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Research Integrity at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Prior to this role Dr. Sorensen served in the Office of General Counsel for the university and practiced law with the private firm of Crenshaw, Dupree & Milam. Prior to law school, she obtained her Master’s in Pharmacology (specializing in cardiothoracic perfusion) and her PhD in Toxicology. During this time, she also worked at the University of Arizona’s Sarver Heart Center and Duke University in the areas of cardiothoracic perfusion and organ donation and procurement. It was in these roles that she became dedicated to the cause of organ donation, including volunteering, research and educational outreach programs. Dr. Sorensen currently lives in Midland, Texas with her family: her husband, Dr. Grant Sorensen, MD, PhD and their three children. Dr. Sorensen is humbled and grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Board of LifeGift.

M. Adriana Valencia, CRPC

Financial Advisor, Keystone Wealth Management, LLC

As a Financial Advisor with Keystone Wealth Management, Adriana Valencia aims to help others gain more clarity and control over their financial lives. This rewarding career aligns perfectly with her commitment to family and education. She specializes in wealth management and the design and management of financial plans for high net worth individuals and small business owners. Ms. Valencia is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, which marks her as a specialist in retirement planning rather than a general practitioner. 

Fluent in English and Spanish, Ms. Valencia was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States in 1998. She previously enjoyed a career that spanned numerous upwardly leadership positions during the 16-year tenure within a world-leading publicly traded food service producer. 

Ms. Valencia transitioned into the financial services industry in 2003. She is a board member for LifeGift, and she is also a member of the International Women’s Leadership Association. She prides herself on her integrity and her friendly and helpful personality. Ms. Valencia has been married to her husband, Tommy, for more than twenty years.