Board of Directors
Pictured – left to right: David Fleming, President Donate Life America, Bruce Blessing, Dr. Matthew Cooper, President of the Board for Donate Life America.
About Us
Bruce Blessing is the President/Founder of the Meredith Haga Foundation. Bruce brings the passion and advocates for organ donation. Responsible for overseeing all facets of the organization, Bruce drives the mission, operations and engagement with the Board of Directors. Bruce is also a living organ donor and knows first hand the process and true need for the education and community outreach supporting organ transplantation.
Bruce is the CEO of Pipe Line Utility Contractors for the past 32 years in Blountville, Tennessee. He also owns Stone Ridge Farms which raises registered black angus in Bristol, Virginia.
In 2024, Bruce Blessing was recognized by Donate Life America with the Joseph S. Wolf award, which acknowledges people that make an impact on organ donation nationwide.
Our Team
The Meredith Haga Foundation is 100% volunteer organization. The foundation has no staff, therefore our overhead is extremely limited, meaning that at least 98% of donations received go directly to our programs – especially helping living organ donors.
The daily functions are handled by our Board of Directors whom have a wide range of experience. Seven of our board members have a very strong bond with organ donation…2 living organ donors, 2 organ recipients, 3 transplant professionals.
William Maixner
Chief Executive Officer
Will is the Senior National Director for Transplant for DaVita Kidney Care. Will brings 15 years experience in healthcare and transplantation. Will lives in Richmond, VA with his wife and two children.
Adam Mc Curry
Vice President
Adam is Senior Director of Development for Fulenwider Enterprises, Inc., which operates 149 restaurants, including Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell, across six states. Adam lives in Morgontown, NC with his wife.
Caitlin Gase
Treasurer
Caitlin is a certified Nonprofit Professional through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. Her professional experience includes working with nonprofits in North Carolina and Iowa. Caitlin is married to Xfinity Race car driver and team owner Joey Gase and has twin boys.
John Caso
Secretary - Heart Transplant Recipient
John has over 35 years of business experience, with 20 years as a business owner and additional 10 years of managing and operating non-profits. John is married has two children and four grandchildren. John is forever grateful for the second chance of life he received through transplant.
Ellie Patterson
Sweet Briar 2016
Ellie is the sales manager at Taradel LLC, a marketing agency in the Richmond, VA area. Ellie and Meredith became close friends at Sweet Briar College. Ellie is married, has a son Woody and two corgis, Lucy and Teddy.
Lydia Fleck-Dixon
Sweet Briar 2016
Lydia is a Construction Supervisor for the Proplusion Plant spaces on the new aircraft carrier, U.S.S. John F. Kennedy, at Newport News Shipbuilding. Lydia and Meredith were roommates during their senior year at Sweet Briar. Lydia is married and lives in Newport News, VA.
Billy Jarvis
3x Kidney Transplant Recipient
Senior Education Coordinator at Tennessee Donor Services, where he has made a lasting impact for over two decades. Billy’s journey as a three-time kidney recipient, starting in 1991, has not only fueled his commitment to organ donation, passion for life and helping others. Billy is married and has two sons and a grandaughter.
Rebecca Jarvis
BSN, RN, CCTC
Rebecca Jarvis is the Outreach Coordinator and Senior Clinical Coordinator at UT Medical Center Knoxville. Rebecca has 27 years of experience as a Registered Nurse, she has specialized in renal nursing and includes six years as a dialysis nurse, eight years as a dialysis access coordinator, and 13 years as a transplant coordinator. Rebecca is married and has two sons and a granddaughter.
Steven Jamison
Living Kidney Donor
Dr, Tom Olmsted
retired
Dr. Olmsted was the Head of Psychiatry at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, VA and maintained a solo practitioner office in Bristol, VA. He is now happily retired after thirty years of practice.
Dr. David A. Bruno, MD
MD, FACS
Dr. Bruno is the Division Chief of Transplant Surgery at the VCU School of Medicine and Director of the VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center. A board-certified transplant surgeon and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Bruno brings deep expertise in adult and pediatric liver transplantation, kidney transplantation, and living-donor procedures.
Dr. Bruno earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed a prestigious NIH/NIDDK research fellowship. He went on to complete his general surgery residency at Georgetown and a transplant surgery fellowship at Emory University.
Dr. Bruno is deeply committed to patient-centered care and views transplant surgery as a profound expression of generosity and healing.
Dr. Sherry Blake
H.M.D., L.M.F.T., B.C.P.C., C.B.P
Dr. Sherry is a naturopath, homeopath, and licensed marriage and family therapist with over two decades of experience in integrative health. She holds degrees from UC Davis, UCLA, Phillips Graduate Institute, and the Hahnemann College of Homeopathy. Her professional work is rooted in a deep commitment to understanding the mental, emotional, physical, environmental, and spiritual dimensions of well-being.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Sherry serves on the board of Girls Inc. in Bristol, Tennessee, where she supports initiatives that foster confidence, leadership, and wellness in young women. Her passion for education, community well-being, and holistic health aligns with the mission of the organizations she serves, and she brings thoughtful insight and a healing-centered perspective to her board service.