New Leadership for LifeGift's West Texas Team

LUBBOCK, TEXAS – Schawnté Williams-Taylor, RN, CPTC, has taken the reins of LifeGift's West Texas operations as its new managing director. She will manage the day-to-day clinical and administrative operations of one of the state's most productive organ and tissue donation regions.

"During her past decade with LifeGift, Schawnté has shown exemplary professionalism and commitment to donation," said Teresa Shafer, RN, MSN, LifeGift executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Her strong work ethic and productivity has contributed to literally thousands of lives saved through organ transplants."

Williams-Taylor inherits 11 full-time and several per-diem staff members who serve 65 hospitals in 71 counties, including two Lubbock-based transplant centers. During 2008, 112 organs were recovered from 34 donors. An additional 160 individuals donated skin, bone and heart valves to treat burn patients, cancer victims and children with heart defects.

After serving as a nurse for nearly 10 years in several Houston-area hospitals, Williams-Taylor began her tenure with LifeGift in 1999 as an organ procurement coordinator. For the next few years, she worked on the "front lines" by facilitating organ donation in the hospital, cultivating partnerships with hospital staff members, and promoting organ and tissue donation.

In 2005, she was promoted to manager of organ recovery services in LifeGift's Houston-based Southeast Region. She believes this experience will help her lead the West Region team in strengthening hospital partnerships, improving clinical processes and, ultimately, increasing the number of donors to save more lives.

"The experience of speaking directly with a donor's next of kin offered the opportunity of seeing the comfort it often provided them knowing they were helping save someone's life," Williams-Taylor remarked. "I view our mission as not only saving lives of those needing transplants but offering that opportunity to take something positive out of the loss of a loved one."

Williams-Taylor received a bachelor of science in nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center–Houston in 1990. She is a member of several donation and transplantation organizations including the North American Transplant Coordinators Organization and the American Society of Multicultural Health and Transplant Professionals.

About LifeGift
In its 22nd year of operation, LifeGift is a not-for-profit organ procurement organization dedicated to recovering organs and tissue for individuals needing transplants in 109 Texas counties in West, North and Southeast Texas. For more information or to register as a donor, go to www.lifegift.org or 1-800-633-6562.