2 individuals, 1 organization recognized as 2025 Champions for Donation
March 4, 2025
Indiana Donor Network recognizes efforts to advance organ, tissue donation through work, advocacy
INDIANAPOLIS – Two individuals and one organization have been recognized by Indiana Donor Network for undertaking exceptional efforts to advance organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
This year’s Champions for Donation were honored at the 2025 Angel Fund Gala Feb. 28, an annual event hosted by Indiana Donor Network Foundation to raise critical financial support for organ transplant recipients and the families of organ and tissue donors.
Champions for Donation are individuals and organizations that make exceptional efforts to advance donation and transplantation through their professional work or advocacy on behalf of Indiana Donor Network. Past honorees since 2021 have included state lawmakers, physicians, medical directors, educators, and state and local governmental agencies. This year’s honorees are:
“Ashley” Smith Jr., Jet Logistics
“Ashley” Smith Jr. started working in the aviation industry at age 16. He earned his private pilot’s certificate at age 17. After earning an associate’s degree in aviation management and a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology, the North Carolina native worked for several aviation companies before founding Jet Logistics in 2002, starting with a single aircraft and one pilot. Today, the company has grown to 17 aircraft and more than 100 employees and agents. Jet Logistics and TxJet, a 501(c)(3) subsidiary of Indiana Donor Network, partnered in 2013 to streamline the intricacies in coordinating lifesaving organ donation and transplantation flights. Smith champions the mission of Indiana Donor Network by strengthening its relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Rhonda Berger, Indiana Donor Network Volunteer Advocate
Rhonda Berger’s legacy of organ donation advocacy is sharing the story of her daughter, who died in 2009, at 19 years old, from injuries sustained in an apartment fire. Berger’s daughter was a registered organ donor and saved three lives. Berger, of Winamac, Indiana, worked as a registered nurse for 34 years. She began volunteering for Indiana Donor Network after her daughter’s death and has been a member of the organization’s advisory board since 2014 and Donor Family Council since 2016. For the last six years, she has helped the organization’s youth education program, contributing more than 3,000 volunteer hours and traveling nearly 50,000 miles throughout the state as an advocate and educator.
Eskenazi Health is a leading public healthcare system based in Indianapolis, recognized for its focus on public health, trauma care, mental health services and its work in underserved communities. The Eskenazi Health Donor Council provides interdisciplinary collaboration between all healthcare providers involved in organ donation, working to ensure all elements of the donation process run smoothly. The system also serves as a representative donor hospital for End Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Learning Collaborative, an initiative focused on improving kidney transplantation outcomes by fostering collaboration among healthcare providers and organizations.
Eskenazi Health Donor Council is co-chaired by Dr. Joe Smith and Vanessa Kersey.
Smith is section chief of critical care medicine, medical director of critical care and medical director of respiratory care at Eskenazi Health. He serves as physician lead for Eskenazi’s Donor Council and collaboration with Indiana Donor Network. Smith also serves as an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine, critical care medicine and pulmonary medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Kersey is associate director of critical and palliative care at Eskenazi Health. She began her career 26 years ago at Eskenazi, first as a student and working through roles as a bedside nurse, preceptor and shift coordinator before becoming a manager in 2007. Kersey bridges the gap between care of critically ill patients and the involvement of Indiana Donor Network by staying engaged in the process, ensuring policy matches practice and outcomes are optimized.
Despite age or medical history, anyone can sign up to be a donor at DonateLifeIndiana.org. Learn more about Indiana Donor Network.
Indiana Donor Network’s mission is to save and enhance the quality of life through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Its vision is to be a leader in organ and tissue recovery. Founded in 1987, the organization coordinates donation in 85 of the state’s 92 counties and serves transplant hospitals throughout the U.S.
About Indiana Donor Network
The decision to become an organ, tissue and cornea donor is a decision to give the gift of life. Indiana Donor Network serves as the vital link between donors and patients waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, healing tissue and corneas to restore sight. Founded in 1987, the organization is a federally designated organ recovery organization and accredited tissue bank serving 85 of Indiana’s 92 counties. Its team of nearly 400 dedicated professionals is committed to saving and healing lives through donation and transplantation, championing the cause through education and outreach and supporting donor families in their time of need. For more or to sign up as a donor, visit Indiana Donor Network online.
About Indiana Donor Network Foundation
As a subsidiary of Indiana Donor Network founded in 1997, Indiana Donor Network Foundation enhances the lives of those touched by donation through education, innovation, caring and support. The foundation raises funds through individual contributions, special events and sponsorships to support transplant recipients and the families of donor heroes. For more, visit Indiana Donor Network Foundation online.
Indiana Donor Network® and the Indiana Donor Network Foundation® are federally registered trademarks.
About Donate Life Indian
Since 1998, Donate Life Indiana has been the state-authorized nonprofit organization responsible for managing the Indiana donor registry. Its mission is to save lives by creating opportunities for all Indiana citizens to sign up on the organization’s official state registry while striving to raise awareness for organ, tissue and cornea donation and transplantation through public education. For more, visit Donate Life Indiana online.
