Team Ohio Board of Directors

TONYA GOMEZ - PRESIDENT

BIO COMING SOON!

Andrea Schultz - vice president

Andrea Schultz is a mother of two adult children Dennis and Lexi. Andrea was previously a Team Ohio Board Member; she is also a Team Member and Supporter. She attended her first Transplant Games in Houston, Texas in 2014, then Cleveland, Ohio in 2016, and Salt Lake City, Utah in 2018. Andrea's organ donation story began much earlier. In 2005 her 14 year old daughter Lexi, was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases and in immediate need of a liver transplant. Upon meeting the transplant team at the University of Michigan and being placed at the top of the adult and pediatric waiting lists. Lexi received her new liver after only 4 days of waiting. Lexi's lifesaving liver transplant has allowed her to live a full life. She is a college graduate and artist living in Columbus, Ohio. Their experience with organ donation led to both of them becoming advocates and volunteers in the organ donation community. Andrea and Lexi met her Liver donor's family 7 months after her transplant. Meeting the family brought so much joy and solace for both families. They continue to spend time together each year and have been able to celebrate important milestones in each of their family's lives. Andrea has a great love for organ and tissue recipients and donor families. She enjoys working in the community to promote Organ Donation Awareness. Andrea has a special interest in working with children and young adults to educate and inform them about the need for Organ Donation. 

While being the primary caregiver for Lexi during her illness and recovery, Andrea maintained her 27 year career with Lucas County.  She is currently a Permanency Support Caseworker at Lucas County Children Services. Andrea works with Families who are reunifying with their biological parents or relative caregivers.  Permanency planning is a social work practice philosophy that promotes a permanent living situation for every child. Keeping children with their families is the best practice while also providing support. Andrea helps families build supports within their own families and the community. Thus, Andrea's passion for advocacy is unparalleled in her professional and personal life. 

In her free time Andrea volunteers with Life Connection of Ohio and has co-chaired the Team Ohio Twilight Thursday Fundraisers, for the last five years. Andrea loves spending time in nature. More of her exceptional care giving skills can be seen in her lush garden of fruits, vegetables, and flowers at her Sylvania, Ohio home.

Kara Steele - Board Member

Kara Steele is the Director of Community Services at Life Connection of Ohio, the non-profit organization that serves families and saves lives through organ donation in northwest and west central Ohio. In that role, Kara oversees the Community Services Department, which is responsible for promoting the life-saving message of donation in the public and for providing donor family aftercare.

 Kara’s passion for Life Connection of Ohio and Team Ohio’s missions resonates on a personal level. Her father, Harvey J. Steele, received 20 additional years of life because of a liver transplant. Her cousin, Michael Grady, and uncle, Ken Howard, also gave the gift of tissue donation.

 One of Kara’s favorite parts of the Donate Life Transplant Games of America is cheering on recipients who showcase the power of transplantation and supporting donor families whose loved ones make life possible. Kara attended the Games in 2012, 2016 and 2018.

 Kara earned a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, and she is pursuing a Master of Science in organizational leadership from Johns Hopkins University. In addition to being a Team Ohio Transplant Athletics Board of Directors member, she serves as Donate Life America State Team Leader; United Network for Organ Sharing’s Lisa Schaffner Community Advocate Award Selection Committee Member; Second Chance Trust Fund Advisory Committee Chair; Donate Life Ohio Council Past President and current Council Member; and Donate Life Ohio Marketing/PR Committee member.

Jeannie Kuhn - Board Member

Jeannie Kuhn is the Community Relations Manager at LifeCenter Organ Donor Network (LifeCenter), the non-profit organization that promotes and facilitates organ and tissue donation in the Greater Cincinnati area.

In her current role, Jeannie leads her Community Engagement Team in their outreach and education efforts in the communities they serve within Southeastern Indiana, Northern Kentucky, and Southwest Ohio. In addition to community outreach and education, she leads, advocates and produces a variety of special events throughout the year that aligns with LifeCenter’s mission to save, heal, and change lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation, while honoring those who gave.

Prior to her current position, Jeannie was LifeCenter’s Community Relations and Volunteer Engagement Associate, where her responsibilities included, but not limited to, planning, coordinating, and promoting outreach and education activities to increase donation awareness as well as managing all aspects of their Donate Life Ambassador Program.

Jeannie has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from Boston Collage and a Masters in Public Affairs from Indiana University Bloomington.

She currently resides in Indiana with her family and three goldfishes: Larry, Curley, and Moe. In her spare time - when Jeannie isn’t working tirelessly to ensure she is honoring, inspiring, and connecting with her donation and transplantation community - she enjoys traveling with family and friends, watching cooking shows even when she doesn’t intend on making any of the recipes, and reading anything from Literary Fiction, Suspense/Thrillers, to Historical Fiction.

One of Jeannie’s favorite quotes of all time: “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt

LEXI SCHULTZ - BOARD MEMBER

Lexi is a liver recipient from Toledo who was given the gift of life on October 18th, 2005. However, her journey did not begin there. Lexi has struggled with a variety of auto-immune diseases and chronic pain from a very young age. Her first diagnosis being hypothyroidism, and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis shortly after. Despite these bumps in the road, Lexi maintained a normal childhood and regularly participated in sports and art classes. Fast forward to the summer before she was set to begin her freshman year of high school, Lexi suddenly and rapidly fell ill with ulcerative colitis. Despite different courses of aggressive treatment, Lexi required a total colectomy in the summer of 2005. Things seemed to be looking up, as life with an ostomy was manageable and temporary. However, after her ostomy reversal surgery, Lexi went into liver failure and was very sick, again.

This is where her journey with organ donation began. Lexi was placed on the top of the pediatric and adult transplant waiting list just days after meeting the transplant team at University of Michigan. During a hospital stay, a mere 4 days after being placed on the waiting list, Lexi was told there was a match for her. The transplant was successful, but not without complication. Her liver was rejecting. The months after transplant were full of hospital stays, appointments, and labs. The road to recovery was long and bumpy, but she got there.

As a now 31 year old, her life with various chronic illnesses and pain continues post transplant. On July 1st, 2022 she had surgery to have an ileostomy placed again, after a long struggle with continued symptoms of IBD. However, she feels equipped to continue to thrive and life life to the fullest, not only for herself and her family, but for her donor as well. 

Lexi's passion for advocacy and volunteering ended up being the thing that brought her and her donor family together. She was an ambassador for The Arthritis Walk, and her donor family came to participate in the walk and meet for the first time. They have stayed in touch and have spent some very special moments together, including Mother's Day and a family wedding. Lexi feels incredibly blessed to know her donor family, and hopes they know what their choice has meant for her. It meant graduating high school and college, moving to a new city, and experiencing more of the little things that make life special. It’s meant 17 years of life that she was never promised. 

CAROL “FISHIE” FITZSIMONS - BOARD MEMBER

Diagnosed with a rare form of kidney disease and 50 percent kidney failure as a teen, Carol has a long history of living with chronic fatigue and the numerous effects of kidney disease in her social, emotional, physical, and spiritual life!  Nineteen years after diagnosis, declining health, and life-threatening conditions, it was a teacher colleague and friend, Janet Patrick who donated a kidney and literally saved her life! Carol’s personal story; “Swimming for Life - Lifeline of Ohio”

Having a lifetime fondness for swimming and a desire to promote the GIFT OF LIFE via organ donation, Carol couldn’t wait to “dive in” to the transplant sport after attending her first Ohio Transplant Games in 2001! Carol’s passion for life and swimming has led her to participating in 29 local, US, and World Transplant Games; winning 85 medals in swimming events! Camaraderie with her transplant family, promoting the Donate Life message and staying physically fit are Carol’s favorite motivations for continuing to contribute to Transplant sporting events!

Carol enjoys photography, travel, hiking, baking, acrylic canvas painting, collecting Bears, classic movies, singing on church worship team, reading, writing, being a Donate Life Ambassador, and SWIMMING!

Some of her favorite quotes are “Just keep swimming!” “Seize the Day!” “With God, All things are possible!”