2023 – 2024 Board of Directors

Marty Maren: President

002Marty has been the President of TRIO Maryland from 2012 – 2017 and 2019 – Present. Marty also served on the TRIO National Board of Directors for 2 years. Marty received a life saving liver transplant in November 2009 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Since the recovery he has been a speaking ambassador for Infinite Legacy and Donate Life Maryland. Marty & Michele manage a team in the Infinite Legacy Fun Run called “Team Miracle”. “Team Miracle” has been a participating team since 2010. Marty is a member of Team Maryland and has been to 5 National Transplant Games and 2 World Transplant Games. Marty has been a volunteer at Johns Hopkins Hospital Comprehensive Transplant Center for the last 9 years. Marty is currently a mentor for transplant recipients and helped launch a walking program called “Stepping Out” for transplant patients.

Marty & Michele have been married 24 years and enjoy traveling, sports and spending time with family and friends. Marty retired in 2013 and enjoys managing a nonprofit organization to benefit transplant recipients and their families.

Michele Gregory-Maren: Vice President

michelle
Michele is co-founder of TRIO Maryland along with her husband Marty Maren. Michele became actively involved in the transplant community after her husband had a miraculous liver transplant in 2009. She felt there was a true need for a transplant recipient support group in Maryland and in April 2012, the work began on establishing a TRIO chapter. Michele has been the Secretary for TRIO Maryland for 8 years and is currently the Vice-President/Secretary for the chapter. Michele is also a volunteer at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Infinite Legacy and a supporter for Team Maryland. During the last 10 years, Michele and Marty have helped raise donations and create awareness for organ donation by participating in Infinite Legacy’s Fun Run with “Team Miracle”. Since Marty’s transplant in 2009, Michele’s focus has revolved around the transplant community, especially TRIO Maryland, in repayment for Marty’s second chance through transplantation.

Michele and Marty have been married for 24 years. They enjoy traveling and are avid sports fans enjoying both the Ravens and Orioles. They are members of the Baltimore Museum of Art and never fail to visit a museum when visiting other cities. Michele has attended 5 US Transplant Games and 2 World Transplant Games in Malaga Spain and New Castle England along with her husband Marty who was a participate in all.

Heidi Pullara: Treasurer


Heidi is The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland’s representative on the TRIO Maryland’s Board of Directors. Heidi is a Family Services Coordinator at LLF where she assists families in making decisions related to organ and tissue donation and supports them throughout and after the donation process. She is happy to see the transplant recipients in TRIO leading such full and productive lives! She participates in many of LLF’s community events helping to raise awareness about donation and further their mission. Heidi has been married to Vince for thirteen years and is a proud mother to three rescued fur babies. In her spare time she enjoys do it yourself projects, health/nutrition/exercise, and advocating against farm animal cruelty.

Christa Gahagan

002 Christa Gahagan is a founding member of TRIO-Maryland and has been the Treasurer since its inception.  Christa donated a kidney to her husband in July 1998.  Since that time she has both been active in the transplant community volunteering with The Living Legacy Foundation and Donate Life Maryland. She is members of Team Maryland and will be competing in their 6th Transplant Games in June of 2018.  Christa was married to Michael Gahagan for 35 years and has two sons—Sean and Mike.  She has been employed as an Executive Assistant for EMJAY Engineering and Construction Co., Inc. in Baltimore for 23 years. She enjoys traveling (especially cruising), golfing and spending time with family and friends

Zivah Ring:

zivahZivah Ring has been involved in the transplant community for many years.  Her husband Steven had a liver transplant in October of 2007.  Since the transplant, Zivah has volunteered at Johns Hopkins Hospital in various capacities.  She started by volunteering at the Comprehensive Transplant Center and is now serving on several hospital councils and committees.  Zivah is also a founding board member of TRIO-Maryland.

She has been married to Steven for over 30 years and has two sons and a daughter in law – Adam, Eric and Kaci.  Zivah is an active Real Estate investor and the family owns Blue Point Crab House.  She and her husband share their time between Maryland and Florida.

 

Gina Pace:

Gina’s nursing career began 1986 after graduating from Towson University with BS in Nursing. I came to Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1989 and started in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. This is where I was introduced to organ transplantation. I was fortunate enough to assist in the post-operative recovery of the first Heart-Lung Transplant at Hopkins. I spent 15 years working with the critical care patients, including Heart and Lung Transplant recipients. It was due to the interest of Transplantation that I moved to the outpatient setting and became one of the Lung transplant Coordinators. I have been working with Pre and Post Lung Transplant Candidates for over 16 years now and enjoy every aspect of their care. It’s a pleasure to take this opportunity to be a part of TRIO and further grow my role in the community.

Ieesha Johnson:

Ieesha began her career at OneLegacy, the organ procurement organization in Los Angeles, California; first as a hospital services coordinator for the organization, and eventually serving as in-house coordinator at one of the largest trauma centers in Los Angeles. She then joined Infinite Legacy as a hospital services coordinator in 2010 and joined the community outreach department in 2014 where she eventually became the director of community outreach in 2021. As the director for the team, she works to increase awareness of the need for organ, eye and tissue donation throughout Maryland. Ieesha is the founder of Infinite Legacy’s “The Decision Project”, a grassroots initiative that empowers socially disadvantaged communities that are affected by donation and transplantation to make an educated and inspired decision about donation.