Today, Dr. Maureen McBride, CEO of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), announced that she will retire on December 28, after 30 years with the organization.
Dr. McBride will be immediately succeeded by interim CEO Mark Johnson, who currently serves as a member of the UNOS Board of Directors. Johnson is a Richmond-based business leader who has served as CEO of Averhealth and BetterMed Urgent Care and has held financial and commercial leadership positions at MeadWestvaco and NBC Universal.
McBride will stay on through the end of January 2026 to ensure a smooth transition and serve as an adviser to Johnson.
“Working at UNOS has been the honor of my lifetime. The challenges I’ve faced, the opportunities I’ve embraced, and the work I’ve been privileged to do here are truly one-of-a-kind—nowhere but UNOS could I have grown and been shaped in such meaningful ways,” McBride said. “I’ve seen incredible changes in the field of transplantation, and alongside that, incredible changes in this organization. I am so proud of all of the UNOS team members I’ve worked with, who have always shown such dedication to our mission and the patients we serve. I am confident that the organization will be in good hands with this Board of Directors and Mark Johnson as interim CEO.”
As CEO, McBride has worked with stakeholders, lawmakers and the community to strengthen the organ donation and transplantation system and enhance public health. Under her direction, UNOS continues to expand its footprint beyond the United States and into other non-transplant initiatives focused on data-driven research and analysis and expert consulting services.
Since joining UNOS in 1995, McBride has served in a number of leadership capacities, including as chief operations officer and director of research, where she oversaw the 24/7 operations of the nation’s Organ Center and led research and data analysis to improve the organ donation and transplantation system. She has contributed to more than 75 research manuscripts and publications focused on donation, transplantation and health-related impacts within the transplant system.
McBride started discussing her retirement plans with the UNOS Board earlier this fall.
Johnson has served as a UNOS Board member since March 2025. In addition to his extensive executive experience, he has served on a number of other boards of directors. Read more about Johnson.
“I want to express sincere gratitude to Maureen for her dedication and contributions to UNOS over the last three decades. She has led UNOS with a keen focus on the organization’s lifesaving mission, while operating with a strong sense of steadiness and grace,” Johnson said. “I am humbled to step into the UNOS interim CEO role. Having served on the board this year, I’m honored to lead the UNOS team in building on its many strengths and charting its path forward.”
UNOS, which has served for years as a contractor on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, continues to serve the community and patients in need. The organization has been at the forefront of proposed reforms to strengthen the system and ensure everyone who needs a transplant has access to one.
About UNOS
UNOS is a nonprofit on a mission to save and transform lives through research, innovation and collaboration. UNOS builds on its experience and expertise to strengthen organ donation and transplantation systems and enhance public health. The nonprofit helps people live life without limits by developing products and services, conducting data-driven research and analysis, providing expert consulting services, advocating for reforms to help patients, and partnering to drive a greater impact.
