Lifeserve Executive Team

Executive Team

Stacy Sime President and CEO

Stacy is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of LifeServe Blood Center. In addition to her undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Microbiology from North Dakota State University, Stacy has a Masters Degree from Drake University. Stacy’s career in transfusion medicine started at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa where she worked in an active transfusion service for six years. Her blood center career began at The Blood Center of Iowa. During her time in the organization, Stacy worked her way through Quality, Donor Services, Recruitment, and Hospital Services, including the testing laboratory.

Stacy is committed to developing tomorrow’s leaders. She has served as the Educational Coordinator for the Mercy School of Clinical Laboratory Science and now is an active member of the Advisory Board for the school. She actively mentors young leaders in her community. She is a member of the LEAD Advisory Board for Drake University, which is committed to creating an under graduate leadership curriculum. Stacy believes the success of any community is connected to the vitality of its workforce. Stacy currently sits on the Regional Workforce Board.

Stacy is active in her industry. She is currently on the Board of Blood Centers of America and the National Blood Collaborative. She has been active in AABB and Blood Group Alliance. She served as the chair of Blood Centers of America for 4 years. She currently sits on the National Hospital Contracts Committee and the Executive Committee. Stacy was honored to participate in an Administrative Think Tank for the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), a national organization dedicated to furthering transfusion medicine. Through her work on the Think Tank, Stacy actually published work on changes that needed to be made to strengthen the relationship between blood centers and hospitals.

Nette Barto Vice President, Operations

Nette began her career with LifeServe 25 years ago as a member of the collections team with Siouxland Community Blood Bank. In her time with LifeServe, she has held various positions including Director of Collections/Donor Services, and Regional Vice President, North Region.

She has implemented donor experience initiatives including the Orsense (no finger stick hemoglobin assessment) and automated vital signs. She has also worked to implement donor collection protocol changes including platelet automation, source plasma and convalescent plasma collections.

Nette has been a leader in charge of opening Mitchell, Yankton, Aberdeen, and Pierre Donor Centers. In addition, she has championed various efficiency initiatives to improve cost per unit collected and budget efficiency metrics.

Brian Aust Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer of LifeServe Blood Center, Brian brings a proven track record of strategic financial leadership, ensuring the organization's long-term financial strength and forward-thinking growth.

With extensive experience spanning public accounting, manufacturing, construction, and entrepreneurship, Brian provides a versatile perspective that drives innovative solutions and operational excellence.

In his role, Brian oversees all finance and accounting functions, while also managing the critical operations of Information Technology, Purchasing, Fleet, and Facility departments, contributing to LifeServe's mission with a comprehensive leadership approach.

Maria Brcka Vice President, Human Resources

Maria Brcka has been with LifeServe Blood Center since 2013 and is currently the Vice President of Human Resources. Prior to her work at LifeServe, Maria spent 22 years with QBE, a property and casualty insurance company where she was the Administrative Manager overseeing facilities, budgets, human resources, and administrative staff in claims and marketing departments in Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.

Maria currently serves on the BioX Board of Managers for the last seven years and America’s Blood Centers Education Committee since 2024.

Maria received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and holds INS and PHR certifications, SHRM-CP and Employment Law certifications through Society of Human Resource Management, and leadership certification through Cornell.

Grant Pfeifer Vice President, Quality

As Vice President of Quality at LifeServe Blood Center, Grant leads all facets of quality assurance and regulatory compliance, ensuring the organization meets the highest standards of safety, efficacy, and customer satisfaction. He oversees the development and implementation of quality systems, performance metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen LifeServe’s mission to save lives in partnership with the communities we serve.

Since joining LifeServe, he has held roles in training, process excellence, hospital services, and quality leadership, where he established the Process Improvement Program, led major system implementations, and coordinated key aspects of the relocation of the corporate headquarters.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and is certified as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist. Grant serves as Chair of the ABC Quality Committee and is a member of the NBC Cellular Committee, contributing to the advancement of quality policies, best practices, and innovation across the blood banking industry.

Abby Huntrods Vice President, Operational Excellence

As Vice President of Operational Excellence at LifeServe Blood Center, Abby Huntrods brings over 20 years of experience in operational and quality management across the blood center and nonprofit sector. Over her two decades at LifeServe, she has held key leadership roles in Hospital Services, Quality & Training, and Operational Excellence.

Abby oversees strategic initiatives that enhance training objectives, improve efficiency, elevate quality, and deliver sustainable organizational performance. Throughout her career, she has led cross-functional teams through complex implementations and built a culture of continuous improvement.

She is a certified Clinical Laboratory Scientist and holds a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Quality Management. She has extensive expertise in risk management, process improvement, and change management. Abby is currently serving as the Co-Chair for NBC’s HLA/IRL Committee. Her work is grounded in a passion for building principles that empower teams, improve supply chain, and support LifeServe’s mission to save lives through blood donation.

Board of Directors

Megan Reuther Chair

Anchor/Reporter for WHO 13/Hello Iowa

Megan joined the WHO 13 News Team in October 2007, as a live reporter for Today in Iowa. Her work on a month-long series about childhood cancer awareness won an Upper Midwest Regional Emmy for Health Series in 2020!

She got started in broadcast television at KWWL in Eastern Iowa, after graduating with a Broadcast Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is recognized for her engaging storytelling abilities and commitment to providing the Des Moines community with engaging stories and news broadcasts.

Mack Rankin Vice Chair

Vice President Private Wealth Advisor at U.S. Bank

Mack Rankin ATFA®, AWMA®, AIF®, is an Iowa State University graduate, and he is a dedicated and accomplished professional in the finance industry. As a highly experienced professional in the financial industry, Rankin has had the privilege of working with esteemed organizations such as US Bank Private Wealth Management, First Community Trust, Greater Iowa Credit Union, Community 1st Credit Union, and Wells Fargo Bank.

With a strong background in private wealth management, trust services, mortgage lending, and general banking, he has developed a diverse skill set and a deep understanding of the financial needs of individuals and businesses.

Tom Mathews Secretary/Treasurer

Chief Financial Officer at UnityPoint Health - Des Moines

Mathews was formerly vice president of finance for Mercy Health in Joplin, Mo., where he had responsibility for the southwest Missouri/Kansas region for that system. Before that role, he spent seven years in various financial and decision support roles with Mission Health System in Asheville, N.C.

Mathews holds a Master of Health Service Administration and a Bachelor of Science in biology from Xavier University in Cincinnati and a B.S. in accounting from Colorado State University. He and his wife, Melissa, have three children.

Becki Brommel Board Member

Healthcare Litigation Attorney at Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Becki is always ready to present the strongest case for each client, and yet also finds it important to explore solutions that make sense, even if that does not include filing a lawsuit. Becki regularly assists health care providers with professional licensing board matters, regulatory citations and regulatory compliance.

Becki also handles a significant number of judicial review proceedings arising out of healthcare regulatory matters, including, but not limited to Certificate of Need decisions. She can help lead clients through receipt of a subpoena to an appeal and everything in between, as well as helping healthcare and other businesses assess their policies and practices to help reduce their litigation risks.

Michael Nelson Board Member

Assistant Dean of Students Affairs, Drake University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Dr. Michael Nelson is Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. He earned his B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Washington, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He was most recently at Regis University where he served as Chair for the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, which included a year of working in student affairs. Dr. Nelson currently leads a team of student services professional staff responsible for recruitment and enrollment of Drake CPHS students and to support CPHS students from enrollment to graduation.

Dr. Nelson believes "Innovation is critical for the pharmacy profession because our profession, like any other profession, is not perfect and there is always something we creatively improve within pharmacy practice. Our patients deserve our best efforts to improve their health, and our best efforts includes making reasonable attempts to improve our profession. Innovation is also important with regard to preserving and, when appropriate, expanding the role of pharmacists in our health care system because there is some overlap between what pharmacists and other health care professionals are qualified to do, and if pharmacists do not continue to innovate within our profession, then our profession risks being left behind; this would result in a missed opportunity for improving the health of our society."

Carrie Theisen Davis Board Member

Senior Vice President, Human Resources Senior Manager, Wells Fargo

Carrie manages a team of HR Consulting Partners, HR Consulting Leaders and a Business System Team leading Infrastructure. She has coordinated HR Consultation support to lead the organization through LOB and Enterprise level transformation. This includes 2,100 engagements YTD, August 2020 with a 99% satisfaction response.

Carrie graduated from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is currently at Wells Fargo. On our Board of Directors, she is also on the Human Resources Committee.

Matthew Triplett Board Member

Sr. Project Manager, ESO

As a Senior Project Manager, Matthew is leading projects with cross-functional teams (including C-Suite) to deliver high-impact enterprise-wide projects on time and in scope. He has led multiple projects, including helping transform ESOs CRM for handling international renewals and automation, working closely with their CTO (Transformation) and CFO along with other C-Suite members, to incorporate strategic pricing decisions across the business, and led ESO's Value Realization program in collaboration with Marketing which changes the way ESO sellers engage with our users and tell the full story of our products.

After graduating from the University of Iowa, he is now helping to improve public health safety in local communities! He is part of our Finance Committee, and on the LifeServe Board of Directors.

Janet Wilwerding Board Member

Communications Director, City of Johnston

Janet is a strategic communications professional with a proven track record in advertising, marketing, and media relations. She specializes in executing communication strategies, elevating brand voices, and fostering cross-team collaboration to drive business results. With expertise in executive communications, crisis management, and stakeholder engagement, she can thrive in fast-paced environments. Janet is excited to bring skills in strategic planning, content development, and brand storytelling to help our organization grow and make an impact.

Janet has participated in many speaking engagements, including with the Iowa Parks and Recreation Association and the Iowa Municipal Finance Officers Association. On our Board of Directors, Janet is also the Director of Communications for the City of Johnston Government. She has a strong communications background, having worked with Iowa Corn and the City of Pleasant Hill, Iowa.

Help support the vital mission of

Saving Local Lives

Lifeserve Executive Team

Executive Team

Stacy Sime President and CEO

Nette Barto Vice President, Operations

Brian Aust Chief Financial Officer

Maria Brcka Vice President, Human Resources

Grant Pfeifer Vice President, Quality

Abby Huntrods Vice President, Operational Excellence

Board of Directors

Megan Reuther Chair

Mack Rankin Vice Chair

Tom Mathews Secretary/Treasurer

Becki Brommel Board Member

Michael Nelson Board Member

Carrie Theisen Davis Board Member

Matthew Triplett Board Member

Janet Wilwerding Board Member

Board of Directors

Chairperson

Vice Chairperson

Secretary/Treasurer

Board Members