LITTLE ROCK, Ark., January 1, 2022: Mark Tudor has joined ARORA–Arkansas’ largest organ and tissue recovery agency–as chief executive officer, effective Jan. 3. 

Tudor has more than 25 years of experience in the organ, tissue and eye recovery sector, most recently serving as the senior director of organ procurement organization operations at LifeNet Health in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Before that, Tudor served as director of hospital and recovery services at Gift of Life Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Bowling Green (Ohio) State University and his Master of Strategy and Leadership degree from Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan, and holds certifications in transplant preservation and procurement coordination.

Tudor has a passion for serving multi-ethnic communities and is the current president of the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation, a volunteer member organization aimed toward improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the organ and tissue recovery and transplant sectors. 

In addition to his decades-long career in organ and tissue recovery, he is also a donor father. Tudor’s daughter, Marissa, became an organ, tissue and eye donor after her unexpected and sudden death at the age of 22 in July 2018. Her gifts provided life-saving organs to five people across the country and tissues for hundreds more.

“I’m happy to be here in Arkansas and look forward to building on ARORA’s successes to create sustained organizational growth, while continuing to expand and maximize opportunities for organ, tissue and eye donation in order to restore lives,” Tudor said.

Statement from ARORA Board Chairman Seth Heldenbrand:

“It is thrilling to have such a motivated leader like Tudor to help us advance the mission of organ and tissue recovery in our state. I have full confidence in Tudor’s abilities, considering his extensive experience helping to advance diversity in the field. He brings exciting energy to advancing our mission of restoring lives here at ARORA.”

ARORA showed marked growth in its efforts in 2021, recovering more organs than in any other year in its three-decade history. 

All told, 101 organ donors were responsible for 316 organs transplanted, representing a significant increase from previous years’ data. The number of organ donors and transplanted organs in 2021 is double what was recorded in 2017. It shows a roughly 50% increase over the three years 2018, 2019 and 2020, when the agency reported an annual average of 64 organ donors and just more than 200 transplanted organs.