Kathi Steele, RN, MHSA, CNOR, CSSM 
Manager, Perioperative Education & Surgical Preadmissions Center
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
Peoria, IL

Kathi received her Bachelors in Nursing at OSF Saint Francis College of Nursing in Peoria, IL. Kathi received her Masters in Healthcare Administration at Saint Francis University, Joliet, IL.
She is currently certified as both an Operating Room Nurse (CNOR) Surgical Services Manager (CSSM). Kathi has worked as a perioperative nurse for over 36 years in a wide variety of roles. She is actively engaged with the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) and her current position is the Manager of Perioperative Education and Surgical Preadmissions Center.


Kit Soper, RN, BSN, MSN
Nurse Manager of Adult Critical Care
Mercyhealth Hospital Rockton Avenue 
Rockford, IL
 
She has been with Mercyhealth for the last 8 years and during that time, she has served as the Gift of Hope liaison. She has been a member of the Gift of Hope/MercyHealth Donation Committee for 8 years and has been instrumental in establishing best practice with organ and tissue donation. Formerly, Kit was with MidAmerica as the Director of Critical Care and liaison for SSM DePaul Hospital in St. Louis and a member of the team that represented the hospital  as part of the HRSA Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative representing Donor hospitals. Before her role with MidAmerica, she was with University of Wisconsin as the manager of the Trauma and Life Support Center and a member of the HRSA Collaborative representing transplant centers.

 
Jennifer Jalbert, BSN, CNOR
Operating Room Nurse
Mercyhealth Hospital Rockton Avenue 
Rockford, IL

Jennifer has worked consistently with Gift of Hope and improving processes and won the Gift of Hope Lifesaving Partner Award in 2015. She graduated from St. Anthony College of Nursing in 1999 and has been employed at Mercy Rockford since graduation. She then joined the surgical trauma team in 2002 and then was promoted to the cardiothoracic surgical team in 2004. Jennifer has been partnering with Gift of Hope for organ recoveries since 2002 and started serving as the main OR Liaison between Mercyhealth and Gift of Hope in 2013.