Cecilia Lassiter, a top attorney at Sills Cummis & Gross, and Janice Campbell, a nurse care manager with Serenity Hospice of New Jersey, will join the board of trustees of NJ Sharing Network, effective immediately, the group announced Wednesday.
Lassiter and Campbell, who both reside in West Orange, will join the board to help guide NJ Sharing Network’s strategic efforts to increase the number of lives saved through organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
NJ Sharing Network’s board of trustees is comprised of a diverse group of individuals from both public and private sectors, many of whom have been touched by donation, including donor families and transplant recipients.
CEO Carolyn Welsh applauded their appointments.
“Cecilia and Janice both have a strong passion and commitment to our life-saving mission,” she said. “They bring great energy, invaluable leadership and diverse experiences and talents to our board.”
Lassiter is chair of the Sills Cummis & Gross State and Local Incentives Practice in Newark, which focuses on state and local public incentives and real estate matters, with a particular emphasis on redevelopment, zoning and land use. A passionate community advocate, Lassiter serves on the Rutgers Center for Real Estate – Emerging Leaders Council, the board of trustees of the Foundation for University Hospital, the board of directors of the Commercial Real Estate Women of New Jersey, where she is president-elect, and the advisory board of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
Campbell is an active volunteer for NJ Sharing Network. She previously served on NJ Sharing Network’s advisory board. Campbell’s life changed forever on January 24, 2013, when her daughter, Jamila Irons-Johnson, suffered a fatal aneurysm rupture. Irons-Johnson was a 35-year-old psychologist at the time who focused on supporting often-abused or neglected children. Upon her passing, Campbell and her daughter’s family made the decision to donate her organs. That night, Irons-Johnson saved the lives of six people as an organ donor.
According to United Network for Organ Sharing, there are over 100,000 Americans — nearly 4,000 of whom live in New Jersey — waiting for a life-saving transplant. However, the generosity of those in the Garden State is providing hope for the future. In 2022, the number of organ donors and organs transplanted in a single year reached all-time highs. This marked the fourth consecutive year NJ Sharing Network has reported new records in the number of organ donors, underscoring the clear trend of increased support for organ donation.
One organ and tissue donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of over 75 others. To learn more, get involved and join the National Donate Life Registry as an organ and tissue donor, click here.
