Meet Our Staff: Donor Services — Referral Services
Eric Schoenecker
Director of Referral Services
Eric Schoenecker is a Seattle local, having grown up on Mercer Island before attending the University of Washington to study Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Since joining SightLife in the spring of 2005, Eric has served as a Recovery Technician, Referral Coordinator and Manager prior to his current role. Eric has the responsibility over a large, important, and growing piece of SightLife Operations. Over the last three years, our Communication Center has gone from 4 to more than 14 FTE's yet has also maintained some of the best consent and conversion rates in the country. Eric has been at the center of that growth, training, and success.
To relax, Eric enjoys playing soccer, sailing, backpacking, and rooting for the hometown Seattle Sounders FC.
Patrick Emery
Referral Services Manager
Patrick Emery, originally of Spokane, Washington is an alumnus of Gonzaga University where he earned his bachelor's degree, and Regis University, where he is finishing his master's degree in business administration. He's used his skills and training both with the Spokane Police Department and at Spokane's Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he served on the operational excellence team and the emergency department. Patrick is a certified Washington State Emergency Medical Technician and was the recipient of the Spokane Police Outstanding Leadership Award in 2008.
When he isn't busy with SightLife, Patrick enjoys golfing, downhill skiing, running, and fishing.
Austin Nagasako
Referral Coordinator Team Lead
Austin Nagasako was born and raised in Hawaii. He graduated from University of Washington with a degree in Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. As a referral coordinator, Austin performs initial donor suitability reviews and works directly with families to facilitate the gift of cornea donation.
Austin loves basketball, volleyball, biking, and watching movies. When he gets a chance to travel back to Hawaii, he enjoys snorkeling, body boarding, eating great food, and spending time with his family. He and his wife Shawna recently purchased a home on Seattle's Beacon Hill and are excited about fixing it up to make it their dream home.
Shane Hanna
Referral Coordinator Team Lead
Originally from Colorodo, Shane Hanna holds two bachelors degrees from the University of Utah: one in History and the other in Anthropology. Prior to joining SightLife, he worked as an Emergency Medical Technician for five years.
Outside of work, Shane enjoys watching TV/movies, playing with his dogs, spending time with his wife, and working on his Jeep.
Greta Taber
Referral Coordinator Team Lead
Originally from Severna Park, Maryland, Greta Taber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Superior with a degree in Biology. Prior to working for SightLife, she worked in the Cellular Therapy Lab at the Puget Sound Blood Center.
Greta likes to spend time with her family, read, and cook. She and her sister combine their food interests in their blog, http://deliciousnessofyum.blogspot.com/.
Anna Fields
Referral Coordinator Team Lead
Anna Fields is a Washington native, having grown up in Yakima. She holds a Masters in Counseling from Western Seminary. Prior to joining SightLife, Anna worked as a pregnancy counselor for a private adoption agency in Arizona.
Anna loves to take walks, hike, and watch movies with her husband, son, and dog.
Kathryn Bray
Referral Coordinator
Kathryn Bray grew up in Portland, Oregon, where she studied for her degree in Criminal Science at Portland State University. For several years, she volunteered much of her spare time as a Victim Advocate for the Clackamas County District Attorney’s office. Having worked with both Pacific Northwest Transplant Bank and Donor Network of Arizona before arriving at SightLife, Kathryn brings with her extensive experience in organ, tissue, and eye donation.
Kathryn is an avid scuba diver and outdoor enthusiast. She is newly married and loves to travel to places far and near with her husband Harold.
Jaime Wanezek
Referral Coordinator
Jaime Wanezek grew up in Bothell, Washington. She holds a degree in Culinary Arts from Seattle Central Community College and has previous customer service experience working as a travel agent.
Jaime's hobbies include biking, motorcycling, and spending time with her husband, friends, and two dogs.
Elisa Friske
Referral Coordinator
Elisa Friske is a native of Ketchikan, Alaska, and holds degrees in Secondary Education and Biology from Northwest University. She has taught 9th and 10th grade Physical Science and Biology at King's High School.
Elisa and her husband enjoy running, cooking, reading, blogging, hiking, and participating in triathlons.
Brenda Wolsey
Referral Coordinator
Brenda Wolsey grew up in the Pacific Northwest and graduated from Bastyr University with a degree in Nutrition. For almost 10 years, she oversaw a popular nutrition program at Public Health-Seattle King County that taught school-aged kids why and how to eat health food that taste great. She joined and served as a Peace Corp volunteer in the beautiful country of Albania from 2004 through 2006.
Brenda enjoys gardening, cooking, cycling, traveling, spoiling the cats, and practicing Albanian language skills with husband, Valdet. Shume Mire!
Maggie Nivison
Referral Coordinator
Maggie Nivison comes from Tacoma, Washington, and graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, with a degree in History and Political Science. She has worked extensively with various domestic and international political campaigns. Maggie's educational and employment history have afforded her the opportunity to reside in Cape Town, South Africa, Shanghai, China, and New York.
Maggies likes to spend her free time reading, running, and knitting.
Gregory Schomaker
Referral Coordinator
Gregory Schomaker grew up in Atlanta. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington.
Greg is an outdoor enthusiast and dedicated book worm. Additionally, he enjoys international travel and is an aspiring writer.
Michael Pollock
Referral Coordinator
Originally from New Jersey, Michael Pollock earned his degree in Social Science from Washington State University, where he graduated cum laude. He previously worked for Continental Airlines.
In addition to being a huge music fan, Michael likes to travel, canoe, garden, and jog.
Nacole Patterson
Referral Coordinator
Nacole Patterson, originally from Gresham, Oregon, holds a degree in Social Work from Georgia State University in Atlanta. "Helping people is my passion," she says, and her past work experience as an adoption social worker with the Washington State Children's Administration shows it. In 2011, Nacole even won the Luminary Award from the Foster Parents Association of Washington State for her work in foster sibling advocacy.
When taking some time away from the office, Nacole enjoys singing, dancing, crocheting, playing volleyball, and participating on her church's worship team.
Lisa Hasenyager
Referral Coordinator
Lisa Hasenyager spent most of her youth in Freeport, Illinois. She holds a degree in Sociology from Beloit College. Prior to joining SightLife, Lisa worked for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and LifeCenter Northwest.
Julien Bezerra
Referral Coordinator
Julien Bezerra, a Boston native, recently graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in International Studies.
Julien loves to play sports, especially basketball and football, and is a huge Celtics and Patriots fan.
Andy Brown
Referral Coordinator
Andy Brown originally hails from Tacoma, where he earned a degree in Real Estate and Development from the University of Washington. He also worked for the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office as a Medical Investigator and volunteers as a firefighter/EMT.
When Andy isn't saving lives, he enjoys a variety of physical activities, including working out, surfing, snowboarding, boating, hiking, and doing CrossFit.
Kathryn Koehn
Referral Coordinator
Kathryn Koehn grew up in Salt Lake City and holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Washington.
Kate enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, riding her scooter, camping, and volunteering to help a blind couple.
Model Zerfu
Referral Coordinator
Model Zerfu joins SightLife from Bellevue, Washington, and holds a degree in Biology (Physiology) from the University of Washington. Model's prior work experience includes Americorps Jumpstart, the Kerr Lab, and Seattle Children's Hospital.
Model likes to spend time watching movies and detective shows, swimming, and spending time with her family.
Luke Vigil
Referral Coordinator
Luke Vigil, originally from Colorodo Springs, graduated with a degree in Biology from the University of Northern Colorado. Before joining SightLife, Luke was a paramedic with the San Juan Regional Medical Center.
Luke is a huge baseball fan and also likes to ski, golf, and spend time with his wife and daughter.
Nicholas Siclari
Intern
Nicholas Siclari grew up in Denver, Colorado, and is currently studying Community Psychology at the University of Washington.
