Our Core Values

By Kevin O’Connor, President & CEO

Three years ago, with the help of our governing board, we developed five core values for LifeCenter Northwest: integrity, respect, collaboration, service and courageous leadership. These five core values have guided our words and actions since then, with a clear and consistent focus on the main thing, which is helping as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation, and transplantation.

While no one core value takes precedence over the rest, we hold the value of respect in high regard.  This means we always treat ourselves, and others, as the valuable, and valued, participants we are, in our shared work of helping others.  Treating others with respect means always being polite, always giving others the benefit of the doubt, and always being open and honest.  Treating others with respect requires high emotional intelligence, which allows us to understand that each of us is unique.  This understanding, in turn, helps us to follow the “Platinum Rule”, which is: Treat Others the Way THEY Wish To Be Treated.

Ensuring that we live by the core value of respect goes a long way to help all of us, and all of our partners in this work, carry out our mission, and in doing so, ensures we “keep the main thing the main thing”.  The thousands of people depending on us deserve nothing less.

At LifeCenter Northwest, we strive to create and maintain a supportive work environment that helps us all to be the very best we can be each and every day. Throughout the year, LifeCenter Northwest employees acknowledge their coworkers for exemplifying our core values by nominating them for our annual Values Award. Each year, we present one employee with the Award in recognition of their dedication to our key virtues.

This year Rebecca Tunkara, Executive Program Manager, was honored as our Values Award winner.  Rebecca lives by our core values every day, in everything she says and everything she does, and she continuously seeks out new ways to help support our mission.  Her optimism, her drive, and her dedication to our mission all help make LifeCenter Northwest a great organization and a wonderful place to work.

Thank you, Rebecca, for your outstanding service!