Executive team

Amy L. Ronneberg

Chief Executive Officer, NMDP®

With more than 20 years as a proven leader in multiple industries, Amy Ronneberg has demonstrated exceptional financial and operational leadership coupled with strategic business acumen. As CEO of NMDP® , Amy leads an organization of more than 1,300 professionals and 3,000 volunteers, fighting so all people, irrespective of background, get the cell therapy they need. 

Amy joined NMDP in July 2013 as the chief financial officer and was responsible for planning, implementing and directing NMDP finances, facilities and real estate management, reporting and tax management. In that role, Amy partnered with and advised NMDP executives and board of directors in developing and implementing an operating and financial business plan to meet the changing health care environment.

Along with her finance duties, Amy was also president of NMDP BioTherapies business and led new business development while overseeing the development and delivery of a strategic plan to grow and expand our portfolio of product offerings.

Prior to joining NMDPh, Amy spent 12 years at Capella Education Company, where she served as chief accounting officer, vice president of finance and led enterprise-wide operations and customer service. She also worked for Ernst & Young for several years as an audit manager.

Amy has served on several boards and is currently on the board of Magenta Therapeutics (MGTA), board observer of Tmunity Therapeutics and the Finance Committee for Allina Healthcare and the World Marrow Donor Association.

Amy earned a Master of Business Administration from Capella University, Minneapolis, Minn. and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Steven Devine, MD

Chief Medical Officer, NMDP^® 

Associate Scientific Director, CIBMTR^® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research^®)

Dr. Devine is Chief Medical Officer at the NMDP® and Senior Scientific Director at the CIBMTR® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research®) Prior to joining NMDP in March 2018, Dr. Devine was Professor of Medicine with tenure and Director of the BMT Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. He served for eight years as Chair of the National Cancer Institute funded Alliance Transplant Committee as well as a 2-year term as Chair of the NIH-funded Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) Steering Committee. He is currently one of the three Co-PIs for the BMT CTN Data Coordinating Center. He has a major research interest in the application of stem cell transplantation for patients with acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome and has been Chair of two multi-center NIH-supported clinical transplantation trials in AML. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and more than 400 abstracts as well as several reviews and book chapters in the field of stem cell transplantation, leukemia and hematology. He is an associate editor for the ASTCT journal Transplantation and Cell Therapy.

Dr. Devine is a board-certified adult medical oncologist who in addition to his tenure at Ohio State University has held faculty positions at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Illinois in Chicago and Emory University in Atlanta. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Massachusetts. He completed his internship and residency at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, then went on to complete a clinical fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Chicago, and completed his fellowship in bone marrow transplant at Emory University.

Erica Jensen

Senior Vice President, Marketing, Donor Registry Growth and Development, NMDP^® 

Erica Jensen brings 20 years of experience driving strategic growth for Fortune 500 corporations to the NMDP®  as Senior Vice President of Marketing, Donor Registry Growth and Development.

At General Mills and Bank of America, Erica shaped multicultural marketing strategies, working closely with internal and external partners to accomplish mutually beneficial goals. She also developed multicultural consumer training for brand marketers and crafted African American and Hispanic integrated marketing campaigns for numerous General Mills brands.

One of her enduring legacies at General Mills was birthed during her 20 months working on Yoplait. She helped launch Firefly Sisterhood, which fosters one-to-one connections between women diagnosed with breast cancer and inspirational survivors. Firefly Sisterhood quickly thrived, becoming its own 501c3 and hiring its own executive director. It’s completed 1,000 Firefly matches in just five years and has been honored by numerous organizations, including the Minnesota Lynx and Timberwolves.

For Erica, serving the community has been a constant and a joy. At Northwestern University, she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta, a historically African American sorority committed to community service. Currently, she’s an elder at Sanctuary Covenant Church in North Minneapolis and remains on the board of Firefly Sisterhood.

Erica graduated with degrees in Communication and African American studies from Northwestern University, and earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Regis University.

She lives in a suburb of Minneapolis with her husband, two children and dog.

Joy King

Chief Advancement Officer, NMDP^®

Executive Director, NMDP^® 

Joy King is Chief Advancement Officer of the NMDP®  and Executive Director of NMDP®. Joining the team in 2016, Joy’s primary role is to shape the foundation’s strategy, advance our brand and aid in overall direction of the organization. Her philanthropic work aids NMDP in ensuring patients get the cell therapy they need when they need it, helps patients live longer healthier lives and offers hope for a cure to thousands more patients in need of cell therapy.

In her time with NMDP, Joy has secured the first of many principle gifts in the history of the organization. Additional successes include launching NMDP® México, funding research programs to reduce post-transplant complications, providing increased grants for patient assistance, aiding in diverse recruitment to NMDP Registry® and leads our first-ever comprehensive $100 million campaign.

Joy brings 23 years of experience to advance the life-saving mission of NMDP. Her career began with American Cancer Society in 2000 as Field Representative for Relay For Life in Texas. Elevating to the role of Senior Vice President of Operations, for the Midwest division of the American Cancer Society overseeing 250 staff members with an annual fundraising goal of $32 million. She is passionate about curing cancer and serves as an executive leader, board member, and transformation catalyst.

Joy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Tarleton State University. She is a member of several Minneapolis based and nationally recognized women leadership organizations, a board member for NMDP México, a board member of Women's Health Leadership TRUST as well as a member of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. Joy has also been recognized by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journals as a 2015 Women in Business and as a 2022 Notable Leader in Health Care by Twin Cities Business.

Ron Leonhardt

Chief People Officer, NMDP^® 

Ron Leonhardt joined the NMDP® in 2023 as chief people officer. Ron’s role is to direct global workforce strategies, champion culture change initiatives, and ensure current and future leadership capabilities are in alignment with the organization’s growth plans.

Ron has more than 25 years of experience leading human resource departments. Prior to joining NMDP, Ron served as vice president of global human resources for Zinpro Corporation–a privately held manufacturer of mineral supplements designed to improve animal and human health worldwide. He was also the divisional head of HR for Smiths’ Medical business and held numerous leadership roles at Target Corporation.

Ron began his career as a business consultant with Arthur Andersen and Deloitte & Touche where he assisted Global Fortune 1000 companies in HR strategy, organizational effectiveness, talent development, performance management and change leadership.

Ron was born and raised in Japan and spent a few formative years living in Portugal before relocating to the U.S. in 1983. He lives with his wife, Molly, in Minneapolis, Minn. and has two boys, Cole (25) and Shay (22), who are both living and working in New York City.

In 2019, Ron Leonhardt was officially appointed by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve as the Honorary Consul of Japan for Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. As Honorary Consul, he serves to protect the interests of Japanese nationals residing in the three states and helps to promote Japanese businesses operating in the three states. Ron also supports the Japanese Consulate’s efforts in furthering U.S.-Japan economic, cultural, social and political relations.

Ron received his Bachelor’s degree in International Economics from Georgetown University and a Master’s degree in International Business from Columbia University.

Brian L. Lindberg

Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, NMDP^® 

Chief Policy Officer

Since joining the NMDP® in 2005, Brian Lindberg has established the in-house legal department and implemented the organization's formal enterprise-wide risk management function. 

In addition to overseeing the legal affairs and risk management areas, he is also responsible for the Contracts and Procurement Department, the internal audit function, and the Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs Department.

As chief policy officer, Brian provides leadership and direction for NMDP's public policy agenda, with focus on federal legislative and executive agency activities in support of the organization's mission. 

As compliance officer, he is responsible for maintaining compliance with the full scope of legal, regulatory, and ethical requirements faced by the organization in its efforts to accomplish its mission. As the institutional official, Brian ensures that NMDP's Human Research Protection Program functions effectively and that it complies with all requirements applicable to research involving human subjects.

Prior to joining NMDP, he served as assistant general counsel (Clinical Advisory Counsel) for a large hospital and clinics system. Brian began his legal career in large firm private practice, during which time he served as outside legal counsel to NMDP. 

Brian received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and American Racial and Multicultural Studies from St. Olaf College, and his Juris Doctor degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

Jamie Margolis, PhD

Senior Vice President, Donor Services, NMDP^® 

With more than 10 years of experience managing cellular therapies, Jamie Margolis is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of the teams that work directly with adult stem cell donors. Along with our partners, her team oversees the management and facilitation of all donor activities, from the point of donor identification by a provider or client to the collection and recovery of stem cells, while ensuring all functional areas meet regulatory and quality standards.

Jamie joined the the NMDP® in 2009 and spent her first six years in patient case management, supporting the operational needs of health care providers for stem cell transplantation and troubleshooting unexpected disruptions that occur throughout the complex product delivery process. She served for four years as Director of Cell & Gene Therapy Operations for NMDP's BioTherapies®, responsible for overseeing supply chain management, development and management of collection networks, and identifying and sourcing allogeneic donor cells.

Jamie holds her PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the University of Minnesota.

Julie Smolich

Senior Vice President, Provider Services, NMDP^® 

Julie Smolich is the senior vice president of provider services at the NMDP®. She provides leadership and strategic direction to the teams focused on product and service delivery to transplant center customers and partners, as well as commercial entities leveraging NMDP’s vast capabilities. 

Julie is responsible for identifying and understanding market and customer needs and translating that into the development and implementation of new and/or improved services and solutions that will ultimately help more patients who may benefit from transplantation or other emerging cell and gene therapies. 

She has extensive and varied experience in leadership roles, product/portfolio management, new product development, strategic planning, and process development and improvement.

Prior to joining NMDP in 2017, Julie spent 16 years at Capella Education Company where she held several leadership positions. Most recently, she was the vice president and general manager of a multi-million dollar business unit where she led the innovation of a ground-breaking academic delivery model called FlexPath. Earlier in her career, she worked in the financial services industry at Piper Jaffray and Ernst & Young.

Julie earned her Master of Business Administration from Capella University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from St. Cloud State University.