The Four Seasons of Leadership: A Personal Journey (Hemphill-Jordan Leadership Award - 2025 Recipient)

Description: This presentation will use an analogy of the four seasons in comparison to the stages of leadership to highlight ways to recognize personal strengths and achievements as leaders. We will review activities that are often seen in leaders at the various stages and conclude with comments about strengthening leadership skills.

2025 Recipient: J. Wade Atkins, MS, MLS, SBB, CQA, CABP(H) (citation)
For his role in leading advances in quality in transfusion medicine and biotherapies for decades. Atkins has been a leader of quality initiatives throughout his career and has contributed to the development of numerous resources – including the AABB Standards for Cellular Therapies, quality handbooks, the AABB cell therapy circular of information – and served on multiple AABB committees. Atkins has perpetuated interest in quality by sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm through numerous presentations, publications and mentorship of others. His commitment to quality in transfusion medicine and cellular therapies is evident in his daily work and his ongoing service to AABB and other organizations to improve quality.

About the Hemphill-Jordan Award
This award was renamed in 2005 after Bernice Hemphill, W. Quinn Jordan, and Joel Solomon, and honors leaders from the transfusion medicine and biotherapies community. The award recognizes an individual who made significant contributions in the areas of administration, quality programs, law and/or government affairs. It may recognize one particular act or an accumulation of years of contributions. Acceptance of the award requires attendance at the Annual Meeting and the presentation of a lecture.
The Hemphill-Jordan Leadership Award is presented annually, and the recipient is selected one year in advance. This award is funded through an endowment from Vitalant.