Project Donor is housed at the University of Chicago's Center for RISC, a nonprofit incubator founded by Freakonomics co-author and economist Steven Levitt.
Our Team
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Eric initiated the work that became Project Donor, taking the idea from zero to one, along with early team members Fumika Mizuno, Anson Tong, and Karishma Chouhan. A major inspiration for the work was a conversation with then-UCSF Transplant Resident Ali Abbasi, which brought to light just how common it was for would-be donors to be turned away for reversible health conditions.
Since founding Project Donor, Eric writes a Substack called FreakTakes — in which he writes operational histories of great 20th-century R&D orgs — and works to build better R&D orgs for the 21st century.
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Dr. Steven Levitt is a renowned economist and co-author of the best-selling Freakonomics book series. He became a leading advocate for kidney donation reform after the tragic loss of his one-year-old son, whose organs were donated to save others. Steve was drawn to the simplicity and the humanity of the Project Donor idea: opening the door for already very motivated donors.
Since the idea’s creation, he has been an important strategic partner and remains deeply involved to this day.
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As Co-Director of Project Donor, Josie leads the development and management of collaborations with transplant centers, hospitals, community organizations, and resource partners. Her work ensures that every donor on our program has access to the support, resources, and partnerships needed to complete the donation journey successfully. Under her leadership, Project Donor has doubled its number of transplant center partnerships, significantly expanding access to living donation opportunities across the country.
Josie graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Dean’s List from Emory University with a degree in Neuroscience. She has won the Rutgers NeuroSURP Research and the Undergraduate Neuroscience and Biology Research award for her work in time perception.
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As Co-Director of Project Donor, Daniela leads the organization’s data management, operations, and financial strategy. She oversees the design and implementation of the data infrastructure that powers Project Donor’s matching, evaluation, and outreach efforts, ensuring every decision is informed by accurate, actionable insight. Under her leadership, program costs have decreased by more than 50%, while increasing the donor success rate. Along with Josie, Daniela has more than doubled the number of successful donations.
Daniela graduated Honors from Harvard University with a joint-degree in Computer Science & Statistics and a concurrent Master’s in Computer Science. She has worked as a software developer at Microsoft and Facebook and as an Investment Engineer at Bridgewater.
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As Chief of Staff at Project Donor, Davis plays a key role in guiding the organization’s internal operations and external communications. He manages Project Donor’s marketing and outreach strategies, ensuring that the organization’s message resonates with donors, recipients, and partners alike. Davis also supports cross-functional operations, coordinating between program, development, and communications teams to ensure seamless execution of initiatives.
Davis brings both strategic and creative expertise to his role, helping to shape Project Donor’s voice and public identity as the organization grows nationwide.
Davis graduated with a degree in Economics from Florida State University. Before Project Donor, Davis was an Analyst at the University of Chicago’s Center for RISC and the School Culture Lead at The Levitt Lab.
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As Program Manager at Project Donor, Micah manages a team of Case Managers, works to improve the program’s cost-effectiveness, and helps to scale the program. She also develops new initiatives to enhance donor support and ensure the program’s long-term sustainability.
Micah graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University. She is passionate about increasing support for living donation.
