Breakthrough T1D Announces National Volunteer Award Recipients at Annual One Conference

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF, the leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization, proudly presented awards to seven outstanding volunteer leaders whose impact has pushed the organization's mission forward. The volunteers were recognized with the awards at Breakthrough T1D's annual One Conference on Feb. 11, 2025. Award recipients include:

• Jordan Amis, Carol and Erwin Lurie Award
• Dayton Coles, Dr. Gerald Fishbone Award
• Natalie Stanback, Huntsman Family Community Engagement Award
• Joseph P. Lacher, Jr., Jim Tyree Award
• Shelley and Doug Lowenstein, John Brady Award for Innovation
• Carol Oxenreiter, Mary Tyler Moore Award

"Breakthrough T1D's volunteer leaders are a significant driving force behind our mission and the incredible progress made over the last several decades to benefit the type 1 diabetes community," said Aaron Kowalski, PhD, Breakthrough T1D CEO. "We're proud to honor these seven outstanding individuals whose dedication continues to help us accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes and its complications. We extend our deepest gratitude for their leadership and commitment to Breakthrough T1D's mission." 

Carol and Erwin Lurie Award

Named after Carol and Erwin Lurie, who helped found Breakthrough T1D in 1970, the Carol and Erwin Lurie Award is presented to a chapter volunteer whose commitment to the volunteer and staff partnership has significantly advanced the mission and strategic priorities of Breakthrough T1D over the past fiscal year. Breakthrough T1D celebrates Jordan Amis' robust volunteerism, leadership in fundraising events, outreach to newly diagnosed families, and service on the Board of Directors and as a Stewardship Ambassador.

Jordan became involved with Breakthrough T1D in 2009 after her son, Charlie, was diagnosed with T1D. Since then, she has served Breakthrough T1D locally and nationally in a variety of meaningful capacities. Jordan currently serves on the Houston Board of Directors as the president-elect and as a member of the Executive Committee. As the chair of the Southern Texas Chapter's gala in 2024, she helped the event raise $2.8 million. She impacted the event's total revenue by $348,000 through host committees, auction items, and table spending. Jordan has been recognized as one of Houston's top five fundraisers for the Breakthrough T1D Walk, chaired Breakthrough T1D Community Summits, helped organize regional gatherings for those affected by T1D, and shared her family's T1D journey to help mobilize individuals to join the fight against T1D. At the national level, she has provided her expertise to the Breakthrough T1D Global Mission Board's Stewardship Initiative pilot and represented the organization in Washington, D.C., for the walk pilot program and Children's Congress. Jordan's unwavering commitment to spreading awareness of T1D and fostering community support serves as an inspiration to the entire T1D community.

Dr. Gerald Fishbone Award

The Dr. Gerald Fishbone Award recognizes an individual for exemplary, long-term volunteerism supporting Breakthrough T1D mission priorities. Breakthrough T1D is proud to recognize Dayton Coles with the Gerald Fishbone Award for his longstanding volunteerism at Breakthrough T1D, his service on the International Board of Directors and Research Committee, and his leadership on the Mission Impact Volunteer (MIV) and Clinical Trial Education Volunteer (CTEV) programs.

Dayton and his family became early supporters of the organization following the diagnosis of his 3-year-old daughter, Emily, in 1977. His son, Matt, was later diagnosed at age 53 in 2020. Dayton currently serves as a member of the Directors Emeritus, co-lead of the MIV program, and as lead of the CTEV program.

Dayton has always possessed an interest in Breakthrough T1D's research and has engaged with the organization in many volunteer capacities since the mid-1990s. He served on the Lay Review Committee for 15 years, evaluating and recommending research proposals for funding, including stem cell studies in Europe when U.S. research was restricted. As a member of the International Board of Directors from 2005–2011, he helped initiate the Industry Discovery and Development Program (IDDP), developing the template for contracts with industry grantees and negotiating the first IDDP awards. As a member of the Breakthrough T1D speaker's bureau, he made research update presentations in 32 chapters across 21 states and Canada. In 2009, as chair of the Research Committee, he championed the creation of the Research Information Volunteer (RIV) program and has helped lead the program and host monthly calls for over 15 years. He went on to help transition the program to the MIV program in 2024. His strategic vision has been vital to the creation and success of the CTEV program, which has grown to more than 26 chapters and works to foster a culture of research participation.

Huntsman Family Community Engagement Award

The Huntsman Family Community Engagement Award recognizes a volunteer who has made an impactful contribution to the T1D community by fostering a sense of community and engagement with the larger Breakthrough T1D family and empowering individuals to make a difference in their own lives. Breakthrough T1D honors Natalie Stanback for her outstanding leadership in advocacy, testimony before the U.S. Senate, and contributions as the Northern Texas and Oklahoma Chapter's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee Chair.

Natalie's life took a pivotal turn in 2015 when her eldest daughter, Nadia, was diagnosed with T1D, a condition that has deeply affected her family for generations. This connection, along with the tragic loss of her brother to T1D, became the driving force behind her passionate involvement with Breakthrough T1D. Natalie currently serves as a member of the Northern Texas and Oklahoma Chapter's Board of Directors and DEIB Committee Chair. As an avid runner, Natalie has participated twice in the NYC marathon with team Breakthrough T1D. She and her family were honored at the chapter's 2023 gala as a Fund A Cure family and participated in Children's Congress in 2019. In 2023, Natalie solidified her commitment to advocacy when she served as Children's Congress Chair and joined Breakthrough T1D CEO Aaron Kowalski as a witness at the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on diabetes. Her compelling testimony further educated Congress and the public about T1D and the challenges of being a mother and caregiver of a child with T1D. It also reinforced the need for continued research funding and advancing affordable insulin. Her work and testimony contributed significantly to the renewal of the Special Diabetes Program with the first funding increase in 20 years.

Jim Tyree Award

The Jim Tyree Award recognizes a volunteer leader who has made a significant and noteworthy contribution to Breakthrough T1D during their tenure of service. Breakthrough T1D celebrates Joseph P. Lacher, Jr.'s longstanding service at Breakthrough T1D, exemplary leadership as chair of the International Board of Directors during the height of the global pandemic, and contributions as a member of the Illinois Chapter Board of Directors.

Joe spent nearly 20 years quietly fighting T1D on his own. It was when his son Patrick was diagnosed with T1D that Joe turned his attention to finding cures and improving the lives of those with T1D. When their son Tommy was diagnosed seven years later, Joe and his wife Marisue were deeply engaged in Breakthrough T1D as major donors, fundraisers, and leaders. Joe currently serves as a member and former president of the Illinois Chapter Board of Directors. Along with Marisue, he co-chaired their chapter's 2024 gala, which raised a record-breaking $18.5 million. His family remains very involved in the chapter, with both sons serving as previous Children's Congress delegates and their family walk team raising more than $150,000 since 2006.

Joe's leadership as Chair of the International Board of Directors during the global COVID-19 pandemic is especially noteworthy. During this uncertain time, Joe helped Breakthrough T1D respond with courage and resolve by fast-tracking strategies to maintain organizational momentum and reduce expenses with a clear focus on the mission. He confidently led staff and volunteers through many difficult transitions at both the local and national levels. Joe is currently serving as a member of the International Board of Directors, Nominating and Governance Committee, and Audit and Risk Committee.

John Brady Award for Innovation

The John Brady Award for Innovation recognizes an outstanding Breakthrough T1D volunteer who has exhibited leadership in driving innovation and pioneering projects or ideas with the potential to meaningfully impact the T1D community. Breakthrough T1D is proud to honor Shelley and Doug Lowenstein's impactful volunteerism and commitment to Breakthrough T1D's mission.

Shelley and Doug Lowenstein joined the fight against T1D in April 2001 when their daughter, Emma, was diagnosed at age 14. Not long after, they began to build their T1D community and became the first co-chairs of the Night of Hope Gala for their local chapter.

Doug served as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board of Directors, and Shelley served on the Lay Review Committee reviewing research grant proposals. In 2011, Doug was asked by former CEO Jeffrey Brewer to create and lead a successful national campaign to improve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's posture toward artificial pancreas technology in collaboration with the advocacy team. He then joined the organization's International Board of Directors, serving on the Development Committee and for seven years as a member of the Research Committee. In 2015, he led the first-ever organization-wide strategic planning process, which resulted in a major pivot toward funding translational research. Doug was also an active member of the Speakers Bureau, traveling across the country to talk about T1D research with donors and prospective donors.

In 2019, Shelley took a break from her longtime work as a narrative figurative painter to focus on 2D and 3D works celebrating the beta cell. Melding art with science, she had a series of successful shows at galleries in Washington, D.C., donating much of the proceeds to Breakthrough T1D. In 2024, Doug published two seminal articles, one chronicling the history of the development of teplizumab (Tzield), the first approved immune therapy for T1D, and one on the history of the artificial pancreas. Both pieces educate stakeholders on the extraordinarily complex and challenging journey that must be navigated to get breakthrough therapies to patients and the critical role Breakthrough T1D plays in advancing the journey. Doug currently serves as Secretary of the Directors Emeritus.

Mary Tyler Moore Award

The Mary Tyler Moore Award recognizes courageous women willing to take risks to promote positive change. The award is focused on pioneering female leadership that delivers meaningful impact in the T1D community. Breakthrough T1D is proud to honor Carol Oxenreiter's remarkable contributions to the T1D community and her roles as a founding member of the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative's Steering Committee and organizer and first Lay Advisory Board Chairman.

Carol's involvement with Breakthrough T1D began shortly after her daughter, Monica, was diagnosed with T1D at 13 months old. Three years later, the goal to find a cure became even more crucial when her son, John, was diagnosed with T1D at the age of eight. 

Carol currently serves as the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative Lay Advisory Committee Chair and as a member of the Breakthrough T1D Global Mission Board and Directors Emeritus. Carol is also a former member of the International Board of Directors, past chair of the Research Committee, and immediate past president of the Directors Emeritus. She has been a valued volunteer in the Western Pennsylvania and Georgia and, South Carolina chapters, where she has served in various roles to further the organization's impact and outreach. She was a founding member of the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative's Steering Committee, organizer, and first Chairman of the Lay Advisory Board. Her peers recognize her for her tireless commitment to Breakthrough T1D and the quest to find a cure, as a talented speaker who engages audiences with tailored research presentations and a skilled mentor who provides wise counsel with integrity to both volunteers and staff.

About Breakthrough T1D, Formerly JDRF 

As the leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization, Breakthrough T1D helps make everyday life with type 1 diabetes better while driving toward cures. We do this by investing in the most promising research, advocating for progress by working with government to address issues that impact the T1D community, and helping educate and empower individuals facing this condition. 

About Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) 
T1D is an autoimmune condition that causes the pancreas to make very little insulin or none at all. This leads to dependence on insulin therapy and the risk of short and long-term complications, which can include highs and lows in blood sugar; damage to the kidneys, eyes, nerves, and heart; and even death. Globally, it impacts nearly 9 million people. Many believe T1D is only diagnosed in childhood and adolescence, but diagnosis in adulthood is common and accounts for nearly 50% of all T1D diagnoses. The onset of T1D has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved. There is currently no cure for T1D. 

Contact:
Casey Fielder
[email protected]
509-651-0087

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