Lindsay Fortese

Executive Director

Lindsay Fortese, who has been with JDRF for over 12 years serving the T1D community in a variety of roles, is honored to serve the T1D community as the Executive Director of the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter.

Lindsay attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX before starting her career in the retail space as a Store Manager for Starbucks Coffee Company in Dallas, Texas prior to starting with JDRF in 2008.  In her time with JDRF, Lindsay has built many strong relationships with staff and volunteer leaders.  She has provided strategic direction for fundraising initiatives and events, including Gala, Ride and Walk, and has cultivated and developed donor and corporate relationships across the chapter territory.

Lindsay resides in Downingtown, PA with her husband, Jimmy, their two sons, Jake and Zach, and their loyal dog, Garth.  Lindsay enjoys reading, relaxing in Long Beach Island, NJ, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Julie McKeever

Development Director

Julie McKeever joined JDRF in 2019 as the Outreach Manger for the chapter.  While she enjoys connecting with T1D families and the community, Julie is excited to get back to her roots in Peer 2 Peer fundraising as the chapter’s Development Director.   She will be responsible for formulating, implementing and leading strategies for chapter fundraising and development activities while continuing to passionately build relationships with the community!

Julie earned her B.S. in Health and Human Development from The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA.   WE ARE… Penn State!  Prior to joining JDRF, she was an Events Manager/Director for 16 years at The ALS Association, Greater Philadelphia Chapter.

Julie lives in Plymouth Meeting, PA with her husband, Andrew; their son, Nicholas; and a house full of furry friends! She is passionate about animal rescue and special needs dogs. In her free time, she enjoys doing therapy dog work with two of her dogs, Prime and Dutch, and spending time with family and friends.  Her father, Ted, had type 1 diabetes, which has always kept the JDRF mission near and dear to her heart.

Allison Tropea

Development Director

Allison Tropea oversees Gala for our chapter, which happens every spring. Allie has always been drawn to working in a field that helps people and where she can give back to the community. Her motivation every day is her husband, Anthony, who was diagnosed with T1D in 2011.

Sara Smith

Development Manager

Sara joined JDRF in the summer of 2019 as a Development Manager, and now oversees the JDRF Greater Delaware Valley One Walk program. “I love working with our teams, volunteers and corporate partners,” she shares. “Seeing the passion and energy from this dedicated community is an incredible thing to witness not just on walk day, but all year long.”

Sara has always had a passion for volunteering and helping others, and joined JDRF after working at two previous nonprofits, where she managed walks, runs and rides. She earned a B.A. in Public Relations in 2015 from Penn State University (we are!), with minors in Political Science and Business.

Sara grew up in Fallsington, PA, and currently resides in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. On the weekend,  you can catch her kayaking, spending time on the beach, reading or hiking.

Ellen Cohn

Development Manager

Ellen Cohn joined the JDRF staff in the summer of 2021 as a Development Manager, and now oversees the JDRF Greater Delaware Valley Ride program. Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2008, she highly values the community formed and maintained through JDRF, and is thrilled to be joining the team! In past years, she has been an active volunteer in the community, helping with various events. In 2016, she even orchestrated a joint fundraiser for JDRF as well as her collegiate a cappella group at Bryn Mawr College!

Ellen received her BA in Sociology as well as Theater from Bryn Mawr College in 2017, and has spent the past few years working as a performer nationwide, as well as various part time jobs including working as an optician for a local optical shop, and working as a marketing director for a small theater company. Once the COVID-19 pandemic closed most theatrical activities, she worked as a Business Development Associate for a telecommunications company in the greater Philadelphia area.

Originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, she now lives in West Chester, PA with her boyfriend and their two cats, Allen and Warren. In her free time, Ellen can often be found singing, dancing, and acting with local theater companies. She also loves gardening, swimming, and generally spending time outside (whilst coated in sunscreen- don’t worry mom!)

Samantha Benson

Development Manager

Sam joined JDRF in Fall 2022 as Development Manager overseeing the South Jersey and Delaware One Walk programs.

In the fall of 2017, Sam moved in with a roommate who had Type 1 Diabetes. Through this experience, Sam became intimately aware of everything that went into the daily routine of managing her roommate’s health. She helped her with site changes and even learned how to do new ones when her roommate got a CGM or changed pumps. And most importantly, Sam learned what would need to be done in an emergency. She even listened to her roommate on the phone with health insurance companies and her job, fighting for better and more affordable health care. Because of this, Sam became passionate about advocating for equal access to healthcare for those with T1D, as well as the importance of further research.

Sam was born and raised in New Jersey, where she currently lives with her fiancé and their two cats. She will be moving to Chester County, PA at the end of December 2022 and is excited to join the local community! Before joining JDRF, Sam spent over six years working with bestselling authors in the publishing industry. In her free time, Sam loves hiking, reading, cooking, and spending WAY too much time watching cheesy reality TV shows. She also loves spending time with family and friends.

Megan Dougherty

Community Engagement Manager

Megan Dougherty joined the JDRF staff in 2019 but has been a part of the JDRF community after her T1D diagnosis in 1998.  As a volunteer Megan has had the opportunity to participate with JDRF as a youth ambassador, in children’s congress, as a captain of a Wilmington, DE walk team for many years, and a gala procurement & décor volunteer in Delaware.  Megan is currently our Community Engagement Manager working with the T1D community to provide information, connect and support each other; she is in charge of our Summer Series, TypeOneNation Summit and supports our One Walk team. 

Megan is a Newark, Delaware, townie and a graduate of the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Human Services. She now lives in the city of Philadelphia with her boyfriend and two cats, Dunkin D and Ginger Snap. Megan enjoys traveling, volunteering, sewing, reading, spending time with friends, and visiting new restaurants!

Emma Baker

Development Manager

Emma joined JDRF in August 2022 as a Development Manager, overseeing fundraising and donor retention. After graduating from Immaculata University in 2017 with a B.A. in Social Work, Emma began her nonprofit career and quickly discovered a passion for development work, specifically the relationship-building it entails. In her role as Development Manager, Emma will be responsible for driving mission-focused stewardship for the Chapter.

Emma fell in love with the natural beauty of Chester County and the offerings of Philadelphia in college and has happily resided locally ever since. Outside of work, she enjoys time spent outdoors, reading, and playing with her son, Rory.

Amanda Vinciguerra

Development Coordinator

Amanda Vinciguerra joined the JDRF staff in 2022 as a Development Coordinator. In this position she will be responsible for chapter office operations, stewardship activities, JDRF Your Way, volunteer coordination lead, and will also support chapter communications, fundraising efforts and events.

Amanda attended The Pennsylvania State University, graduating with a degree in Biological Anthropology and a minor in Criminal Justice. Amanda’s passion for nonprofit work took flight in college with Penn State’s Dance Marathon “THON” growing into the dedication to pursue a future without diseases’ such as Type One Diabetes. Amanda is so excited to join the JDRF community as a staff member and meet the incredible individuals our organization serves!

Amanda grew up and currently resides in Upper Bucks County. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, reading, crocheting and learning new skills.

Rachel Jaffe

Development Coordinator

Rachel Jaffe joined the JDRF staff in 2022, after two and a half decades of involvement as a Walk Team Co-Captain, Youth Ambassador, Children’s Congress delegate and volunteer. As a Development Coordinator for the Greater Delaware Valley chapter, Rachel oversees the chapter’s Golf Classic and communications and supports the gala auction. Having been diagnosed with T1D in 1998–and with a dad, younger brother, sister-in-law and brother-in-law all also living with T1D and a mom heavily involved in T1D fundraising efforts–Rachel is extremely passionate about JDRF’s mission and community.

A lifelong Philadelphian, Rachel graduated in 2015 from Haverford College with a B.A. in English and a Creative Writing minor. After working as a bookseller and pursuing an M.A. and M.F.A. in Children’s Literature and Writing for Children in New England, she returned to the area and now resides with her husband, just a few minutes from the rest of her family–and, importantly, the family dogs! In her free time, Rachel can be found writing, reading, painting, volunteering, giving her potted plants pep talks and meandering through her neighborhood, greeting every single animal that walks by.

Travis Rhodes

Board President

Travis Rhodes has more than 25 years of banking experience. He joined BB&T now Truist in 1999 as a financial center leader in Winston-Salem, N.C. From 2001 to 2008, he held several positions within BB&T’s Triad Region, including business banker, business services officer, and regional corporate banking officer. Travis relocated to Charlotte, N.C., as corporate banking manager in 2012. In early 2018, he accepted the Regional President position in BB&T’s Delaware Valley Region and recently became head of the Lehigh Valley Region as well. Travis is based out of King of Prussia and Allentown offices.

A native of Greensboro, N.C, Travis received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Appalachian State University and is a graduate of the LSU Graduate School of Banking. He was president-elect of the Western Carolina’s chapter of the JDRF and has served on the board of Samaritan Ministries.

Travis Rhodes

Board President

Travis Rhodes has more than 25 years of banking experience. He joined BB&T now Truist in 1999 as a financial center leader in Winston-Salem, N.C. From 2001 to 2008, he held several positions within BB&T’s Triad Region, including business banker, business services officer, and regional corporate banking officer. Travis relocated to Charlotte, N.C., as corporate banking manager in 2012. In early 2018, he accepted the Regional President position in BB&T’s Delaware Valley Region and recently became head of the Lehigh Valley Region as well. Travis is based out of King of Prussia and Allentown offices.

A native of Greensboro, N.C, Travis received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Appalachian State University and is a graduate of the LSU Graduate School of Banking. He was president-elect of the Western Carolina’s chapter of the JDRF and has served on the board of Samaritan Ministries.