JDRF Illinois, the local chapter of the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, announced the appointment of 8 new board members during the chapter’s Annual Meeting held via Zoom. The organization thanked supporters and immediate past board president Michael Roche (Allstate) for their roles in raising a national record breaking $16 million dollars on behalf of the millions who suffer from T1D.

JDRF Illinois would like to announce its new Board President, long-time supporter and board member Stephen Dragich (Schiff Hardin LLP). JDRF Illinois also welcomes new board members Aaron Diefenthaler (RLI), Tim Dietlin (Heidrick & Struggles), Joe Dougherty (vAuto, HomeNet, Kelly Blue Book), Naomi Fogel, MD (Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), Steven “Sonny” Ginsberg (Ginsberg Jacobs LLC), Martha Kohlstrand (Ice Miller), Jason Lyrla (KPMG LLP), and Chris Nash (Red Stone Equity Partners, LLC).

Click here to learn more about our new board members.

“JDRF is on the cusp of some of our most promising breakthroughs in T1D research,” said Mimi K. Crabtree, Executive

Director of JDRF Illinois. “Even in these times we can leverage our new and long-standing leadership and their support so more of the business community can remain confident in supporting JDRF while we adapt our programs and services to meet the changing needs of the people we serve in new, creative ways.”

“Even during a global pandemic, T1D does not take a day off, and neither can we” said Dragich. “The incidence of T1D is growing at an alarming rate (+30%), and JDRF is at a renaissance time with accelerated advances in research, advocacy and outreach which must continue.”

Chapter boards and their members provide volunteer guidance to the chapter and play a vital role in executing fundraising, leadership and advocacy activities to ensure that its efforts remain aligned with the needs of people who live with T1D.

T1D can strike both children and adults at any age. About 40,000 people are diagnosed each year in the U.S. It comes on suddenly, causes dependence on injected or pumped insulin for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications such as kidney, nerve or eye disease. JDRF is committed to advancing life-changing breakthroughs from development to the marketplace and into the hands of people with T1D.