Congratulations to our 2021 Young Professional of the Year: Stephanie Edwards

We are excited to announce that JDRF- Indiana and Kentucky’s 2021 Young Professional of the Year is Stephanie Edwards. Stephanie is a Connected Care Innovation Platform Team Manager at Eli Lilly and Company. She raised a record breaking $41,450 during the six week fundraising campaign this year.

Stephanie is a rising star within the company and found herself raising her fundraising goal multiple times while continuing to network and connect with people within her professional and social networks. She has been involved with JDRF for years, most recently with the One Walk and Virtual Ragnar running challenge. Thank you, Stephanie, for your continued support of JDRF. We’d also like to thank our runner up, Staci Weaver, a PhD student at the Indiana University School of Medicine, for her fundraising efforts!

NOMINATIONS FOR 2022 WILL OPEN IN THE FALL ON THIS WEBSITE.

About the Competition:

Young Professional of the Year is a philanthropic competition for JDRF Indiana & Kentucky to support research to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).  We are recruiting a group of passionate, dedicated and motivated young leaders under 40 to compete in a powerful fundraising campaign to support a person with T1D of their choice.

The Young Professional who has raised the most funds during the campaign is awarded the JDRF prestigious title of Young Professional of the Year in our community.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• Under 40 and mid-level in their career
• Recipient of awards or recognition through their workplace or other community groups
• Engaged in philanthropy and service in their community, with additional community engagement through boards
• T1D story/connection that connects them to JDRF’s mission
• Driven to further the mission of JDRF as it furthers research to find a cure for T1 diabetes

Campaign Timeline

Beginning immediately, the nomination process will begin as we recruit candidates for the Young Professional of the Year. This application will remain open until March 12th, 2021. The 6-Week fundraising campaign would begin the following Monday, March 15th, ending on April 23rd. A T1D ambassador will also be made available to anyone who wants to participate in this campaign if they do not have a personal T1D connection. They can then choose to support someone specifically throughout the 6-week fundraising campaign.

On April 23rd, a winner will be determined based on the total fundraising that was achieved throughout the 6-week period. JDRF’s Young Professional of the Year will be awarded at this point to whoever raises the most money throughout the campaign.

What Does the Winner Receive?
JDRF-Indiana and Kentucky’s Young Professional of the Year will propel their career forward with exclusive access to the following benefits:

• An ad in the Indianapolis Business Journal (Indiana) or Louisville Business First (Kentucky) announcing their award and featuring their accomplishments
• A one-on-one lunch meeting with a high profile executive (from a predetermined list)
• Promotion at the JDRF Gala via a page in the program and inclusion in our scrolling PowerPoint
• Hope Gala Party Kit and access to the virtual gala experience on Saturday, May 15, 2021
• A dedicated newsletter blast through our listserv announcing their award and featuring their many accomplishments
• A social media post via all of our platforms announcing their award and featuring their many accomplishments

Past Young Professional of the Year Campaign Winners

• 2021: Stephanie Edwards (Lilly)

  

Honorable Mention: Staci Weaver (IU School of Medicine)

• 2020: Maggie Pfeiffer (Lilly)

Honorable Mentions: Stephanie Swaim (Roche)

• 2019: Michael David Taylor (Lilly)

• Honorable Mentions: Britt Putka (hc1.com) & Sara Troutman (Roche)