Meet Taran Connelly!
I am thrilled to take the baton from Jess and step into the Executive Director role at the New Jersey Metro & Rockland County Chapter.
I joined JDRF two years ago as the Director of New Business Development, and one thing has been clear from the start: The passion and dedication of this community is remarkable!
In my previous role at JDRF, I partnered with Executive Directors, volunteer leaders and chapter staff in the Tri-State area to drive new corporate partnerships. One of my favorite projects was partnering with Lokai to bring the Diabetes Lokai bracelet to life. I had so much fun watching our community respond on social media and share their stories of the highs and lows of living with diabetes. These stories inspire me each day, and I look forward to hearing more from each of you as I settle into my new role.
Before coming to JDRF, I spent nine years at the American Diabetes Association (ADA), most recently serving as the Executive Director of the New Jersey market. In this role I was responsible for fundraising and mission delivery throughout the state, collaborating with various stakeholders in the diabetes ecosystem. I also worked briefly for the American Cancer Society as a Strategic Account Director where I managed a large portfolio of corporate accounts in the health, wellness, and pharmaceutical industries.
On a personal note, I am a Penn State alumna (Go Nittany Lions!), and I live in Morris County with my two young daughters. Outside of work, I love to travel (when it’s safe), and spend lots of time outside with my kids. Lately I’ve been making a point to connect with family and friends for virtual trivia nights. I’m not very good at it, but I have fun trying!
As we continue commemorating our 50th year as an organization, I look forward to getting to know all of you, our dedicated supporters. It’s because of you that we’ve made amazing breakthroughs in diabetes research, and together we will see this through to the finish.
You can reach out to me at any time via email at tconnelly@jdrf.org. Drop a note to say hi!