Jordan is recognized for her transformational leadership at JDRF

New York (November 20, 2019)— JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, today announced Karen Jordan as the inaugural recipient of the John Brady Award for Innovation in recognition of her groundbreaking efforts and visionary leadership.

Established in 2019, the John Brady Award for Innovation recognizes an outstanding volunteer who has exhibited leadership in driving innovation and pioneering projects or ideas with the potential to meaningfully impact the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community.

“Karen Jordan has been an incredible volunteer partner both in the Greater Bay Area and nationally,” explains Aaron J. Kowalski, Ph.D., JDRF President and CEO. “She is a change agent focused on accelerating progress, and it’s a privilege to present this award to her.”

Karen wears many hats within the Greater Bay Area Chapter. She is the immediate past Chapter Board President, Nominating & Board Development Committee member and lead volunteer for both the Silicon Valley Donor Circle and JDRF Northern California Center of Excellence at Stanford & UCSF. She was a member of the International Board of Directors for three years and is currently serving on the T1D Fund Board and Research and Audit & Risk committees.

During her tenure as Chapter Board President, Karen identified a pro-bono consulting group from the Stanford School of Business and enlisted their aid to create a multi-year strategic plan for achieving a $12M sustainable revenue base. Her ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking allowed the chapter to benefit from the input of respected business leaders who conducted an independent and objective evaluation of current processes. The evaluation took a data driven approach and led to a transformative improvement in operational efficiencies. Karen’s innovative spirit was never clearer than when she played a pivotal role in the establishment of the JDRF Center of Excellence at Stanford & UCSF (a cure accelerator project). Karen’s influence, tenacity and guidance united these competing institutions to come together for a single shared purpose, attracting the support of many high-level donors. Under Karen’s Board Presidency, the Greater Bay Area Chapter achieved $10M in gross revenue two years in a row. During that time, the board’s engagement increased significantly through her transformation of the board meeting structure. With her support, the chapter also laid the groundwork for JDRF’s Game2Give initiative, paving the way for new revenue to be raised through the video game industry.

JDRF recognizes and appreciates all the dedicated volunteers and supporters who commit their lives to the worldwide effort to end T1D. Volunteer Award recipients were recognized at the annual JDRF One Conference.

About JDRF

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Our mission is to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, JDRF has invested more than $2.2 billion in research funding since our inception. We are an organization built on a grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities, collaborating regionally for efficiency and broader fundraising impact, and uniting on a national stage to pool resources, passion, and energy. We collaborate with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporate and industry partners to develop and deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with T1D. Our staff and volunteers throughout the United States and our six international affiliates are dedicated to advocacy, community engagement and our vision of a world without T1D. For more information, please visit jdrf.org or follow us on Twitter: @JDRF