Meet Khristine Agnello: I’m a Wisconsin native (proud Badger, Golden Eagles, and Packers fan). I did my undergrad at Marquette and law school at the University of Wisconsin, where I met my husband. We came out to the DC area together in 2011, and have been living in the Navy Yard neighborhood of DC since then. I started out doing employment law, but moved on to my real passion of contract law and administration in 2013 when I began writing, negotiating, and administering contracts for the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Why JDRF? I have had type 1 diabetes since I was four years old. I always knew what JDRF did, and I participated in walks when I lived in Wisconsin, but never did much more than that. It took moving to a brand new city and not knowing anyone before I got involved with JDRF – and I am so glad that I did!

“I’ve met some truly wonderful people, and I’ve been so impressed with the strong presence JDRF has in the DC area!”

What do you look forward to in your new volunteer role as Young Leadership Committee (YLC) co-chair? In addition to continuing to meet other great people with type 1 in the area, I am especially excited about planning practical, useful workshops for people with type 1 and their families. We had a very successful group meeting for athletes with type 1 in September, and had a great panel of diabetes experts, including a nutritionist and physician’s assistant, and the open forum gave us great discussion points and the opportunity for people with type 1 to share their struggles, their successes, and give others ideas on how to balance sports/activity with type 1 diabetes. Alana and I have been discussing other possible workshops and are both very eager to continue these types of informal discussions.

Meet Alana Ward:
I am originally from Monroe, Michigan. I moved to the Columbia Heights section of DC about 5 years ago after completing my master’s in public policy at the University of Michigan. Currently, I work as a communications and policy manager at Child Trends, a nonprofit research center focused on children and youth.

Why JDRF?
I was diagnosed with T1D in 2006,
right after I graduated college. But it
wasn’t until 2011 that I became
involved with the JDRF Greater
Chesapeake and Potomac Chapter.
I had just gone on my first insulin pump, and I was amazed at how it felt; the
technology had changed my life. At first, I just wanted to help fundraise to
support research on new technologies “hello artificial pancreas!” Then, I
started attending Adults with Type 1 (AT1) and YLC meetings.

“I was excited to meet other adults living with type 1 and swap stories, share best practices and troubleshooting advice, and raise funds and awareness for JDRF. The rest is history!”

What do you look forward to in your new volunteer role as YLC co-chair? As Khristine mentioned, we are planning great things for the YLC in 2015 and beyond! Our primary goals are raising awareness and funds for JDRF, likely through social and sporting events. We are also interested in planning workshops on specific topics, perhaps bringing in local experts that can offer practical tips for folks living with T1D and their families. Creating opportunities for this type of community building and dialogue is important to me, and I think it will be a great addition to the rest of the important work that the JDRF Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Chapter is doing.