Southern California & Hawai’i Chapter Leadership

Chapter Staff

Orange County Board of Directors

Los Angeles Board of Directors

Austin Basis

Board of Directors, Los Angeles

Bio

Austin Basis

Board of Directors, Los Angeles

Austin Basis was born & raised in Brooklyn, NY. He is an actor, writer, producer, and celebrity ambassador for JDRF, having lived with type 1 diabetes for almost 40 years. Shortly after graduating The Actors Studio Drama School with an MFA in Acting, he became a lifetime member of The Actors Studio.

Austin played Alvin Blank in the 5th & final season of the Emmy-winning show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He is most known for his role as J.T. Forbes on the People’s Choice Award winning series Beauty And The Beast. He was also a regular on the drama Life Unexpected and was a lead in the web series GHOSTFACERS. Austin has appeared on numerous other TV shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Homeland, How To Get Away With Murder, Lucifer, Little Fires Everywhere, Supernatural, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Casual, and LAW & ORDER: Criminal Intent. He can also be seen in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on HBO Max and in Reasonable Doubt on Hulu. His film credits include J. Edgar, The Other End of the Line, My Sassy Girl, American Zombie, Boxboarders!, Re-Cut, Dead End Drive, Dorian Blues, and First Oscar. His most recent film projects include Kanashimi, Daruma and The Last Take – which are all making the rounds in this year’s festival circuit.

Austin has continued to write & develop ideas with his production company “Behind the Bag!” Productions, through which he executive-produced, wrote & starred in the short film The Fear We Share and he’s currently in pre-production on his next project, SEIZURE – a horror story about diabetes.

In addition to his acting work, Austin has a podcast (ActorSpeak) and he also wrote & published a superhero comic book series in 2018, an epic tale called The KINETIX, about kids with disabilities & chronic illnesses who turn their perceived weaknesses into their greatest strengths. Austin also published a book of poetry in 2011 called An Actor Without An Audience: Poetry for Artists, Lovers & Everymen. His first children’s book, Zoo’s On First, is his latest release.

As a teacher, Austin has taught acting at the New York Film Academy – LA Campus, Arizona Actors Academy and Coaching By Camille, along with an on-camera masterclass with his wife, Colleen Basis, at the Raue Center School for the Arts in Crystal Lake, IL. He’s also an adjunct professor at Southeast Missouri State University and guest-lecturer at Mizzou. Finally, Austin was honored as a distinguished alumnus of Mark Twain Intermediate School For The Gifted And Talented in Brooklyn, NY and inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2023.

Austin was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 8 and has lived a healthy life with the help of innovations & technologies developed thanks to JDRF research. As an actor in the public eye & a celebrity ambassador for JDRF, Austin hopes to be an inspiration & role model for kids & other adults with T1D. Advocating at Children’s Congress, participating in the One Walk or using his voice & platform to have a positive influence in making the world an easier place for those with T1D are all ways Austin has given back to the community. He hopes to continue his philanthropic engagement & influence as a member of the JDRF LA Board of Directors.

Cary Walker

Board of Directors, Los Angeles

Bio

Cary Walker

Board of Directors, Los Angeles

Cary Walker and his wife Laura Mecoy have been active with Breakthrough T1D for more than two decades. They became involved with the organization in 2000, shortly after learning that their 7-year-old son Ryan had type 1 diabetes. Ten years later, their daughter Grace was diagnosed with the disease.

Today, both Ryan and Grace are successful young adults who have benefited from the scientific advances funded by Breakthrough T1D.

Cary is a skilled communications strategist specializing in change management and corporate communications. For more than three decades, he has been advising CEOs, business leaders and government officials, helping them to articulate growth strategies, define their social impact, solve problems and achieve success.

In the United States and abroad, Cary has helped major organizations through significant changes caused by rapid growth, landmark mergers, executive transitions, technological change and corporate restructurings. He has extensive crisis communications experience, and has worked with companies facing pandemics, workplace violence, cyber-attacks, regulatory action, closure and liquidation.

Cary combines public and private sector experience and has written hundreds of high-profile speeches for CEOs, governors and U.S. Cabinet officials.

For 20 years, Cary was senior vice president and director of corporate communications and investor relations at City National Bank, where he provided senior management with strategic counsel and directed the company’s media relations, executive speech writing, employee communications, market research and government affairs.

Cary helped to advance the company’s strong reputation, even during the 2008 financial crisis that hobbled hundreds of financial institutions across the United States. He oversaw the bank’s internal and external communications, including its quarterly earnings presentations and annual reports, the announcements of more than a dozen corporate acquisitions, an $11 billion community lending and investment initiative and the company’s 2015 merger with the Royal Bank of Canada. Cary also managed City National’s communications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

San Diego Board of Directors

Joan Durkin Rubenstein

Board of Directors, San Diego

Katherine Griswold

Board of Directors, San Diego

Bio

Katherine Griswold

Board of Directors, San Diego

Katherine Griswold currently serves as Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Engagement for the regional nonprofit Community HousingWorks (CHW), overseeing fundraising, marketing, and communications for the organization. With more than 18 years of nonprofit experience, Katherine has spent her career working with organizations that focus on health-related issues and fund research, but also place strong emphasis on public education, programming and policies that positively impact the communities served. Prior to CHW, Katherine served in leadership roles at two national health nonprofits and has a consistent record of revenue growth, strategic planning, and staff development. At the Parkinson’s Foundation Katherine served as Vice President of Individual Giving where she built the national major giving program and was instrumental in increasing fundraising revenue by more than 60% during her tenure. Throughout her 13 years with Breakthrough T1D Katherine served in the local San Diego chapter as well as the regional leadership team, focused on expanding volunteer involvement and increasing revenue through events, corporate development, grants, and major gifts.

As part of the T1D community since the age of two, Katherine has long been a passionate champion for research, better care, and outcomes, and improving the quality of life for those living with T1D. Her family’s Walk Team, “Cure in Motion” has participated in 18 of the San Diego Walks, raising funds and awareness across the country.

Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Transylvania University and a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Texas. She also received a Graduate Certificate in Women in Politics and Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts. Katherine currently sits on the NeighborWorks America Resource Development Advisory Committee and serves as a Mentor for the Alford Group Women’s Mentor Program with the National Association of Fundraising Professionals. She lives in San Diego with her husband and their three children

Danica McAdam

Board of Directors, San Diego

Bio

Danica McAdam

Board of Directors, San Diego

Danica was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 13-years-old. Her mother, Beverley Lawrence was diagnosed when she was only 6 years old. Her mother worked hard to control her own T1D for 57 years before she died in January 2018 after suffering from a sudden heart attack. Her mom always said to Danica, “There might not be a cure in my lifetime but there will be in yours.” Danica believes her mom is working hard from heaven to make that wish come true. Danica has been an advocate for T1D awareness since she was a teenager and worked hard to raise money to find a cure. Danica has volunteered with other Breakthrough T1D chapters across the country for over a decade, and she was a Communications Board Chair at Breakthrough T1D Mountain Valley Chapter for two years in Utah. During her time there she emceed several fundraising events, including but not limited to the Breakthrough T1D One Walk, research summits and their chapter’s inaugural 2018 Hope Gala. Her husband, Jeff McAdam also emceed the gala with her and her father attended and donated in honor of his wife, Danica’s mother, Beverley. Danica has spent her career as a TV news anchor and reporter across the country for more than 13 years. She has covered major events from politics, natural disasters to military reports, local weather and even light-hearted lifestyle segments. Since the birth of her son, Danica has transitioned into a public relations role as an account executive based in the San Diego area, giving her more time with her family. She and her husband have a one-year-old son named Landon Luck McAdam and a new baby daughter is on the way! Danica hopes her passion to help other families struggling to understand T1D and volunteering to help fund research to cure T1D influences her own children to find their passion and give back to their communities one day.

Neeta Sharma

Research Information Volunteer, Board of Directors, San Diego

Bio

Neeta Sharma

Research Information Volunteer, Board of Directors, San Diego

Neeta Sharma, MS, is the vice president of global regulatory affairs at Dexcom. She oversees all regulatory affairs activities for Dexcom’s continuous glucose monitoring technology. Neeta has over 15 years of strategic and executive regulatory leadership experience at leading medical device companies, including Philips, Edward Lifesciences, and Medtronic, and across multiple fields, such as diabetes management and cardiovascular.

At Dexcom, Neeta and her team are responsible for securing product approvals of Dexcom’s CGM systems globally. Neeta’s most notable accomplishment includes working with FDA to secure the clearance of the first iCGM device (G6 CGM) and helping usher a new era of interoperability of diabetes devices. In her role, Neeta understands the needs of people with diabetes, works with urgency with regulators and internal teams and helps to bring new technological advances to those who greatly benefit from them. Neeta has a deep-rooted connection to diabetes. She knows how devastating the disease can be since the unfortunate early passing of her mom due to uncontrolled type 2 diabetes coupled with lack of appropriate glucose monitoring technology available in an affordable manner. Neeta herself was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during her two pregnancies and found it extremely challenging to maintain her time in range and normal blood glucose levels as recommended by her endocrinologist. During this time, her appreciation for continuous glucose monitoring technology for use in gestational diabetes greatly increased. In fact, her love for continuous glucose monitoring technology goes back to her graduate studies at University of Southern California where she personally worked on developing continuous implantable glucose sensors and making them easy to use.

Neeta is an avid exercise enthusiast and a runner who believes that exercise and diet are the key to a long happy, healthy life. She is married and has two children.

Chapter Staff

Lauren Christ

Lauren Christ

Catrina Cooper

Catrina Cooper

Elisabeth Fleshler

Elisabeth Fleshler

Jane Gagne

Jane Gagne

Jen Haber

Jen Haber

Alex Hines

Alex Hines

Ayla Hughes

Ayla Hughes

Deanna Kasper

Deanna Kasper

Jules Kronberger

Jules Kronberger

Marcela Pallete

Marcela Pallete

Sue Pietrzak

Sue Pietrzak

Michelle Popoff

Michelle Popoff

Akane Sanchez

Akane Sanchez

Chelsee Schipper

Chelsee Schipper

Rachel Spidell

Rachel Spidell

Orange County Board of Directors

David Ahn, MD

David Ahn, MD

Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson

Preston Barnes

Preston Barnes

Rose Bauss

Rose Bauss

Tracy Buchholz

Tracy Buchholz

James Collier

James Collier

Mike Fahrney

Mike Fahrney

Tom Giddings

Tom Giddings

Andrew Guarni

Andrew Guarni

Kristan Hinman

Kristan Hinman

Marie Hogan

Marie Hogan

Cheryl Jacob

Cheryl Jacob

Marty Jaques

Marty Jaques

Julie Mansfield

Julie Mansfield

Samantha Markovitz

Samantha Markovitz

Mark Oshima

Mark Oshima

Rupali Pai

Rupali Pai

Jenny Rodriquez

Jenny Rodriquez

John Stoner

John Stoner

Ann Winthrop

Ann Winthrop

Julie Hellmers

Julie Hellmers

Los Angeles Board of Directors

Austin Basis

Austin Basis

Jeff Bowser

Jeff Bowser

Ali Dianaty