Do you want to make a difference in the diabetes community? Do you want to make an impact on a global scale? Do you want to be a part of the team that cures T1D and makes everyday life a little easier? Check out our job postings here and join our dynamic team today! For more details on why people serve with Breakthrough T1D, see the inspiring messages below from current Mountain West team members. 

Hannah Hoogenboom, Donor Relations Officer
I’ve been a Champion of the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community my whole life – both my uncles have lived with T1D as well as second cousins and other family members. But it wasn’t until my younger brother was diagnosed in 2007 that I decided I could be more actively involved and make it my job (literally) to let others in this community know they are not alone.

Working at Breakthrough T1D, the leading global funder of T1D research, there is no confusion about the impact you have every day. We are in the midst of what Dr. Aaron Kowalski has referenced multiple times as a “renaissance” period for T1D. Advancements are happening almost too quickly to keep up. After a challenging few years, our community is even more desperate for connection and hope for tangible progress – those elements are a part of our daily work at Breakthrough T1D.

Dana Slack, Development Manager
In 2017 I joined the Breakthrough T1D Mountain West Chapter as a Development Coordinator, primarily coordinating the auction and planning our chapter’s One Walks. Since 2017 I’ve worked on just about every program and project we offer- from Community Engagement to Marketing, supporting Gala and Corporate Development and now Development Manager overseeing all of Peer-to-Peer fundraising. In every role I’ve held, my favorite part of this job has remained the same: the incredible power of the T1D community. Breakthrough T1D brings people together for a common cause: creating a world without T1D. I get to meet people in all stages of diagnosis, provide comfort and support and help them see there is nothing you can’t do with T1D, and so much we can do for our T1D community when we work together.

I’ve also lived the incredible improvements in T1D management since my diagnosis in 2012. At the time, I was on MDI and had no CGM technology. I was told that if I ever wanted a family, it could be incredibly dangerous for me and my future baby. Today, I am on the Tandem Control IQ system and spend less time thinking about my T1D than ever before. And thankfully, the attitude, around T1D women becoming mothers has changed drastically. Thanks to the systems I use, I’m expecting my first child in May and my diabetes is more in control than ever before.

Mike Somers, Market Director
I first got involved with Breakthrough T1D as a fundraiser to help support the annual walk. The company I worked for at the time was very excited to support T1D research and have some fun in the process. I quickly got to know the great Breakthrough T1D staff in Utah and not only witnessed their passion, but the meaningful work they accomplished every day. From planning events to supporting T1D research and building relationships with families who want nothing more than to find cures and ease the burden of T1D. I knew I needed to serve Breakthrough T1D on their local board of directors. After several years of volunteering and serving on the board, I realized I wanted to contribute on a larger level. Soon after I jumped at an opportunity to join the team as the new Executive Director. After 25 years in my previous career, I joined Breakthrough T1D in 2014. The decision to join the Breakthrough T1D team personally changed my life. I get to work with the most passionate community imaginable and truly see the impact in the lives of people living with T1D because of our work.

Laura Rosseisen, Executive Director
“I don’t have a direct connection to type 1 diabetes.”

When I began serving as the Mountain West Chapter’s Executive Director over four years ago, that’s how I responded when people asked if I had a loved one with T1D. And while that technically remains true, during my tenure with Breakthrough T1D I’ve come to know, cherish and be inspired by those we serve: people living with T1D and those who love and support them.

I came to Breakthrough T1D after over 12 years with another health non-profit charity and nearly 20 years as either a high school teacher and coach, or working in museum education. Denver’s non-profit community is tight-knit, and everyone who works in it is aware of the laser focus Breakthrough T1D has on its mission: to fund research to find cures for T1D, and improve the lives of those living with T1D until we find those cures. It remain my honor to serve on Breakthrough T1D’s staff team and be part of the world’s largest non-profit funder making an impact in T1D research.