Western and Central Pennsylvania Chapter Leadership

Becky began her career in 1992 with the March of Dimes when she was hired to coordinate Walk America events. Her March of Dimes career spanned multiple roles and culminated with her final role as Executive Director of Market Development. Under her leadership, the New Mexico Chapter of the March of Dimes achieved National Chapter of the Year awards for two consecutive years for excellence in revenue development, mission integration, advocacy, and communications. She served on national training faculty and earned the President’s Team Award for excellence for five consecutive years.

In her most recent role, Becky led the Greater Pittsburgh development team of the American Heart Association (AHA).   At AHA, she focused on staff development/coaching and volunteer leadership recruitment and development.  She provided strategic direction for fundraising initiatives, cultivated and developed donors and corporate relationships, while executing mission impact and virtual event revenue strategies in rapidly changing giving environments.

Becky is excited to continue her career as Executive Director of the Western and Central PA Chapter of Breakthrough T1D, bringing her years of experience and passion to the team of staff and volunteers. In her free time, Becky enjoys the outdoors, biking, hiking, cooking, and watching college basketball and the NFL.

Carling Nolan is the Development Director for the Western and Central PA Chapter. Carling previously served as the Outreach Manager before moving into her current role overseeing corporate development for peer-to-peer fundraising events, and management of the Breakthrough T1D One Walk, Team Breakthrough T1D for the Pittsburgh Marathon, Ride to Cure Diabetes, and Community Engagement.

Carling is both professionally and personally connected to the mission; she was diagnosed with T1D at the age of five years old, and has been living with the disease for over 30 years. Carling lives in McCandless with her husband and their three children. She attended The Ohio State University, and is a retired professional golfer on the LPGA.

“I am so proud to be part of the Breakthrough T1D family, and I am inspired by the thriving T1D community here in Western and Central Pennsylvania every single day. Together, anything is possible!” -Carling

Terry Koontz joined Breakthrough T1D in December 2021 as Development Director for the Western and Central PA Chapter, based in Pittsburgh. He joins a passionate staff and volunteer-powered team, dedicated to improving lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat Type 1 Diabetes and its complications. Terry will play a key role in the design, execution, and supervision of the Chapter’s overall fundraising strategy with primary responsibility for corporate relations, high-impact fundraising event execution, and portfolio-based constituent and donor management.

Most recently, Terry served as Regional Chief Development Officer for the American Red Cross.

He managed a team whose primary focus was securing new and upgraded major gifts to help deliver the Red Cross mission.   He led the creation of both short and long-term plans that were donor focused and tailored to increase funding while achieving strategic goals for the overall organization.  He encourages a participative style with both staff and volunteers with a focus on coaching to achieve positive results.   Terry is excited to bring his experience and collaborative spirit to the strong team of staff and volunteers at Breakthrough T1D.

Terry enjoys spending time with his wife Alana and his adult son Gage, who lives in Ohio.  He also enjoys playing basketball, biking, antiquing and spending time with extended family and friends.

Born and raised in New Castle, Pennsylvania, Kristina developed a love for serving her community. After graduating from Union Area High School, she pursued a degree in Musical Theatre and a minor in Communications from Seton Hill University. During her early career, she formed the foundation, and executed all aspects of numerous summer theatre camps, student ambassador programs, and sensory friendly performances at various non-profit arts organizations across the country, including Weston Playhouse Theatre Company and The Smith Center for Performing Arts.

Most recently, she supported and led fundraising initiatives and special events with Cirque du Soleil’s philanthropic arm, One Drop, and Nevada Ballet Theatre. Kristina also served on the Board of Directors as the Director of Development for a startup theatre company, the LABLV, for two years.

After spending nearly five years in the Las Vegas Valley, Kristina followed her heart back home to the Greater Pittsburgh Area to be closer to her family. She is honored to serve on Breakthrough T1D Staff and bring her wealth of knowledge and passion to an organization whose mission is near and dear to her heart, as her dad has been living with T1D since he was only 9 years old. At the chapter, you will find her leading Community Engagement and Outreach Initiatives, as well as managing the chapter communications and social media platforms.

Kristina currently resides in North Huntingdon with her husband Zac. In her spare time, she can be found singing, dancing, laughing, knitting, drinking coffee, enjoying pizza, nurturing her indoor vegetable garden, and dreaming of adopting a puppy.

Melissa joined Breakthrough T1D in late January 2022 as Development Manager for the Western and Central PA Chapter, based in Pittsburgh. She joins a passionate staff and volunteer-powered team, dedicated to improving lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat Type 1 Diabetes and its complications. Melissa will play a key role in the Chapter’s signature events and the Breakthrough T1D donor giving cycle.

Melissa is an enthusiastic non-profit professional with excellent skills in people, group & corporate engagement. Over her 25+ years working for various nonprofits she brings direct experience in meeting fundraising goals, successful grantwriting, volunteer and donor engagement, event planning, administration and budget management. She is proud of her dedication and success in leading donors, volunteers, programs, and staff with respect, dignity and lots of creativity.

Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 teenage sons and their one year old chocolate lab “Moose”. She enjoys time on the beach, skiing in the mountains, anything Disney and spending time with family and friends.

Lee Salsbury joins Breakthrough T1D as a Development Manager for the Western and Central PA Chapter, working remotely in the Harrisburg area. Beginning March 2022, he joins a passionate staff and volunteer-powered team, dedicated to improving lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat Type 1 Diabetes and its complications. Lee will play a key role in the overall execution and revenue-driving strategy for the peer-to-peer fundraising programs including the Harrisburg One Walk and Breakthrough T1D Ride. Plus, he’ll be supporting Central Pennsylvania’s thriving T1D community through Breakthrough T1D’s community engagement programs.

Most recently, Lee worked at Kegel’s Produce in Lancaster County for 12 years. He managed the Food Safety Program as well as the company’s processing department. He led the creation of the Food Safety program to becoming SQF certified which is globally recognized as one of the highest levels of food safety. Lee would create daily, weekly, and monthly benchmarks for production and would keep his team of 40 employees on pace to reach those benchmarks. Prior to being promoted to those positions, he was in sales for the same company. His territory was Central PA where he grew the customer base from 100 to over 300 customers in a few years. Customers of Lees ranged from School District, Colleges, Retirement homes, Casinos and any places that would have food service. Lee does feel that the reason for his success in sales was due to him being genuine, caring and willingness to go above and beyond their expectations. He is excited to bring this enthusiasm to the Breakthrough T1D.

Lees’ ties to the Breakthrough T1D are his son Will who was diagnosed with T1D 3 years ago at the age of 3. Lee loves being active in the community, cooking and enjoys coaching both of his children’s sports teams.

We are excited to announce that Alyssa Breining has joined the staff team of the Breakthrough T1D Western and Central PA Chapter, based in Harrisburg.  Her first day was Monday, June 26.

As Development Manager, Alyssa will play a key role in the execution of the Chapter’s signature events in Central PA.  Her primary responsibilities are high-impact fundraising event execution (Gala/Golf) and portfolio-based constituent and donor management.

Alyssa brings a unique combination of education and professional expertise to Breakthrough T1D, with over twenty years of experience in both for- and non-profit environments.  Having received a B.A. in Dance & Arts Administration from Goucher College (Baltimore, MD), Alyssa held a long career in the performing arts as a choreographer, dancer, instructor, and advocate for the arts. Most recently, she spent thirteen years at Hollywood Casino—Penn National Race Course, where she progressed through various leadership roles, and coordinated efforts to ensure the successful expansion of the PENN Entertainment footprint through the opening of two new casinos in Central PA.

Diagnosed with Type 1 at the age of 9, and having lived with T1D for over thirty years, Alyssa is personally invested in Breakthrough T1D’s mission to cure, prevent, & treat the disease.

Based in Harrisburg, where she works remotely for Breakthrough T1D, Alyssa also has strong roots in the Philadelphia area.  She and her husband, Andrew, live with their three cats named Josee, Lola, & Conan, as well as an axolotl and numerous beautiful fish. She enjoys gardening (both on land and underwater), maintaining a massive music collection, creating art of all sorts, and eating REALLY spicy foods. 

Fueled in no small part by her passion for T1D awareness and advocacy, Alyssa is extremely excited to apply the knowledge and experience she has gained throughout her career in a truly meaningful and impactful way.

Tammy Renzelli joins Breakthrough T1D as the Community Engagement Manager – West Virginia, for the Western and Central PA Chapter. As of February 26, Tammy joins a passionate team of staff and volunteer leaders, dedicated to accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to treat, prevent, and ultimately cure type 1 diabetes. As Community Engagement Manager, Tammy will be supporting West Virginia’s T1D community through outreach, education, and community engagement programs.

Previously, Tammy served as a Community Health Specialist, Victim Advocate, Quality Improvement Director for the West Virginia American Academy of Pediatrics, and Executive Director of a child abuse nonprofit organization. With over 20 years of experience, she is thrilled to share her knowledge and expertise with Breakthrough T1D in this new role.

JDRF’s mission is personal to Tammy, as her son was diagnosed with T1D at age 10. He is now a healthy 20-year-old, successfully managing his T1D. Tammy is a native of Morgantown, WV, and lives in Bridgeport, WV with her husband, two children and two dogs. She enjoys spending time with her children and husband and feels blessed for this wonderful opportunity ahead.

Paul Himes joined the Western and Central PA Chapter of Breakthrough T1D as a Development Coordinator in May of 2022.  Working remotely, he supports the Central Pennsylvania Market, Gala events, and database management for the chapter.

Most recently, Paul was with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. Focused mainly on donor prospect management and major donor recognition, he also became a subject-matter expert on the CRM. His time with the museum solidified his desire to continue working in the non-profit world and promoting causes dear to him. He is excited to join a vibrant team and bring this experience and enthusiasm to Breakthrough T1D.

Lorynn is the Development Assistant for the Western and Central PA Chapter. Diagnosed with T1D at nine, she has been actively involved with Breakthrough T1D since her early teens. She has participated in Children’s Congress, One Walks, and Government Days for the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter. Having lost her biological father to complications from T1D, she has made it her mission to not only help find a cure for type one, but better the lives of those living with it.

Lorynn attended DeSales University for her BA in English. She won the DeSales’ Poetry Award in 2017, the largest cash value poetry award in the country. She is currently enrolled in their Masters of the Fine Arts program with a focus in Creative Writing and Publishing. She was also the 2021 recipient of the Gertrude Gordon Award from Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh. Previously, she was a Teaching Assistant in a Life Skills classroom, working one on one with nonverbal and behavioral needs children. Lorynn is incredibly passionate about working with individuals with disabilities outside of just T1D.

She currently lives in Bellevue with her family, three dogs, and two guinea pigs. When she isn’t working, Lorynn can be found drinking too much coffee, reading, writing, and crafting. She is incredibly excited to join the team in the Pittsburgh office.