Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Medford.
Hi Jenna, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In 2018, my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. In the moment, it felt like my whole world shifted and questions started flooding my mind on how to best care for my daughter.
About six months after my daughter, Emma, was diagnosed, I received a phone call from an unknown number.
The person on the other end introduced herself as a volunteer of Breakthrough T1D and grandmother of a 5-year-old granddaughter with T1D. She was calling to check in to see how we were adjusting to the new normal with T1D.
Breakthrough T1D just happened to call on the day I needed it the most, and I felt such a sense of calm and relief. I spoke for about 45 minutes that day and knew from that moment that Breakthrough T1D was an organization that my family needed to get involved in.
Since our founding in 1970, Breakthrough T1D has played a critical role in every major type 1 diabetes milestone. The Austin Chapter of Breakthrough T1D is helping to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes and its complications while supporting our local community.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. Like many leadership journeys in the nonprofit space, there have been moments that challenged me to grow quickly and lead through uncertainty. One of the biggest challenges has been balancing the urgency of our mission with the realities of limited resources—time, staff capacity, and fundraising pressures. Ensuring that we continue to grow our impact while supporting our team and volunteers requires constant prioritization and adaptability.
Another challenge, but ultimately a reward in the end, is building trust among volunteers and your community. This is earned over time through consistently showing up, transparency, and building genuine relationships. When you build this trust, you can have a team that will get you through any obstacle or challenge.
Each challenge has helped strengthen our team, deepen our relationships with volunteers, and sharpen our focus on our goal: improving the lives of those living with T1D and moving closer to a world without it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My role is to connect families and build the T1D community in the Greater Austin area. My number one priority as a leader is to bring researchers, families, volunteers, donors, and healthcare providers together to promote a close-knit community of people that lift each other up. T1D doesn’t take any days off, so neither can the Breakthrough T1D community. I pride myself on showing the community that we can get through it together and make progress as a group. My goal is to make sure every person affected by T1D in our region feels seen, supported, and part of something bigger than themselves; something that’s actively working toward a cure. I believe what sets me apart is that I’m constantly asking, “How can I—or my team—do better?” Our community and volunteers deserve our very best effort, and I’m committed to giving everything we have all the way to the finish.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
A characteristic that feels the most important to my success is my purpose-driven commitment to serving those around me. My personal connection to T1D first gave me a deeper understanding of Breakthrough T1D and instilled a strong sense of purpose. Today, that purpose is shared by the incredible team around me—our Chapter and Territory staff and our dedicated volunteers. Together, we are united by a common mission: to improve the lives of those living with T1D and, ultimately, to help create a world without it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.breakthrought1d.org/greateraustintx/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bt1dgreateraustin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bt1dgreateraustin/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-medford-668a29107/
Image Credits
Jenna Medford
Christine Fisher
Kristin Ray
