Marina Basina, MD, is a Clinical Professor at Stanford University Medical Center, Division of Endocrinology, Gerontology, and Metabolism with a special interest in Type 1 Diabetes, Diabetes technology, and Diabetes in pregnancy. She serves as medical director of inpatient diabetes service at Stanford. Dr Basina received numerous teaching awards and a Stanford Hospital award for excellence in patient care, as well as a Master teacher award. She is an active member of medical advisory board for several community type 1 diabetes organizations, gives educational talks for patients on a regular basis, She is an active member of Type 1 Diabetes Exchange, and a chair of Breakthrough T1D/JDRF physician council.

Katie Craft, CCLS, is the Diabetes Program Transition Coordinator at UCSF Madison Diabetes Clinic and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Her research and work empowers adolescents with diabetes to live full, vibrant, independent lives. As a Certified Child Life Specialist, Katie supports children and families with chronic conditions through strength-based approaches and therapeutic educational interventions, fostering resilience and understanding. She serves on the UCSF Wellness Center Advisory Council and the A1c Health Equity Task Force. In her 25 years living with diabetes, Katie’s love of adventure has taken her to 38 countries.

Leigh Fickling, JD, MEd, MS, serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Children with Diabetes. Leigh is responsible for the day-to-day operational leadership of the organization and for the oversight and implementation of the organization's strategic plan. Leigh's daughter, Ava, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2013 at the age of three. Leigh is a subject matter expert in the implementation of accommodations for people with diabetes in the classroom, workplace, and beyond. The Friends for Life conferences are the highlight of the year for the Fickling family and they can't imagine trying to dia-beat-this without their circle of friends.

Taylor Inman, MD, has lived with type 1 since she was five. She is a pediatric pulmonologist for the U.S. Navy at the Naval Medical Center San Diego where she specializes in the care of children with complex medical needs. In her role as the physician liaison for military daycares and aftercare programs, Dr. Inman leverages her extensive knowledge of medical and school health systems to foster collaborations between parents, physicians, and educators. Her advocacy efforts gained a renewed momentum following her daughter's diagnosis with type 1 at six, further fueling her determination to drive meaningful change on both local and national levels. Her mission is to empower the next generation of children with type 1 diabetes.

Jake Johnston is the President of the Johnston Group, a public affairs firm based in Seattle, Washington. Jake has worked as a federal lobbyist for twenty years after working in Congress for nearly a decade. Jake is the Co-Founder of ConnecT1D, now T1United, a nonprofit providing social support to people impacted by Type 1 Diabetes. He is the Board President for the Center for Chronic Illness and on the Board of the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC). Jake has had type 1 diabetes for more than 40 years and is the parent of a college age child with type 1 diabetes. Jake lives in Seattle, works in Seattle and Washington, D.C. and is pretty confident that he could change his CGM blindfolded if he had to in order to win a bet.

Amanda Kaufman graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2020, where she founded and led her university's chapter of the Diabetes Link. During the pandemic, she obtained her M.S. in Health Care Management from Johns Hopkins and started her current position with the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition, where she works in policy advocacy for people living with diabetes. Amanda was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2011 and resides in Los Angeles.

Benny Loebner is married to Pam and the proud father of Sarah (dx 6/2002), who is a Physician Assistant at the University of Washington Diabetes Institute and working with teens this year at FFL. He is also the proud dad to Keith, who earned his PhD at Stanford in 2017 and then got married. Keith and his wife have since added two children to their family. The Loebner family attended their first Friends for Life conference one month after Sarah was diagnosed, and they have been volunteering in various capacities ever since. Benny, an environmental geologist living in Los Altos, California, enjoys most sports and coaches and referees for the American Youth Soccer Organization. He is looking forward to meeting and greeting everyone.

Diana M. Naranjo, PhD, is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine. As a licensed clinical psychologist working in health clinics for the past 15 years, Dr. Naranjo focuses on the psychosocial needs of patients and families with diabetes. Through clinical research, she aims to understand barriers and facilitators to chronic illness self-management, how families and individuals with chronic illness respond to health technology, and how to best provide services that engage youth and their families. Furthermore, as a Latina-American and fluent in Spanish, much of her clinical work focuses on bridging the health-care gap for underserved ethnic minority patients with chronic illness.

Kristen O’Dell, MS, RD, CDCES, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of nine, in 1998. Despite her resistance to accepting this diagnosis, it has been the driving force behind her pursuing a career as a dietitian. She earned her Master’s degree in Dietetics at D’Youville College and became a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. Kristen has worked in a children’s clinic, long term care nursing facilities, as an insulin pump trainer, and is now providing diabetes and nutrition counseling through her company, Focused Diabetes Solutions, all while being the Dietitian at CWD FFL conferences. Her goal is to empower people living with diabetes so that they can navigate all the ups and downs of life (and blood sugars). Kristen and her husband, Shawn, have three young children. Kristen enjoys cooking and baking in the kitchen, working in the garden, rooting for the Buffalo Bills, traveling around the world, and reading (when she can find a little free time).

Anne Peters, MD, is a professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine and a Senior Scholar at the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service. She treats patients in well- and under-served areas and focuses on reducing health care disparities. She has been a PI on many grants, has authored over 250 articles and 4 books and lectured around the world. She has been part of many ADA/EASD and Endocrine Society guidelines writing groups. Currently she is a member of the EASD Committee on Clinical Affairs. She has been awarded the ADA Outstanding Physician Clinician Award, the Bernardo Alberto Houssay Award from the National Minority Quality Forum and the Laureate Award for Public Service from the Endocrine Society.

Stephen W. Ponder, MD, FAAP, CDE, has been a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist and certified diabetes educator since 1989-90. Dr. Ponder is also a Joslin 50-year medalist; having lived well with type 1 diabetes since March 1st 1966. He is the creator of Sugar Surfing™, a paradigm shifting approach to managing diabetes. His book Sugar Surfing (www.sugarsurfing.com) is now in its sixth printing and has sold in over 30 countries. Ponder has been volunteering every year since 1981 as medical staff at the Texas Lions Camp for Children with Diabetes. He has also served as that residential camp’s medical director since 1989. He served on and chaired the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE) and chaired the organization in 1996. He has served on numerous local, state, and national committees advocating for child health and improved diabetes care. He has authored numerous research articles and received several diabetes research grants. He also serves as the Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program at Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas. He is medical director for the Feed My Sheep Children’s Free Clinic which aims to serve homeless and uninsured children across central Texas. Dr. Ponder has spoken internationally on all areas of diabetes care for several decades. His professional focus is on empowering children, their families, and individuals with diabetes to assist them in achieving the best possible diabetes control and outcomes.

Lauren Turner, MSc, is a PhD student in Kinesiology and Health Sciences at York University under the supervision of Dr. Michael Riddell. Her research primarily revolves around investigating the effects of exercise on glucose levels using continuous glucose monitoring and other body-worn sensors in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Lauren is currently conducting various clinical trials at York University with a focus on exercise and hybrid closed-loop therapy, and the impact of diabetes and glycemia on muscular endurance. Having lived with T1D since 2018, Lauren is not only a dedicated runner and marathoner, but also passionate about empowering fellow individuals with T1D to enhance their glucose management during physical activity.

Jessie J. Wong, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist and clinical researcher in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at Stanford University. She has received grants from NIDDK and ADA to support her program of research that focuses on family-based interventions to offset adolescent risk and enhance glycemic and mental health outcomes as well as preventing risk among adults living with diabetes.