JDRF North Florida Chapter

Meet our Staff

Brooks Biagini | Development Coordinator | Pam Williams

Brooks Biagini

Executive Director

Brooks joined the JDRF family in March of 2006. Before joining JDRF, Brooks worked with the Arthritis Foundation of Northeast Florida where during her 5 year tenure she served in several capacities including: Special Events Coordinator, Program Manager and Regional Manager. Prior to entering the non-profit sector, Brooks worked for a year as marketing coordinator for a NASCAR Winston Cup team where she gained invaluable experience in the sales, marketing and presentation arena.

A graduate of the University of Florida, Brooks majored in Advertising at the College of Journalism and Communications, where she graduated from in 2001. Go Gators!

In September of 2008 Brooks and her husband, Tony, welcomed a new addition to their family, a baby bundle of joy named Zoey Grace.

Brooks does not have an immediate connection with type 1 diabetes, but does have extended family members and friends that battle the disease every day. She too yearns to find a cure so that the many children, adults and their families will be set free of daily finger pricks, insulin injections and the fear and reality of complications.

 

 

Lauren Setzer

Development Coordinator

Lauren comes to us with three years experience in event planning, fundraising and volunteer management at the University of Maryland Medical System Foundation in Baltimore. Prior to this, Lauren attended Dickinson College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. Through her education and experience, Lauren has been responsible for producing walks, galas, golf events, direct mail campaigns, managing databases, creating and working with budgets, creating and presenting marketing plans and updates to groups, presentation creation and execution and has successfully managed relationships and communication with volunteers, donors and with constituents at this institution. She is also a member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals.

Although fairly new to the Jacksonville area, Lauren’s husband, Michael and his family have been rooted here in the North Florida community for many years.

Pam Williams

Administrative Assistant

Pam Williams joined the JDRF staff in January 2008. The JDRF has been apart of my family for many years before that. My daughter Emily was diagnosed at the age of 5 years old with type 1. That was a day that I will never forget, it changed our lives completely. I knew about JDRF because I was a supporter even before I had any connection with diabetes. I attended their Walk to Cure Diabetes as a team captain and recruited my fellow Publix co-workers to join me. I didn’t realize how special JDRF was until I started coming into the office to volunteer. I had always felt kind-of alone within our family dealing with everyday life of having a child with type 1 until I got involved with JDRF. It was then I found out that I was not alone and that there really were other people that understood how I felt. After a lot of stress on myself and my husband, I retired from Publix to take care of Emily and to be available to go to school to give her shots and monitor the everyday things that came up.

I am truly blessed to be a part of JDRF and do things everyday that will someday help find a cure for her and all the wonderful children and adults I have met that are living with type 1 diabetes! They are truly my second family and I do not know where I would be without them. The one good thing about type 1 is all the great people that have become a part of my life/family over these last 9 years.

I have been married to my husband Sam since 1993 and we have 2 children, Emily 14 years old and Austin 8 years old. I have lived at the beach all my life and enjoy the outdoors and spending time with my family.