Tamar Sofer-Geri, Founder, Executive Director
Melissa Anderson, board member.
Kimberly Caswell, board member.
Heike Fischer, board member and secretary.
Korey K. Hood, PhD, Associate Professor, clinical psychologist, Madison Clinic for Pediatric Diabetes, University of California San Francisco, board member.
Karen Shishino Jordan, board president.
Sheryl Klein, board member and treasurer.
Avni Shah, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes, board member.
Board Member Bios:
Tamar Sofer-Geri, was born in the US and raised in Israel where she studied political science at Tel Aviv University and worked as journalist for The Jerusalem Post. Following a move to the US in 1996, Tamar worked at Stanford University for the better part of 12 years at the Office of Development and then at the Graduate School of Business.
Although always passionate about her work, it was her daughter Tia’s diagnosis with type 1 diabetes in 2009 that led her to discover her real strength and passion—bringing people in the type 1 community together to provide them with support and information so that they can feel empowered to advocate and care for themselves or their children and feel positive about their future living with diabetes.
Tamar previously served on the board of the Children’s Center of the Stanford Community and currently serves on the board of the Silicon Valley chapter of the JDRF.
Kimberly Caswell originates from New Jersey and completed her undergraduate degree in Nursing at the University of Delaware and three graduate Nurse Practitioner programs at Rutgers University: Family, Pediatrics, and Women’s Health. As a Certified Diabetes Educator and Research Coordinator, she conducts type 1 diabetes research for Dr. Bruce Buckingham, Dr. Tandy Aye, and Dr. Darrell Wilson for Stanford’s Department of Pediatric Endocrinology. She is very focused on type 1 diabetes technology, such as pumps, sensors, brain development—MRI studies and the artificial pancreas projects.
Kimberly has a passion for the psychological aspects of type 1 diabetes, and she seeks to empower families and children with type 1 diabetes. She also volunteers for Bay Area diabetes camps as the medical coordinator to improve education for healthcare providers and recruit campers for a fabulous experience.
Heike Fischer was born and raised in Germany where she studied Economics and Law at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen and Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg and worked as a lawyer before coming to the US in 1994. After earning an LL.M. from the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, she joined the law firm Morrison & Foerster where her practice focused on corporate and finance matters. Heike is currently taking a break from her legal practice.
When her son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in early 2007, Heike appreciated the support she received from other parents of children with type 1 diabetes and became interested in efforts to improve the lives of those living with this disease. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Silicon Valley Chapter of JDRF and is active as a volunteer in JDRF’s outreach and fundraising efforts.
Korey K. Hood, PhD, is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and Staff Psychologist at UCSF’s Madison Clinic for Pediatric Diabetes. Dr. Hood directs NIH-funded research projects and provides clinical care aimed at promoting health and quality of life outcomes in youth with diabetes and their families. He also serves on national committees for the American Diabetes Association and is on editorial boards for Diabetes Care and the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Hood is the author of Type 1 Teens: A Guide to Managing Your Life with Diabetes. His research, clinical care, and service are fueled by his personal experience with type 1 diabetes. He was diagnosed as a young adult and has spent more than a decade managing diabetes. He is passionate about helping children and teens with diabetes, and their families, make diabetes a part of their lives while not letting it run their lives.
Karen Jordan brings a background in finance and non-profit board level experience, with a focus on strategic planning, to Carb DM. She earned her B.A. in Economics-Business from UCLA and her MBA from Stanford University and worked as an investment banker providing debt and equity financing and mergers and acquisition advice. She then moved to the public sector, representing the Mayor’s Office in writing an economic development plan for the City of Los Angeles for its Empowerment Zone application. She has served on the Boards of Starlight Children’s Foundation (for over 15 years), Portola Valley School District (PVSD), Silicon Valley chapter of JDRF, Stanford Graduate School of Business Alumni Association and Stanford Hills chapter of National Charity League. She has participated in or led the strategic planning process for Starlight, PVSD and JDRF.
Karen’s daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2008, so she understands the value of a support network and education for this chronic disease. She hopes to enable all those affected by Type 1 to have access to this crucial support, particularly those in the underserved populations who may also have language barriers. She is an active volunteer for JDRF working on the communications/marketing, Youth Ambassadors, outreach and fundraising programs.
Avni C. Shah, MD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes. She is also the Medical Director of the New Onset Diabetes Program. Dr. Shah considers herself first a clinician, leading her to strive to fill gaps in today’s clinical care. This drives the research she conducts, from evaluating technology to help improve adherence to medical management for the underserved to evaluating novel care models to deliver care for adolescents who most often do not meet glycemic goals despite new technologies and treatments.
