We are thrilled to share with you all a bit about our new Development Director, Pamela Weber-Leaf! Continue reading to learn about Pamela’s unique work experiences and get a glimpse into her life. Welcome to the team, Pamela!
I’m so excited to have joined CHI! Becoming the organization’s Development Director allows me to weave the threads of my diverse professional career into a cohesive whole that will raise funding for greater awareness and research for congenital hyperinsulinism.
A writer all my life (I majored in English literature at Yale), I was an investigative reporter for two daily newspapers, where I really enjoyed speaking with people from all walks of life and telling their stories. I’ve been writing grants in the nonprofit space for 13 years, including five in the healthcare sector. Most recently, I worked for the Diabetes Foundation, a New Jersey statewide 501c3 that offers emergency resources, including insulin, to people in need. Learning that an excess of insulin may signify an extremely serious disease, that an amazing organization — CHI — exists to support people with this disease, and that the group is based right in my home state was kismet. I’m thrilled to have joined this amazing team promoting advocacy and the quest for a cure for congenital hyperinsulinism (HI). I’m also looking forward to meeting some of the young people and adults with HI and their families who are affected by HI, and helping to tell their stories in service of this incredibly important cause.
Outside of CHI, I do freelance writing about the environment, my other passion. In fact, you’ll frequently find me outside in nature, reporting my next article, hiking or playing pickleball … even if I have to shovel snow off the courts. I’ve gotten my husband, Larry, addicted to pickleball, too. Currently living in Montclair, we have two children (one working in NYC and one in college in Virginia) whom we see as much as we can.
