JDRF METRO DETROIT ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. —July 23, 2013— JDRF Metro Detroit, the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, announced Grant Beard has assumed the role as the new president of the JDRF Metro Detroit and Southeast Michigan Chapter Board of Directors for a two-year term.

Beard will serve as a partner to the executive director and the regional director to ensure JDRF’S programs are implemented at the local level and all board members play an active role in achieving the JDRF mission with a commitment to fundraising, leadership and advocacy. He will preside over all board of directors and executive committee meetings; assist the board and its committees in setting clear and measurable goals; and monitor the progress toward those goals. Beard succeeds former Chapter President Marvin Daitch of West Bloomfield, Mich.

“Grant has been a generous and dedicated supporter of JDRF’s mission and direction to improving the lives of individuals affected by type 1 diabetes,” said Kate Durak, Executive Director of JDRF Metro Detroit and Southeast Michigan. “His leadership and commitment will be an asset to achieving our chapter goals and expanding our accomplishments.”

Beard is currently the Chairman & CEO of Wolverine Advanced Materials, a supplier of rubber coated metal materials serving automotive and industrial markets globally. 

Prior to joining Wolverine Advanced Materials, Mr. Beard’s positions included:  president and CEO of Constar International where he lead the financial and operational restructuring of a global packaging business; partner at The Anderson Group (Private Equity); president & CEO of TriMas Corporation (Industrial Conglomerate which he took public); chairman, president and CEO of Health Media, Inc. (Health Assessment Products) and Group President of Fluid Products within Echlin & Dana Corporations (Auto Products).  

Beard also is involved with a variety of community organizations, including The Academy of the Sacred Heart, Beaumont Hospitals, JDRF, Miami University, Ramona Park Association and the University of Michigan. 

Beard, a Bloomfield Hills, Mich. resident, holds an M.A. in international economics from the University of Detroit and both a B.S. and M.B.A. in finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

About JDRF

JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Driven by passionate, grassroots volunteers connected to children, adolescents and adults with this disease, JDRF is now the largest charitable supporter of T1D research. The goal of JDRF research is to improve the lives of all people affected by T1D by accelerating progress on the most promising opportunities for curing, better treating, and preventing T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners who share this goal.

Since its founding in 1970, JDRF has awarded more than $1.7 billion to diabetes research. Past JDRF efforts have helped to significantly advance the care of people with this disease and have expanded the critical scientific understanding of T1D. JDRF will not rest until T1D is fully conquered. More than 80 percent of JDRF's expenditures directly support research and research-related education.

For more information, visit the JDRF website at www.jdrf.org. To learn more about or get involved with the Metro Detroit & Southeast Michigan Chapter, visit www.JDRFMichiganEast.org or call 248-355-1133.

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