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Sean BusbyFounder and Executive Director
Riding On Insulin founder, Sean Busby, is a professional backcountry snowboarder with type 1 diabetes who travels the world exploring remote corners of the globe on snowboarding expeditions.
In 2004, while training for the 2010 Olympics, Sean endured a complicated diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Considering leaving snowboarding all together, Sean was inspired by reading stories he found through JDRF’s Children’s Congress. It was the stories of 5- 7- and 13-year-olds that inspired him to keep living his dreams despite living with diabetes. He founded Riding On Insulin—which is now a nonprofit organization—to honor all the kids who inspired him to keep living. Today, Sean runs Riding On Insulin as the Executive Director and makes appearances at the organization’s global action sports programs (including ski/snowboard camps) for kids, teens and adults living with T1D, while managing his personal backcountry snowboarding career. In February 2014, Sean became the first person with T1D to backcountry snowboard all seven continents. His expeditions include trips to Morocco, Antarctica (twice!), Patagonia, Iceland, Norway, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Alaska, Tasmania, and more. Sean graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Health Promotion and Education, with an emphasis on diabetes. Sean and his wife, Mollie live off grid 63 miles above the arctic circle in Alaska’s Brooks Range with their six dogs. |
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Mollie BusbyDirector of Operations
Before marrying Sean Busby, Mollie Busby had no previous experience with T1D. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Journalism and Retail, and was working as the Style/Associate editor for BRAVA Magazine in Madison, Wisconsin in 2010. A series of life-changing events brought Mollie and Sean together in February of that year, and after five months (and a crash course in T1D), Mollie moved out west to be closer to Sean. The pair was married in September, 2011 and Mollie has been spearheading Riding On Insulin since December of 2010. Today, she works part time, supporting the organization by running camps and fundraising.
When not immersing herself in all things T1D and skiing, Mollie runs yoga retreats and teacher trainings, and she and Sean document life living off the grid on Instagram @ArcticHiveAK. The pair has been featured on House Hunters Off Grid (HGTV) as well as Building Off Grid (DIY Network)! Follow her on Instagram at @MollieOfTheNorth, or visit her website, MollieBusby.com. |
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Dustin Askim
Program Director
Dustin joined Riding On Insulin in January 2016 as Program Coordinator. After being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in July 2012, Dustin volunteered for ROI the following year in Whitefish, Montana and became involved in other diabetes events, including rides and summer camps for kids with T1D.
After graduating with a degree in Journalism from the University of Montana in 2014, Dustin began working full-time as a Multimedia Journalist at a TV station in Billings, Montana. Two years later, when the chance to work full-time for ROI presented itself, Dustin jumped at the opportunity and moved to ROI's then headquarters in Whitefish, MT with his wife, Elle, and dog, Finley. Dustin now lives in Las Vegas and works remotely for Riding On Insulin! |
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Wendy WoodwardBoard President
My husband and I live in the foothills of Auburn, California with our dogs Willie and Ruby, and our resident cat, Sammie.
Since the mid 80’s I’ve lived and breathed snowboarding. I built a business around my love for snowboarding – founding Boards ‘N Motion snowboard retail stores in Auburn and Cameron Park, California – for 26 years before closing in 2015. In addition, I served 8 years on the K-2 Women’s Alliance, a team of 5 dedicated women snowboarders helping test, design and improve K-2 snowboard equipment designed specifically for women. In the winter, I spend much of my time on the hill – SugarBowl is just 55 minutes from our house so you’ll find me most weekday mornings waiting to get first chair. I enjoy fresh steep and deep and relish any opportunity that presents itself for back country snowboarding. In the spring and fall I often windsurf Maui where I welcome equally challenging conditions exchanging the mountains for the waves. In summer I enjoy back packing the Sierras, hiking, paddle boarding and gardening at home with Willie, Ruby and Sammie at my side. Each summer I spend about a month or more in Pentwater, Michigan on Lake Michigan where I serve on the Board of Directors of Oceana Beach Association. I graduated from Northern Arizona University with a BFA. At Flagstaff I worked four years as Ski Patrol at Snowbowl, where I also attended classes in avalanche awareness. T1D has not kept me down or even slowed me down, and I look forward to working with kids and families to share my enthusiasm for enjoying the outdoors regardless of the inherent challenges of T1D. |
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Wendy ConwayWendy’s journey with Type 1 Diabetes started when her daughter Abby was diagnosed in June 2005 at 4-years-old and expanded when her identical twin sister Maddy onset in February 2015 at the age of 14. Once Abby was diagnosed with T1D, Wendy and her husband Mark became passionate about raising awareness for T1D and helping in fundraising for several different Type 1 focused organizations. Wendy learned about ROI from friends in Central Massachusetts, and quickly became an indoor volunteer.
A graduate of Fisher College and the University of New Haven, Wendy has a BS degree in Travel Management. These skills have transferred easily into the not-for-profit sector and allowed her to work with the Joslin Diabetes Center and the United Way. At Joslin, Wendy was the Chair of the Leadership Council where she worked closely with the development office. She currently is a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Committee, where clinicians, patients, and family members connect to learn about research and the newest diabetes breakthroughs. Wendy is passionate about raising awareness about Type 1 diabetes. Upholding the core values of ROI, Wendy feels that it is important to let others know that while diabetes may slow her kids and others down, it will never stop them from doing what they love. Therefore, Wendy has chosen to be active with ROI. ROI not only empowers those with chronic conditions, but it creates a community of Type 1 families all while sharing experiences and creating a love of action sports. Wendy enjoys the outdoors and splits time with Mark, Maddy and Abby between New Hampshire and Cape Cod, where she can always be found at the beach. |
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Kevin HoffmanVice President
Kevin Hoffman is from California and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 13. His endocrinologist encouraged him to continue pursuing his competitive swimming career atthe time, which he did. Despite the setbacks that diabetes can dish out, Kevin never gave up on his goals and learned to manage his disease despite a rigorous training schedule at an early age.
In college, Kevin swam competitively at the University of California Santa Barbara and graduated as a 4-year varsity letterman and a member of four consecutive Big West Championship teams. Post-college, he founded a company called Hoffman Technologies, Inc., focusing on information technology services and hardware sales to government entities. It has since evolved into a wide variety of product sales and services to both government and commercial customers. Today, Kevin and his wife reside in Sacramento with their daughter. He is a devoted husband and father, and enjoys snowboarding, surfing, and mountain biking. His biggest passion of the three is appropriately, snowboarding, which has taken him on trips around the world. Kevin hits the slopes upwards of 30 times a year and has extensive experience in backcountry splitboarding and big mountain riding. In 2011, Kevin attended a Riding On Insulin camp on Mt. Hood, Oregon, and it was clear he would be a great fit and a crucial asset to the organization’s Board of Directors. Kevin says, “Diabetes for me is a challenge but not a hindrance. It has never held me back from my goals and in many ways has shaped who I am today. I have learned many things from being a diabetic including communication skills and perseverance. Don’t let diabetes keep you down. When it knocks you down get back up. You can do anything you want, even with diabetes. All you need to do is go for it!” |
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Carla CoxTreasurer
Bio coming soon!
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Joe MaddenBoard Member
Joe Madden is a devoted husband and father of three children. Joe first met Sean and Mollie Busby back in October of 2011 when he and his wife, Wendy, played host to a fundraising gala benefittinga local diabetes charity, The Diabetic Youth Foundation, based in Concord, California. The gala focused on recognizing inspirational Type-1 athletes to which Wendy and Joe proudly presented the distinguished award to Sean that evening. Pro athletes are people Joe has much familiarity with as he has grown up around them his entire life with his father being NFL Hall of Fame Coach, John Madden.
Joe was first introduced to Type-1 in 2007 when his oldest son, Sam, was diagnosed at age 5 with the disease. Since Sam’s diagnosis, Joe, as President of Goal Line Productions in Pleasanton California, has leveraged his company’s efforts toward producing educational and motivational videos for the diabetes community that helped raise funds for JDRF and the Diabetic Youth Foundation. Today, six years after Sam’s diagnosis, Joe founded a new company, Vmersion Health, that designs, develops and publishes free peer-to-peer social media software for the specific purpose of improving the lives of those living with diabetes (www.gluco-share.org) as well as other chronic diseases. Joe’s company provides this software, its accompanied rewards program and the administration costs free-of-charge to diabetes non-profits. Riding On Insulin is a charter beneficiary to the Gluco-Share white-label program. Joe’s vision for helping his son as well as all people living with diabetes is parallel to ROI’s vision of “instilling resilience in facing chronic diseases” through its members’ shared experiences of its action sport-based programs. “I want to create a social media platform where people living with diabetes can strive toward independence by meeting their own goals and get rewarded for it while still having a support network that reassures and lets them know they are not alone. Riding On Insulin’s sports-based programs do exactly the same thing, except instead of software interaction they do the “tried and trued” method of mixing it up on the “sports field” (or ski slopes for that matter). |
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Jean Baptiste-RivailBoard member
For JB, the appreciation of mountain sports comes naturally. His family has been rooted in the French Alps for as long as we can trace them, and therefore mountaineering was an obvious leisure during his youth. He received his French Skiing instructor certificate in 2001.
He been involved with Riding on Insulin since 2018, and pursues many passions: ski-mountaineering, flying (he holds a private pilot license), and of course, enjoying an epicurean and busy career path. JB indeed now lives in Portland with his wife and 2 boys, where he is the CEO for an international wine group. JB is also an associate apprentice at the Mount Hood Ski Patrol! |
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Michael BrownBoard MemberMichael Brown is Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Dexcom, where he has worldwide responsibility for all legal and intellectual property matters.
Before joining Dexcom in 2022, Michael was a partner at DLA Piper, where he served as outside general counsel to companies, advised on important business and legal issues, assisted with corporate governance and executed mergers and acquisitions and financings. Prior to that, he was a partner at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, where he represented emerging and public technology, life science and other growth companies. Before that, Michael served as outside General Counsel for several high-growth companies. Michael earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Washington. |
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Lynea BlomgrenBoard MemberLynea has been surrounded by people with Type 1 diabetes her entire life, starting with her dad, sister, and aunt. She became a registered dietitian and diabetes educator early on to help, coach, and educate people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
After 7 years in a clinic, she switched her career to diabetes technology, working with Tandem, Insulet and now Dexcom. The best part of her job is connecting with families and kids living with diabetes. She loves to participate in camps and have fun with volunteers and participants. Lynea and her husband live in Loomis, CA with their two dogs. She loves to be anywhere on the water – Folsom Lake, Lake Tahoe or the California Coast. Being outside and staying active is at her core and provides the foundation for staying happy and healthy. Lynea loves to swim, ride (a road bike…for now), and run and has completed sprint, olympic and half Ironman triathlons. Constantly energized and jazzed by youth, Lynea looks forward to seeing you at a camp soon! |