Meet five MJFF staff members who are taking their passion for finding a cure for PD beyond their roles at the Foundation and participating in a Team Fox official race this year!

What’s their inspiration? All five had a common theme – being inspired by the Team Fox community.

Liz Diemer
Associate Director, Team Fox
Rock the Ridge - 50 Mile Endurance Challenge

Her inspiration: “The incredible community of Team Fox members provided more than enough inspiration to jump on board!”

Liz is no stranger to Team Fox, having first gotten involved eight years ago as an undergrad at the University of Virginia where she managed their flagship Pancakes for Parkinson’s event – an event which still welcomes over 6,000 diners annually! After moving to New York, she became involved with the Team Fox Young Professionals of NYC before ultimately joining the Team Fox staff nearly two years ago. After years of telling herself she was going to run a marathon, she finally decided to “bite the bullet” when Rock the Ridge was added to the Team Fox calendar this year. “Living in the concrete jungle that is NYC, I constantly crave time in the wilderness. The idea of spending an ENTIRE day trekking 50 miles through the beautiful Mohonk Valley landscape while supporting a cause near and dear to my heart is a simple win-win,” Liz explains. As soon as New York starts defrosting, Liz plans to rack up some training miles by foregoing the subway for a few months and instead taking advantage of the 5-mile distance between her home in Brooklyn and the office.

Fun Fact: Rock the Ridge will be a family endeavor for Liz as she and her little sister, Caroline, will conquer the course together!

Kristen Milliron
Advancement Officer
NYC Half Marathon

Her inspiration: “The wonderful people I’ve met through the Foundation and Team Fox who have grown to feel like family to me”

Prior to starting at the Foundation in 2012, Kristen didn’t have a personal connection to Parkinson’s; however, she was inspired by the research progress MJFF has made towards helping other neurodegenerative disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis, which her mother currently lives with. This year, Kristen will join over 50 Team Fox members to run the NYC Half Marathon in March.  Kristen started running last summer and thought it would be fun to participate in something iconic like the New York Half – though it’s her first time running for Team Fox, she has already raised over $2,600!  What is Kristen most looking forward to on race day? “I’m really excited to run past the Team Fox cheering stations. In past years I’ve always been on the other side of the barricade so I’m excited to have joined the race to find a cure for PD!” 

Fun Fact:Kristen has somewhat of a love affair with music – she went to 68 concerts and 2 music festivals last year!

Nicole O’Donnell
Team Fox Athletics Officer
NYC Half Marathon 

Her Inspiration: “My father in law who is living with PD. Also the amazing Team Fox community of those living with and affected by Parkinson's. Their stories, dedication and passion to find a cure are truly inspiring.”

Nicole joined the Team Fox staff in 2014; in fact, her first interview with the Foundation was the day after she ran the NYC Half Marathon with Team Fox last year! Nicole helps manage the Team Fox athletics program working with hundreds of athletes a year who choose to make their miles count by running for Team Fox. When Nicole gained entry into this year’s NYC Half Marathon through the lottery, she didn’t even have to think twice about lacing back up for Team Fox.  “I feel so fortunate to be working here at the Foundation. I am inspired everyday by Team Fox members so I decided to be one again” she explained. The weather and an injured knee have made it a little difficult to train this time around, but she is confident she will finish strong knowing her miles are making a difference!

Fun Fact: Nicole is running with her brother in law, Brent and close friend, Mike. They will be hosting a comedy fundraiser on Long Island in a couple of weeks to help with their fundraising efforts.

Stephanie Paddock (Fundraising page coming!!)
Senior Associate Director, Team Fox
Rock the Ridge - 50 Mile Endurance Challenge

Her Inspiration: “This year specifically, I’ve been inspired by other Team Fox members, especially those with Parkinson’s who aren’t letting it slow them down.  Their drive inspires me to do more!  And gives me absolutely ZERO excuse not to get out there and log some miles”

Stephanie, a true Team Fox veteran, has completed the NYC Triathlon (twice), NYC Half (twice), NYC Marathon, scaled the Grand Canyon in one day (24 miles) and in 2012 climbed Mt Kilimanjaro… collectively raising over $41,000 over the years! Driven by her father’s Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2001, Stephanie first got involved as a Team Fox member, but has since worked at the Foundation for the past five years overseeing the Team Fox athletics program. This year, she has committed to Rock the Ridge and will be completing the whole 50 mile course! How is she training? “I need to train for this?  Kidding aside, I’ve started to increase my weekly mileage (although Mother Nature isn’t fully cooperating) and have signed up for a few different races/events along the way.  Lately, since it’s been so cold, I don’t leave the house without a few dollars so I can treat myself to an almond milk latte at my local coffee shop when I’m done with my training run.”

Fun Fact:Stephanie has multiple pairs of the same sneakers (different colors) that she swaps out when she run.  Of course one pair is orange!

Shari-Liane Sangster
Team Fox Officer
NYC Half Marathon

Her Inspiration: “Since joining MJFF, I have been inspired by all of our Team Fox members and the feats that they accomplish in the pursuit of raising funds for Parkinson’s research.  Working for such an amazing cause and with such amazing people motivated me to lace up my running sneakers!”

Shari, the newest addition to the Team Fox staff, is helping to manage the upcoming Tour de Fox  initiative. Her initial draw to the Foundation was its unique approach to funding research. Her Grandmother, Uncle, and Aunt all have/had conditions that relate to Parkinson’s disease and finding a cure and advancing research in Parkinson’s is critical to therapies that will benefit so many other diseases and conditions.  Shari has completed three half marathons in the past and is excited to conquer the Big Apple as a Team Fox member in the upcoming NYC Half marathon! Since Mother Nature has thrown some windy and icy weather into the training mix, Shari has been logging in her miles mostly with late night gym sessions.  Shari is most looking forward the “excitement and rush at the starting line and the sense of accomplishment at the finish line…but I’m not looking forward to any of the miles in between.”

Fun Fact:Shari was a dancer for 14 years – modern dance was her favorite!