Nicole Johnson, a member of the JDRF International Board of Directors, has been named the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL team’s 35th Lightning Community Hero for her work as a diabetes consultant and advocate. The award honors members of the Tampa Bay community for their outstanding charitable work with a $50,000 donation to the recipient’s designated nonprofit organization. Nicole directed JDRF to receive this generous gift, which will be used to fund additional research to cure, better treat, and prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Since her diagnosis with T1D at the age of 19, Nicole has been actively engaged in T1D awareness and fundraising initiatives. Nicole, who was Miss America 1999, is a highly visible member of the JDRF Tampa Bay Chapter and devotes significant personal time to the community as an advocate and role model for people living with T1D. Nicole is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida, where she acts as Executive Director of Bringing Science Home, a unique multimillion-dollar research program that educates and empowers people living with chronic disease, such as diabetes and celiac disease.

Nicole was honored in a ceremony during the Lightning’s home game against the Ottawa Senators on April 9, 2013.

To watch an NHL.com video about Nicole, click here.