The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voice for Alzheimer’s disease advocacy, fighting for critical Alzheimer’s research, prevention and care initiatives at the state and federal level. The Washington State Chapter has two staff members devoted to this important part of our mission. Together, they plan and manage grassroots advocacy efforts, including organizing a network of Alzheimer’s advocates to advance issues critical to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, their families and their caregivers.
Brad Forbes
Director of Public Policy
Where are you from?
I grew up in Bellevue, WA and currently live in Seattle, WA.
When did you join the Alzheimer’s State Washington State Chapter?
I started on September 21, 2020.
What are some things that you enjoy?
I enjoy the acts of voting, hiking to waterfalls and watching the Seahawks.
What is your professional background?
I earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma and have 14 years of experience in political campaigns, state, local and federal government, and nonprofit health care advocacy.
Why do you choose to work in public policy?
I have seen firsthand the way effective government programs care for vulnerable people and improve our society. I want to live in a society where, if you are struggling, if you’re at the end of your rope, if your family needs resources, you can know that your state is there for you.
What draws you to the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association?
I have a real passion for working on public policy that will directly benefit people affected by Alzheimer’s disease. As our communities continue to age, ensuring that families receive the care and resources they need drives me to this work.
What do you want people to know about public policy and/or advocacy?
You should volunteer to advocate with the Alzheimer’s Association! Elected officials love hearing from constituents with lived experience and your stories are an invaluable piece of our advocacy.
Nicholas Hart
Public Policy Manager
Where are you from? Missoula, MT
When did you join the Alzheimer’s State Washington State Chapter?
I worked for the Montana Chapter starting in 2016 and I joined the Washington State Chapter in August of 2019.
What are some things that you enjoy?
I love hiking and spending time outdoors, cooking, traveling, playing music and writing in my spare time.
What is your professional background?
Before joining the Alzheimer’s Association, I worked on several political campaigns in Montana. Most recently I was a staffer on Governor Steve Bullock’s 2016 re-election campaign, where I first became familiar with Alzheimer’s advocates’ ambitious work in public policy.
Why do you choose to work in public policy? I have a deep personal connection to Alzheimer’s disease, and have seen its toll in my family and others. The growing number of individuals with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia has only recently been recognized as a public health crisis, and the stigma of this disease still leads many to keep their struggles private. I worry that many families who are not in a position to shoulder the high financial cost of a journey with dementia on their own will be left in dire need and without an answer if we don’t take the steps necessary in our government to support them.
What draws you to the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association?
It’s difficult to put in short terms everything that draws me to the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association, and I can’t underscore how empowering it has been to be involved with this cause among other people who have this shared experience in the face of a disease that can make you feel extremely isolated. I have seen countless individuals find life-changing support under the Alzheimer’s Association umbrella, and can say personally that advocating for this cause has fundamentally changed my relationship with dementia from one of fear to one of prideful action.
What do you want people to know about public policy and/or advocacy?
I stick by a quote from a former mentor: “Everybody always sells themselves short when it comes to volunteering for public policy.” It’s easy for people to feel like their stories aren’t uniquely powerful when they live them day in and day out, but the reality is that elected officials are moved by these stories and write laws in response. I’ll always plug advocacy: contact us and get involved!
Please join us for the Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Advocacy Day as we press legislators to fund better care and support and other priority recommendations in the Alzheimer’s State Plan. All meetings to be held online or by phone using the Zoom platform. Learn more at alzwa.org/advocacyday