Coalition Steering Committee

Steering Committee Members

Don Barbieri

Don currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Red Lion Hotels Corporation. For 35 years he has led development efforts throughout the Pacific Northwest. He served as President of the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau and Chaired the Sacred Heart Medical Center in some of it's strongest growth years.

 

Rachel Berkson

Rachel is the Executive Director of the SEIU Washington State Council where her primary focus is on coordinating the union's political and legislative programs. She is currently the chair of the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition and sits on the board of the Washington Budget and Policy Center. Prior to joining SEIU, Rachel spent six years as lead organizer with the Working Families Party, a labor and community-based grassroots political party in New York State.

 

Sarah Cherin

Sarah serves as Government Affairs Director of the UFCW21, representing tens of thousands of grocery workers, retail workers, and health care workers in the Puget Sound region. Formerly, Sarah was the lobbyist for the Children's Alliance where she helped lead the effort to cover all children in Washington.

 

Bob Crittenden

Bob is a family physician working at Harborview and is Executive Director of the Herndon Alliance - a broad based national coalition focused on achieving affordable health care for all people in America. He was staff for the commission that outlined the Basic Health Plan, worked in Senator George Mitchell's office, and was health policy advisor to Governor Booth Gardner.

 

Len Eddinger

Len Eddinger is Senior Director, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for the 9,000-physician member Washington State Medical Association (WSMA).  In this capacity, he is responsible for representing the association before the Legislature, agencies of state government and the state’s Congressional Delegation.

 

Lonnie Johns-Brown

Lonnie Johns-Brown has been lobbying in Olympia since 1985 and specializes in issues and clients in the social services, health care and human rights arenas. Her clients include the League of Women Voters, the National Organization for Women, the Washington State Society for Clinical Social Work and the School Nurse Organization of Washington.

 

Len McComb

Len Mc Comb represents the Washington State Hospital Association and the Community Health Network of Washington on health care issues before the legislature and executive branch in Olympia. In prior years he served Governor Booth Gardner as the Director of the Office of Financial Management and Governor Mike Lowry as the Director of the Department of Revenue.

 

Jeff Johnson

Jeff serves as the Special Assistant to the President and Lead Lobbyist for the Washington State Labor Council is on the Steering Committee. He is a chief advisor to the President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL/CIO and has responsibility for leading the lobbying team for the AFL/CIO in Washington.

 

Ingrid McDonald

Ingrid is the Advocacy Director for AARP Washington, representing nearly 1 million people over the age of 50 in Washington State. Previously, Ingrid served as a long term care policy consultant to the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute and Senior Policy Analyst for the Service Employees International Union in Washington, DC.

 

Beverly Spears

Bev Spears is the Legislative Director for the Washington Community Action Network.  She has a diverse professional history.  Rev. Spears began her career as a Television news producer, reporter and anchor. She has enjoyed a career in public service as a both a senior policy analyst and department Communication Director for three Seattle Mayors. For six of those years she served as the lead regional lobbyist in the City of Seattle’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations. Rev. Spears is an ordained American Baptist Minister. She earned her Master’s Degree from Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry.

 

Robby Stern

Robby recently retired from the WA State Labor Council where he served as the Special Assistant to the President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Robby serves as the Chair of the Healthy Washington Coalition and also serves on the Executive Boards of the Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans and Washington Community Action Network.

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