Barry is a Certified Elder Law Attorney Emeritus by the National Elder Law Foundation. He founded what is now the Bellingham, Washington, elder law firm of Meyers Neubeck & Hulford over 30 years ago. He was selected by his Washington State lawyer colleagues as one of ten elder law SuperLawyers for nearly fifteen years. He retired in 2020 very satisfied that he had advocated for and counseled thousands of clients and their families about legal and non-legal issues of aging. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the non-profit Dementia Support Northwest.

Glenda is a retired RN with a specialty in gerontology and over 18 years of experience working in a hospital-based adult day health facility. She joined the board in 2007, when we were known as the Alzheimer Society of Washington, and have served continuously through to the present time. In the past she served as secretary and am now the vice chair. She is also an active volunteer, helping facilitate caregiver support groups, support our dementia-friendly breakfast club, chair the committee for our annual conference, and am involved in most other activities of Dementia Support NW.

Ms. O’Keefe serves as our secretary. Her background is in private practice as a psychiatric nurse clinician, health care analyst, and nurse educator. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses as well as helping advocates for scholarships for nurse scholars. Her current interest is in strengthening non-profits who deliver direct service

Kelsey is a Dementia Program Specialist at the Northwest Regional Council (NWRC). She has a background in the medical field, having worked as a CNA and EMT before transitioning to work with older adults. Kelsey has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from University of Alaska Southeast and is pursuing a Masters in Social Work with a certificate in Gerontology from Portland State University. Kelsey is a Positive Approach to Care® Certified Consultant and Trainer. Lovik’s work focuses on innovative ways to support people with dementia and their caregivers. She is involved in educating caregivers about communication strategies and lifestyle changes to improve the quality of life for those with dementia. Additionally, she has been part of initiatives like starting an improv group for people with dementia and their care partners, which helps maintain brain health and provides a fun, engaging activity

Debbie is the Director of Home Attendant Care and has devoted the last 30 years to helping seniors navigate through end-of-life choices and the maze of care options available. She strives to support those who choose to remain independent in their own homes and to ease the transition for those who can no longer do so. She donates her time at Whatcom Community College presenting a series of classes called ‘Elder Care Options’ educating individuals about services available to seniors in our community, how to access them, and how to ease transitions to higher care facilities when necessary. She is a strong advocate for those living with Dementia and has become a certified dementia coach. She is a recognized expert in her field and works to improve the lives of those she serves. She has served as President or board director for Elder Service Providers, the Alzheimer Society of WA, the WA Private Duty Asso,c and the National Assoc for Home Care. She is also one of the founders of Excellence NW and recently launched a program together with WWU Palliative Care Institute, Whatcom Hospice, Peace Health and other organizations entitled “A Touch of Grace”. This program is in honor of her mother Grace Tannenbaum and is dedicated to improving the quality of care for those individuals, in nursing homes across our region, who are needing end of life care.

Carletta is a retired geriatric physician. After graduating from Indiana University School of Medicine, she did her residency in Internal Medicine at Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis. She practiced General Internal Medicine in Seattle from 1979-1983, and then moved to Bellingham, WA. She became certified in Geriatrics in 1988. In 2002, she began practicing geriatrics exclusively at the Center for Senior Health, PeaceHealth Medical Group. She also served for over 30 years as medical director at St. Francis Extended Healthcare in Bellingham. She received the award for “Internist of the Year” in 2019 from the Washington Chapter of the American College of Physicians, the professional organization for Internists. I retired in 2018.

Mark was born in Chicago in 1952 and is a retired internist and geriatrician. He graduated from, Carleton College in 1973 and received his MD from the University of Illinois in 1979 and PhD in Biological Chemistry from the same institution in 1982. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Rochester from 1979 to 1982. After serving as a commissioned officer in the USPHS in Alaska for three years he practiced internal medicine in a rural community in northern California for 3 years and then relocated to Bellingham WA in 1988 where he practiced internal medicine and geriatrics, earning board certification in geriatrics in 1990. His practice included the care of many individuals with dementia, and he served as medical director at a number of skilled nursing facilities, as well as providing ongoing outpatient and inpatient primary care. He served from 1990-1992 on the board of the Alzheimer Society of Washington, and continued to serve them as a medical advisor for a number of years afterwards. He was awarded the Ken King Community Service Award by them in 2002. He retired from the practice of medicine in 2017.

Erika completed her Master of Social Work degree in 2006. Since then, she has worked in the fields of aging, disability and dementia services, caregiver support and training, and hospice and palliative care. Erika has extensive experience as a medical social worker and has also held leadership roles in large healthcare systems. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Dementia Support Northwest and is also a member of the Whatcom County Advance Care Planning Task Force.

Born and raised in Whatcom County. Attended Ferndale High School and Western Washington University. His career includes 20+ years at Superfeet Worldwide working in Operation and Logistics. More recently, he holds a position at Samson Rope Technologies as their Director of Purchasing and Supply Chain. His passion for Dementia care is driven by his own personal experience. Both his mother and his wife’s mother suffered long battles with dementia before passing away from complications due to dementia caused by Alzheimer’s.

By 1980 it was clear that my mother, one of world’s best secretaries, was having trouble finding words. I went to a local presentation called You and Your Aging Parent. As I described my mother’s behavior the woman sitting next to me said, “Your mother has Alzheimer’s, just like my mother.” A week later Mother’s doctor confirmed Alzheimer’s disease as her probable diagnosis. Within a year the woman who gave me the answer to my mother’s behavior, Lynn Blackwell, my husband and I, and several other community members were meeting regularly to share stories, support each other, and search for answers. We decided to organize officially and in 1983 we incorporated as the Alzheimer Society of Washington – (now known as Dementia Support Northwest). Over time we moved from our dining room into shared office space, and then eventually into our own office/gathering space but our mission did not change - to help people affected by dementia. We provided information and support. We changed our organization’s name to Dementia Support Northwest to reflect our learning that Alzheimer’s is only one of the many forms of dementia. Since 1980 I have volunteered for our organization in many different ways including support group leader, newsletter writer, advocate in Olympia to create a law to allow a hierarchy of family members to speak for a person who cannot speak for her/himself, conference organizer, director and board member. As many more people have become aware of dementia the need for our organization’s services has grown. We started The Good Friends Club – a four-day a week social respite care program. And, an even bigger change is coming. We just received a grant to enable us to open an office/gathering space in our local mall where we will be able to bring all of our services under one roof, make dementia more visible and provide more support to people affected by dementia.

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Originally from El Paso, Texas, Rosalee Ronquillo brings warmth, cultural awareness, and deep community values to her role as a Senior Community Ambassador with Silverado Memory Care. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she is passionate about helping families across Whatcom County access dementia support resources-regardless of where they live. Inspired by her own grandparents’ journey with dementia, Rosalee advocates for compassionate communication and inclusive care. Rosalee is passionate about helping others navigate care with compassion and clarity. As a board member of Dementia Support Northwest, she proudly serves as a connector, education, and voice for families navigating memory loss. _

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