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Introducing ADS Advisory Council Chair Joe Hailey

It is my pleasure to introduce myself to you this month. As the new chair of the Seattle-King County Advisory Council on Aging & Disability Services (ADS Advisory Council), my name will appear on the message that AgeWise subscribers receive each month. The Advisory Council has published AgeWise King County for well over a decade, albeit under different banners. It is our opportunity to share information about the Aging Network, including local resources you can use and legislative issues on which we advocate.

I was recruited to the Advisory Council by June Michel in 2019. We met at a seminar. She passed me a note that intrigued me, and we talked. I received an appointment to the Advisory Council from Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on December 3, 2019.

After joining the Advisory Council, I learned a lot about the depth and breadth of services provided by Aging Network partners and other community organizations. I am particularly impressed by the way that ADS and its partners rallied to support clients—and older people in general—amid a pandemic.

I’m proud to serve on the ADS Advisory Council. Our advocacy efforts—in collaboration with other Area Agencies on Aging from across the state and other members of the Washington Senior Lobby—make a difference.

It’s clear that we live in a world where people who are not tech-savvy are cut off from other people. Social connections—even done virtually—combat social isolation. Access to technology and training is as important for older people, adults with disabilities, and caregivers as it is for people in school and in the workplace.

Originally, I hail from California. I have three grown children—two sons and a daughter—and six grandchildren, all of whom live nearby. My oldest son moved here first—25 years ago. His younger brother joined him shortly thereafter. I remember the years because my oldest grandchild turned 25 this year. Currently, I live in West Seattle.

You can read about my professional background here. I have retired but haven’t slowed down. In addition to chairing the ADS Advisory Council, I serve on the board of the Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, a public charter school, and I provide fundraising support for the nonprofit Center for Ethical Leadership.

I welcome input from readers via e-mail (advisorychair@agewisekingcounty.org) and encourage anyone interested in joining the ADS Advisory Council to consider applying when positions open. For more information, visit www.agingkingcounty.org/advisory-council.

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Contributor Joe Hailey chairs the Seattle-King County Advisory Council on Aging & Disability Services.

Photo (top of page): Joe Hailey, Dr. Sheila Mary, State Rep. Shelley Kloba (Dist. 1), Advisory Council member Sue Weston, and Mayor’s Council on African American Elders vice-chair Cynthia Winters in Olympia on Senior Lobby Day in 2020. Photo by Lorraine Sanford, ADS.

This article originally appeared in the January 2022 issue of AgeWise King County.