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Tag: Here We Stand

Announcing Our New Standing Public Policy and Advocacy Committee

October 21, 2025

BY: Sarah Dobson

We’re pleased to announce the formal launch of our Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, transitioning from a successful one-year pilot into a permanent body that will guide and elevate our network’s federal policy agenda.

This marks a key step in advancing our shared mission. Building on the “Here We Stand” campaign, the committee will amplify our national advocacy efforts and reflect the diversity and expertise of our network, bringing together 20 leaders from across our network working in health, housing, aging, child and family services and disability.

The committee will focus on priority issues like Medicaid, affordable housing, and workforce development, while also exploring how data, AI, and emerging technologies can strengthen service delivery. It will help shape our federal policy positions and support coordinated advocacy across member organizations.

We’ll also leverage members’ connections to anchor strategic meetings with lawmakers, especially those in leadership or on key committees, alongside network members from the same states or districts. These engagements will support both federal and state-level advocacy.

At a time when public trust in institutions is waning, our “Here We Stand” polling offers both encouragement and direction: a majority of Americans trust faith-based providers to deliver high-quality care. This committee will help us lean into that trust by lifting up our collective voice, demonstrating impact, and deepening our commitment to the people and communities we serve.

The committee consists of:

  • Michelle Angalet, Chief Operating Officer, Inspiritus
  • Salah Ansary, Regional Director, Lutheran Community Services Northwest
  • LaSharnda Beckwith, President & CEO, Lutheran Social Services of Southern California
  • Murray Chanow, Sr. VP of Brand & Public Affairs, Upbring
  • Stephanie Chedid, President & CEO, Luther Manor
  • Héctor Colón, President & CEO, Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan
  • Anne Dennis-Choi, President & CEO, AK Child & Family
  • Maria Foschia, CEO, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry
  • Shelly Griffith, CEO, Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center
  • Chris Koenig, President & CEO, Niagara Lutheran Health System, Inc.
  • Adam Marles, President & CEO, Lutheran Senior Services
  • Amy Moore, VP of External Relations , Ascentria
  • Tara Muir, Advocacy & Government Relations Coordinator , Immanuel
  • Margaret Nimmo, Chief Strategy Officer, enCircle
  • Joan Plump, Chief of Staff, Gemma Services
  • Mark Stutrud, President & CEO, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
  • Erin Sutton, Senior Director of Advocacy, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
  • Tom Syverson, Director of Government and External Affairs, Good Samaritan
  • Linda Timmons, President & CEO, Mosaic

We’re excited to grow this committee into a cornerstone of our advocacy efforts, ensuring our values are reflected in the lives we touch and the communities we serve.

Sarah Dobson is Senior Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Lutheran Services in America.

Here We Stand: Advocating for People, for Care, for Medicaid

July 17, 2025

BY: Sarah Dobson

Our members continue to be at the forefront of advocacy in defending Medicaid, grounded in our unified, faith-based message: Here We Stand. For People. For Care. For Medicaid.

Across our network, members have demonstrated commitment through advocacy, outreach, and a willingness to share their stories.

  • Our members came to Washington to join in three Capitol Hill fly-ins to make their voices heard, resulting in over 80 meetings (cumulatively) with key members of Congress.
  • Our calls to action engaged more than 700 individuals, including 128 from the Lutheran Services in America network, expanding our reach to new partners and advocates.
  • In partnership with 4media Group, 34 advocates were trained in media engagement and eight earned media pieces, such as op-eds and letters to the editor, were written, collectively reaching an audience of more than 3 million.
  • Our Here We Stand video and paid ad campaign ran in more than a dozen reputable websites, including USA Today, Forbes and broadcast television news sites. The campaign yielded more than 381,000 impressions, exceeding our goal of 250,000, and garnered nearly 233,000 completed views—an above-industry benchmark video completion rate of 70 percent.
  • Coverage included TV, statewide radio and earned media, including KenCrest, Genacross Lutheran Services, and enCircle.

The breadth of our engagement reflects the power of faith-rooted advocacy and the impact of our collective voice in protecting care for millions.

Sarah Dobson is Senior Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Lutheran Services in America.

Voice. Evidence. Action.

May 23, 2025

BY: Alesia Frerichs

Our strength as a trusted, community-centered national network comes not just from our size and scale, but from the intersections of our work where message, evidence, and action meet. Last week was a vivid example of that alignment as we launched the Here We Stand campaign, published a new issue brief, “Innovating Care Through Community Partnerships,” and hosted a Results Network convening with 50 leaders from across the country.

Together, these initiatives tell a story of collaboration, innovation, and a united, faith-based voice leading with purpose.

Medicaid is a cornerstone of our work and a lifeline for the people we serve in more than 1,400 communities nationwide. As policymakers at both the state and federal levels continue to debate the program’s future, Here We Stand gives voice to our shared values. It boldly affirms our unwavering commitment to the millions who rely on Medicaid and reflects our unique perspective as a network that works across the full spectrum of Medicaid stakeholders. This is more than messaging—it’s a public declaration of who we are and what we stand for.

That voice is rooted in real, on-the-ground innovation. Our new issue brief highlights how Lutheran Services in America members are transforming care by forging partnerships between Medicaid Managed Care and community-based organizations, showing how integration of behavioral health and non-medical services and supports are improving outcomes for children and families and strengthening communities. A future brief and forthcoming blueprint will spotlight similar innovation across the network including in aging services and the Disability Network.

These ideas don’t just live on paper. They come to life through our learning communities. From the Rural Aging Action Networks to the Disability Network and, just last week, the Results Network convening.

These aren’t parallel tracks—they are deeply connected. The message shapes the narrative. The evidence builds credibility. The convenings fuel collaboration, innovation, and momentum.

Together, they show what’s possible when we speak with one voice, ground our work in truth, and lead with courage and community. This is how change happens. This is how we light the way—united, unwavering, and filled with purpose.

Alesia Frerichs is the President & CEO of Lutheran Services in America.

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