Episode 190: Raising Awareness About Parkinson’s Through Advocacy

Andi serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Policy Officer at the Parkinson's Foundation, providing strategic leadership for the Foundation, ensuring mission programs are addressing the needs of the community, and guiding the Foundation's policy direction to advance impactful federal and state health policies. Andi previously served as Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and as Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She worked for nearly a decade on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), including as Deputy Health Policy Director, where she led the drafting or negotiation of a wide range of health laws. 

Earlier in her career, she served as Campaign Manager and Chief of Staff to an Oregon state legislator and completed a fellowship at the World Health Organization. She holds a B.A. from University of Oregon and a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University, where she studied health and health policy. 

Ken recently retired from a long career in public service as a federal attorney and senior executive, with experience spanning both the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government. Over the course of his career, he spent 18 years at the National Science Foundation, where he ultimately served as Deputy Inspector General, working on matters aimed at promoting economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in agency programs and operations. He began his legal career in private practice in Georgia before joining the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he served on active duty as a military lawyer for more than five years, later transitioning to the federal civilian sector. 

Ken was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023, and as he learned more about the condition, he became increasingly engaged as a Parkinson’s advocate—focused on raising awareness, connecting lived experience to meaningful action, and advancing policy-based solutions by engaging with policymakers to support improved access to care, increased research funding, and prevention efforts. He currently serves on the Parkinson’s Foundation’s People with Parkinson’s Advisory Council and is also a Foundation Ambassador, working to help ensure that patient perspectives inform programs, research, and priorities, while contributing to broader conversations about care, mental health, and the lived experience of Parkinson’s; he also writes about these themes and his own journey on Substack (kenchason.substack.com).