Board of Directors
Scott Gelband
President and Treasurer
Pronouns: he/him
Scott joined the Board in 2022 and currently serves as the board President. His background includes 12 years as the executive director of Seattle Music Partners, where he had responsibility for fundraising, volunteer recruitment, partnerships with schools and community arts organizations, board and team development and other duties.
Prior to that, Scott practiced corporate law for 18 years with Perkins Coie (and Bogle & Gates), focusing his work on emerging growth companies, venture capital firms, and publicly traded companies, advising on financings and other business transactions.
Lida Ford
Secretary
Pronouns: she/ her
Lida was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, where founded her first 501c3 at the age of 16. She earned her BA from the University of Oregon in 2020, and spent the following years teaching middle and high school. In 2021, she moved to Seattle, where she earned certificates in Nonprofit Management and Fundraising Management from the University of Washington and launched her career as a fundraiser.
Lida originally came to NAMI Seattle as a staff member in 2024 as the Development Manager. Currently, she continues organization on the board, as a member of the Fundraising and Executive committees. She is dedicated to building grassroot support networks and believes strongly in the importance and power of community impact individual and societal change.
When she is not working or volunteering, you can find Lida writing, at a punk show, or spending time with her beloved dog Ellie.
Allegra Condiotty
Director
Pronouns: she/ her
Allegra has a passion for gaining new perspectives while creating accessible resources. She has valuable experience working with the Department of Health and works to promote health literacy as an educator at Watch Me Grow Washington.
Spencer Bertrand
Director
Pronouns: he/him
Spencer Bertrand is a dedicated mental health advocate whose commitment to service began early, inspired by his mother’s work as a social worker and his own years of volunteering in shelters and community programs. His passion deepened after losing close friends to suicide, leading him to SafeTALK training and NAMI Eastside support groups; experiences that reinforced the importance of peer support, stigma reduction, and accessible mental health resources.
Spencer holds a B.S. in General Biology with a minor in Bioethics from the University of Washington, where he graduated with a 3.96 GPA. He brings experience across biomedical research, trauma focused on psychiatric work, and hands-on clinical roles in hospital settings. Through this blend of scientific and community-based work, he has seen firsthand the gaps in mental health care and is committed to helping address them at both individual and systemic levels.
Kate Burrows
Director
Pronouns: she/her
Kate moved to Seattle from Portland in 2024 and lives with her partner Johnny and their two dogs, Betty and Kevin. When she’s not working or advocating for mental health (or fighting to preserve her neighborhood cemetery from residential development), she and Johnny play in their band together.
Kate is a sociologist with a PhD from Portland State University and works as an independent research consultant. Her research focuses on the intersection of medical technology—specifically within psychiatry—and social control. She is currently writing a book on this subject. Kate practices what she calls “disclosure as activism,” publicly identifying herself as a person living with a severe mental health condition in academic journals, at conferences, and in other scholarly spaces as a way to challenge stigma and advocate for change.
Kate first encountered NAMI nearly two decades ago, but wasn’t able to get involved until her mental health became more stable. She became an In Our Own Voice and Ending the Silence speaker with her Oregon affiliate and served as a state IOOV trainer. When she moved to Seattle, she knew she wanted to continue her work with NAMI and was thrilled for the opportunity to join the NAMI Seattle board. She is passionate about legislative policy work and supporting the community through advocacy and education.
Mollie Forrester, MSW, LICSW
Director
Pronouns: she/her
Mollie joined the NAMI Seattle board in 2025, bringing a career-long commitment to behavioral healthcare. A graduate of the UW School of Social Work, Mollie spent nearly a decade providing direct service to patients in mental health supportive housing and inpatient psychiatry at Harborview Medical Center, before serving as Associate Director of the Harborview Social Work Department. Today, as the Director of Patient and Family Experience at UW’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, she focuses on helping people navigate the complex behavioral health system and improving access to effective care.
Inspired early in her career by Eleanor Owen, Mollie learned the vital importance of amplifying the voices of those with lived experience. Joining the board allows Mollie to channel her diverse clinical and administrative background into tangible support for NAMI Seattle’s initiatives. She is committed to breaking down stigma, fostering a more connected community, and advocating for a behavioral health landscape that is truly responsive to the needs of people living with mental health conditions and their loved ones. In her free time, she enjoys travel, gardening, listening to live music, and spending time with family and friends.
Paimon Jaberi
Director
Pronouns: he/him
Paimon Jaberi is the Vice President of Business Strategy & Analytics for the Seattle Seahawks, where he leads the organization’s data‑driven strategy, business planning, and analytics functions to enhance fan experience, operational efficiency, and long‑term growth. He joined the Seahawks in 2017 and advanced through roles in business intelligence and strategy before being promoted to Vice President in 2024.
A Bainbridge Island native, Paimon holds both a BA in Economics and an MBA from Willamette University, where he also played collegiate football.
Paimon has followed NAMI Seattle’s work for several years and deeply believes in its mission to support individuals and families affected by mental health challenges. Motivated by a desire to give back to his community and contribute to an organization that aligns with his values, he is excited to bring his strategic planning and organizational leadership experience to the NAMI Seattle board.
Aaron Olsen
Director
Pronouns: he/him
Aaron is a nonprofit professional with 7 years of experience in grant writing and management, annual giving, event production and donor relations. Aaron has an Associate’s in Audio Engineering, a Bachelor’s in Communication, and most recently earned a Master of Public Health degree with a focus on health policy from The Chicago School.
Aaron also has been living with bipolar disorder type 2 for over 20 years and has navigated recovery through medication, therapy, inpatient hospital stays and peer support. Aaron volunteers as a Connections Facilitator for NAMI Seattle’s online support group and as an In Our Own Voice presenter. Aaron first got involved with NAMI Ogden Weber (now Weber-Davis) in Utah in 2012, and ran an in-person Connections group in college from 2013-2014.
Aaron enjoys writing fiction, running D&D campaigns and snuggling his rabbit, Axl, when not exploring the city or meeting friends and colleagues for drinks or coffee.
Joey Wilson
Director
Pronouns: he/him
An alumnus of the Occupational and Life Skills (OLS) program at Bellevue College, Joey is an irrepressible advocate for individuals living with mental illness, including working for the House Bill 1199 Health Care for Workers with Disabilities Act, and testifying before the Washington State legislature many times. This work secured the rights of disabled employees to preserve their Medicaid benefits while and eliminating wage discrimination. He won the SAIL Advocate of the Year award and the Community Change Champion Award in 2019 for his work with the state government. Joey regularly speaks to a diverse range of audiences about his disability (schizophrenia) and his experience with Washington state support services. In 2019, he was honored to be a featured speaker at the annual King County Behavioral Health Forum.
While attending a Citizenship class at Bellevue College, Joey was introduced to the Arc of King County developmental disability advocacy group, eventually joined the Arc Board of Directors and received their Community Change Champion Award. He participates as a volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul and provides incredibly valuable assistance to his neighbors and has been recognized by the Seattle Kraken and Seahawks. The documentary The Voice Inside, produced by Bright Eyed Entertainment, is devoted to Joey’s everyday battle with schizophrenia. At NAMI Seattle, Joey began as an administrative and landscape volunteer in 2017 and now serves on our Board of Directors. His gentle voice belies his lived experience, and we proudly recognize the valuable contributions that Joey makes to our organization.
Jenny Vandenbelt
Director
Pronouns: she/her
Jenny Vandenbelt is a Seattle native and has served on the board since 2019. She currently serves as the Vice President, and was previously Secretary. Jenny returned to Seattle after completing her education in California and New York in 2016 and works in the legal field. Guided by lived experience, she is committed to strengthening NAMI Seattle’s work to end stigma and expand access to peer to peer support resources- helping individuals and families find connection, understanding and hope. In her spare time she enjoys crafting, rooting for the seattle Mariners, and trying new restaurants.
Virginia Voorhees
Director
Pronouns: she/her
Virginia was born in New York City, lived in Paris as a child, and grew up in Alexandria, VA. After attending Vassar College and graduating with a degree in art history, she worked at the Corcoran Gallery. She earned a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, then moved to Seattle to work at the Seattle Art Museum to teach art history to the docents and run school programs. Virginia worked for 10 years as Director of the Seattle Design Commission working with architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and artists doing design reviews of publicly funded projects.