For Immediate Release

July 30, 2020

Media Contact: Edwina Blackwell Clark
m. 513.889.6773

w/photo of Lindsay (Silverstein) Walker

Prominent Northeast Ohio Nonprofit Leader Selected to Lead the Cleveland Area
Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association
CLEVELAND, OH – An experienced executive in the nonprofit sector has been
appointed to lead one of the largest Alzheimer’s Association chapters in Ohio.
Lindsay (Silverstein) Walker is the new Cleveland Area Community Executive for the
Alzheimer’s Association Cleveland Area Chapter, one of six Ohio chapters serving
Ohio’s Alzheimer’s population. She will execute the Association’s mission to help
accelerate research, drive risk reduction and early detection and maximize quality care
and support.

“Lindsay brings great leadership and passion to the Association as we serve the
Cleveland-area community with resources to help the 50,000 individuals living in the
region with Alzheimer’s,” said Eric VanVlymen, Ohio Regional Leader of the Alzheimer’s
Association.

“She is driven by mission, which guides everything we do, and her experience aligns
well with our focus of working with volunteers to reach more people in the Cleveland
area,” VanVlymen said.

Most recently, Walker served as the Executive Director of the Northern Ohio Chapter of
the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Under Walker’s leadership in the past six
years, overall total revenue grew by 165 percent through desirable campaigns, highly
engaged volunteers and a seasoned staff of 19 staff members. Other experience
involves leading fundraising efforts in Cleveland with the American Heart Association,
American Diabetes Association, March of Dimes and the American Red Cross. She is a
2015 recipient of Crain’s Cleveland Forty Under 40 award, a 2015 recipient of Smart
Business Women Who Excel and a 2012 recipient of Inside Business Top 25 under 35.
Walker said, “I am thrilled to be joining such a mission-oriented organization that has so
much focus, so much talent and so many passionate volunteers who want to continue
the momentum in the Cleveland market.”

“I think the passion is just how volunteers and staff members come together. It’s
amazing what people can accomplish...Everybody can play a role – children, teenagers,
adults. It really does make a difference,” she said.

The Cleveland Area Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association serves families in

Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. The Chapter has offices in
Avon, Beachwood and Mentor, and supports 160,000 caregivers in the region with 35
support groups, virtual educational programs, care consultations and the Association’s
24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900. The Chapter is part of a network of 76 local chapters
nationwide that collectively act as the leading voluntary health organization in
Alzheimer's care, support and research.

In 2015 and 2016, the Chapter was recognized as the “Top Performing Chapter” in the
United States by the Alzheimer’s Association for strategic goal attainment. As the
community leader, Walker will be responsible for the execution of key strategic
initiatives such as the successful Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which this year will expand
throughout Northeast Ohio because participants will walk in their neighborhoods.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and fatal brain disease that affects approximately
5.8 million Americans. Each year, approximately 500,000 people in the United States
die from the illness that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.
Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to
interfere with daily tasks.

Robert L. Bazzarelli, Chair of the Cleveland Area Chapter’s Board of Directors, said,
“We are excited to have Lindsay Walker join the Cleveland Area Chapter of the
Alzheimer’s Association.  Her breadth of experience working with similar voluntary
health organizations in the Greater Cleveland Area along with her passion for the cause
will greatly aid us in our key strategic initiatives of supporting those with Alzheimer’s and
related dementias and raising much needed funds for research.” 

Walker, who lives in Twinsburg, is married to Michael Walker and they have two
children. She will begin on Aug. 24.

Alzheimer's Association®

The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to  Alzheimer’s care,
support and research. Its mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by
accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and
support. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.