Join us at this year’s Changemakers Dinner!

We can’t wait to celebrate the powerful work of community advocacy and the significant strides toward economic justice in Washington state we’ve made with you by our side. You don’t want to miss our 2025 Changemakers Dinner! For the first time, we’re hosting this event in the spring after a crucial legislative session.

Hear from our new Executive Director, Rian Watt, as he reflects on a year at the helm of one of our state’s most impactful economic justice organizations. Connect with our powerful policy staff as they debut our updated mission and vision for EOI! With April Sims (she/her), President of the Washington State Labor Council, as our emcee and a slate of fantastic speakers and guests, including our keynote speaker, Attorney General Nick Brown. This will be a night of inspiring conversation and exciting new ideas that will continue to make our Washington a national model of economic opportunity.

Event Details
Date: May 8, 2025
Location: Fisher Pavilion in Seattle Center
305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109
Time: 5:30 – 8:00 pm

Meet the Lineup

April Sims, Emcee

Our event will be hosted by the one and only April Sims (she/her), President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

April was elected President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, in October 2022 and was sworn in to begin her four-year term in January 2023. She is the first woman to be elected as the president of the WSLC and the first Black woman to be elected to the presidency of an AFL-CIO state federation. As President, Sims is the council’s chief executive officer, supervises all its activities and staff, and leads Washington’s largest union organization, representing more than half a million union members.

Attorney General Nick Brown, Keynote Speaker

Nick Brown is Washington State’s 19th Attorney General, elected into office in November 2024. Nick believes the Attorney General is the people’s advocate and is committed to protecting people’s rights, standing up for our shared values, and keeping people safe.

As Attorney General, Nick focuses on getting results that benefit Washington state residents and tangibly improve their lives. His key areas of focus include protecting public safety, advancing environmental and worker protections, standing up for civil rights, and holding the powerful to account when they violate our laws and harm the people of our state.

Rian Watt, Executive Director

Rian joins the Economic Opportunity Institute from Community Solutions (CS), a national homelessness nonprofit. There, he served as the Strategy Lead for International Large-Scale Change, leading a team that designed and launched organizations building large-scale movements to end homelessness in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, and the UK.

Rian has served in leadership roles with numerous organizations in and around Seattle. He serves on the boards of the statewide land use organization Futurewise and the Third Door Coalition, a group focused on advocating for Permanent Supportive Housing in King County. Rian is also currently a Senior Advisor at The Urbanist, an advocacy journalism organization covering housing, transportation, and land use.

Meet the Panelists

Danielle Alvarado, Executive Director of Working Washington & Fair Work Center

Danielle has more than a decade of experience working in movements for racial and economic justice across the country. As Executive Director, she provides leadership on organizational strategy, advocates for public policy that puts workers first and fosters collaboration between Working Washington and Fair Work Center’s campaigns, legal, and education teams to build worker power in Washington state and beyond.

State Rep. Nicole Macri

Nicole Macri was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2016 and represents the 43rd legislative district in Seattle. Nicole has more than 25 years of experience championing progressive causes on issues around affordable housing, homelessness, and behavioral health. She has been at the forefront of the Housing First movement nationally and is a recognized leader in practical and effective strategies that end the homelessness of people living with serious disabilities.

Fernando Mejia Ledesma, Director of Communities for Our Colleges

Fernando is the Director of Communities of Our Colleges, a campaign of Just Strategy, 501 (c)(4), and partner organization of Alliance for a Just Society. He has 20 years of organizing and policy experience with many labor, community, and racial and economic justice organizations in Washington state and across the U.S. Fernando migrated from Mexico at 16 years old and recently became a U.S. citizen and voted for the first time in 2021. He sits on the board of the Tubman Center for Health & Freedom and the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs.

Become a Sponsor

Your sponsorship does more than bring your team into the fun of the evening: it powers our work to advance economic security and equity in Washington state.

Our policy team partners with a wide range of coalitions, community partners, labor unions, elected officials, and businesses to identify where transformative systems change is needed for communities in Washington state to thrive. We leverage a collaborative advocacy approach that includes coordinated action alerts, public testimony, educational presentations, and listening sessions with the community. As we create innovative strategies that promote an economy of care, we recognize that our work doesn’t stop once a policy initiative is passed. We follow policies through implementation and partner with community members to ensure they remain equitable. Through our commitment to progressive policy work, we believe a brighter future is possible.