November 3, 2025 • 26 mins
Steve Schwab is an experienced national leader in health, public policy, communications and philanthropy, and a passionate champion for military and veteran caregivers, their veterans, and families. As a widely sought after expert on these issues, Steve has closely advised the White House and policymakers, leaders, and organizations in every sector, testified before Congress, addressed audiences across the globe, and represented the concerns of caregivers and military families in national media appearances, including on NBC's TODAY, 60 Minutes, Fox & Friends, and NPR. As CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Steve spearheads the country's preeminent organization empowering, supporting, and honoring military caregivers, their veterans, and families. Since 2014, he has grown and developed the Foundation from its start-up phase into an established national nonprofit responsible for some of the most impactful reforms, programs, and legislative and regulatory solutions to the challenges facing military families. Under Steve's leadership, the Foundation launched the Hidden Heroes Campaign, established the Hidden Heroes Cities and Counties program, successfully championed the expansion of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, and created Heroes & History Makers, a signature fundraising event that has raised millions of dollars for caregiver resources. In 2024, Steve led the movement to pass the largest bipartisan VA reform legislation, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (Dole Act), which was signed into law on January 2, 2025. Steve led the launch of the Hidden Helpers Coalition in 2021, bringing together the White House and more than a hundred public and private organizations to support the children in military and veteran caregiving families. In 2021, Steve was named by the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough to serve on the Veterans' Family, Caregiver, and Survivor Federal Advisory Committee. Under Steve's leadership, the Foundation has taken on a critical role leading the coalition for Face the Fight, a USAA-led initiative to significantly reduce veteran suicide. Steve is also an Executive Producer of two films documenting the lives and service of young people stepping up as caregivers, the Academy Award qualifying Sky Blossom and Unconditional: Healing Hidden Wounds. Steve is a member of the Board of Visitors of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, member of the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute Advisory Board, and member of the Reach Resilience Board of Directors. Steve is also a member of the Board and chairs the Fundraising and Engagement Committee for Whitman-Walker Health, whose mission is to offer community-based health and wellness services to vulnerable citizens of the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia communities. He served as Chairman of the Board for PsychArmor, the nation's premier nonprofit for providing free education and support for all Americans to engage effectively with the military community, for a decade until he transitioned to a member of the Board in 2024.
Previously, Steve was head of external affairs for the National Cathedral, overseeing fundraising, marketing, and communications for the nation's spiritual home. He has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from individuals, foundations, and corporations across his career and is an expert on nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, campaigns, and coalition building. Steve came to Washington, D.C. after serving in three senior leadership roles in his hometown of Rochester, N.Y. He was Vice President for Development at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra after serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to Rochester Mayor Robert J. Duffy and as head of corporate development and relations for Rochester Institute of Technology. Steve started his career in politics in New York City, then subsequently served as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Development for the New York City Partnership and Chamber of Commerce. He has a BA in Political Science from Rockefeller College, University at Albany, and is currently a member of the inaugural class of the Executive Master of Public Affairs at Duke University.
Previously, Steve was head of external affairs for the National Cathedral, overseeing fundraising, marketing, and communications for the nation's spiritual home. He has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from individuals, foundations, and corporations across his career and is an expert on nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, campaigns, and coalition building. Steve came to Washington, D.C. after serving in three senior leadership roles in his hometown of Rochester, N.Y. He was Vice President for Development at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra after serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to Rochester Mayor Robert J. Duffy and as head of corporate development and relations for Rochester Institute of Technology. Steve started his career in politics in New York City, then subsequently served as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Development for the New York City Partnership and Chamber of Commerce. He has a BA in Political Science from Rockefeller College, University at Albany, and is currently a member of the inaugural class of the Executive Master of Public Affairs at Duke University.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
MND Bank presents iHeartRadio's CEOs you should know driven by
Western Transportation Group.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Let's meet Steve Schwab. He is the CEO for the
Elizabeth Dole Foundation, a nonprofit located in Washington, d C.
That's three things and empowers military and veteran caregivers by
raising public awareness, driving research, champion policy, and leading collaborations.
Before we talk more about the foundation, I first asked
you to talk a little bit about himself, where he's
from and his origin story.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I grew up in Rochester, New York, one of seven boys,
six brothers that call him the seven Schwab Boys. Our
mother is our angel, spent her life raising us and
I went to school at the University of Albany my
undergraduate and I'm actually right now in an executive program
(00:50):
at Duke getting my master's in Public Affairs Leadership. It's
a new, really incredible global program focused on leaders in
the public sphere. Causes government private sector leaders who are
making a difference for folks in vulnerable communities. So I'm
a leader, an individual who was brought up to air
(01:15):
for the uncared to lean in and provide service to
my country and my community and I'm so lucky to
be able to do that every day at the doll Foundation.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Standing, well, we're here to talk about the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
A lot of that I want to find out, though,
because I always love to give context to the incredible
careers that people have. Sometimes when you're in college, you
know what you want to do, and there's the path,
and sometimes, as I told my daughter, that's where you
find out what you want to do, and you can
go through so many different doorways and paths. As you
were finishing up school, Originally, what did you want to do?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
So I went to school focused and clear eyed and
running for office. I grew up with following the great
noble pursuit of public service and really deeply admiring many
of the men and women who served in political office
in the eighties and the nineties. And that may be
a sort of uncharacteristic thing to say right now, Dennis,
(02:06):
because we're so divisive, and we're living in a country
where politics is really divisive, and I have the opportunity
to work in the political realm. Shortly after I graduated
in sort of the hotbed of Albany politics in New
York State, and then in New York City in mayoral politics,
and I quickly learned that the action, the real action,
and the real impact that happens for people is on
(02:28):
the ground with organizations like the one I serve in now,
and pretty quickly recognize that my political interests and my
policy interests could take me on a path to working
with organizations, cause based organizations, advocacy organizations that provide a
service and everyday service to lift people up, whether they're
(02:52):
sick or ill, or in poverty or need education or
access to services. And that's what's inspired my cause based
leadership and my professional pursuit.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Since I'm standing, well, see, we have a lot to
talk about when it comes to the Foundation. I am
going to ask you about mission and vision because I
know those are alterra important. We're going to talk about
some of the incredible programs you and your team advocating,
but I think we have to start at ground zero
with Elizabeth Dole and the Foundation and who this woman is,
because not only does she have a famous husband, but
she's done so many amazing things in her lifetime for
(03:24):
the people don't know her. Will can you share a
little bit about here and then how the Foundation actually
came to be.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, Dennis, thank you for that question. I talked about
the nobility of public service and folks who I admire
growing up who are pure servant leaders, and Elizabeth Dole
is the best example. She was a woman who came
to Washington in the nineteen sixties having just graduated, one
of the few women who went to Harvard Law School.
(03:51):
In fact, when she showed up at Harvard Law School,
a man came up to her and said, Elizabeth, why
are you here? Why are you taking one of these
slots that a man will actually use for his career.
Those are the kinds of challenges she faced at the
time when she entered the workforce, and she worked for
(04:11):
President President Nixon when she came out of school, and
then was appointed to the Federal Trade Commission because of
her great service and the consumer rights movement. And then
she became Secretary of Transportation under Ronald Reagan, the first
woman to ever hold that office, and then went on
to become the CEO of the American Red Cross, before
(04:32):
then becoming Secretary of Labor under George H. W. Bush
and then being elected the first female Senator of North Carolina.
So a lot of firsts there that Elizabeth Dole performed
over her career. She was the first woman to do
four or five things over the course of her career,
and every single time has blazed a trail of mission
and service, something she really deeply believes in, and something
(04:55):
her husband did as a famous World War Two veteran,
having served a as a longtime US Senator from Kansas,
the majority leader. So we have these two great American
public servants who had career tracks and a deep love
for one another in their country, and that led her
to found this organization. As she was caring for Senator
(05:16):
Bob Dole in his latter years, he sustained, as many
people know, a life altering wound, an injury in World
War II that almost cost him his life, and Dennis,
those service connected injuries manifested themselves in a very profound
way in his later years. And so she was in
and out of the hospital constantly, and the course of
doing so, met so many families, hundreds of them, who
(05:40):
were caring for wounded, ill and injured veterans of the
Iraq and Afghanistan War, the longest period of war in
US history, and she discovered that something had profoundly changed
in America, families were requiring lifelong care for veterans who
in prior war eras didn't survive because advancements in battlefield
medicine ete them to survive those wounds. But now they've
(06:02):
come home with ten twenty thirty forty years of healthcare
needed on the ground and the system wasn't supporting it.
The families were up in arms telling her stories of
leaving the hospital and having virtually no support at home,
and so she started this foundation to be an answer
to that, to that need, and we've turned a mission
(06:25):
into a movement. We're focused on fourteen and a half
million families who need that life altering, amazing care and
it's inside of a population of one hundred million Americans
who need caregiving and civilian families. So this is a
an issue that touches virtually every American family.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah, it sure does. And I'm glad you shared all
that to give us context to who Elizabeth Dill does
and the giving both her and her husband done their
entire lifetime only to public service, but also what you're
doing in the nonprofit sector too. And I want to
do this as we get into mission and vision and
then exactly what you do. How long is foundation been
around for Steve thirteen years? All right, so almost as
(07:03):
long as you've been with the foundation as CEO, which
I think is really cool. And we'll talk about your
role in leadership in just a little bit. But I
know that mission and vision are very important to almost
every company, but specifically to this one too, about not
only her and her husband's legacy, but to what they're
trying to do and what you're trying to do with
the team. So can you talk about mission and vision
(07:25):
with us?
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yeah? What distinguishes this organization is that our mission is
to focus on the health, wellness and recovery of veterans
by investing in their caregivers. The science and the data
says that the number one way to contribute to the
health and recovery of a veteran is a well supported
caregiver and family. So that means the folks that are
(07:46):
around those veterans need to be strong for that veterans'
success and they get healthier, faster, and they're more successful
economically if we do that. So our mission makes the
centerpiece of that family strong, that caregiver, that spouse, that mother,
that father, and by doing that DNIST through collaborative partnerships.
(08:07):
We work with the private sector and the government sector.
We raise all of our funds come from generous benefactors
in the private sector and the foundation world that individuals
across America, and we build coalitions and collaborative partnerships and
deliver programs so that the strength of the family contributes
to the strength of the veteran. And by doing that, Dennis,
(08:28):
we're doing pioneering work for the one hundred plus one
hundred plus million American families who need a caregiver. You
don't have one now, you will someday yourself need a caregiver,
or you will be a caregiver for a loved one.
So all the work that we're doing in our mission
to support military and veteran caregivers, the most vulnerable caregivers
(08:52):
in America will ultimately impact the health and wellness and
recovery of Americans who are caregivers writ large well, and.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
I know you know this, Steve, but I think with
all the baby boomers now retiring, the numbers are going
to grow exponentially, and you're now even more important with
your advocation and caregiving and all the people that are
retiring out there. So I want to do this because
I think you're talking a little bit about it, but
for the people who are being introduced in our listenership
to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation for the first time ever.
(09:21):
If you were to give a thirty thousand foot view, Steve,
about telling people exactly what you do, what would you
tell them that you do do?
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I would say that we invest in building and strengthening
America's most vulnerable military and veteran families and their caregivers
and their kids and their veterans, so that we can
build pioneering life support for all the American families who
need caregiving. So in a nutshell, we're focused on what
(09:50):
will arguably be Dennis the most concerning and pressing issue
facing American families for the next thirty years, and that
is living longer, healthier lives, and by doing so, they
need longer term healthcare at home. That's the future of
this country. It's the new normal, and we are on
the front edge of pioneering work to make sure that
(10:11):
every American family, among those the most vulnerable, have the
healthcare they need for their entire lives.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Steve, I know you've got several programs but there's two
that I want you to center on, and you can
add on anything you like here, but the Hidden Heroes
campaign and the Dull Caregiver Fellows program. Can you talk
a little bit about those, because I know they're pretty
ultra important.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Absolutely, let me talk about Hidden Heroes, a campaign that
we started twelve years ago that is chaired by Tom Hanks.
Probably the most progress that we've made in the last
twelve to thirteen years, Dennis, has been the broad based
awareness that we have built about the caregiving issue and
the caregiving movement. Tom Savannah, Jocko Sims, Savannah Guthrie from
(10:53):
The Today Show, Jocko Sims, a Gifted actor, Adam Driver,
Tim McGrath, so many others who are engaged in this
awareness campaign have helped us to recruit two hundred and
fifty plus communities across this country to become part of
our Hidden Heroes network, which means they're acknowledging that there
are caregivers on the ground in every community across America.
(11:14):
They're working with us to build a blueprint so that
we can improve services and support in their communities, and
they're suggesting to families like yours and mine Dennis that
it's a proud moment to raise your hand and identify
yourself as a caregiver. You may be a spouse, you
may be a friend, you may be just a loved
one caring for another loved one. But by saying you're
(11:36):
a caregiver makes you a part of a family that
we can offer support to. We have financial grants, we
have a peer support community, we have mental and emotional
health support, direct interventions that help people in their daily life.
But you got to raise your hand and acknowledge that
you're a caregiver to make sure that we and others
know that you're eligible for this kind of life serving
(11:58):
and life altering support.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
How about the Hidden Helper's Coalition? What's that all about?
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Yeah, thank you for asking about that, Dennis. There are
right now five and a half million kids, some as
young as four, five and six years old, who are
serving as primary and secondary caregivers to mom and dad. Dennis.
When I grew up, the only thing I worried about
was coming home when the street lights came on. Mom
would say, me, too, well, play all day and you
(12:23):
had to be home by the time the streetlights came on.
These kids, they don't even get to play. I have
one young woman who told me the story, Dennis. She
wakes up every morning, walks into her wounded veteran dad's
bedroom and asks him what the weather is like today,
And he's not looking out the window when he answers,
he's saying sunny or stormy, because he's giving her a
(12:49):
sign on how he's feeling that day. And if it's
a stormy day, she knows that she's going to spend
her entire day making her dad feel better. Can you
imagine the press sure on a six or seven year
old that they construct their day around how daddy's feeling.
And that's the reality for millions of kids who aren't
(13:09):
having sleepovers or going out to play. They're building their
childhood out of love. Right. It's a very righteous thing
to do, but a lot of pressure on young folks
shoulders to make sure that mom or dad or their
sibling have the care, love and support that they need.
And it's a new normal for military veteran families and
(13:30):
something that this coalition of private sector partners and government partners,
we're all focused on building new programs and interventions to
support their long term life.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
So I mentioned it briefly, and I'd love to you
expound on it when it comes to the Dole Caregiver
Fellows Program that's been a cornerstone of the Foundation's efforts.
How has this initiative evolved and what impact has it
had on caregivers nationwide?
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Yeah, Dennis, I mentioned the reluctance that folks have to
raise their hand and identify themselves as a caregiver. Families
are proud members of society. We have a lot of
them across the district, Maryland and Virginia, and asking for
help is a proud thing to do. And so the
Dole Fellows Program identifies these catalytic caregivers in every community
(14:17):
across America where they raise their hands proudly and say
that they're a caregiver, and they apply and become part
of a two year program at the Foundation where they
go through incredibly unique training programs and empowerment programs. We
bring them to DC to train them on how to
go up to Capitol Hill and spend time at the
(14:39):
White House and work with their governors and their mayors
to advocate for programs and services that are life altering
for they and their families. They are the heart and
soul of our organization, Dennis, and they advise us on
all of the ways that we and public servants and
politicians and business leaders build programs to support them and
(15:00):
their families. We wouldn't be here today without the service
of our Dole fellows.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Agreed, And it's a great segue to talk about advocation, Steven,
when it comes to legislative advocacy under your leadership. The
Foundation played a pivotal role in passing the Dole Act,
and I think you need to give context to what
the Dole Act is. So what does this legislation mean
for military caregivers and what challenges remain.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Yeah, it means a lot for caregivers, for veterans, their kids,
and families at large. And it's called the Senator Elizabeth
Dole twenty first Century health Care and Benefits Improvement Act.
It was the largest piece of veterans and military family
legislation passed by the last Congress, and essentially, it expands
access to home and community based care in a way
(15:42):
that was never available by the VA. Veterans and their
family members are not to be able to get the
care where they want to be at home with their
loved ones. Allowing providers and clinicians to have the resources
they need to deliver care remotely. We still have challenges
dentists to scale those services to make sure that they're
(16:04):
going to be equitable across rural areas, reducing caregiver burnout,
ensuring that they're stable funding and financial support for these families.
But this legislation is transformative in the ways that it's
going to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs and regional
healthcare providers to deliver services in a way that they
(16:26):
weren't offered before. And again, as I said before, this
is the new normal for American families. They want to
recover at home, and so our work will continue to
advocate for additional resources on the ground in communities where
these families live.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Well, Steve, I think we got everybody's attention to some
of the amazing things that you and your team do.
So when it comes to local communities around the nation
and even here in the DMV them getting involved in
supporting military caregivers, how can local communities do that?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Yes, So go to Elizabeth Dolefoundation dot org. There is
an opportunity for communities to sign on for our Hidden
Heroes Network we will schedule a meeting with our staff
that run that program, will make assessments on the strength
and challenges of the community, so we'll get communities inside
our network right away. If you're businesses that want to
hire caregivers, we're doing a big program with a Society
(17:20):
for Human Resource Management where we're teaching and training CEOs
and chief human resource officers and companies on why they
should be hiring caregivers. If folks are interested in doing
meaningful work, we have jobs available at Elizabeth Dohlfoundation dot
org to get involved in the programming and the advocacy
(17:40):
and the communications necessary. Listen, Dennis. If someone's listening and
wondering if this impacts their life, they should realize that
either very soon or very soon after, they're going to
be a caregiver for a loved one. And so this
issue touches virtually every American listening to this interview, So
(18:02):
getting involved now is essential. This should be a kitchen
table conversation, just like health and retirement is planning for
This is something we can help families do and it's
going to make sure that they and their loved ones
live longer, healthier lives.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Agreed, Steve, this is one of my favorite questions in
this great series, and it's about this is why we
get up every day stories? And I imagine with you
being at the Foundation for almost twelve years now, that
you've got handfuls of just outstanding stories, also challenges too.
But what that said, do you have maybe a story
or two that you could share with us? This is
why we get up every day because something special happened.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Yeah, I'll share a story more recently from a caregiver
who's been engaged in our work for a long long time.
Her life, like every life, has a different story, but
some of the common themes are the mental emotional toll
that her husband's PTSD and traumatic brain injury have had
(19:01):
on our family have been profound and has challenged their
marriage and their family life, and it's actually led to
him trying to take his life on a dozen plus occasions,
which is why we're so focused on suicide prevention. And
we helped this veteran get into a program with the
Cohen Mental Health Clinics that has changed his life, has
(19:29):
moved him to a place where he now is comfortable
acknowledging that he has mental health challenges that he's confronting
that he's engaged his family and his kids in the
treatment and in the follow up, and that family has
allowed us to invest in them financially, to put them
(19:50):
in a strong home where we've helped cover the mortgage
and pay for the services and support that that family
need both mentally and emotionally and economically to give them
a leg up. And their kids, by the way, they
have three kids were part of our Hidden Helpers network.
Joined us in Walt Disney World in August where for
(20:11):
the first time, Dennis, we brought three hundred families together,
wows whose kids are serving as kid caregivers, these Hidden
Helpers and these kids met for the first time, and
their daughter ran up to me and said, tearfully, I
had no idea that there were any other kids in
(20:32):
this country doing what I do every day. So you
can see the multiple ways that we've touched that family intergenerationally, economically, mentally,
and emotionally with their kids. That's what we do every
day at the Adul Foundation, and that's why I get
up out of bed everything.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Yeah, I'm really glad you shared that story. You know.
One of the things I'm learning about nonprofits over the
last couple of decades that didn't exist and now do.
Steve is that with the human condition, you want to
be able to relate no matter what it is, good, bad,
even it doesn't matter, and that you find out that
somebody has the same experiences that you do is so powerful.
(21:06):
So I'm glad that you do that and those families
come together and acknowledge that, hey, this is happening to
me too. And I think that's really cool because you
get to take that deep breath that I'm not the
only one on the planet that's going through this, and
I think that's ultra cool. So I just wanted to
say that, well, I wanted to talk to you about
one more thing before getting some final thoughts and the
website and how people can donate and be a part
of the foundation. Steve and I want to talk about leadership,
(21:29):
as you know listening to the series that we had
talked about in the green room before we started the interview,
that there are so many really cool people that listen
to series, current leaders and CEOs and entrepreneurs, but also
future leaders. And I know you come from a big
family and now you're still learning, you know, with Duke,
and you want to grow and be better. And when
I talk to you about leadership that you've been doing
(21:51):
now for a decade plus at the Foundation, what does
leadership mean to you and how do you activate it there? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:58):
You know, Dennis, we live in a really heavy world
right now, with political, financial, and societal pressures that in
some cases people haven't experience in their entire life. So
it just feels really heavy. And I believe and have
learned from Elizabeth Dole how important selfless, trust and value
(22:19):
based leadership is in these times. And so by values based,
I mean hearkening back to growing up and hearing my
dad tell me that the most important work I should
do is for people who need a leg a leg up,
and a lift up. And by trust, it means building
relationships with my colleagues in my community that when I
(22:40):
say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it.
It's why I spend so much time with good folks
like you and on my LinkedIn telling the story of
how I'm running around this country doing the work that
I need to do every single day for my community.
Because if I'm not telling this story, if I'm not
sharing this story, I'm not building support I'm not recruiting
(23:02):
more families to raise their hands and suggest they need support.
But it's so important to build trusting, value based relationships
with your colleagues and your community and the general public.
And I think heavy times like this, being pure, honest,
trust based public leaders build stronger, healthier organizations and leads
(23:24):
by the way, to more folks wanting to get engaged
and involved because it's so hard to find values based,
trusted partners who do what they say they're going to
do and actually create an impact. We measure the work
and by the way, all good organizations need to be
transparent and measure have a measurable impact, and we worked
really hard on that at the Foundation and our results
(23:45):
speak for themselves well.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Good words to live by, and I appreciate you sharing
all that we'll see before we give the website one
more time, and how people can donate and be a
part of everything when it comes to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
Just some final thoughts about what we've talked about.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Your Yeah, I'd say to everybody listening that we have
a responsibility as citizens to care for those who protect
our freedom and security and their loved ones and the
population that I represent fourteen and a half million military
and veteran families across America have given up their lives
in their livelihood to make sure that we as Americans
(24:22):
have the rights that are really easy to take for granted.
And every single day, my team and I are out
on the front lines with our partners ensuring that we're
building strong and healthy homes across America where the War
Dennis is still being waged, where life altering wounds and
injuries PTSD traumatic brain injuries are still impacting the lives
(24:44):
of veterans every single day. And so we have a
responsibility to support organizations like the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Elizabeth
Dohle Foundation dot org and all the other good community
organizations who are supporting veterans and their loved ones. And
I'm just a privilege to do this work and to
be able to talk about it with great patriotic programs
like Yours Status and It's and this community, the District
(25:08):
Mayland of Virginia have a rich military and veteran community
and population and a rich tradition of supporting that population.
So I just thank everybody listening for their support, and
I invite them to become a part of our mission outstanding.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
See you, thank you for everything. And you know, one
of my many takeaways when it comes to Elizabeth Dole
and then I'm always in awe of is that when
something happens to somebody, it's hard. But what she did
is that she took it to the next level to
help hundreds of thousands of Americans. And that's hard work.
And that's what I think is cool. What she did,
what you and your team are doing. So thank you
(25:46):
so much for all that you're doing and your team,
And to Elizabeth Dole, I'm glad that we could feature
you on CEOs. As you know, please continue success and
thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
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Speaker 2 (00:07):
Let's meet Steve Schwab. He is the CEO for the
Elizabeth Dole Foundation, a nonprofit located in Washington, d C.
That's three things and empowers military and veteran caregivers by
raising public awareness, driving research, champion policy, and leading collaborations.
Before we talk more about the foundation, I first asked
you to talk a little bit about himself, where he's
from and his origin story.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I grew up in Rochester, New York, one of seven boys,
six brothers that call him the seven Schwab Boys. Our
mother is our angel, spent her life raising us and
I went to school at the University of Albany my
undergraduate and I'm actually right now in an executive program
(00:50):
at Duke getting my master's in Public Affairs Leadership. It's
a new, really incredible global program focused on leaders in
the public sphere. Causes government private sector leaders who are
making a difference for folks in vulnerable communities. So I'm
a leader, an individual who was brought up to air
(01:15):
for the uncared to lean in and provide service to
my country and my community and I'm so lucky to
be able to do that every day at the doll Foundation.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Standing, well, we're here to talk about the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
A lot of that I want to find out, though,
because I always love to give context to the incredible
careers that people have. Sometimes when you're in college, you
know what you want to do, and there's the path,
and sometimes, as I told my daughter, that's where you
find out what you want to do, and you can
go through so many different doorways and paths. As you
were finishing up school, Originally, what did you want to do?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
So I went to school focused and clear eyed and
running for office. I grew up with following the great
noble pursuit of public service and really deeply admiring many
of the men and women who served in political office
in the eighties and the nineties. And that may be
a sort of uncharacteristic thing to say right now, Dennis,
(02:06):
because we're so divisive, and we're living in a country
where politics is really divisive, and I have the opportunity
to work in the political realm. Shortly after I graduated
in sort of the hotbed of Albany politics in New
York State, and then in New York City in mayoral politics,
and I quickly learned that the action, the real action,
and the real impact that happens for people is on
(02:28):
the ground with organizations like the one I serve in now,
and pretty quickly recognize that my political interests and my
policy interests could take me on a path to working
with organizations, cause based organizations, advocacy organizations that provide a
service and everyday service to lift people up, whether they're
(02:52):
sick or ill, or in poverty or need education or
access to services. And that's what's inspired my cause based
leadership and my professional pursuit.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Since I'm standing, well, see, we have a lot to
talk about when it comes to the Foundation. I am
going to ask you about mission and vision because I
know those are alterra important. We're going to talk about
some of the incredible programs you and your team advocating,
but I think we have to start at ground zero
with Elizabeth Dole and the Foundation and who this woman is,
because not only does she have a famous husband, but
she's done so many amazing things in her lifetime for
(03:24):
the people don't know her. Will can you share a
little bit about here and then how the Foundation actually
came to be.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, Dennis, thank you for that question. I talked about
the nobility of public service and folks who I admire
growing up who are pure servant leaders, and Elizabeth Dole
is the best example. She was a woman who came
to Washington in the nineteen sixties having just graduated, one
of the few women who went to Harvard Law School.
(03:51):
In fact, when she showed up at Harvard Law School,
a man came up to her and said, Elizabeth, why
are you here? Why are you taking one of these
slots that a man will actually use for his career.
Those are the kinds of challenges she faced at the
time when she entered the workforce, and she worked for
(04:11):
President President Nixon when she came out of school, and
then was appointed to the Federal Trade Commission because of
her great service and the consumer rights movement. And then
she became Secretary of Transportation under Ronald Reagan, the first
woman to ever hold that office, and then went on
to become the CEO of the American Red Cross, before
(04:32):
then becoming Secretary of Labor under George H. W. Bush
and then being elected the first female Senator of North Carolina.
So a lot of firsts there that Elizabeth Dole performed
over her career. She was the first woman to do
four or five things over the course of her career,
and every single time has blazed a trail of mission
and service, something she really deeply believes in, and something
(04:55):
her husband did as a famous World War Two veteran,
having served a as a longtime US Senator from Kansas,
the majority leader. So we have these two great American
public servants who had career tracks and a deep love
for one another in their country, and that led her
to found this organization. As she was caring for Senator
(05:16):
Bob Dole in his latter years, he sustained, as many
people know, a life altering wound, an injury in World
War II that almost cost him his life, and Dennis,
those service connected injuries manifested themselves in a very profound
way in his later years. And so she was in
and out of the hospital constantly, and the course of
doing so, met so many families, hundreds of them, who
(05:40):
were caring for wounded, ill and injured veterans of the
Iraq and Afghanistan War, the longest period of war in
US history, and she discovered that something had profoundly changed
in America, families were requiring lifelong care for veterans who
in prior war eras didn't survive because advancements in battlefield
medicine ete them to survive those wounds. But now they've
(06:02):
come home with ten twenty thirty forty years of healthcare
needed on the ground and the system wasn't supporting it.
The families were up in arms telling her stories of
leaving the hospital and having virtually no support at home,
and so she started this foundation to be an answer
to that, to that need, and we've turned a mission
(06:25):
into a movement. We're focused on fourteen and a half
million families who need that life altering, amazing care and
it's inside of a population of one hundred million Americans
who need caregiving and civilian families. So this is a
an issue that touches virtually every American family.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah, it sure does. And I'm glad you shared all
that to give us context to who Elizabeth Dill does
and the giving both her and her husband done their
entire lifetime only to public service, but also what you're
doing in the nonprofit sector too. And I want to
do this as we get into mission and vision and
then exactly what you do. How long is foundation been
around for Steve thirteen years? All right, so almost as
(07:03):
long as you've been with the foundation as CEO, which
I think is really cool. And we'll talk about your
role in leadership in just a little bit. But I
know that mission and vision are very important to almost
every company, but specifically to this one too, about not
only her and her husband's legacy, but to what they're
trying to do and what you're trying to do with
the team. So can you talk about mission and vision
(07:25):
with us?
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yeah? What distinguishes this organization is that our mission is
to focus on the health, wellness and recovery of veterans
by investing in their caregivers. The science and the data
says that the number one way to contribute to the
health and recovery of a veteran is a well supported
caregiver and family. So that means the folks that are
(07:46):
around those veterans need to be strong for that veterans'
success and they get healthier, faster, and they're more successful
economically if we do that. So our mission makes the
centerpiece of that family strong, that caregiver, that spouse, that mother,
that father, and by doing that DNIST through collaborative partnerships.
(08:07):
We work with the private sector and the government sector.
We raise all of our funds come from generous benefactors
in the private sector and the foundation world that individuals
across America, and we build coalitions and collaborative partnerships and
deliver programs so that the strength of the family contributes
to the strength of the veteran. And by doing that, Dennis,
(08:28):
we're doing pioneering work for the one hundred plus one
hundred plus million American families who need a caregiver. You
don't have one now, you will someday yourself need a caregiver,
or you will be a caregiver for a loved one.
So all the work that we're doing in our mission
to support military and veteran caregivers, the most vulnerable caregivers
(08:52):
in America will ultimately impact the health and wellness and
recovery of Americans who are caregivers writ large well, and.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
I know you know this, Steve, but I think with
all the baby boomers now retiring, the numbers are going
to grow exponentially, and you're now even more important with
your advocation and caregiving and all the people that are
retiring out there. So I want to do this because
I think you're talking a little bit about it, but
for the people who are being introduced in our listenership
to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation for the first time ever.
(09:21):
If you were to give a thirty thousand foot view, Steve,
about telling people exactly what you do, what would you
tell them that you do do?
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I would say that we invest in building and strengthening
America's most vulnerable military and veteran families and their caregivers
and their kids and their veterans, so that we can
build pioneering life support for all the American families who
need caregiving. So in a nutshell, we're focused on what
(09:50):
will arguably be Dennis the most concerning and pressing issue
facing American families for the next thirty years, and that
is living longer, healthier lives, and by doing so, they
need longer term healthcare at home. That's the future of
this country. It's the new normal, and we are on
the front edge of pioneering work to make sure that
(10:11):
every American family, among those the most vulnerable, have the
healthcare they need for their entire lives.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Steve, I know you've got several programs but there's two
that I want you to center on, and you can
add on anything you like here, but the Hidden Heroes
campaign and the Dull Caregiver Fellows program. Can you talk
a little bit about those, because I know they're pretty
ultra important.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Absolutely, let me talk about Hidden Heroes, a campaign that
we started twelve years ago that is chaired by Tom Hanks.
Probably the most progress that we've made in the last
twelve to thirteen years, Dennis, has been the broad based
awareness that we have built about the caregiving issue and
the caregiving movement. Tom Savannah, Jocko Sims, Savannah Guthrie from
(10:53):
The Today Show, Jocko Sims, a Gifted actor, Adam Driver,
Tim McGrath, so many others who are engaged in this
awareness campaign have helped us to recruit two hundred and
fifty plus communities across this country to become part of
our Hidden Heroes network, which means they're acknowledging that there
are caregivers on the ground in every community across America.
(11:14):
They're working with us to build a blueprint so that
we can improve services and support in their communities, and
they're suggesting to families like yours and mine Dennis that
it's a proud moment to raise your hand and identify
yourself as a caregiver. You may be a spouse, you
may be a friend, you may be just a loved
one caring for another loved one. But by saying you're
(11:36):
a caregiver makes you a part of a family that
we can offer support to. We have financial grants, we
have a peer support community, we have mental and emotional
health support, direct interventions that help people in their daily life.
But you got to raise your hand and acknowledge that
you're a caregiver to make sure that we and others
know that you're eligible for this kind of life serving
(11:58):
and life altering support.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
How about the Hidden Helper's Coalition? What's that all about?
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Yeah, thank you for asking about that, Dennis. There are
right now five and a half million kids, some as
young as four, five and six years old, who are
serving as primary and secondary caregivers to mom and dad. Dennis.
When I grew up, the only thing I worried about
was coming home when the street lights came on. Mom
would say, me, too, well, play all day and you
(12:23):
had to be home by the time the streetlights came on.
These kids, they don't even get to play. I have
one young woman who told me the story, Dennis. She
wakes up every morning, walks into her wounded veteran dad's
bedroom and asks him what the weather is like today,
And he's not looking out the window when he answers,
he's saying sunny or stormy, because he's giving her a
(12:49):
sign on how he's feeling that day. And if it's
a stormy day, she knows that she's going to spend
her entire day making her dad feel better. Can you
imagine the press sure on a six or seven year
old that they construct their day around how daddy's feeling.
And that's the reality for millions of kids who aren't
(13:09):
having sleepovers or going out to play. They're building their
childhood out of love. Right. It's a very righteous thing
to do, but a lot of pressure on young folks
shoulders to make sure that mom or dad or their
sibling have the care, love and support that they need.
And it's a new normal for military veteran families and
(13:30):
something that this coalition of private sector partners and government partners,
we're all focused on building new programs and interventions to
support their long term life.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
So I mentioned it briefly, and I'd love to you
expound on it when it comes to the Dole Caregiver
Fellows Program that's been a cornerstone of the Foundation's efforts.
How has this initiative evolved and what impact has it
had on caregivers nationwide?
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Yeah, Dennis, I mentioned the reluctance that folks have to
raise their hand and identify themselves as a caregiver. Families
are proud members of society. We have a lot of
them across the district, Maryland and Virginia, and asking for
help is a proud thing to do. And so the
Dole Fellows Program identifies these catalytic caregivers in every community
(14:17):
across America where they raise their hands proudly and say
that they're a caregiver, and they apply and become part
of a two year program at the Foundation where they
go through incredibly unique training programs and empowerment programs. We
bring them to DC to train them on how to
go up to Capitol Hill and spend time at the
(14:39):
White House and work with their governors and their mayors
to advocate for programs and services that are life altering
for they and their families. They are the heart and
soul of our organization, Dennis, and they advise us on
all of the ways that we and public servants and
politicians and business leaders build programs to support them and
(15:00):
their families. We wouldn't be here today without the service
of our Dole fellows.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Agreed, And it's a great segue to talk about advocation, Steven,
when it comes to legislative advocacy under your leadership. The
Foundation played a pivotal role in passing the Dole Act,
and I think you need to give context to what
the Dole Act is. So what does this legislation mean
for military caregivers and what challenges remain.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Yeah, it means a lot for caregivers, for veterans, their kids,
and families at large. And it's called the Senator Elizabeth
Dole twenty first Century health Care and Benefits Improvement Act.
It was the largest piece of veterans and military family
legislation passed by the last Congress, and essentially, it expands
access to home and community based care in a way
(15:42):
that was never available by the VA. Veterans and their
family members are not to be able to get the
care where they want to be at home with their
loved ones. Allowing providers and clinicians to have the resources
they need to deliver care remotely. We still have challenges
dentists to scale those services to make sure that they're
(16:04):
going to be equitable across rural areas, reducing caregiver burnout,
ensuring that they're stable funding and financial support for these families.
But this legislation is transformative in the ways that it's
going to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs and regional
healthcare providers to deliver services in a way that they
(16:26):
weren't offered before. And again, as I said before, this
is the new normal for American families. They want to
recover at home, and so our work will continue to
advocate for additional resources on the ground in communities where
these families live.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Well, Steve, I think we got everybody's attention to some
of the amazing things that you and your team do.
So when it comes to local communities around the nation
and even here in the DMV them getting involved in
supporting military caregivers, how can local communities do that?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Yes, So go to Elizabeth Dolefoundation dot org. There is
an opportunity for communities to sign on for our Hidden
Heroes Network we will schedule a meeting with our staff
that run that program, will make assessments on the strength
and challenges of the community, so we'll get communities inside
our network right away. If you're businesses that want to
hire caregivers, we're doing a big program with a Society
(17:20):
for Human Resource Management where we're teaching and training CEOs
and chief human resource officers and companies on why they
should be hiring caregivers. If folks are interested in doing
meaningful work, we have jobs available at Elizabeth Dohlfoundation dot
org to get involved in the programming and the advocacy
(17:40):
and the communications necessary. Listen, Dennis. If someone's listening and
wondering if this impacts their life, they should realize that
either very soon or very soon after, they're going to
be a caregiver for a loved one. And so this
issue touches virtually every American listening to this interview, So
(18:02):
getting involved now is essential. This should be a kitchen
table conversation, just like health and retirement is planning for
This is something we can help families do and it's
going to make sure that they and their loved ones
live longer, healthier lives.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Agreed, Steve, this is one of my favorite questions in
this great series, and it's about this is why we
get up every day stories? And I imagine with you
being at the Foundation for almost twelve years now, that
you've got handfuls of just outstanding stories, also challenges too.
But what that said, do you have maybe a story
or two that you could share with us? This is
why we get up every day because something special happened.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Yeah, I'll share a story more recently from a caregiver
who's been engaged in our work for a long long time.
Her life, like every life, has a different story, but
some of the common themes are the mental emotional toll
that her husband's PTSD and traumatic brain injury have had
(19:01):
on our family have been profound and has challenged their
marriage and their family life, and it's actually led to
him trying to take his life on a dozen plus occasions,
which is why we're so focused on suicide prevention. And
we helped this veteran get into a program with the
Cohen Mental Health Clinics that has changed his life, has
(19:29):
moved him to a place where he now is comfortable
acknowledging that he has mental health challenges that he's confronting
that he's engaged his family and his kids in the
treatment and in the follow up, and that family has
allowed us to invest in them financially, to put them
(19:50):
in a strong home where we've helped cover the mortgage
and pay for the services and support that that family
need both mentally and emotionally and economically to give them
a leg up. And their kids, by the way, they
have three kids were part of our Hidden Helpers network.
Joined us in Walt Disney World in August where for
(20:11):
the first time, Dennis, we brought three hundred families together,
wows whose kids are serving as kid caregivers, these Hidden
Helpers and these kids met for the first time, and
their daughter ran up to me and said, tearfully, I
had no idea that there were any other kids in
(20:32):
this country doing what I do every day. So you
can see the multiple ways that we've touched that family intergenerationally, economically, mentally,
and emotionally with their kids. That's what we do every
day at the Adul Foundation, and that's why I get
up out of bed everything.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Yeah, I'm really glad you shared that story. You know.
One of the things I'm learning about nonprofits over the
last couple of decades that didn't exist and now do.
Steve is that with the human condition, you want to
be able to relate no matter what it is, good, bad,
even it doesn't matter, and that you find out that
somebody has the same experiences that you do is so powerful.
(21:06):
So I'm glad that you do that and those families
come together and acknowledge that, hey, this is happening to
me too. And I think that's really cool because you
get to take that deep breath that I'm not the
only one on the planet that's going through this, and
I think that's ultra cool. So I just wanted to
say that, well, I wanted to talk to you about
one more thing before getting some final thoughts and the
website and how people can donate and be a part
of the foundation. Steve and I want to talk about leadership,
(21:29):
as you know listening to the series that we had
talked about in the green room before we started the interview,
that there are so many really cool people that listen
to series, current leaders and CEOs and entrepreneurs, but also
future leaders. And I know you come from a big
family and now you're still learning, you know, with Duke,
and you want to grow and be better. And when
I talk to you about leadership that you've been doing
(21:51):
now for a decade plus at the Foundation, what does
leadership mean to you and how do you activate it there? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:58):
You know, Dennis, we live in a really heavy world
right now, with political, financial, and societal pressures that in
some cases people haven't experience in their entire life. So
it just feels really heavy. And I believe and have
learned from Elizabeth Dole how important selfless, trust and value
(22:19):
based leadership is in these times. And so by values based,
I mean hearkening back to growing up and hearing my
dad tell me that the most important work I should
do is for people who need a leg a leg up,
and a lift up. And by trust, it means building
relationships with my colleagues in my community that when I
(22:40):
say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it.
It's why I spend so much time with good folks
like you and on my LinkedIn telling the story of
how I'm running around this country doing the work that
I need to do every single day for my community.
Because if I'm not telling this story, if I'm not
sharing this story, I'm not building support I'm not recruiting
(23:02):
more families to raise their hands and suggest they need support.
But it's so important to build trusting, value based relationships
with your colleagues and your community and the general public.
And I think heavy times like this, being pure, honest,
trust based public leaders build stronger, healthier organizations and leads
(23:24):
by the way, to more folks wanting to get engaged
and involved because it's so hard to find values based,
trusted partners who do what they say they're going to
do and actually create an impact. We measure the work
and by the way, all good organizations need to be
transparent and measure have a measurable impact, and we worked
really hard on that at the Foundation and our results
(23:45):
speak for themselves well.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Good words to live by, and I appreciate you sharing
all that we'll see before we give the website one
more time, and how people can donate and be a
part of everything when it comes to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
Just some final thoughts about what we've talked about.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Your Yeah, I'd say to everybody listening that we have
a responsibility as citizens to care for those who protect
our freedom and security and their loved ones and the
population that I represent fourteen and a half million military
and veteran families across America have given up their lives
in their livelihood to make sure that we as Americans
(24:22):
have the rights that are really easy to take for granted.
And every single day, my team and I are out
on the front lines with our partners ensuring that we're
building strong and healthy homes across America where the War
Dennis is still being waged, where life altering wounds and
injuries PTSD traumatic brain injuries are still impacting the lives
(24:44):
of veterans every single day. And so we have a
responsibility to support organizations like the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Elizabeth
Dohle Foundation dot org and all the other good community
organizations who are supporting veterans and their loved ones. And
I'm just a privilege to do this work and to
be able to talk about it with great patriotic programs
like Yours Status and It's and this community, the District
(25:08):
Mayland of Virginia have a rich military and veteran community
and population and a rich tradition of supporting that population.
So I just thank everybody listening for their support, and
I invite them to become a part of our mission outstanding.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
See you, thank you for everything. And you know, one
of my many takeaways when it comes to Elizabeth Dole
and then I'm always in awe of is that when
something happens to somebody, it's hard. But what she did
is that she took it to the next level to
help hundreds of thousands of Americans. And that's hard work.
And that's what I think is cool. What she did,
what you and your team are doing. So thank you
(25:46):
so much for all that you're doing and your team,
And to Elizabeth Dole, I'm glad that we could feature
you on CEOs. As you know, please continue success and
thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
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