Patrick Lester is senior vice president for public policy in the joint public policy office of the Alliance and United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA). He authors the magazine's newest column, Capitol Connection.

The Capitol Connection column updates the Alliance and UNCA memberships about ongoing work by the public policy staff in Washington, D.C. It provides information about how the public policy office sets its agenda, as well as how it responds to a variety of issues and legislative measures that impact the nonprofit human services sector.