Brenda Charles-Edwards, founder and CEO of Black Orchid Notary in Seattle, Washington, has been a Notary Public since 1992 and has just about seen it all. But one issue has always affected her deeply: financial abuse of older adults. So as a Notary who built her career on the cornerstones of public service and advocacy, and as a businesswoman with a reputation for action, Brenda did what she does best: she got involved. She travels to senior centers, nursing homes, hospitals and other venues throughout the greater Seattle area to speak to older adults about the importance of preparing their estates (powers of attorney, advance directives, living trusts, etc.) and maintaining valid identification. “I speak to a lot of different older adult groups because they don’t know how to protect themselves, especially since a lot of the danger they face comes from their own family,” Brenda said. She is particularly interested in helping the older adults maintain valid identification documents. Many older adults are denied Notary services because they lack acceptable ID, raising their stress level and vulnerability.

So, she’s also advocating for changes to the state’s Notary code to allow for loosened satisfactory evidence standards for older adults. Brenda is no stranger to legislative victories. In 2006 Brenda testified on a panel before the Washington legislature on Notary fee issues, which led to the state doubling the minimum fees for notarization to $10.

An expert in general Notary and Notary Signing Agent work, Mrs. Charles-Edwards is also a mentor for new Notaries in her state, an National Notary Association Ambassador for Washington state, 2017 Notary of the Year Special Honoree, NNA 2017 Conference workshops presenter and is training to be an AARP fraud fighter. In the Fall, she will be training to be an End of Life doula which provides emotional, spiritual, and physical support to dying people and loved ones in the last days of life.