Earlier this year, we hosted a Pacific Northwest Study Mission which included a five-week series of virtual events where we heard from experts up and down the I-5 corridor from Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia. They shared their insights on a variety of topics and reminded us of our collective responsibility to create a successful regional community.
Reenergizing an Inclusive Economy
We kicked off with our series joined by Bank of America’s Jesse Franklin, Campfire Coffee Co.’s Quincy Henry, Chief Seattle Club’s Colleen Echohawk, and Partners in Diversity’s Mari Watanabe. They discussed strategy, setbacks, and successes in recovery, and how reenergizing an inclusive regional economy and adapting businesses during these times in anything but linear.
Get insights on the conversation here.
Equity in Education
Our second event welcomed Portland Public Schools’ Dani Ledezma, Seattle Public Schools Dr. Keisha Scarlett, Washington State University, Everett’s Paul Pitre, and Western Washington University’s Sabah Randhawa who discussed how their institutions have adapted to the pandemic, their outlook as we work to transition back to in-person learning, and how to approach conversations around racial equity in the classroom.
Get insights on the conversation here.
The State of Live Events
Next, we discussed the state of live events and venues in our region with Mount Baker Theatre’s Renee Gaumond, Seattle Seahawks’ David Young, and Tacoma Arts Live’s Chris Tubig. These industry experts discusses, in detail, how they’ve had to adapt during the pandemic and how the show will, safely, go on.
Get insights on the conversation here.
The Migration of Talent
Our fourth event featured CuriosityBased’s Julie Pham, PhD, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association’s Gavin Duffus, Flying Fish Partners’ Heather Redman, Technology Association of Oregon’s Skip Newberry, and Zillow Group’s Alexandra Lee. Alexandra set the stage with an overview of the current housing climate in our region using a new report from Zillow and the rest of our panel then shared current trends from each of their industry perspectives and their outlook on the new working-from-home ways of business.
Get insights on the conversation here.
The Future of Our Cities
We wrapped up the series by hearing from King County Executive Dow Constantine, City of Everett’s Mayor Cassie Franklin, City of Seattle’s Mayor Jenny Durkan, and City of Tacoma’s Deputy Mayor Keith Blocker who spoke to what they’ve learned over the last year, their plans in moving forward, and how we can work together so we can all thrive in a prosperous Pacific Northwest.
Get insights on the conversation here.
Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor:
Thanks to our Event Sponsors: