Plenary Speaker: Governor Christine Gregoire
As Washington's 22nd governor, Chris Gregoire has delivered real results to the people of Washington. Combining effective leadership with a tireless work ethic, she has shown time and again that she has the courage and independence to stand up and fight for individuals and families. Under her leadership, we are building a better future for Washington families.
Facing a $2.2 billion budget shortfall when she took office in 2005, Governor Gregoire balanced the state's budget as she expanded health care coverage to low-income children, led an effort to make government more efficient and accountable, introduced a plan to create a world class education system, and launched a bold plan to save Puget Sound. In 2007, she proposed and the voters passed a constitutionally protected rainy day fund to help the state prepare for economic downturns like we face today.
Governor Gregoire introduced and won approval for a landmark transportation package to create jobs and address critical challenges with our roads and bridges. She established a dedicated fund to reduce class sizes, helped increase enrollments at our colleges and universities, and protected vital social services for the state's most vulnerable individuals and families.
Governor Gregoire is committed to promoting and expanding business and creating family-wage jobs in the of Washington. The governor's "Next Washington" plan lays out strategies and initiatives to encourage business development and growth, and has helped lead to the creation of more than 200,000 jobs in Washington since she took office. Forbes magazine recently ranked Washington as the 3rd best to do business. Fortune magazine recently ranked Washington in the top five to start a small business.
Reelected overwhelmingly by Washington voters in 2008 and facing an historic $5.7 billion shortfall brought on by a deepening national recession, Governor Gregoire has held her promise to the people by proposing a balanced budget while maintaining her priorities of protecting families and kids the best we can. The Governor is also proposing broad government reform and "Washington JOBS now" legislation to get Washingtonians back to work and restore the economy.
Chris O'Grady was raised in Auburn, Washington, by her mother, who worked as a short-order cook to support the family. She rode horses, picked blueberries and learned the value of hard work and a good education. After graduating from Auburn High School, Chris entered the University of Washington. She graduated with a teaching certificate and Bachelor of Arts degree in speech and sociology. She met her husband, Mike, in September 1971 when they both worked for the Washington Department of Social and Health Services. Chris received her law degree in 1977 from Gonzaga University.
Plenary Speaker: Kristin McSwain
Kristin McSwain is Chief of Program Operations and the Director of AmeriCorps and National for the Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent federal agency.
As Chief of Program Operations, McSwain oversees the day-to-day operations of the Corporation's programs including Senior Corps, Learn and Serve America, AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps and National for which she also serves as the Director. McSwain was appointed the Director of AmeriCorps and National, the largest of the Corporation’s programs, in August 2006 and named Chief of Program Operations in October of 2008.
McSwain has spent her entire professional career in national and community service. After graduating college in 1991, McSwain enrolled as a corps member with Teach for America, serving as a fifth-grade teacher in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. She continued to promote quality education through Teach for America and Citizen Schools as a staff member. In 1997, McSwain joined the staff of the Massachusetts Service Alliance, initially directing Learn and Serve and AmeriCorps programs before her appointment to Chief Executive Officer for the Alliance in 2003.
McSwain is a strong advocate of community service and volunteering and an active participant in many volunteer and charitable organizations. She has served on the boards of Boston Cares, Friends of the Children Boston, and the GreenLight Fund. Prior to coming to the Corporation, McSwain was co-chair of Voices for National Service.
Plenary Speaker: Eric Liu
Eric Liu is an author, educator, and civic entrepreneur. His first book, The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, was a New York Times Notable Book featured in the PBS documentary "Matters of Race.: He is also the author of Guiding Lights: How to Mentor - and Find Life’s Purpose, the Official Book of National Mentoring Month, and is founder of the Guiding Lights Network, a mentoring advocacy organization. His forthcoming book Imagination First, co-authored with Scott Noppe-Brandon of the Lincoln Center Institute, explores ways to unlock imagination in education, politics, business and the arts. Most recently, Eric co-authored The True Patriot with Nick Hanauer, and together the two have created the True Patriot Network to advance the book's ideals of progressive patriotism. Eric served as a White House speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and later as the President's deputy domestic policy adviser. After the White House, he was an executive at the digital media company RealNetworks. In 2002 he was named one of the World Economic Forum's Global Leaders of Tomorrow.
Eric lives in Seattle, where he teaches at the University of Washington and hosts an acclaimed television interview program called Seattle Voices. In addition to speaking regularly at venues across the country, Eric also serves on the Washington Board of Education, and on the boards of the Seattle Public Library, the League of Education Voters, and the SEIU Healthcare NW Training Partnership. He is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, and a proud Seattle Public Schools parent.
Plenary Panel: Liahann R. Bannerman
Liahann R. Bannerman is Director of the Volunteer Center at United Way of King County, which mobilizes volunteers and strengthens the volunteer system in King County. This past year the Volunteer Center connected almost 33,000 people to volunteer opportunities and trained over 1440 people in topics related to volunteer management and nonprofit board governance. Liahann received a BA in Psychology from Harvard University and an MBA from Seattle Pacific University. She serves on the board of Leadership Tomorrow, Executive Service Corps, and is a member of United Way of America's Volunteer Engagement Strategy Council, the Partnership Council of Washington State Mentors, Minority Executive Directors Coalition, Volunteer Centers of Washington, People of Color in Philanthropy, and volunteers for a variety of other community-based organizations and initiatives in the area.
Plenary Panel: Dr. Susan Finley
Founding At Home At School director Susan Finley, associate professor of education at WSU-Vancouver, currently administers the AHAS K-20 program, supervising volunteers and staff, scheduling classes, negotiating space, fundraising and distributing funds. She is also the liaison between the program and our community partners, the media, parents and families, and the general public. As chair of the Masters in Teaching program at WSUV, Dr. Finley has led the integration of courses into the AHAS structure and she hosts independent study and internship opportunities for students in multiple schools and disciplines at WSUV.
Plenary Panel: Lieutenant Colonel Luke Knittig
Lieutenant Colonel Luke Knittig serves on the Army Staff at the Pentagon. He develops and advances cross-sector strategic relationships and partnerships on behalf of the senior leadership, most often for the Army's Vice Chief of Staff, General Pete Chiarelli. A West Point graduate and 18-yr Army veteran with two combat tours to Afghanistan, Knittig holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the University of Texas-Dallas.
Plenary Panel: Dean McColgan
Dean McColgan, The Boeing Company - Dean is a Senior Manager with Boeing's Global Corporate Citizenship group. Dean manages all employee engagement programs including volunteer programs, board placement, the Employees Community Fund and is a member of the corporate Employee Volunteer Council. Dean has also managed Boeing's human services and arts funding for the Northwest.
Dean is a former City Councilmember for the City of Federal Way and served as the city's Mayor from 2003-2004. He previously worked as Director of Development for United Way of Pierce County.
Dean graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in Communications.
Plenary Panel: William C. Basl
William C. Basl has worked in a variety of capacities over the past 36 years for the state of Washington on human resource, employment development, and national service activities. Bill currently serves as the Executive Director of the Washington Commission for National and Community Service, established by the Governor in 1994 to implement and expand volunteerism and national service initiatives including AmeriCorps. Bill was reappointed to his current position in 2005 by Governor Chris Gregoire and also serves as a member of the Governor's Small Agency Cabinet. He was the original founder of the Washington Service Corps in 1983 and has assisted agencies and organizations nationally and internationally to expand and strengthen national service.
Mr. Basl supported the State Department in promoting national service having been requested by Italian government and civic service leaders to revise their new service initiatives. He is the co-founder of Service America a national program that placed cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with AmeriCorps members to address critical community needs. He has also developed the nationally recognized, Leadership Forum for National Service Executives at the University of Washington, Evans School of Public Administration. Bill serves as Chair of Americas' Service Commissions based in Washington, D.C. From 1970-72, he served as a VISTA Volunteer in Walla Walla, WA, helping migrant farm workers establish their own businesses, and in Spokane where he was a VISTA Volunteer Leader and helped form a regional legal services network. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Bill received a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island.
