Western Governors Association

The Western Governors' Association (WGA) is a non-partisan organization of all 22 United States Governors (representing 19 U.S. States and 3 U.S. territories) that are considered to be part of the Western region of the nation.

The WGA also invites the premiers (Canada's equivalent of governors) of Western Canada to its annual conference.

Mission

The WGA addresses important policy and governance issues in the West, advances the role of the Western states in the federal system, and strengthens the social and economic fabric of the region.

WGA develops policy and carries out programs in the areas of natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and state governance.

WGA acts as a center of innovation and promotes shared development of solutions to regional problems.

Strategies

The WGA takes up issues using six basic strategies:

• Develop and Communicate Regional Policy
  • The WGA enables Governors to identify issues of regional concern, to formulate regional policy for those issues, and to take action that promotes Western interests.

• Serve as a Leadership Forum
  • The WGA provides a forum for Governors and other leaders to exchange ideas, positions and experiences.

• Build Regional Capacity
  • Through the WGA, Governors and their staffs exchange information and ideas about problem solving for a wide range of practical management concerns. The exchange helps Governors manage their resources more efficiently, for example, when they procure services jointly and share development costs for new programs. The exchange also helps build rapport among Governors, cabinet officers and gubernatorial staffs in the region.

• Conduct Research and Disseminate Findings
  • The WGA develops and maintains up-to-date information on a wide range of subjects important to Western policy-makers, business leaders and educators. WGA produces occasional white papers, reports and other analyses used in the development of policy on matters important to the West.

• Form Coalitions and Partnerships to Advance Regional Interests
  • Through the WGA, Western Governors form coalitions to collectively express their positions on matters of shared interest, and together advocate a Western agenda before Congress and the executive branch of the federal government.

• Build Public Understanding and Support for Regional Issues and Policy Positions
  • Through its annual convention, meetings, media briefings, resolutions and background papers, the WGA provides timely information for the public.

List of current Western Governors

The Current Chairman of the WGA is Republican Gary Herbert of Utah and the Vice Chair is Democrat John Hickenlooper of Colorado.

Current Governor	State	Past	Party	Elected/took office	Seat Up
Bill Walker	Alaska	List	Independent	2014	2018
Jan Brewer	Arizona	List	Republican	2009	2014 (term-limited)
Jerry Brown	California	List	Democratic	2011	2014
John Hickenlooper	Colorado	List	Democratic	2011	2014
Eddie Calvo	Guam	List	Republican	2011	2014
David Ige	Hawaii	List	Democratic	2014	2018
C.L. "Butch" Otter	Idaho	List	Republican	2007	2014
Sam Brownback	Kansas	List	Republican	2011	2014
Steve Bullock	Montana	List	Democratic	2013	2016
Dave Heineman	Nebraska	List	Republican	2005	2014 (term-limited)
Brian Sandoval	Nevada	List	Republican	2011	2014
Susana Martinez	New Mexico	List	Republican	2011	2014
Eloy Inos	Northern Mariana Islands	List	Republican	2013	2014
Jack Dalrymple	North Dakota	List	Republican	2010	2016
Mary Fallin	Oklahoma	List	Republican	2011	2014
Kate Brown	Oregon	List	Democratic	2015	2016
Dennis Daugaard	South Dakota	List	Republican	2011	2014
Greg Abbott	Texas	List	Republican	2014	2018
Gary Herbert	Utah	List	Republican	2009	2016
Jay Inslee	Washington	List	Democratic	2013	2016
Matt Mead	Wyoming	List	Republican	2011	2014

External links

• WGA Website
• West's governors plan climate strategy