Rep. Cindy Ryu named new Pacific Northwest Economic Region president

Washington State Representative Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline) will serve a one-year term as President of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER), representing Washington and ensuring that Washington state government remains an engaged partner on important regional issues. Since being elected Vice President of PNWER US in 2022, Representative Ryu has worked closely with each of PNWER’s 10 jurisdictions to foster cross-border collaboration.

“I am excited about the opportunity to serve as PNWER President and will work hard to serve our member states, provinces and territories” Ryu’s representative said“I chair the Innovation, Community and Economic Development and Veterans Affairs Committee and serve on the Washington Tourism Marketing Authority, the NCSL 2024 Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Privacy, and the FCC Intergovernmental Advisory Committee in large part because of my conversations and involvement with PNWER during my 14 years in the Washington State Legislature.”

On July 21, the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Council of Delegates elected three new leaders to join its executive board, which includes a president and four vice presidents – two from the United States and two from Canada. The newly elected leaders are as follows:

• Representative Cindy Ryu, President of PNWER
• Representative Britt Raybould, Vice President of the United States
• MLA Travis Keisig, Vice President of Canada

The PNWER Board leads the Council of Delegates in activities aimed at realizing PNWER’s vision of expanded cross-border cooperation.

The Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) is a statutory non-profit public-private organization established in 1991 by the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Northwest Territories for the purpose of “increasing the economic prosperity and quality of life of all citizens of the region while preserving and enhancing our natural environment.”

The goals of PNWER are:

• Identify and promote “success models”
• To serve as a channel for the exchange of information.
• Promoting greater regional cooperation
• Increasing the competitiveness of the region on the domestic and international market
• Leverage regional influence in Ottawa and Washington
• Achieve sustainable economic growth while preserving the region’s natural environment
• Communicating provincial and state policies across the region