WGA Chair and Hawaii Gov. David Ige is hosting his fellow Western Governors and guests at the WGA 2018 Winter Meeting this week at the Fairmont Orchid hotel on the Island of Hawaii.
View AgendaTen Western Governors are joining Gov. Ige, including: WGA Vice Chair Doug Burgum (North Dakota), C.L. "Butch" Otter (Idaho), Steve Bullock (Montana), Brian Sandoval (Nevada), Mary Fallin (Oklahoma), Kate Brown (Oregon), Dennis Daugaard (South Dakota), Gary Herbert (Utah), Matt Mead (Wyoming), and Ralph Torres (Northern Mariana Islands).
Following remarks from WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury and WGA Chair and Gov. Ige, the first day's sessions will include a keynote by Nainoa Thompson, a mid-year update of the Western Governors' Biosecurity and Invasive Species Initiative, and a roundtable discussion on outdoor recreation. Online registration is now closed, on-site registration is available Dec. 10 from 1-4 p.m. at the Luana Lounge at the Fairmont Orchid, and 8 a.m.- 5p.m. in the Grande Ballroom Foyer.
Opening Remarks and Introduction of the Western Governors (1 p.m.)
WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury and WGA Chair Hawaii Gov. David Ige
Keynote: Nainoa Thompson (1:45 p.m.)
Roundtable: Chair's Initiative - Western Governors' Biosecurity and Invasive Species (2:15 p.m.)
The threats that invasive species pose to the West will be discussed by panelists Scott Enright, Ulalia Woodside and Osama El-Lissy.
Roundtable: Harnessing the Power of Outdoor Recreation (3 p.m.)
Panelists Tom Adams, Luis Benitez, Domenic Bravo and Rachel VandeVoort will discuss how their offices are leveraging the fast growing industry to spur economic growth.
Henk Rogers, whose Blue Planet Foundation helped drive approval of a bill directing Hawaiian utilities to generate 100 percent of their electricity sales from renewable sources by 2045, will speak on day two.
Three members of the Administration will deliver keynotes and have public conversations with the Governors at the meeting, including Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie and Administrator Linda McMahon of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Follow the meeting on Twitter by using the hashtag #WGA18. Get the latest news about the West and its governors by following the Western Governors' Association on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
