Governors' Meetings
December 10-12
Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
2026 Winter Meeting
The 2026 Winter Meeting of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) will be held December 10-12 on Oahu, Hawaiʻi.
June 30 - July 2
Deer Valley, Utah
2026 Annual Meeting
The 2026 Annual Meeting was hosted by Utah Governor Spencer Cox at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley, Utah.
Chair Initiative Events
09/01/26
Bismarck
North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong hosted the first Health Beyond Healthcare initiative workshop in Bismarck, North Dakota.
It featured a conversation between Governor Armstrong and WGA Executive Director Jack Waldorf, as well as discussions on youth mental health with North Dakota First Lady Kjersti Armstrong and Lieutenant Governor Michelle Strinden. Additional panels examined community-based care, criminal justice deflection and diversion, behavioral health integration, the digital transformation of the mental health system, and policy pathways for peer support.
Watch Governor Armstrong’s conversation and recordings of each panel on WGA's YouTube Channel.
For a quick summary, you can also watch the highlight video above.
10/08/26
Jackson Hole
This workshop, hosted by Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, will explore strategies to improve mental health access and delivery by addressing workforce shortages and the well-being of the western workforce.
An agenda and registration details will be available soon.
Register here11/16/26
Santa Fe
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham will host the third Health Beyond Healthcare initiative workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on November 16-17.
An agenda and registration details will be available soon.
Chair Initiatives
Each year, the Chair of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) chooses an initiative on which to focus the Association’s convening power and policy prowess. The findings of the WGA Chair initiative are memorialized in an initiative report that is released at WGA’s Annual Meeting.
Annual Policy Forum
Annual Policy Forum
The Annual Policy Forum is focused on addressing capacity challenges to equip western communities to undertake locally led community and economic development efforts.