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 here10/08/26
Jackson Hole
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon hosted the second Health Beyond Healthcare workshop in Jackson, Wyoming.
In addition to making opening remarks at the workshop, Governor Gordon also joined WGA Executive Director Jack Waldorf and Ortus Foundation founder Sabrina Carpenter for a discussion about rising behavioral health needs in the West and how we can work together to leverage federal resources, develop new funding streams, and implement effective, bipartisan policy that truly moves the needle on health outcomes across western communities.
The workshop also convened experts from across the country for panel discussions on the mental health workforce, improving mental health for rural western workers, the effects of the outdoors on mental health, suicide prevention, and moral trauma.
Watch 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.
This workshop, will explore strategies to expand coverage and affordability of mental health services and examine efforts to enforce and modernize mental health parity. Policymakers and experts will participate in discussions about federal insurance programs, maternal mental health, disaster response, access to treatment during incarceration and reentry, and more.
Register here
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.