One of the privileges of working for Western Governors is the constant opportunity the job affords to learn new things. It is kind of like attending a college with a dynamic and ever-changing curriculum.

And you best believe that we’ll be taking a full load in the fall.

Under the leadership of our Chair, Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota, our principal course of study will be rural sustainability in the American West. The governor launched his Chair’s Initiative, Reimagining the Rural West, with a webinar that examined each of the effort’s thematic pillars:  opportunity, connectivity and community.

WGA will be studying these themes in much greater detail through a series of livestreamed workshops across the West. The kickoff workshop will be hosted by Governor Burgum on Oct. 1 in Fargo, North Dakota. This will be followed by workshops hosted by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham on Nov. 4-5 in Santa Fe, and Idaho Governor Brad Little on Dec. 3 in Post Falls. Additional workshops and a webinar series will be announced in the coming weeks.

Our study of rural issues will be anything but academic. The initiative is designed to drive to action and will inform the Governors’ rural development policies and help frame WGA’s rural action plans for years to come.

To become involved in Reimagining the Rural West, contact WGA Policy Advisor Lauren DeNinno by email. There’s still plenty of time to enroll!

Jim Ogsbury is the Executive Director of the Western Governors' Association. Contact him at 303-623-9378 or send an email. Get the latest news about the West and its governors by following the Western Governors' Association on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.