Western Governors' Foundation

Western Governors' Leadership Institute 2025: ONE MONTH LEFT TO APPLY! For more information visit: https://lnkd.in/gqRVsMu3 TO APPLY To apply, please email foundation manager Anna Caplan at acaplan@westgov.org. ABOUT This program is designed to recognize, reward, and promote the effective exercise of leadership by young adults across the West. Every year the foundation selects young adults to represent their states, territories, and tribes as institute delegates. Delegates attend a one-day leadership development forum featuring intimate conversations with Governors, chief executive officers, and other prominent thought leaders. They also attend the Annual Meeting of the Western Governors’ Association as guests of WGF. The foundation covers all expenses associated with delegate participation. ELIGIBILITY Applicants for the Leadership Forum must be between the ages of 21 and 26 years old on June 22, 2025. They must also be permanent residents of western states or territories whose Governor is an active member of WGA: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Enrolled members of Federal and State Recognized Tribes living in the West are also eligible to apply.

The Western Governors' Foundation is proud to announce the launch of Celebrate the West 2025, a high school visual arts competition hosted by the Western Governors' Foundation (WGF). Apply Here: https://lnkd.in/gpGkwt3g For a full decade, Celebrate the West has inspired young artists in the West and encouraged their creative endeavors. The competition challenges high school students to create original works of art inspired by their state or otherwise evocative of the West. The body of work collected by the competition through the years is nothing less than breathtaking. To enter the competition, students must be enrolled in grades 9-12 and a permanent resident of one of the 17 western states and 3 U.S. territories whose Governors participate in the bipartisan Western Governors' Association (WGA). 

Western Governors’ bipartisanship was on full display at the #WestGov24 Winter Meeting in Las Vegas this week. Thank you to our seven attending Governors who discussed everything from housing to healthcare with Administration officials, industry experts, and special guests. Stay tuned for recaps, photos, and more!

Jim Ogsbury, President of the Western Governors’ Foundation sits down with Current Western Governors Association Leadership Institute Delegate (WGLI), Isaiah Torres, New Mexico and former WGLI delegate, David C. Saavedra, MPA, to understand the reluctance of the next generations to devote their lives to public service, new ways people are choosing to consume information, and the hopes for change in the future. For more information and conversations, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gh6Xak-g... More about the WGLI: https://lnkd.in/g7N2i_Gb... About the Series PBS Books hosted a series of conversations with current and former Governors’ of the western states where they discussed the importance of getting involved in public service, the challenges and triumphs of the next generation of policy makers, the bipartisanship keys to success championed by the Western Governors’ Association and how that model could serve as a blueprint for restoring civil political discourse in the West and across our country. The Exploring Bipartisanship Series was created by PBS Books and the Bipartisan Leadership Project to amplify the voices of those working towards finding common ground to build bipartisan solutions. The Exploring Bipartisanship: Conversations with Western Governors, created in partnership with the Western Governors’ Association and Western Governors’ University, showcase how a commitment to bipartisanship shaped the careers of several current and former members of the WGA, its importance to the national political environment, and how the next generation of leaders can rekindle this country’s spirit of cooperation.

Mark your calendars! 📅 Utah Governor Spencer Cox will host the first workshop in our series for BRAND West, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's housing initiative. Join us in Salt Lake City on December 17 & 18 to take part in discussions on solutions to the housing crisis in the West: https://ow.ly/ASEQ50U1slQ  

WGA’s Winter Meeting on December 9 & 10 in Las Vegas, NV, will feature a panel discussion about the challenges surrounding insurance for homes amid the wildfire crisis. Register to join Western Governors and hear this important discussion: https://ow.ly/GKsV50TJX73 #wildfire #policy #wildfireinsurance

Make your voice heard and help design New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's 2025 Chair initiative: BRAND West, Building Resilient and Affordable New Developments in the West. By taking the newly released initiative survey, you'll help the Governor identify priorities to address over the course of her initiative. Find the survey here: https://ow.ly/hx4m50TJWpW #housing #policy

Congratulations to former Oklahoma delegate Jayke Flaggert on being selected as a 2024 Norman Next 40 under 40 winner!

Congratulations to former Colorado delegate Sami Mooney, CWDP on her achievement! We continue to be inspired by our delegates who, everyday, demonstrate initiative, resilience, and a commitment to a better future for all.

Proud of delegates Judah Waxelbaum, Madison Yablonski, and Sarah Jensen for making waves!