The Western Governors' Association (WGA) is a non-partisan organization of all 22

United States governors The following is a list of current governors (or mayor) of U.S. states, territories, and the federal district. In the United States, a governor is the chief executive officer of a state or a territory. As of November 2022, there are 28&nb ...

(representing 19 U.S. states and 3 U.S. territories) that are considered to be part of the Western region of the nation. The WGA also invites Canadian premiers (the leader of the provincial parliamentary party) of

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

to its annual conference.

Mission

The WGA addresses important policy and governance issues in the West, advances the role of the Western states in the federal system, and strengthens the social and economic fabric of the region. WGA develops policy and carries out programs in the areas of natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and state governance. WGA acts as a center of innovation and promotes shared development of solutions to regional problems.

Strategies

The WGA takes up issues using six basic strategies: *Develop and Communicate Regional Policy **The WGA enables governors to identify issues of regional concern, to formulate regional policy for those issues, and to take action that promotes Western interests. *Serve as a Leadership Forum **The WGA provides a forum for governors and other leaders to exchange ideas, positions and experiences. *Build Regional Capacity **Through the WGA, governors and their staffs exchange information and ideas about problem solving for a wide range of practical management concerns. The exchange helps governors manage their resources more efficiently, for example, when they procure services jointly and share development costs for new programs. The exchange also helps build rapport among governors, cabinet officers and gubernatorial staffs in the region. *Conduct Research and Disseminate Findings **The WGA develops and maintains up-to-date information on a wide range of subjects important to Western policy-makers, business leaders and educators. WGA produces occasional white papers, reports and other analyses used in the development of policy on matters important to the West. *Form Coalitions and Partnerships to Advance Regional Interests **Through the WGA, Western governors form coalitions to collectively express their positions on matters of shared interest, and together advocate a Western agenda before Congress and the executive branch of the federal government. *Build Public Understanding and Support for Regional Issues and Policy Positions **Through its annual convention, meetings, media briefings, resolutions and background papers, the WGA provides timely information for the public.

List of current Western governors

The current chair of the WGA is Republican Brad Little of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

and the vice chair is

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Jared Polis of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. The premiers of Canada's Western provinces are also typically invited to attend WGA meetings.

References

External links

WGA Website

West's governors plan climate strategy
{{Authority control State governors of the United States Government-related professional associations in the United States Western United States Paradiplomacy