The Western Governors' Association (WGA) is a non-partisan organization of all 22 United States governors (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 Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

(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 Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Brad Little Bradley Jay Little (born February 15, 1954) is an American politician serving as the 33rd governor of Idaho since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Idaho from 2009 to 2019 and as an Idah ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, 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 Monta ...

and the vice chair is Democrat

Jared Polis Jared Schutz Polis (; born May 12, 1975) is an American politician, entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist, serving as the 43rd governor of Colorado since January 2019. He served one term on the Colorado State Board of Education from 20 ...

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 the ...

. The

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