What is the Washington Roundtable?
The Washington Roundtable is a nonprofit, public policy organization
comprised of chief executives representing major private sector
employers throughout Washington state. Since 1983, the
Roundtable’s CEO members have worked to create positive change
on critical policy issues that foster economic growth, generate
jobs and improve quality of life for Washingtonians.
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What makes the Washington Roundtable
different from other business or policy organizations?
What sets
the Washington Roundtable apart is its board members and
long-term perspective. No other organization in Washington
brings together CEOs from the private sector to address critical
public policy issues. We engage in a limited number of issues
and when we decide to focus on a policy area, we do so with a
commitment to "stay the course" until we truly make a
difference.
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What are the criteria that the Washington
Roundtable uses to determine the issues it will focus on?
We normally restrict our involvement to issues that fall within our
three areas of focus—education, economic climate and fiscal
policy; but, primarily we look for issues that have broad impact
on the social and economic well-being of our state. We consider
issues that are timely and possibly under consideration by state
leaders. Finally, we select issues that we believe will benefit
from the knowledge and perspective of our CEO members.
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Is the Washington Roundtable a government
organization?
No. Although we work to address state policy
issues, we are not affiliated with or supported by the public
sector.
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Is the Washington Roundtable a "think tank" or a lobbying group?
We consider ourselves "thoughtful advocates" who invest the time
necessary to do solid research, develop sound recommendations, and then
communicate our positions so that they are understood and ultimately
adopted. We also work closely with elected officials throughout the
year leverage the knowledge and expertise of the Roundtable board in
affecting positive change in Washington state.
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Does the Washington Roundtable endorse candidates or sponsor bills or ballot measures?
The Washington Roundtable places its focus on policy, not politics. For
that reason, although we work closely with state elected officials, we
do not endorse or support candidates running for office. When
legislation is needed to advance an issue, we work closely with state
leaders to see that necessary legislation is drafted and hopefully
passed. In select cases, where a measure is directly related to our
core agenda, the Roundtable will take an active role in supporting or
opposing measures that qualify for the statewide ballot.
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Is the Washington Roundtable affiliated with the National Business Roundtable or other state Roundtables?
No. Because we share many of the same priorities, such as education,
with the National Business Roundtable and other state Roundtables, we
exchange information; but, we have no formal affiliation or coalition.
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Are there Roundtables in every state and are they organized the same way?
No. There are state Roundtables in one form or another in many states.
Each is organized and has membership reflective of its own needs and
mission. For example, some have representation from public institutions
such as universities, while others limit their membership to the private
sector.
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How does one become a member of the Washington Roundtable?
Prospective board members are nominated to serve on the Washington
Roundtable. A board member must either be the chief executive of a
Washington state company, or the ranking executive in Washington of a
for-profit company headquartered elsewhere with significant business
activity in Washington. Candidates for membership must also have a
demonstrated interest in and commitment to public policy issues
affecting our state. In addition, the Washington Roundtable has a select
number of citizen members who are invited to serve because of their
unique qualifications, experience, or insights.
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How is the Washington Roundtable funded?
The Washington Roundtable is supported solely through member dues.
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