Governor Christine Gregoire
Chris Gregoire served as Washington’s 22nd Governor from 2004 to 2013 and was a tireless champion for the people of the state, their livelihoods and the communities in which they reside. Within her first 100 days in office, Governor Gregoire laid out ambitious plans to overhaul the state’s education system to help students build a better future. The Governor led the push for funding for all-day kindergarten, starting in districts with the greatest concentration of low-income students. She created the Department of Early Learning which was ranked as one of the best early learning programs in the country.
Reelected overwhelmingly by Washington voters in 2008 and facing a historic multi-billion dollar shortfall brought on by the uninterrupted and deep national recession, Governor Gregoire worked with the Legislature to balance the budget while supporting job creation and economic growth.
Prior to serving as Governor, Gregoire served three terms as Attorney General (1992 – 2005) and was the first woman to be elected to the position in the state of Washington. During her time in office, she worked on children’s issues, reformed the state’s juvenile system, led an effort to strengthen identity theft victims’ rights, worked to pass a new ethics law for state government and to find alternatives to litigation in resolving legal disputes.
Gregoire is now the CEO for Challenge Seattle, an organization of 17 major international companies and non-profits located in the Seattle region. Challenge Seattle is providing leadership to ensure greater Seattle is one of the most innovative and globally competitive regions in the world.