Governor's Poverty Reduction Work Group
Living in poverty can become a self-perpetuating cycle that affects generations. To address this challenge, the governor in 2017 created the Poverty Reduction Work Group. The group is tasked with developing a strategic plan to reduce poverty, improve communities and make needed progress related to housing, health integration, employment and education.
Interim Progress Report (October 2018)
Members
See all members, listed alphabetically
- Amina Ahmed*, Executive Director, Partner in Employment (*Passed away Dec. 2018)
- Jim Baumgart, Policy Advisor, Office of the Governor
- Sue Birch, Director, Health Care Authority
- Sarah Buhayar, Deputy Director, Pacific Northwest, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Gary Chandler, Vice President Government Affairs, Association of Washington Business
- Olympia City Councilmember Jim Cooper, President & CEO, United Ways of the Pacific Northwest
- Senator Manka Dhingra, State Senate Democratic Caucus
- Eu-wanda Eagans, Senior Vice President of Workforce Development, Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region
- Colleen Echohawk, Executive Director, Chief Seattle Club
- Larry Eyer, Executive Director, Washington State Community Action Partnership
- Cheryl Fambles, Chief Executive Officer, PacMtn Workforce Development Council
- Erin Frasier, Policy Associate, Workforce Education, State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
- Nova Gattman, Legislative Director, Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board
- Claude Green, Senior Project Director, Mentor Washington
- Ellen Austin Hall, Acting Policy Director, Attorney General of Washington
- James Harms, Reentry Systems Administrator, Department of Corrections
- Drayton Jackson, Co-Chair, PRWG Steering Committee
- Lonnie Johns-Brown, Legislative Director, Policy and Legislative Affairs, Office of Insurance Commissioner
- Roy Johnson, Executive Director, Vancouver Housing Authority
- Hien Kieu, Executive Director, Partner in Employment
- Diane Klontz, Assistant Director, CSHD, Department of Commerce
- Councilmember Nickolaus Lewis, Lummi Nation
- Haley Lowe, Assistant Director, Student Support, Student Engagement and Support, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Juanita Maestes, Board President, Statewide Poverty Action Network
- Ami Magisos, Assistant Director, Policy and Planning, Washington Student Achievement Council
- Erin Monroe, President & CEO, Workforce Snohomish
- Nam Nguyen, Commissioner, Commission on Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs
- Daisye Orr, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Strategy, Prevention and Community Health Division, Department of Health
- Sharon Pesut, Executive Director, Partners in Careers
- Dona Ponepinto, President & CEO, United Way of Pierce County
- Ed Prince, Executive Director, Commission on African American Affairs
- Tim Probst, Director, Workforce Development Strategic Initiatives, Executive Programs, Employment Security Department
- Michael Reichert, President & CEO, Catholic Community Services of Western Washington
- Nicole Rose, Director, Eligibility and Provider Supports Division, Department of Children, Youth, and Families
- Maria Sigüenza, Executive Director, Commission on Hispanic Affairs
- David Stillman, Assistant Secretary, ESA, OAS, Department of Social and Health Services
- Neil Strege, Vice President, Washington Business Roundtable
- Marisol Tapia Gonzales, Senior Programs Manager, Puget Sound Training Center
- Dan Torres, Executive Director, Essentials for Childhood, Department of Health
- Traci Underwood, MSW Program Coordinator, Economic Justice, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Julie Watts, Deputy Director, Washington State Budget & Policy Center
- Christina Wong, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, Northwest Harvest
- Senator Hans Zeiger, Senator, Senate Republican Caucus
Past Meetings
December 19, 2019
November 21, 2019
October 17, 2019
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes and attachments
- Presentation on Centering Race training
- Recommendations/work plan
September 19, 2019
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes and attachments
- Framework outline draft for report
- Affinity Caucus materials
- Recommendations/work plan
August 15, 2019
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes and attachments
- Summary of July Affinity Caucus discussion on report
- Summary of mental health presentation - PRWG Steering Committee
- Initial workshop session on recommendations
July 18, 2019
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes and attachments
- Facilitator presentation - Building racial equity muscle
- Communities of Concern Commission presentation
- Communities of Concern Commission PRWG briefing paper
- General Work Group materials
June 20, 2019
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Presentation - PRWG Steering Committee
- Summary of Benefits Cliff and Lack of Interagency Coordination - PRWG Steering Committee
- Facilitator presentation - Framing the report
- Recommendations/work plan
- Data and research
May 16, 2019
February 27, 2018
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Directive of the Governor (17-13)
- One Page Briefing on PRWG
- Data and Research
- DSHS Work to Date
March 28, 2018
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Root Causes Committee
- Data and Research
- Washington State Budget & Policy Center’s “Progress in Washington 2018 – Building an Inclusive Economy” report
- Poster mapping the percentage of People of Color within Seattle Area
- Poster showing changes in population density by race between 1990-2010
- Description of Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) redlining roots in Seattle and Poster of Redlining Map
- U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty Report asking: What would it take to dramatically increase mobility from poverty?
April 19, 2018
- Agenda
- Meeting Minutes
- Presentation
- General Work Group Materials
- Root Causes Committee
May 17, 2018
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes and Attachments
- Presentation
- General Work Group Materials
June 21, 2018
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Meeting minutes attachment 1 - root causes exercise
- Meeting minutes attachment 2 - root causes diagram
July 19, 2018
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Meeting minutes attachment 1 - Dr. Paul bio
- Meeting minutes attachment 2 - Dr. Paul presentation
- Historical trauma
August 16, 2018
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Meeting minutes attachment - "Drivers of Homelessness" Department of Commerce presentation
- General work group materials
- Root causes committee
September 20, 2018
November 15, 2018
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Meeting minutes attachments
- General work group materials
December 20, 2018
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Attachments
January 17, 2019
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Attachments
- Data and research
February 21, 2019
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Draft monthly meeting topics list
- General work group materials
March 21, 2019
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Strategic plan recommendation process
- Attachments
- Stereotype and implicit bias training, Racial Equity Works
- Washington State Budget & Policy Center presentation
- TANF time limit analysis, DSHS presentation
- Teacher preparation challenges, Seattle Teacher Residency presentation
- Diversity & Equity Hiring and Professional Development
- Educational Attainment Goals, Washington Student Achievement Council presentation
April 18, 2019
- Agenda
- Meeting minutes
- Attachments
Resources
See a collection of articles and reports related to the work of the PRWG.