The first time I heard Gov. Inslee speak was two years ago, at the Microsoft Ability Summit, when he participated in a luncheon panel discussion.  Coincidentally, that event took place at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond – where Gov. Inslee will be speaking in just a few weeks, at FullConTech 2016.

Microsoft held its first Ability Summit in 2010, bringing together employees, politicians, disability rights advocates, educators and public officials to talk about accessibility, technology and disability.  In 2014, when I attended, one of the key areas for discussion was finding new ways to employ people with disabilities and put their skills and talents to work.  

At the time Gov. Inslee had been in office about a year, and because I have a brother with autism, one of the reasons I wanted to attend the Summit was to hear what the governor and the State of Washington were doing to help people with disabilities find meaningful work.  It was at the Summit that I became an Inslee fan – first, because he was there, at a relatively small gathering with few publicity opportunities, and because he talked about real efforts underway, primarily through the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment, to find more employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

My impression of Gov. Inslee then and the one that remains is that he is a leader who understands the economic power in creating opportunities for diverse people to learn, work and grow.  As he wrote in a recent  op-ed for CNBC:

“Our people are the single most important factor in retaining and growing the businesses we have and attracting new businesses and jobs over the next decade. It’s why we’re investing in a full continuum of education, including STEM and workforce development, and we’re the only state in the nation to cut tuition for all college students.”

And if you check out the “Economy” page on his website, the first line you’ll find is all about people:  “Washington state is home to some of the best-skilled workers and innovators in the world.”  Moreover, this year, he signed a bill establishing an economic gardening program for the state, as part of the Commerce Department’s Startup Washington.  This program is designed to help startups grow, creating more opportunities for both entrepreneurs and potential employees.  This is the “key success” Gov. Inslee highlights for 2016 and another example of how closely he connects developing people with growing our economy.

Governor Jay Inslee delivers the opening keynote at FullConTech 2016, where the discussion will focus on growing, attracting and retaining talent.