Norm Dicks

Norm Dicks was first elected to Congress in November 1976. He currently serves as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and is a member of three key Appropriations Subcommittees—Defense, Interior and Military Construction. In the 108th Congress, he serves as the Ranking Democratic Member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which places him in a leadership position on federal environmental and natural resource policies, as well as Indian Affairs. The environment has always been a high priority for Representative Dicks. In 1984, he was responsible for a key addition—the Clearwater area—to the Washington Wilderness Bill, and he has consistently succeeded in funding other critical additions to National Parks and roadless areas in Washington state. During the Clinton-Gore Administration, he worked with all of the relevant federal agencies to assemble a program of federal assistance to affected forest workers and timber communities, which has totaled more than $1.2 billion in the past six years and which continues today. He also worked with the Clinton-Gore Administration to bring federal assistance to the west coast states to address the listings of threatened salmon runs. Perhaps his biggest environmental achievement came in September 2000, as Representative Dicks wrote a landmark bill that created a new federal lands conservation trust. At home, he has been known as an aggressive champion of economic development funds for local communities, and he was successful in bringing Urban Development Action Grants and other federal programs to spur the revitalization of downtown Tacoma and to redevelop the waterfront areas of Bremerton.

Ralph Munro

Ralph Munro was elected Secretary of State in 1980 and, in his official capacity, he has championed numerous programs to make voting more accessible and convenient to Washington state citizens. After graduating from Western Washington University, Secretary Munro joined The Boeing Company and then worked at the State House of Representatives in Olympia. Throughout his life, Secretary Munro has been closely involved in educational programs, first as a volunteer working with developmentally disabled children in north Seattle, and later as a Special Assistant to former Governor Dan Evans working on issues related to public schools, colleges and universities. Munro’s numerous awards include: the World Citizen Award from the Seattle World Affairs Council; the Warren G. Magnuson Award for outstanding public service; and the Executive Leadership Award from the Washington State League of Women Voters. He served as Past President of the National Association of Secretaries of State, was Co-Chair of the International Task Force of the Council of State Governments, and is a Trustee and Member of the Federal Election Commission Clearinghouse Advisory Panel and the Commission on Voter Participation. He is the current Chair of the Shared Strategy for Puget Sound Board of Directors.

William (Bill) D. Ruckelshaus

Bill Ruckelshaus is currently a Strategic Director in the Madrona Venture Group and a Principal in Madrona Investment Group, L.L.C. (MIG), a Seattle-based investment company. Mr. Ruckelshaus became the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s first Administrator when the agency was formed in December 1970, where he served until April 1973. He was then appointed Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and, in the same year, was appointed Deputy Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice. From 1983–86, he served on the World Commission on Environment and Development set up by the United Nations. From July 1997 to July 1998, President Clinton appointed him as the U.S. Envoy in the implementing of the Pacific Salmon Treaty and, in 1999, he was appointed by Governor Gary Locke and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board for Washington state. In 2004, he was appointed Chairman of the Policy Consensus Center of the University of Washington and Washington State University. He is also Chairman of World Resources Institute in D.C. He serves on the boards of numerous other nonprofit organizations. In 2001, he was appointed by President Bush as a Member of the Commission on Ocean Policy. In 2003, he was appointed to serve on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Science Advisory Board. Currently, Mr. Ruckelshaus serves on the boards of several corporations, including Cummins Engine Company, Nordstrom, Inc., Vykor, Inc. and Weyerhaeuser Company.