Citizens appointed from Burlington, Mercer Island, Seattle, Tacoma and Walla Walla
OLYMPIA - Governor Chris Gregoire today announced appointments to the Washington Economic Development Commission.
The commission will provide planning, coordination, evaluation, monitoring and policy analysis and development for the state economic development system as a whole; and will advise the Governor and the Legislature on the state economic development system.
Melanie Dressel of Tacoma has been appointed as chairperson to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending at the Governor’s pleasure. Dressel is president and chief executive officer of Columbia Bank and chief executive officer of Columbia Banking System, Inc. She is co-chairperson of the Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma and is on the boards of the Washington Bankers Association, the Washington Roundtable, the ArtsFund and the Washington State Historical Society, where she serves as treasurer.
John Gardner, Ph.D., of Seattle has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Gardner is vice president of the office of economic development and extension at Washington State University. He was one of the founders and the chief executive of AgGrow Oils
Anthony Bonanzino, Ph.D., of Spokane has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Bonanzino is president and chief executive officer of Hollister-Stier Laboratories, LLC. He is a member of the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce and is on the board of the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association and the Northeast Community Center. Bonanzino is on the Board of Regents for Gonzaga University, where he is an adjunct professor in the college of arts and sciences
John Breese, Ph.D., of Mercer Island has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Breese is a director at the Washington (D.C.) Advisory Group and is a member of the National Technical Advisory Committee for the electrical engineering and science department at the University of Michigan. He helped to found the decision theory and adaptive systems research group at Microsoft Research, and Knowledge Industries, Inc. in Palo Alto, California.
Roger Knutzen of Burlington has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Knutzen is the founder of Knutzen Farms, LP, and a Skagit County Drainage District Commissioner. He is a member of the Washington State Potato Commission’s Trade and Marketing Access Committee, the Washington State Farm Bureau, the Skagit County Agricultural Advisory Board and the Economic Development Association of Skagit County. Knutzen has traveled extensively on behalf of the National Potato Board and the Agricultural Forestry Program of Washington.
H. Parker Stewart of Seattle has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Parker is president and chief executive officer of Targeted Genetics Corporation and is a member of the executive committee of Neose Technologies, the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Seattle branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She is a founding member of the Women’s Bioethics Project.
Mike Sotelo of Seattle has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Sotelo is the founder and president of Approach Management Services, where he oversees services that include professional risk management consultation, accident prevention and workers’ compensation claim management. He is the director of the Washington State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Rick Bender of Seattle has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Bender is the president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and is on the board of the Washington State Trade and Convention Center, the Washington Council on International Trade, the Global Competitiveness Council, the Evergreen Safety Council and the Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. He is a member of the Northwest Migrant Housing Fund Advisory Board and the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle.
Connie Bacon of Tacoma has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Bacon is a former executive director of the World Trade Center Tacoma and served as a special assistant to former Washington Governor Booth Gardner. She is on the board of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, the Regional Access Mobility Project and the Tideflats Rail Oversight Committee. Bacon is a member of the advisory board for the Port of Tacoma Endowed Chair at the University of Washington-Tacoma..
Steve Van Ausdle, Ph.D., of Walla Walla has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Van Ausdle is the president of Walla Walla Community College. He is a member of the Council on Competitiveness and serves on the Washington Wine Education Consortium, the Washington State University College of Agriculture and Home Economics Advisory Council, the Port of Walla Walla Economic Development Advisory Committee and the American Association of Wine Economists.
Bruce Kendall of Tacoma has been appointed to a term effective October 1, 2007, ending September 30, 2010. Kendall is president and chief executive officer of the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County and a member of the board of the University of Washington-Tacoma Institute of Technology. He is on the board of the Central Puget Sound Economic Development District, the Tacoma Art Museum, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Tacoma-Pierce County Workforce Development Council and the World Trade Center Tacoma.
