Current Projects
About Our Projects
The William D. Ruckelshaus Center is an impartial resource for collaborative problem solving in the State of Washington and the Pacific Northwest. We are dedicated to assisting public, private, non-profit, tribal, and community leaders in their efforts to build consensus around complex public policy issues. We also build problem-solving capacity by helping individuals and organizations better understand, initiate, and lead collaborative public policy efforts.
The Center works in all public policy areas! Please contact us with any project inquiries.
Current Projects
In 2022, the Washington State Legislature directed the Ruckelshaus Center to evaluate paths to college credentials for apprentices. In response, the Center convened the interested parties under the Apprenticeship and Higher Education Coordinating Committee (AHECC). The AHECC is examining national best practices, researching the demand for degrees among apprentices, and reviewing the current funding model for apprentices in the community and technical college system. With support from the Center, the AHECC will make multiple recommendations, including a sustainable funding model to ensure that the community and technical college system fully covers the costs of supplemental instruction.
Learn more by reading the project reports.
Coastal communities face challenges caused by erosion, flooding, and oceanic changes. These communities have emphasized the need to bridge research efforts with local priorities. Since 2010, the Ruckelshaus Center has been working with university researchers to build coastal hazards resilience through community engagement.
Cascadia Coastal Hazards Resilience Coordination Network: The Cascadia Coastal Hazards Resilience Coordination Network (RCN) brings together researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders to mitigate the impacts of coastal hazards on communities in the Pacific Northwest. The goal of the RCN is to develop research agendas and establish new collaborations across disciplinary and institutional boundaries. The Center is assisting the RCN by facilitating the steering committee, designing community workshops, and coordinating activities between research groups.
Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub: The Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub (CoPes Hub) is a collaborative effort focused on increasing the resiliency of coastal communities in the Pacific Northwest. The CoPes Hub has two goals: (1) to seek fundamental advances in coastal hazards science to better understand the risks faced by coastal communities and (2) to engage communities in co-production to broaden participation, increase adaptive capacity, and achieve equitable risk reduction.
The Snohomish County Flood Management Study is a 15-month project in partnership with the Surface Water Management Division of the Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Ruckelshaus Center is exploring the County’s flood management practices to understand how cities, districts, and utilities coordinate to manage flood impacts. The Center’s recommendations, informed by discussions with interested parties, will focus on strengthening the governance and funding structures underlying flood management. The project is scheduled for completion in February 2027.
In 2025, the Washington State Legislature passed SSB 5351, directing the Office of the Insurance Commissioner to contract with the Ruckelshaus Center to design, facilitate, and convene a collaborative forum with participation from parties interested in dental insurance issues, including dental loss ratio and dental provider reimbursement. The Center is working with the Washington State Dental Association, dental insurance carriers, consumer representatives, and others to develop recommendations for legislative or regulatory action. The Center will submit a final report summarizing findings, agreements, and recommendations by June 30, 2026.
Please see the project page to learn more.