Ruckelshaus Circle Luncheon

Around 400 people filled the Washington State Convention Center on September 13th, 2019 to attend the 9th Annual Chairman’s Circle Luncheon. The event celebrated Bill Ruckelshaus’ transition from Advisory Board Chair to Chair Emeritus. The event also featured Robert Siegel, NPR’s award-winning former host of All Things Considered, as he spoke about the importance of the media to an effective democracy. To view the thank you video from members of the Advisory Board to Bill Ruckelshaus, click here. To view the video that highlighted Bill’s career, click here. To view TVW’s coverage of the event, click here.

Thank you to everyone who attended the event and supported Bill’s vision for the future. With your support, we are able to advance the Ruckelshaus Center’s work bringing the expertise of our state’s premier research institutions to help community members, business leaders, and government decision makers collaboratively tackle complex, and often, controversial, policy challenges. The Ruckelshaus Center brings people together to sort through information, build understanding, and solve problems to improve communities and the state of Washington.

A Special Thanks from the UW and WSU Presidents. Watch the video testimonial regarding the value and importance of the Ruckelshaus Center’s work. (Video)

2017 Chairman’s Circle Luncheon featuring 66th US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Video)

The Senators are co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Commission on Political Reform that released a list of recommendations in 2014 to improve the legislative process and overcome political polarization. Some of these recommendations include creation of a single, nationwide primary date and five-day work week for Congress, disclosure of all political contributions, and requiring that all Americans 18 to 28 years old commit to a year of “service to their communities and nation”.

Watch TVW’s footage of the luncheon, including the Senators remarks and discussion with Bill Ruckelshaus.

In August 2013, the Center hosted its third annual Chairman’s Circle Luncheon, featuring former Sen. Alan Simpson, a trusted bipartisan leader to whom President Obama turned to co-chair America’s debt reduction commission. He provided candid views on politics, the economy, and the hard and tough choices that lie ahead for America’s leaders. Known for fearlessly confronting intractable issues, Alan Simpson most recently served as the co-chair, with Erksine Bowles, of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, a bipartisan group looking to erase the United States’ multi-trillion dollar debt. With quick wit and a straightforward style, Simpson tackles the most controversial of topics on the national agenda – bringing both honesty and sensible solutions for moving the country forward.

Former Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Simpson provides audiences with anecdotes, humor and cutting edge commentary on politics, the media, Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid reform, the economy and much more. The Senator served on the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. Simpson is a member of the National Board of Advisors for the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona. He was a founding Advisory Board member of the University of Wyoming’s Ruckelshaus Institute.

Watch Sen. Simpson’s luncheon address and media availability provided by TVW.

The luncheon immediately followed the interviews. Dr. Brinkley discussed his body of work. He and Bill shared their reflections on the oral history, and answered questions from the audience. Over 100 people attended, including the presidents of both universities, the oral history sponsors (Meridian Institute, Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and TVW), table sponsors (Green Diamond Resource Company, Madrona Venture Group, and Puget Sound Energy), many members of the inaugural Chairman’s Circle, Advisory Board members, and other distinguished guests.