Matt Morrison

Matt Morrison, CEO of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER), serves the public/private partnership established in 1991 by statute in the states of Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon, and the western Canadian provinces and territories of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon, and Northwest Territories.

The PNWER governing board includes legislative leadership of each state and province, governors and premiers, and private sector leaders. Mr. Morrison reports to the board on the progress of PNWER initiatives. With economic watersheds in the region flowing mainly north/south, PNWER has focused on ensuring that the border ‘works’ and is open for legitimate business and travel as the region boasts the 11th largest GDP in the world, and any disruption at the border can seriously impact the region’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.

His duties include coordinating all projects of PNWER, which include PNWER’s Center for Regional Disaster Resilience and the Legislative Energy Horizon Institute. As Director of PNWER, he also communicates with the state and provincial legislatures of the member states and provinces, and coordinates the working groups of PNWER, in the following areas: Trade & Economic Development, Environment, Sustainable Development, Energy, Transportation, Agriculture, Forestry, Tourism, Health Care, Workforce, Homeland Security, Innovation, Invasive Species, and Border Issues. Each working group is chaired by one legislator, and one private sector leader in the region. PNWER holds a major Annual Summit in July of each year, with the 2010 Summit being held in Calgary Alberta July 16 – 20, and an Economic Leadership Forum in the fall.