Amid the Business Plan’s 20th Anniversary, 2022 Summit Spotlights Immediate, Pressing Challenges and Opportunities
Seizing the Moment
The Oregon Leadership Summit returned to the Oregon Convention Center on December 12 for its 20th session since 2002. In keeping with the year’s theme, Seizing the Moment, the forum advocated policy and investment proposals for a stronger position in the semiconductor industry and in advanced manufacturing, expanded postsecondary education access, inroads in solving Oregon’s homelessness and housing affordability crisis, and other opportunities to benefit more Oregonians, in particular those historically excluded.
This Summit came at a pivotal time for Oregon. With a new Governor, a new Legislature, and new leadership across many sectors and communities in Oregon, the timing was opportune for fresh ideas and new policy directions on a wide range of critical issues.
Key speakers included Governor-elect, Tina Kotek, on her priorities for the state, Rosanne Haggerty, President & CEO of Community Solutions, on solving the homelessness crisis in Oregon, and an original poem by Anis Mojgani, Oregon’s Poet Laureate. Key participants in main stage discussions were U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, commenting on this year’s Business Plan policy proposals; Tamara Lundgren, President & CEO of Schnitzer Steel, on Oregon’s manufacturing agenda; and Dr. Jayathi Murthy, President of Oregon State University, on postsecondary education access.
GoGo Gallery showcased Elle Hygge’s “Portraits of Small Business Owners in Downtown Portland” and gave Summit participants the opportunity to get their own portraits taken by the artist. See those photos here.
Materials for the 2022 Leadership Summit and Oregon Business Plan
The links below connect to 1) participant handout materials for this year’s Leadership Summit, 2) condensed and longer versions of the Business Plan strategy for the 2020s, and 3) this year’s policy proposals in summary and longer form.
Summit Participant Materials
Business Plan Strategy for the 2020s
- Two-page summary of the Shared Prosperity Strategy for the 2020s. This is a summary update of the strategy paper linked immediately below.
- Longer Shared Prosperity Strategy paper for the 2020s. Recommendations in this 2021 document have evolved, but it provides more detail in key components of the Business Plan strategy for this decade.
Policy Proposals Going Forward
- Manufacturing: Develop a next-generation manufacturing strategy for Oregon, building off work of the Semiconductor Competitiveness Task Force. See longer Manufacturing Reset paper from 2021.
- Postsecondary Education: Increase access and affordability, in particular for student populations historically underrepresented. See longer paper revised for 2022.
- Homelessness and Housing: Develop policies to enable localities to meet 30,000 new units per year the next 10 years, as called for in HB 2003. See longer paper revised for 2022.
- Water Resources: Modernize Oregon’s water management systems with responsive regionalized policies. See longer paper revised for 2023.
- Economic Development: Create a better coordinated economic development infrastructure that supports business expansion statewide.
- Interstate Bridge Replacement: Develop and execute a plan to fund Oregon’s $1 billion share of a replacement span. See Bridge Replacement Project website.
- Fiscal Planning: Craft and continuously update a long-term fiscal plan, forecasting state spending and investment needs a decade out. See longer paper revised for 2022.
Policies in Implementation
- Future Ready Oregon: Support implementation of the Legislature’s $200 million investment in workforce education with development of industry consortia and new models and approaches to workforce systems. Here is the 2021 Business Plan paper recommending this investment.
- Broadband: Support state and private sector implementation of expanded broadband access and utilization made possible by new state measures and additional federal funding. See longer paper from 2021 here.
- EITC and Child Tax Credit: These tax code provisions enhance the upward mobility of low-income Oregonians. As proposed in this 2021 policy paper, the Legislature made significant investments to increase uptake of these benefits through expanded community outreach.
Media Coverage
Here’s a sampling of media coverage immediately following the event. We’ll add other stories to this list as they are published.
- Oregon Gov.-elect Tina Kotek promises more attention to economic problems and accountability within state agencies – Lauren Dake, OPB
- Sen. Wyden on semiconductor race: ‘We will out-compete any of them’ – Malia Spencer, Portland Business Journal
- Kotek backs aggressive chip industry approach – Mike Rogoway, The Oregonian
- Kotek lays out her agenda during keynote address – Hillary Borrud, The Oregonian
- Oregon business leaders suggest rewarding high schoolers with college tuition money – Rob Manning, OPB
- Kotek announces 36-county listening tour, framework for first year as governor – Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronical
