Challenge Day Reflections: Economy, LT'20
Economy Challenge Month
May 2020
As LT pivoted to a virtual environment, the Economy Challenge Day Planning team created a menu of opportunities that support these learning objectives. We encourage you to watch the recordings of these learning sessions.
Community and Belonging: Explore how crises inspire belonging and connection in a community. Consider how your LT community can foster belonging and connection at this time.
Regional Issues: Assess how interconnected the physical health of our people and economic health of our region is. Explore through an economic lens how the choices we make impact our community.
Leadership: Discuss opportunities for how the private, public, and nonprofit sectors can come together to address regional challenges. Identify actions you can take in support of these opportunities.
Impacts of COVID-19 on the Regional Economy
Chris Mefford, LT’08, President and CEO, Community Attributes
Roundtable Speaker Series
JaJa Okigwe, President and CEO, First Choice Health
Jaja Okigwe is President and CEO of First Choice Health, a dynamic leader in the Northwest health services community. First Choice offers Third Party Administration, Employee Assistance, Medical Management, and a PPO Network to 600,000 members in Oregon, Alaska, Idaho and Montana. Prior to joining First Choice, Jaja was the Senior Vice President of Strategic Development for Premera Blue Cross where he oversaw strategy formulation, strategic initiative development, and Premera’s innovation program. Jaja was also Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for McKesson Medication Management, a division of McKesson Corporation, where he focused on new service development and strategic alliances. In addition, Jaja held several positions with Deloitte Consulting, leading projects to develop strategy, implement new technology, and redesign processes for insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and healthcare providers. Jaja holds an honors degree in government from Harvard University, and he earned an MBA from HEC in Paris, France.
Beto Yarce, Executive Director, Ventures
Beto Yarce is the Executive Director for Ventures Nonprofit, an organization with the mission of empowering individuals with limited resources and unlimited potential to improve their lives through small business ownership. Beto started his first business at the age of eight years old selling candy and continued over the years selling all kind of products from bags to magazines, a restaurant, a coffee shop, and a family business of jewelry and folk art. Beto received a degree in International Business from the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and a certificate in Non-profit/Public/Organizational Management from the University of Washington. Beto received the Small Business Administration (SBA) Director Excellence Award in 2016, Nonprofit of the Year by GSBA in 2016, Innovation Award by Puget Sound Business Journal, City of Seattle Emerging Leader Pride Award, and Crosscut Business Courage Award in 2018.
Uyen Nguyen, Co-Owner, Nue
Uyen Nguyen is an entrepreneur and an investor. She’s also a co-owner of Nue, a global street food restaurant based in Seattle. Uyen’s current passion is to use her business experience to solve societal problems, including creating more opportunities for women and minorities to get into public offices, and providing viable solutions to humanitarian crises worldwide. She’s a co-founder donor of Emerge Washington; Co-Chair of Candidate Support and Board member for PIVOT, a national progressive Vietnamese American organization; and a Sister on the Planet Ambassador for Oxfam America. Uyen holds a Master in Biomedical Sciences from UC San Diego, and an MBA from UC Berkeley, focusing on entrepreneurship & venture capital.
Brian Surratt, LT’07, Executive Director of Real Estate Development and Community Relations for the Seattle office
Brian Surratt is the Executive Director of Real Estate Development and Community Relations for the Seattle office of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, one of the largest developers of life science and technology campuses in the nation’s leading innovation centers. Prior to joining Alexandria, he was the director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development and responsible for the implementation of several high-profile initiatives, including successfully executing an agreement to develop a new $650 million professional sports and entertainment arena at the Seattle Center. Brian was also was senior policy advisor in the City of Seattle’s Office of Policy and Innovation where he was lead policy staff for Seattle’s new $15 per hour minimum wage. His leadership has been recognized by the German Marshall Fund of United States, the Asia Society, the White House Fellowship program, as well as the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” award. Brian was also featured as one of “The 15 People Who Should Really Run Seattle” in 2015 by Seattle Met Magazine. Brian is a board member of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center and FareStart. He received his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Tulsa and his master’s degree from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance.
Additional Resources for Learning and Action:
COVID-19 Anticipated Economic Impacts in Seattle and Washington Anticipated Economic Impacts for Near-Term and Longer-Term Considerations, prepared by Community Attributes
Scorecard for Shared Prosperity, from Civic Commons
