Out West (Presented by the Western Governors’ Association)

The history of the West has always been defined by water. Long before settlers arrived, Indigenous peoples designed complex water management systems to cultivate the arid land. In the 19th and 20th centuries, large-scale engineering projects redistributed water across the West, enabling the region's rapid growth. Today, western water resources are stretched thin, and as rivers and streams dry up, so too does the environmental resiliency that's provided by healthy riparian zones.   To help address this issue, many western states are looking to beavers – long known as nature's engineers – to ensure more water is retained on the landscape. New research shows that this will help restore biodiversity and mitigate the effects of prolonged drought, unexpected flooding, and catastrophic wildfires.     In this episode of Out West, WGA policy advisors Jonah Seifer and Zach Nowak spoke with beaver experts from around the region about how these aquatic rodents can help us restore balance to the West's water systems.   For these discussions they were joined by Emily Fairfax, an ecohydrologist, beaver researcher, and Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota; Chris Jordan, a Fisheries Biologist with NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center; Alexander Funk, the Director of Water Resources and Senior Counsel at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; Marshall Wolf, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission; and Jerry Altermatt, a habitat biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.        

In the wake of natural disasters, navigating complicated bureaucratic systems can be extremely challenging – especially for those living in historically underserved communities. Community navigators can help raise awareness about available resources and provide technical assistance when applying for grants or other government aid.  In this episode of Out West, WGA senior policy advisor Jonah Seifer speaks with Meryl Harrell, the Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They discuss the department's newly formed community navigators program and how it can help disseminate funds more equitably and efficiently.   Jonah also spoke with Jonathan Bruno and Thérèse d'Auria Ryley from Coalitions and Collaboratives, one of the USDA's partners charged with enacting the community navigators program on the ground.    

Last year, as the Chair of WGA, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon launched the Decarbonizing the West initiative. It examined how methods of decarbonization can position Western states at the forefront of innovation and reduce the effects of carbon emissions on the environment. The initiative explored a wide range of engineered decarbonization and natural sequestration strategies – everything from direct air capture and carbon credit markets to climate-smart agriculture and biofuel – all of which present enormous opportunities for western states. In this episode of Out West, WGA policy advisor Abby Pelsmaeker speaks with some of the country's leading decarbonization experts about how these strategies have evolved in recent years and their prospects for the future.  To learn more about these decarbonization strategies, including federal policy recommendations for advancing the industry, check out the Decarbonizing the West initiative report on WGA's website.

In this episode of Out West, hear about the threat posed by invasive zebra and quagga mussels to western waterways, and understand the ongoing work to contain and eliminate this threat.  We dive into recent detections of invasive mussels in the Snake River in Idaho and a stretch of the Colorado River in Colorado. Those detections sparked rapid and thorough responses to contain, monitor, and even eradicate these mussels. Over the course of the episode, WGA Policy Advisor Zach Nowak sits down with the experts and managers that are working to manage those detections and keep western lakes and rivers free of invasive mussels.  You'll hear from Idaho Governor Brad Little, Idaho State Department of Agriculture Director Chanel Tewalt, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Invasive Species Program Manager Robert Walters, National Invasive Species Council Executive Director Stas Burgiel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Barak Shemai, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Theresa Thom. 

The Western Governors' Association celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding by hosting an afternoon of programming that included fireside chats with current and former Western Governors. Joining WGA's current chair, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, was former Governors - and former WGA Chairs - Steve Bullock of Montana, Gary Herbert of Utah, David Ige of Hawaii, Matt Mead of Wyoming, Bob Miller of Nevada, Butch Otter of Idaho, and Brian Sandoval of Nevada.  Their discussions, which were moderated by Judy Woodruff, the former anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, focused on the importance of bipartisanship when dealing with many of the country's complex problems.  Tune into their discussion by listening to the latest episode of WGA's Out West podcast. 

In this episode of Out West, Jack Waldorf, Executive Director of the Western Governors' Association (WGA), sits down with WGA's Chair, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, for a discussion about their experiences leading the Association.  They speak about the importance of their bipartisan relationships with the other Governors, their aspirations for Governor Gordon's WGA Chair Initiative, Decarbonizing the West, as well as the Association's upcoming 40th Anniversary celebrations and what they hope the next 40 years will bring for WGA.

In this episode of Out West, Celebrate the West founder Christine Ogsbury discusses her inspiration behind starting the program and some of her most memorable moments.

The potential of geothermal energy in the West is vast and offers significant advantages in the effort to expand renewable energy resources. Advances in technology and increased interest in developing domestic sources of low-cost, reliable, clean energy have brought greater attention to the energy potential of the heat beneath our feet. As Chair of the Western Governors' Association in 2023, Colorado Governor Jared Polis launched The Heat Beneath Our Feet initiative to examine opportunities for and barriers to the accelerated development and deployment of geothermal energy technologies. Through a rigorous stakeholder process that included four workshops, six tours, a public survey, and a webinar series, the Heat Beneath Our Feet initiative generated recommendations for increasing the development and deployment of geothermal energy in the West. In this episode of Out West, Governor Polis shares some of his experiences from the initiative and discusses the policy recommendations outlined in the initiative report. You'll also hear from Amanda Kolker, the laboratory program manager for geothermal at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Dr. Joseph Moore and Dr. John Mclennan, the Managing Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator at the Utah FORGE Laboratory; Nick Goodman, the CEO of Cyrq Energy, and Paul Thomsen, the Vice President of Business Development at Ormat Technologies Inc.

The Western Governors' Foundation released a new podcast highlighting Emily Cooper, the overall first-place winner of the 2023 Celebrate the West art competition, an annual art competition hosted by the Western Governors' Foundations, which challenges high school students to create original works inspired by their state or otherwise evocative of the West. Listen here as Emily discusses her winning art and what the West means to her. 

In this episode of WGA's Out West podcast, Anna Thielen, Manager of the Western Governors' Foundation, speaks with four Delegates from the 2023 Western Governors' Leadership Institute - Garrett Kelly from Arizona, Donya Sarrafian from California, Andee Baker from Montana, and Kaelan Reedy from North Dakota - about their experiences at the 2023 Western Governors' Leadership Institute where they had had chance to discuss the nuances of leadership with former and current Governors, including Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, Mark Gordon, Governor of Wyoming, Butch Otter, former Governor of Idaho, Matt Mead, former Governor of Wyoming, David Ice, former Governor of Hawaii, and Dennis Daugaard, former Governor of South Dakota.         

Each year the Western Governors' Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Western Governors' Association, hosts a competition that challenges high school students to create a piece of artwork that is inspired by their state. Now in its eighth year, Celebrate the West generates hundreds of amazing pieces created by budding western artists.  The application window for this year's competition opened on January 9th. The deadline for entries is April 30th. In today's episode of Out West, Anna Thielen, the Western Governors' Foundation Manager, speaks with last year's winner, Michelle Lin, about what inspired her acrylic painting titled Unity. Anna also speaks with Sharron Rouse, one of the art experts on the Celebrate the West judging panel, about what made Michelle's painting stand out. She also speaks with Thomas Wiberg, the third recipient of WGF's Award for Outstanding High School Art Educator, about the importance of art education in the West.   

In the latest episode of WGA's Out West podcast, The Well of the Future: Repurposing Oil and Gas Wells for Geothermal Energy Production, WGA Policy Advisor Steven Emmen sits down with Johanna Ostrum, the Chief Operating Officer of Transitional Energy; Will Pettitt, the Geothermal Discipline Lead at Baker Hughes; and Will Gosnold, a professor of geological engineering at the University of North Dakota.  Together they delve into the potential for blending aspects of the oil and gas industry with geothermal energy production, and how doing so can help make both industries more efficient and sustainable.   

The Next Generation of Western Leaders, the latest episode of WGA's Out West podcast, highlights the inaugural class of delegates from the 2022 Western Governors' Leadership Institute, a new programmatic offering from the Western Governors' Foundation that is designed to promote and encourage the effective exercise of leadership in young adults throughout the West. Listen in as Aspen Lenning from Oklahoma, Gustaf Vanderdonk from Arizona, Samantha Mooney from Colorado, Gabriella Smith from Washington, Brandon Larranaga from New Mexico, Kaleb Dschaak from North Dakota, Jonathan Karlen from Montana, and Skyler Bollar from Idaho discuss their experiences at this year's Institute and how their interactions with the Governors, Cabinet Secretaries, and sponsors who attended the event, enhanced their perspective of effective leadership and bipartisan political action.

The new episode of WGA's Out West podcast, 'Supporting Coal Communities,' explores the economic trends impacting Utah's coal communities in the face of changing energy markets and state efforts to bolster economic development opportunities in those areas.  Listen in as WGA Senior Policy Advisor, Lauren DeNinno, speaks with Alyssa Kay, Director of Program Development for the Utah Office of Energy Development, and Geri Gamber, the Executive Director of the Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments. Together they discuss specific programs that the state has pursued to support rural economic development, like the San Rafael Energy Research Center, which works to diversify the state's energy portfolio and help employees in the coal industry transition their skills to new economic sectors.           

The new episode of WGA's Out West podcast, Agricultural Workforce in the West, explores the challenges that communities face as more agricultural workers retire, the barriers that young people face when attempting to start a career in the industry and opportunities to address the issue by expanding apprenticeship programs on family farms and ranches. Listen in as WGA Policy Advisor, Kevin Moss, speaks with Kate Greenberg, the Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, and Sarah Wenzel-Fisher, the Executive Director of the Quivira Coalition, a non-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico that is dedicated to building economic and ecological resilience on western working landscapes. Together they discuss effective workforce training programs and partnerships that can help young people develop the necessary tools for a successful career in agriculture. 

'Post-Fire Restoration Challenges' explores the challenges that wildfire-affected communities face and the available resources to help them recover.  Listen in as WGA Director of Federal Relations and Strategic Initiatives Troy Timmons speaks with the Founder and CEO of Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc., Carol Ekarius, about improving community capacity to address restoration needs, federal programs that offer assistance and opportunities to enhance the implementation of both pre-fire mitigation and post-fire restoration work. 

The new episode of WGA's Out West podcast, Fixing America's Forests, delves into recent forest management projects that successfully protected western communities by slowing potentially catastrophic wildfires and insect infestations. The lessons extrapolated from these case studies can help communities coordinate forest health treatments – especially as resources become available as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the U.S. Forest Services' 10-year fire strategy. Listen in as WGA Policy Advisor Jonah Seifer talks with Ben Wudtke, the Executive Director of the Intermountain Forest Association, about how collaborative, all-lands interventions can effectively save communities and ecosystems from uncharacteristic wildfire and insect epidemics, building long-term resilience in our forests.

The latest episode of WGA's ‘Out West' podcast, Supporting Cross-Boundary Conservation, explores the importance of cross-boundary management for healthy and productive working lands, and how programs with the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) can help unify various management activities across public and private lands.  In this episode, WGA Policy Advisor Kevin Moss sits down with Emily Fife, the Utah State Conservationist for the NRCS, to discuss opportunities for landowners to leverage NRCS programs that support species conservation, how NRCS works with western communities on landscape planning, and why current drought and wildfire stressors require coordinated responses across ownership boundaries.

This episode of ‘Out West' delves into the region's behavioral health care challenges that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic – including obstacles to accessing care and significant workforce shortages – and the strategies that western states have applied to overcome these issues. Listen in as WGA Policy Advisor Lauren Cloward speaks with Mary Beth Brown, the Behavioral Health Strategist at the Washington State Department of Health, and Megan Selheim, the Youth and Young Adult Program Manager at the Wyoming Department of Health, about the efforts of western states to integrate behavioral health into primary care practices and improve youth behavioral health care access in resource-constrained areas.     

The new episode of WGA's Out West podcast, Federalism, the Genius of American Democracy, explores the work that Western states and organizations are undertaking to strengthen and rebalance the states' relationship with the federal government. Listen in as WGA Senior Policy Advisor Kevin Doran speaks with Matt Morrison, CEO of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Foundation, Edgar Ruiz, Director of the Council of State Governments West, Jonathan Shuffield, Associate Legislative Director for Public Lands and Liaison to the Western Interstate Region for the National Association of Counties, and WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury about their collective work to protect and promote state authority.

The new episode of WGA's Out West podcast, Moss Balls and Emergency Invasive Species Responses, explores the collaborative efforts of western states and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to address the recent discovery that Marimo moss balls, which are often used in aquariums and sold in pets stores nationwide, harbored invasive zebra mussels. Listen in as WGA policy advisor Laura Cutlip speaks with Brian Nesvik, the Director of Wyoming Game and Fish, Joshua Leonard, the Statewide Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator for Wyoming Game and Fish, and Eric Anderson, an officer with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, about the strategies they developed to meet this surprising threat and the importance of effective state-federal partnerships in the rapid response to invasive species management.    

In honor of Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week and National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the new episode of WGA's Out West podcast, Diversifying the Cybersecurity Workforce, explores the efforts to address workforce shortages in the cybersecurity field by expanding the talent pipeline and actively training un- and underemployed populations, including those with disabilities. Listen in on the conversation between, WGA Policy Advisor Lauren Cloward, Jeff Rangel, the Senior Director of Global Corporate Responsibility at Palo Alto Networks, and Patrick Romzek, the CEO and Founder of Bridge to Opportunity. 

The Western Governors' Association recently released its 2021 Annual Report, which highlights the Western Governors' past year's policy work and paths to continue that work. The conversation in this episode includes topics such as broadband connectivity, workforce development, COVID-19 response and recovery, cybersecurity, wildfires and species management. Listen in to the conversation between WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury, WGA Senior Policy Advisor Lauren DeNinno, and Director of Federal Relations and Strategic Initiatives Troy Timmons.

The Western Governors' Foundation recently announced the winners in the sixth annual Celebrate the West regional art competition, which challenged high school students to create two-dimensional artwork inspired by their state. This year nearly 400 works of art were entered. Listen in as Foundation Advisor Anna Thielen talks with First Place winner Isabella Tarantino from New Mexico, Shaw Y. Hu of Arizona (Second Place), and Alain Soltys-Gray of Alaska (Third Place) about their inspiration and artwork.

The Chair's Initiative of Oregon Governor Kate Brown sought to achieve an expanded regional agreement on electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the West to bolster current economies and create a roadmap to the future. Gov. Brown discusses outcomes of the Initiative contained in the Special Report on its work with WGA Policy Advisor Kevin Moss.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more common, but a lack of charging infrastructure – especially in rural areas – continues to be a barrier to adoption. This Out West episode highlights how everyone from cities to manufacturers can generate significant economic opportunities by developing a robust charging network. Listen as WGA Policy Advisor Kevin Moss speaks with Scott Bricker of Destination Development at Travel Oregon, and Jim Chen of Rivian.

Invasive species are a complex and costly issue throughout the West. To properly address the issue, it's imperative that the various states, agencies and stakeholders working on it have access to accurate data. This episode features an interview with Annie Simpson, a data coordinator for the Biofoundational Data Team in the Science Analytics & Synthesis Program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She details both the importance and the difficulties in accumulating quality data for such a vast number of species and organizing that data into a database that can be used by several different agencies.  

Electric vehicle (EV) technology is advancing rapidly. Innovations in battery technology, infrastructure modeling analysis, and fleet charging and fueling systems are enabling more diverse and lower-cost uses of EV cars, trucks, and buses. This episode, the second in a series for the Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, highlights researchers and companies working at the forefront of EV technologies in the West. Listen as WGA Policy Advisor Kevin Moss speaks with: Alex Keros, Lead Architect for EV Infrastructure at GM; Kim Okafor, Strategic Business Development Manager, Trillium; Eric Wood, Research Engineer, Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences, National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The Western Governors' Foundation leverages the collective influence of former and current Western Governors to promote the welfare of the West. In this episode of Out West, WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury discusses the impetus behind the creation of the Foundation with current board Chair Dennis Daugaard, the former Governor of South Dakota, and two of the Foundation's sitting directors, Steve Bullock, the former Governor of Montana, and David Ige, the Governor of Hawaii. The group also highlights the merits of the Foundation's regional art competition, Celebrate the West, and the Foundation's new initiative, the Western Governors' Leadership Institute.

Electric Vehicles in Rural Areas is the first episode in a series for the Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, which is focused on enhanced planning, siting and coordination of electric vehicle (EVs) infrastructure in the West. Consumer ownership of EVs is expanding across the West, but rural citizens face particular challenges with owning and operating the vehicles. Listen as WGA Policy Advisor Kevin Moss speaks with Alliy Sahagun, the Member Relations Supervisor at the Gunnison (CO) County Electric Association, and Roger Hoy, the Director of the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory, about barriers, as well as solutions, to more ubiquitous adoption of electric vehicles in rural areas, including rural industries such as farming and ranching.

Invasive Species Data: Conservation Districts highlights the importance of invasive species data for conservation districts. The episode of Out West is the first in a series for WGA's Invasive Species Data Mobilization Campaign, which encourages land managers, landowners, conservation groups, and NGOs to standardize and share invasive species data in the West. Bill Whitacre, Senior Policy Advisor at WGA, speaks with Keith Owen, the South Central Region representative for the National Association of Conservation Districts, about the impact of invasive species on the work of conservation districts and why it is important to share invasive species data.

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted people with disabilities and changed the work landscape in ways that present challenges and opportunities for disability employment. WGA Policy Associate Lauren Cloward speaks with Andrew Houtenville, Research Director of the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability, and Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disabiity:IN, about how the pandemic has affected the workforce and ways to ensure an inclusive economic recovery for all Americans.  Learn more about SEED's ongoing work on disability employment by visiting its website.

Technologies with universal design and assistive technologies have increased opportunities for workers with disabilities and revolutionized everything from office to factory work. To learn more about some of these exciting developments and how their adoption can be accelerated through policy, WGA Policy Associate Lauren Cloward spoke with Aaron Bangor, Director of Compliance at AT&T and Chair of the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities. Learn more about SEED's ongoing work on disability employment by visiting their website. Produced by: Tyler Losier

Bill Whitacre, WGA Senior Policy Advisor, leads a conversation about the ways that fire can be used to restore western lands, as well as barriers to its expanded use. He speaks with Ron Goode, Tribal Leader of the North Fork Mono; Lenya Quinn-Davidson, Director of the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council; and Laura McCarthy, the New Mexico State Forester. Produced by: Tyler Losier

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, WGA Policy Associate Lauren Cloward spoke with Bobby Silverstein, Legislative Counsel to the State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED), about the Work Matters policy framework, which serves as a repository of best practices for improving disability employment. Lauren then explored the innovative ways the Work Matters framework is being used to achieve workforce inclusivity in states with Kristin Vandagriff, Executive Director for the Alaska Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education; Elizabeth Gordon, Executive Director for the Washington Governor's Committee on Disability Issues and Employment; and Rob Hines, Director of the Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Learn more about SEED's ongoing work on disability employment by visiting their website. Produced by: Tyler Losier

WGA Senior Policy Advisor Bill Whitacre – himself a former wildland firefighter – and Aaron Thompson, State Fire Management Officer for the Bureau of Land Management in Montana and the Dakotas, discuss the challenges fire managers face during the 2020 wildfire season. In addition, they also explore new strategies and procedures to keep fire crews safe. Produced by: Tyler Losier

This episode recaps the impactful, collaborative policy work of Western Governors over the past year and helps set the agenda for the year ahead. Join WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury in a conversation with Troy Timmons, WGA's Director of Strategic Initiatives, Senior Policy Advisor Bill Whitacre, and Policy Advisors Ward Scott and Kevin Moss, about the wide-reaching impact Western Governors are having across the region. Produced by: Tyler Losier

In this episode, WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury speaks with Policy Advisor Lauren DeNinno, who has led WGA's work on the Reimagining the Rural West Initiative, to address the origins of Gov. Burgum's policy effort and how it will inform Western Governors' policy decisions moving forward. Ogsbury also talks with Troy Timmons, WGA's Director of Federal Relations and Strategic Initiatives, who is leading WGA's COVID-19 response, which includes a number of significant rural issues. Produced by: Tyler Losier

This episode highlights efforts by Washington state officials to control a dangerous new invasive species threatening the West, the Asian Giant Hornet, also known as the ‘Murder Hornet.' These fearsome new invaders are known for their potentially deadly sting, which has the ability to pierce the protective clothing of even professional beekeepers. How many of these enormous hornets have been identified in the West? Can they spread across the country? Join WGA Policy Advisor Bill Whitacre and Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologist Sven-Erik Spichiger as they explore the answers to these questions and more. Produced by: Tyler Losier

Part 7 of a series on the Reimagining the Rural West Initiative discusses how rural youth can help shape their communities for decades to come. Join WGA Policy Advisor Laura Cutlip as she highlights the importance of listening to young people during the economic development process. Guests include Megan Laudenshlager, Executive Director of Strengthen North Dakota; Ben Thomas, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps; and Kevin Leier, a teacher at Rugby High School in Pierce County, North Dakota. Narrator: Laura Cutlip Produced by: Tyler Losier

Part 6 of a series on the Reimagining the Rural West Initiative explores how rural communities across the region are working to bolster healthcare access and overcome barriers to providing care. Join WGA Policy Advisor Laura Cutlip as she highlights how adequate physical and mental healthcare are integral parts of any successful community. Guests include Jorge Guzman, founder and Executive Director of Vive NW; Andrew Black, Public Lands Field Director for the National Wildlife Federation; and Krista Stadler, the Senior Director of Telehealth Services at St. Luke's Health System. Narrator: Laura Cutlip Produced by: Tyler Losier

Part 5 of a series on the Reimagining the Rural West Initiative explores how a variety of different business structures can provide stability to their respective communities. Join WGA Policy Advisor Laura Cutlip as she speaks with experts on small businesses, cooperatives, and remote work to learn how rural areas can use these models to strengthen their economies. Guests include: David Martin, Director of the North Dakota Small Business Development Network; Kate La Tour, Government Relations Manager at the National Cooperative Business Association; and Shelly Fausett, the Center Director for SoloWorks. Narrator: Laura Cutlip Produced by: Tyler Losier

Part 4 of a series on the Reimagining the Rural West Initiative highlights how forming partnerships is vital in promoting economic development across the West. Join WGA Policy Advisor Laura Cutlip as she explores how rural communities are teaming up to share knowledge, resources, and create collaborative infrastructure. She's joined by Megan Laudenschlager, Executive Director of Strengthen ND; Juta Guertsen, Community Development Director for the Idaho Commission on the Arts; and Andrew Black, Public Lands Field Director for the National Wildlife Federation. Narrator: Laura Cutlip Produced by: Tyler Losier

Part 3 of a series on the Reimagining the Rural West Initiative explores the use of “placemaking” by rural community leaders to capitalize on local assets and create environments where people want to live, work and play. Join WGA Policy Advisor Laura Cutlip in a discussion with: Daved Lundeen, Executive Director of the North Dakota-based Williston Downtowners Association; Kim Konikow, Executive Director of the North Dakota Council on the Arts; and Melvin Juanico, Operations Manager for the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum in New Mexico. Narrator: Laura Cutlip Produced by: Tyler Losier

Out West's sophomore episode continues our series about Reimagining the Rural West, the Chairman's Initiative of North Dakota Governor and WGA Chair Doug Burgum, which highlights challenges and opportunities in rural economic development, infrastructure and quality of life in the West. Today, WGA Policy Advisor Laura Cutlip discusses ways to rewrite the predominantly negative narrative that often surrounds rural communities. She's joined by Ben Winchester, a rural sociologist from the University of Minnesota Center for Community Vitality; and Jennifer Groth, Policy and Partnerships Manager at Rural Development Initiatives. Narrator: Laura Cutlip Produced by: Tyler Losier

This episode of Out West kicks off a series about the Western Governors' Reimagining the Rural West Initiative, the Chairman's Initiative of North Dakota Governor and WGA Chair Doug Burgum. Each episode will highlight different aspects of the Initiative, examining challenges and opportunities in rural economic development, infrastructure and quality of life in the West. Today, Gov. Burgum talks about why he chose to pursue this Initiative. Narrator: Laura Cutlip Produced by: Tyler Losier