James Bobst has served as the Human Resource Manager for Pacific Fibre Products, Inc.—a family-owned timber products company—since 1991. He is currently a Trustee for the TOC Management Services Health & Welfare Trust, and is a Member of the TOC (Timber Operators Council) Washington Group Workers’ Compensation Plan Committee.
Mr. Bobst served a two-year term as a Member of the Department of Labor and Industries Retro Advisory Committee, and 25 years as a Volunteer Firefighter for Castle Rock Fire / EMS & Cowlitz County Fire District #6—seven years as an Advanced Life Support EMT. For five years, he served as an elected Director for the Castle Rock School District. Mr. Bobst attended Lower Columbia College, Longview, Washington.
Paul Guppy is a graduate of Seattle University and holds Masters Degrees in political science from Claremont Graduate University and the London School of Economics. Paul has 12 years of staff service in the U.S. Congress, including work as a Chief of Staff and Legislative Director. He joined the Washington Policy Center in 1998 to run its research program. He is the author of numerous Policy Center studies on taxes, labor policy, public financing and health care reform. He is editor of The Policy Guide to Washington State, and a member of the King County Citizens Election Oversight Committee. He is a frequent commentator on radio and TV news programs, and writes columns on public policy that appear periodically in newspapers across the state.
Professor Kahng joined the faculty at Seattle University in 2001. Prior to coming to the Pacific Northwest, she taught tax law at Cornell Law School and New York University School of Law. Professor Kahng has served as attorney advisor in the Office of Tax Legislative Counsel in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Formerly, she was a vice president at Salomon Brothers in New York City, specializing in tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, and an associate with the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Professor Kahng was awarded a bachelors of arts from Princeton University, a juris doctorate from Columbia University School of Law, and a master of laws in Taxation from New York University School of Law.
William (Bill) A. Longbrake is a former vice chair chief financial officer of Washington Mutual, Inc. Currently he is an executive in residence part time at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. Mr. Longbrake began his career in Washington, D.C., where he served in various positions for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC).
Mr. Longbrake holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from the College of Wooster and master's degrees in monetary economics and business administration from the University of Wisconsin. He was awarded a doctorate in finance by the University of Maryland. Currently, he is a member of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors for Washington State and the University of Washington Business School Advisory Board.
Stephen Miller served as President to the 1,200 members of the Bellevue Education Association from 2004 to 2008. He is currently a member of the Washington Education Association.
For 11 years, Mr. Miller taught social studies courses to middle and high school students in private schools and the Bellevue School District. Born and raised in the Puget Sound area, he has undergraduate degrees in Economics and History from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Masters in Arts and Teaching from Lewis and Clark College.
Sen. Craig Pridemore chairs the Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee and serves on two other committees in the Washington State Senate: the Senate Ways & Means Committee and the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee. He also chairs the Joint Legislative Audit Review Committee.
Sen. Pridemore has represented the 49th Legislative District since 2005. The district includes Vancouver west of Interstate 205, and the Minnehaha, Lakeshore and Hazel Dell areas. Prior to his election to the Senate, Craig served as Clark County Commissioner from 1999 to 2005.
He served as an Intelligence Analyst in the active-duty U.S. Army from 1983 to 1987 and was named Fort Monmouth Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year in 1986. He earned a B.A. degree in political science from the University of Washington in 1989.
Brian Sonntag has served the citizens of Washington as State Auditor since his election in 1992. He is the state’s eighth elected State Auditor. Mr. Sonntag’s long career in public service began in 1978, when he was elected Pierce County Clerk. He served eight years in office before twice being elected Pierce County Auditor, an office he held until his election as State Auditor. Mr. Sonntag holds the National Association of Government Accountant’s professional certification as a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), recognizing him as an expert in financial management. He attended Tacoma Community College and the University of Puget Sound, and has completed a graduate program for government officials at the University of Washington’s School of Public Affairs.
Mr. Sonntag has received the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s Freedoms Light Award for his achievements and commitment to open government, and the Municipal League of King County's Warren G. Magnuson Memorial Award for his contributions to helping improve local government operations. He belongs to several state and national organizations including the Performance Audit Task Force of the National State Auditor’s Association, the National Association of State Auditors Comptrollers and Treasurers, the Washington Finance Officers Association, and the Pacific Northwest License, Tax and Fraud Association.