June Newsletter

Thank You. That’s What We Most Want to Say.

After building something real together, WE’RE will conclude its planned operations on June 30. Those of you most closely connected to our work heard from us personally this spring and we hope that in those conversations you heard our deep gratitude for the time, energy, and leadership you invested in this coalition. This note is for the broader community as well. The idea of WE’RE was born in 2020 when a group of Washington employers came together to explore some challenging questions: Is our workforce inclusive of the communities we serve? Who has access to our supply chains? Do our procurement dollars reflect our values? What does it mean to lead inclusively, and are we preparing the next generation to do it? In the nearly six years since, employers asked those questions, and we helped them do something with the answers. Our research surfaced systemic barriers in Washington’s workplaces, and we brought CEOs into honest conversations about inclusion. We created the Leadership Development Program, with four of Washington’s universities, from scratch, that has now equipped more than 150 professionals to lead more skillfully. We convened supplier inclusion practitioners and Employee Resource Group leaders from companies across the state, and we gave them a community and a shared set of tools.

The conclusion of WE’RE this summer will reflect something we always hoped would happen: this work has moved inside Washington companies, where it belongs. You can see the commitment in McKinstry’s dedicated supplier inclusion and mentorship programs, designed to open doors for businesses that might otherwise be locked out of major contracts, as well as their growing Alliance (ERG) program, which now hosts six communities with chapters across the country and leaders who convene annually. It’s in Puget Sound Energy’s sustained commitment to equity in energy procurement, their Equity Advisory Group, and their partnerships with community organizations focused on economic inclusion. It’s in the evolution of BECU’s work to embed inclusion into how it serves members, supports employees, and engages communities; making belonging a natural part of how decisions are made and business is conducted across the organization. And only a few weeks ago, Delta Dental of Washington sponsored WE’RE’s Health Access Summit. These are just a handful of examples, and there are so many more, of the great work now taking place across Washington.

That was always the goal: to help companies build and embed internal capacity. Our work together will continue to live on inside the people and organizations doing this work.

One area we are continuing to explore an alternative host is for The Leadership Development Program. Our marquee effort. The curriculum, the university partnerships, the model we built together will carry forward and we hope to provide a broader announcement soon.

The work you did inside your organizations is yours, and it matters. Keep doing it. You are what continues to matter. We are proud of what we built art and we are even more proud of who we built it with.

With deep gratitude and real pride in what we did together,

Shirline Wilson & Lauren Van Koughnett

June 2026