2026 Washington Economics Symposium
Location
University of Washington, Bothell
17927 113th Ave NE, Bothell, WA 98011
Date
Tuesday, July 28th, 2026
9am-5pm
Thank you to all of those who made WES 2026 another fantastic year of learning and collaborating! We hope to see you again at WES 2027
Fantastic Conference! The presenters were all excellent!
- WA State Financial Education Organization Leader
WES 2026 brought together K–12 educators, policymakers, and industry leaders
for a full day of exploration, collaboration, and hands-on learning. This year’s symposium, co-organized by Western Washington University's Center for Economic and Financial Education, the Washington Council for Economic and Financial Education, and the Financial Education Public-Private Partnership dives into the forces shaping Washington’s economy with this year's theme: Navigating the New Economy: AI, Affordability, and Financial Resilience in Washington. Tailored tracks and interactive sessions give attendees practical tools and actionable strategies to navigate today’s rapidly changing financial landscape and prepare Washington's students for the future economy.
In addition to general sessions, we have two deep-dive speaker tracks:
- Policy and industry participants connected with government and business leaders, exchanged ideas, and gained actionable insights to advance economic and financial literacy across Washington.
- Teachers experienced interactive economics and personal finance sessions and will left with classroom-ready tools, fresh insights, peer connections, and ideas that can be implemented immediately. Teachers received 6.5 clock hours: 4.5 STEM and 2 general.
Tickets
WES 2026 Tickers Are Closed
All ticket fees include clock hours, educational sessions, breakfast, lunch and networking reception.
Students and Pre-service Educators - $25
In-service Educators - $50
All Others - $75
All registration fees go to the Washington Council for Economic and Financial Education, which funds professional development for K-12 educators focused on teaching economics and personal finance.
I honestly was so impressed with this event. More people need to find out about this and come next year. I was engaged the whole event.
- WA State Financial Education Organization Leader
Educator Scholarships
We were beyond happy to award 12 educator scholarships to support teacher attendance at the 2026 Washington State Economics Symposium.
Scholarships were awarded first-come, first-served. Funds covered registration, and additional support available as needed.
Scholarships supported teachers all across WA state!
"Great presentations!! Keep this conference going. It's an amazing learning and networking opportunity. The economic indicators presentation and the lunch keynote were the BEST!!"
-WA High School Teacher & WES 2026 Attendee
Speakers
Mike Pellicciotti
Washington State Treasurer
Nick Brown
Washington Attorney General
Thomas Gilbert
Associate Professor of Finance and Business Economics
University of Washington
Andrea Caceres-Santamaria
Senior Economic Education Specialist
Federal Reserve Education
Miladys Garcia
Special populations program supervisor
FEPPP
Joel Miller
Director of Educator Engagement
Foundation for Economic Education
Clinton Taylor
Founder and CEO
Your Money Matters Mentoring
Lakshmi Nidamarthi
CEO and Founder
Waymakers Collective
Anneliese Vance-Sherman
Chief Labor Economist
Employment Security Department - WA State
Lisa Qian
City AI Officer
City of Seattle
Stefanie Fischer
Principal Economist
Amazon
Carissa Schoenick
Senior Director, Strategic Development
Ai2
Matthew Gardner
Principal & Lecturer
Gardner Economics & University of Washington
Christy Johnson
CEO & Adjunct Faculty
Artemis Connection & University of Washington
Charles Smith
Director of Public Policy and Advocacy
The Mockingbird Society
Thank you to our incredible speakers for making this event possible!
The presenters were all excellent. Thank you for the wonderful learning opportunity.
- WA State High School Teacher
Agenda
Registration Opens and Continental Breakfast
Opening Remarks
Adam Wright, Director, Center for Economics & Financial Education, Western Washington University
General Session | All Tracks : Washington's Legislative & Regulatory Landscape
An overview of state legislative priorities and consumer protection frameworks shaping Washington's economic environment. Educators gain insight into how shifting policy affects workforce stability, career pathways, and the financial realities students are entering.
Nick Brown, Washington State Attorney General
General Session | All Tracks : Washington Fiscal Briefing & Economic Resilience
A data-driven look at Washington's fiscal health, affordability trends, and cost-of-living pressures -- with practical ways to connect state metrics to financial literacy instruction.
Mike Pellicciotti, Washington State Treasurer
Networking Session | All Tracks
Break
Breakout Session | Track 1 Educators: Why Your Loan Balance Isn't Going Down, Even When You're Paying
Explore why student loan balances can grow even with large payments. Students use hands-on activities to understand interest, amortization, and compound interest through simulations and real-world examples.
Joel Miller, Director of Educator Engagement, Foundation for Economic Education
Breakout Session | Track 2 Business and Policy: From Anxiety to Agency: Preparing the Next Generation for an AI-Integrated World
AI is moving faster than any technology in human history -- and educators and policy leaders are on the front lines of what comes next. This session cuts through the hype to address what's real, what's at stake, and what you can do about it.
Lakshmi Nidamarthi, CEO & Founder, Waymakers Collective
Break
Breakout Session | Track 1 Educators: The Minimum Trap: What Paying the Minimum Really Costs
Learn how minimum payments and deferred payment offers can obscure the true long-term cost of borrowing. Educators examine real-world credit and loan examples to build student understanding of debt accumulation.
Joel Miller, Director of Educator Engagement, Foundation for Economic Education
Breakout Session | Track 2 Business and Policy: Locked Out and Left Behind: How Washington State's Housing Affordability Crisis Is Stalling First-Time Buyers
Washington State is facing a housing affordability crisis with few historical parallels – and the consequences extend far beyond the housing market. In this timely address, Mr. Gardner examines the forces driving demand for more than one million new housing units over the next two decades, the structural barriers preventing those homes from being built, and what happens to Washington's economic future if the gap is not closed. With first-time buyers effectively locked out of homeownership and affordability near record lows, the state risks losing its competitive edge in attracting and retaining the businesses, workers, and talent that power its economy. This is not just a housing problem – it is an economic competitiveness crisis that demands urgent action from policymakers, and business leaders alike.
Matthew Gardner, Real Estate Economics & Public Speaker, Gardner Economics
Lunch Session: Macroeconomic Impacts of AI on the Washington Labor Market
UW Foster School of Business Finance Professor Thomas Gilbert breaks down how the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping local industries and labor market demand.
Thomas Gilbert, Amazon Scholar, Associate Professor of Finance and Business Economics and Artificial Intelligence Lead at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, UW Foster School of Business
Breakout Session | Track 1 Educators: Protecting Your Financial Future: Identity Security and Money in the Digital Age
Learn about the Three D's of Identity Theft (Deter, Detect, Defend), along with practical strategies for financial resilience and modern scam detection.
Andrea Caceres Santamaria, Senior Economic Education Specialist, Federal Reserve Education
Breakout Session | Track 2 Business and Policy: AI for the Common Good: How Ai2 is Building Tools for Science, the Environment, and Communities
The Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) is a Seattle-based nonprofit advancing open AI in the public interest. This session will highlight several applied Ai2 programs, including Asta, which helps accelerate scientific research; OlmoEarth, which turns satellite and environmental data into insights for food security, wildfire resilience, and conservation; Skylight, which helps detect illegal fishing; and open robotics research focused on safer, more interpretable physical AI. Together, these efforts show how open models and shared AI infrastructure can serve science, communities, and the public good.
Carissa Schoenick, Senior Director, Strategic Development, Ai2
Break
Breakout Session | Track 1 Educators: Understanding Economic Indicators: Unemployment and Inflation in Action
Understand unemployment and inflation through hands-on activities and real-world applications.
Andrea Caceres Santamaria, Senior Economic Education Specialist, Federal Reserve Education
Breakout Session | Track 2 Business and Policy: AI Panel: Jobs, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future
Explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries and institutions across the public sector, private sector, and sciences. Panelists will share perspectives on emerging AI applications, how organizations are adapting, and the opportunities and challenges ahead as AI becomes increasingly integrated into society.
Stefanie Fischer, Principal Economist, Amazon
Lisa Qian, City AI Officer, City of Seattle
Carissa Schoenick, Senior Director, Strategic Development, Ai2
Moderator: Christy Johnson, CEO Artemis Connection, Adjunct Faculty UW
Break
Breakout Session | Track 1 Educators: Life Beyond High School: Navigating Housing, Financial Stability, and Support for Special Population Students
This session focuses on preparing special population students for postsecondary success by addressing essential housing, financial, and support needs.
Miladys Garcia, Special Populations Program Supervisor, Financial Education Public-Private Partnership
Breakout Session | Track 2 Business and Policy:State of Washington’s Labor Market What’s going on with Washington’s labor market?
The pandemic in 2020 brought the highest unemployment rates since the Great Depression. A couple years later, the number of job openings outnumbered job seekers. In recent months, the unemployment rate has been creeping up. The labor market has been shifting – a lot. In this presentation, we’ll explore labor market trends and what they tell us about the challenges and opportunities that characterize this moment.
Anneliese Vance-Sherman, Chief Labor Economist, Washington State Employment Security Department
Break
General Session | All Tracks: Panel: Youth and Financial Resilience in a Changing Economy
This panel brings together financial education practitioners working directly with economically vulnerable and underserved youth to explore strategies for making financial literacy more accessible, relevant, and impactful.
Miladys Garcia, Special Populations Program Supervisor, Financial Education Public-Private Partnership
Clinton Taylor, Founder & CEO, Your Money Matters Mentoring
Charles Smith, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, The Mockingbird Society
Youth Panelist
Youth Panelist
Concluding Statements
Adam Wright, Director
Center for Economics & Financial Education, Western Washington University
Symposium Social
End of 2026 Washington Economics Symposium
Thank You to Our WES 2026 Sponsors
