2026 Membership Meeting & Economic Forecast: Panelist Bios
Kris Johnson, President & CEO, Association of Washington Business
Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business association. Kris came to AWB in 2010 after leading chamber of commerce in Saint Paul, Minnesota and the Tri-Cities, and he has served as AWB president since 2014.
He started his chamber career at the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce, where he served as manager of governmental and public affairs.
At AWB, Kris has strengthened connections with chambers of commerce throughout the state, building a Grassroots Alliance with 115 partners and counting. And he has championed the state’s manufacturers with an annual bus tour of manufacturing companies.
AWB serves as Washington’s state chamber of commerce and manufacturing association. Kris is currently serving as an officer on both the Council of State Manufacturers Associations and the National Association of State Chambers (national groups that represents manufacturing trade associations and chambers in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico.
Kris is a Montana native and graduate of the University of Montana-Western and the U.S Camber Institute program. He lives in Olympia with his wife Katie and their three children.
Elizabeth Mazzara Myers, Executive Director, Westside Economic Alliance
As Executive Director of Westside Economic Alliance, Elizabeth leads WEA in its strategic direction, membership, programming, and advocacy work. She is the organization’s primary spokesperson.
Elizabeth has spent the last twenty years working in policy and politics in Oregon, including her roles as Chief of Staff to elected officials in both Multnomah and Washington counties. Over the last eight or so years, she has coordinated and led complicated efforts to move policy and programs to and through political and community processes. Since joining WEA in 2022 she has led policy and advocacy efforts around transportation revenue, industrial land supply and building consensus on the importance of regional growth.
She attended Washington State University for her Master’s and doctoral studies and Oregon State University and Gonzaga University for her undergraduate work. In her spare time Elizabeth loves to travel and to cook and spends time in her garden or on walks with her husband and their adorable dog.
Dr. Michael Wilkerson, Partner / Director of Economic Research, EcoNorthwest
Mike specializes in economic analysis, modeling, and real estate analysis.
Dr. Michael Wilkerson is a leading expert and thought partner in real estate economics. He is a Partner and Director of Economic Research at ECOnorthwest and has 20 years of experience working with public sector and private clients around the country. His unique expertise is the intersection of real estate and economic development, with the goal of creating effective policies, influencing the built environment, and producing outcomes that improve individual opportunities. Mike has the ability to communicate complex topics and tradeoffs in simple and approachable ways, which deliver actionable insights for implementation. He regularly presents to local and state legislative bodies and at national conferences, including the American Planning Association, the National Multifamily Housing Council, and the Urban Land Institute. Mike is an adjunct professor in the Master of Real Estate Development program at Portland State University.