March 1, 2022

Dept. of Commerce

Busch

Beason

The Washington State Department of Commerce Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness appointed two new industry sector directors. Alison Beason joined the team as director/sector lead for the life science and global health industry. Carolyn Busch was appointed to the new position of director of workforce innovation and industry sector program coordinator. Beason comes to Commerce with more than 20 years of experience in public service. She will spearhead efforts to advance Gov. Jay Inslee's ongoing work to grow and strengthen scientific communities through statewide industry sector development strategies. Before joining Commerce, Beason was integral to the development of equity, diversity and inclusion at the City of Tacoma and the Port of Seattle. Beason also held strategic roles at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Busch has 30 years of experience working in public policy. She will lead the department's work to address major workforce shortages, underemployment, degree inflation and disparate work experiences by gender and race. Prior to this role, Busch served as special projects manager for King County's Department of Human Resources and as chief of staff for the King County Council. She previously worked for the Washington State Senate Democratic Caucus, initially as the policy analyst for budget and taxes and finally as chief of staff.