William Stafford

Bill Stafford is the chief strategizer, planner, briefer and leader for the annual delegations of Seattle’s business and political leadership visiting chief citistate capitals around the globe. No American region has a comparable program. Stafford is unabashed in explaining why he wants it for trade-dependent Seattle: “We are building the most internationally sophisticated leadership in the world.”Prior to assuming the presidency of the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle in 1991, Stafford served a succession of Seattle mayors over a period of nearly two decades. His varied posts included Deputy Mayor and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, coordinating relations with county, state and federal governments.

Under the trade development program Stafford leads for the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, yearly delegations of Seattle regional leaders — an average of 75 from business, government, non-profits, schools and colleges — make week-long reconnaissance trips to successful foreign regions. Stafford prepares briefing books packed with local history, economic and political facts, issue summaries and press clippings. The delegations have visited such world cities as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Stuttgart, Osaka/Kobe, Berlin, Hong Kong, Bristol and London, Singapore, Munich, Aba Dhabi amd Dubai, UAE.

When not spanning the globe to boost Seattle’s competitiveness, Stafford has served on numerous local boards, including the Children’s Museum, Public Defender Association, and the Seattle Zoo. While on the Zoo’s board, Stafford moved instinctively to forge international ties. After putting together a “sister city” agreement with Chongqing, China, in the ’80s, he negotiated with the Chinese for a series of animal exchanges including golden monkeys, red panthers and ostriches.

For more on Bill Stafford, read Neal Peirce’s 1997 column: Seattle’s Global Maestro

Last updated July 6, 2009.