Fall 2025
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 @ 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Spark G45
Keynote Speaker:
Mike Pellicciotti, Washington State Treasurer
Mike Pellicciotti (Pelleh-chee-otti) was elected Washington’s 24th State Treasurer in 2020.
As Washington’s Chief Financial Officer, Mike is dedicated to financial transparency, protecting Washington’s financial health and leading policies that best serve our state’s working families and retirees.
Mike has worked with the Legislature to strengthen budget reserves, manage debt costs, and increase pension funding. As a direct result, Washington has maintained outstanding credit ratings, including the highest “Aaa” rating from Moody’s. Leveraging our state’s strong financial reputation, Mike has refinanced existing debt to save Washington over a half-billion dollars since 2021. He has also increased investment returns for state and local governments, bringing billions of new dollars to Washington communities.
As Treasurer, Mike has led the passage of new laws that make state financial operations more modern and efficient. He has also offered bipartisan legislative proposals consistent with his belief that all Washingtonians should have economic opportunity at birth, the tools to thrive financially throughout life, and a path to security in retirement. Specifically, Mike has expanded financial education access in Washington and has requested legislation to require financial education in our schools.
Mike has lived and has family on both sides of the Cascades and is committed to serving the entire state. He is particularly focused on promoting policies that support economic development in our rural regions and other communities that have been historically denied access to capital. In these pursuits, he has held hundreds of stakeholder meetings and town halls throughout all of our 39 counties.
Before being elected state treasurer, Mike was an Assistant Attorney General and served two terms in the Washington House of Representatives. While representing the 30th Legislative District of South King and North Pierce Counties, he led efforts to increase penalties for corporate crime, to get “dark money” out of politics, and to increase government transparency.
Mike has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and received his Master’s in Rural Development as a United States Fulbright Scholar. His Juris Doctor is from Gonzaga University. Mike is a lifelong fan of Gonzaga Basketball. Go Zags!
Past Events
On 11/12/24 Ed Orcutt, WA State House of Representatives, presented: “Pulling Back the Curtain on Taxes in Washington”
On 4/1/24 State Senator Noel Frame, presented: “Making Strides to Increase Fairness in the WA State Tax System”
On 2/27/23 Melissa Hellmann, racial, gender and economic inequality reporter for the Center for Public Integrity, presented: “The Cost of Disparity: How State Tax Policies Fuel the Racial Wealth Gap”
On 2/15/22 Nina Olson, executive director and founder of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, presented: “Taxpayer Rights: Taxpayer Advocates and Trust in the Tax System”
On 3/9/21 David Cay Johnston presented: “The Prosperity Tax – An alternative for the 21st Century”
On 3/27/19 in Spark G45, the Hoops Tax Institute presented: “Sales Suppression Software: What is it, How Using it Hurts Others and Could Land You Behind Bars, and what You should do if You See it.”
Speakers included Richard Ainsworth, Mike Chertrude, and Kim Triplett‑Kolerich.
On 11/29/17 the Hoops Tax Institute presented: Thomas Neubig, founding member, Tax Sage Network, and his presentation, “Federal Tax Reform: Why is it Needed, Why so difficult?”
On 3/6/17 the Hoops Tax Institute presented “Governor Inslee’s 2017-19 Financial Plan,” a public lecture by David Schumacher, director of the Washington State Office of Financial Management.
On 10/20/16, the Hoops Tax Institute presented a panel discussion on I-732 Washington state’s carbon tax initiative.
Panelists included Yoram Bauman, Sen. Doug Ericksen, and Jeff Johnson
On 3/31/16 the Hoops Tax Institute presented a panel discussion on the OECD’s proposed multi-lateral agreement on corporate base erosion and profit sharing.
Speakers included Kimberly Clausing, Reuven Avi-Yonah, Leslie Robinson, and Chris Faiferlick.
On 10/6/15 Cara Griffith presented, “The Good, The Bad and the Downright Ugly: An Outsider’s Look at Washington State’s Tax System.”
On 2/19/15 David Cay Johnston presented, “How Government Creates Inequality: The Tax Rules That Take From the Many to Give to the Few.”