Washington Technology Industry Association, a nonprofit organization made up of 1,000 technology companies statewide, has promoted Kelly Fukai to chief operating officer.

Fukai, 48, was previously the organization's vice president of government and community affairs. In that role, she led the consortium's public policy and community engagement efforts.

An accountant by profession, her foray into the tech sector first began at Washington Water Power Co., now Avista Corp., where Fukai held various positions in corporate accounting. She first began working with policy in regulation when, as a natural gas analyst, she generated the long-term demand forecast for natural gas, among other duties. After her 16-year tenure with Avista, Fukai took on other roles related to policy and communications, including the government affairs manager for Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, and manager of public and external affairs for Spokane International Airport.

WTIA is a membership trade organization that focuses on fostering an equity-centered technology sector. The organization works on public policy and advocacy and engages with local, state, and federal officials on ways to advance the sector by supporting  employees and businesses growth and retention in Washington state.

Fukai, a born-and-raised Spokanite, attended Gonzaga University and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s in business administration. She works from her home on Spokane’s South Hill.

The Journal recently caught up with Fukai to learn how she got involved with tech and public policy, her goals, and the advice she has for others starting out their careers.

How did you become interested in public policy and tech? 

I actually started school thinking I wanted to do audio engineering. I love music and was going down that path. I had a great teacher at Spokane Falls Community College who sat me down before graduation and ran me through what a career in music would look like. After I thought about it, I realized it wasn’t the career and lifestyle I was aspiring to have. Part of the music program is around the business of music, and I loved my accounting classes, so I thought I’ll try accounting instead.

At Washington Water Power, in accounting, you move around a lot in different areas. One of the areas was budget and forecasting. I really loved that part of the accounting cycle. From there, it launched me into this whole new world of in-depth data analytics, stochastic modeling, and scenario planning. We did a lot of work around regulation, policy, and the energy space and how it impacts planning.

What drew you to WTIA? 

I wasn’t looking for a job. I was working for the airport doing government affairs and communications. This was right when the pandemic happened, and it turned out to be one of the busiest times for airport advocacy. Transportation policy and funding was all coming at me full speed. It was really fun. I was loving airport life when a colleague sent me a note letting me know about the position at WTIA. I looked at it and thought, well, this is an interesting organization but I’m not looking for a job. They pushed me to just go through the process and see what I think. So I started going through the process, and the organization is really fascinating.

Technology right now is all about artificial intelligence, Web 3.0, Bitcoin, blockchain, and all these things all over the place. It’s a huge sector for Washington state, and it’s one of the largest (employers) and brings in the most tax revenue. On top of that, WTIA is really focused on workforce development, which is a passion of mine and something I worked on in every industry—developing a more equitable workforce for whatever industry you are in. So I got the job, and I decided to try something new and see where it goes.

What do you mean by an equitable workforce? 

Tech, in particular, is one sector where the skew toward white males is pretty significant. That’s one way in which we look through the lens of equity. We want to increase the number of women and underrepresented populations in tech, for many reasons. Certainly, the wages in tech are higher than average, so moving people into family-wage-sustaining jobs is critical.

Additionally, when you think about the conversations around tech, people worry a lot about bias and whether the dataset being used is going to create more bias or perpetuate systemic inequities. One of the ways you solve that is by making sure the people building the technology are diverse.

The other way we look at an equitable workforce is through location. The tech sector is heavily skewed and concentrated in the King County area; the west side is known for tech, and it’s where the headquarters are for many of these companies. But we are seeing a lot of activity in the tech sector even here in Spokane and in pockets across the state. So how do we support the growth of the tech workforce in all corners of the state?

Where does that interest come from for you?

I am half Japanese, and my father is Japanese. His dad, my grandfather, was an immigrant and was in the incarceration camps during World War II. That’s, in fact, how our family came to be in Spokane. My grandfather joined the Army to get out of the camp, and his sisters relocated to Spokane after their time in camp. He came to visit his sisters, and that’s how we came to be in Spokane.

My dad worked at Washington Water Power and was in senior leadership before he retired there, and he was one of the few people of color or anyone with a diverse background in that kind of position. He talked a lot to us as kids about how important it is to have an education, because education is a great equalizer. He’s the first to graduate from college in his family and instilled a love of education in us.

But he also recognized that we would look different in the rooms we were in. He would teach us how to navigate that and be aware of where there is bias, because he experienced racism in his life. I have experienced it in my life as well. Knowing what it feels like to walk into a room and not see anyone who looks like you or has the same background, it does weigh on you and it is something you are aware of. That’s where my interest came in. It’s always been part of a thread of how I think about things. It hasn’t prevented me from doing things, but it is just something I’m aware of.

So if I’m aware of it, I can only imagine other people who look more diverse than me have that same feeling, and how is it impacting their career? Because it has, and it does, and I think we have to acknowledge that to be willing to have those conversations. Spokane has come a long way. I think there’s still a lot of work to do.

As someone who has had a nonlinear career path, what advice do you have for others? 

Embrace the winding road. I tell people all the time: Don’t be afraid to evaluate your path. Don’t just assume because you are here and you are happy that there isn’t something else that is interesting or may take you down a road you didn’t know about. It’s important to embrace opportunity and not be afraid to take the risk, don’t be afraid to fail at the risk. I tell my kids this all the time: just be curious, be willing to learn and ask questions. I think that is the thing that has served me best in all my jobs. I’ve always been wildly curious about the industry I’m in—even if it’s something I never thought I would be in, like tech.

What are some of the things you’re hoping to accomplish? 

The organization over the last decade has done a lot of great things. They’ve ebbed and flowed in their development, and I think we’ve come to the place where we have identified our core competencies. The organization is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and I’m most excited about taking this evolution and setting up what the next 40 years will look like. Tech is concentrated in King County and I’m excited to expand our reach into communities outside the area. Being in Spokane certainly is helpful because I’m a physical presence in the community.

The state has always been an innovation hub on a global scale. But we’re kind of starting to slip, and other states are starting to pop up. Texas has a great story going on. California is always a competitor. Nashville has a huge tech hub going on over there. I’m wickedly competitive, so I don’t like going to other association meetings and having Tennessee tell me they are better than our state.

Why do you think we’re slipping? 

I think it’s the Pacific Northwest way. We’re a bit casual and understated. We don’t do a great job marketing our own assets. It’s a bit like, we did the work, it should speak for itself. We were riding this wave, and now that wave has crested. We’re on the downside of that wave, and it’s time to bring some noise back.