Washington State Department of Transportation

Jenna Forty

Government Relations Strategist

Jenna Forty is Sr. Director of External Relations at Washington State Ferries, where she leads legislative engagement, policy strategy and external affairs to support one of the nation's largest public transportation systems.

Washington State Ferries is a hugely complex system and the largest ferry system in the United States. Building our legislative and policy strategies requires balancing the diverse needs and priorities of our workforce, our customers, the Governor and legislative partners, and federal partners. Our policy priorities are often long-term and span well beyond election and budget cycles.

Building Trust Through Consistent Engagement

To support these long-term policy strategies, agency success depends on one primary value: trust. Building strong relationships with our executive and legislative partners is the basis for our policy success. Regardless of how the political tides ebb and flow, investing the time to understand lawmakers' priorities and concerns, being responsive to inquiries and leading every interaction with integrity lays the groundwork for steady relationships.

My relationships with legislators and executives are not merely transactional. Instead, they hinge on yearround engagement, being a consistent presence to discuss agency policy priorities in every forum and setting. Building this strong foundation ensures that partners are never surprised or caught off guard. They are prepared to speak about major policy issues with the most current information and remain engaged on policy options and alternatives. These relationships take different forms across roles and across the political spectrum, but fundamentally every partner is treated with the same level of respect and given uniform access to information.

Balancing Policy Priorities and Public Service

Balancing organizational priorities with an evolving legislative and regulatory landscape requires recognizing that every policy decision involves competing interests. Workforce needs, customer expectations, operational realities, fiscal constraints and long-term investments all must be considered together. My role is to provide policymakers with transparent information about the impacts of policy options and implementation challenges so they can make informed decisions.

I am always cognizant in my external discussions that I represent an agency, not myself, and as such must demonstrate WSF's values of serve, grow, trust, respect and navigate. My personal principles dictate leading with integrity, responsiveness and consistency. Leading with these principles ensures I am always engaging policymakers with a collaborative approach that aligns with the agency's long-term strategy.

Financial Insight as a Policy Advantage 

My path to Sr. Director of External Relations was perhaps unconventional compared to my counterparts. I worked for several years as a budget writer in the Governor's Office of Financial Management and then as nonpartisan committee staff for the Washington State Senate. Developing financial acumen and understanding the levers of the state budget has been an indispensable asset in advancing policy goals.

The adage that "budget reflects your priorities" is unequivocally true, particularly in state budget environments where limited resources must be balanced with competing needs. Having insight into the state budget allows policy options and alternatives to be calibrated to financial realities, strengthening the foundation of trust with our external partners.

To the Future Government Relations Leaders 

My advice to those seeking to build successful careers in government relations, public affairs and policy strategy is to focus on building a personal brand around your core values, be consistent and remain responsive. Developing leadership principles grounded in flexibility and patience is key when navigating a complex and ever-changing landscape.

Policy initiatives are rarely delivered on the timeline or in the same manner as an agency proposes. It's important to keep in perspective that many policy decisions are outside the agency's control. Achieving complex policy wins often takes time, compromise and a willingness to meet decision-makers where they are to keep advancing policy priorities. Even when executive and legislative priorities take unexpected turns, it's imperative to remain engaged, supportive and collaborative, providing partners with transparent information about implementation challenges or potential pitfalls. This again goes back to building strong relationships and being a collaborator rather than an obstructionist.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, governments and public agencies will face increasing pressure to do more with less while keeping pace with rapid technological change and meeting the evolving expectations of taxpayers and lawmakers. Creativity and adaptability will become even more important in shaping effective public policy.

At Washington State Ferries, we, like many transportation systems, are making generational investments to update aging vessels and infrastructure that will serve Washington for the next 50 to 100 years. Those investments require us to continually look ahead, planning for future opportunities and contingencies while balancing today's fiscal realities. Building trust, maintaining strong relationships and remaining focused on long-term policy objectives will continue to be the foundation for successful government relations in the years ahead.