Meet COWU Lobbyist: Brooke Davies

“Hi my name is Brooke Davies and I live in Seattle with my husband Eric (we just got married in September 2021), our dog Arthur, and our kitty Paia. I am from a small town in Virginia that you’ve probably never heard of nestled in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. I moved to Seattle seven years ago and fell in love with the city and the state of Washington. I am the only one in my family to ever permanently leave our home town. I have one sister who is my best friend, she is 4 years younger than me and is the mom of two precious babies, my nephews, Alton and Nakoa. My sister is a hair stylist and she works incredibly hard to run her business while also being a mom. 

In 2019 I was blown away by the amazing grassroots efforts of the Cosmetologists, I think everyone in the lobbyist community and the business community was blown away. Since seeing you all in Olympia I have really wanted to work with your industry to help advocate for all of you. I have learned a lot since working as a contract lobbyist in Olympia and one of the lessons we always share with our clients is “if you aren’t at the table, you’re on the menu!” – and I have seen that to prove true over and over again. That is why what you all have created is so important and I am so excited to be part of the team!”

Brooke Davies is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington with a B.A. in Physics. Before becoming an associate lobbyist, Brooke worked as a teacher of Advanced Placement Physics. Brooke then transitioned into a new career, where she served as the Executive Director of a statewide non-profit trade organization representing regulated cannabis businesses in Washington. In this position, Brooke worked closely with members of the Washington State Legislature, their staff, and various Washington State regulatory agencies to help craft policy, develop and interpret rules for a brand-new industry. Brooke has created state and local legislative agendas, organized educational, networking and fundraising events, coordinated regulatory compliance for various stakeholders, and built lasting relationships in Olympia. 

Since joining Vicki and Brad, Brooke has worked with all of their combined 28 clients focusing her efforts on business, commerce, technology and transportation. This broad portfolio has allowed her to expand her connections in Olympia and gain significant knowledge of Washington’s political landscape. Brooke grew up in Winchester, Virginia.

What projects or lobbying efforts have you been successful in? “Last year, we were successful in passing legislation (SB 5318) that was a complete reform of the enforcement division at the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board. Our client, the Washington CannaBusiness Association, felt that the agency was taking an “enforcement first” approach to regulating their businesses, resulting in fines, suspensions, and more. We modeled the bill after a similar reform of the Department of Labor and Industries in the 1990’s, and following passage of SB 5318 the agency is now required to give a “notice of correction” and allow a licensee an opportunity to correct the error before issuing a violation. Additionally, last session we were successful in securing a five vessel ferry contract extension (client: Vigor Shipyards), and a sales tax deferral program for NHL Seattle for the construction of the NHL hockey arena in Seattle (Oakview Group/NHL Seattle). We also passed a bill that made Washington state the first state to legalize organic human reduction as an after death option (Recompose), a bill that generated national media attention (link to story: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/us/human-composting-washington.html). In addition to these proactive accomplishments last session, we successfully defended against several proposals that could have had negative consequences for our Boswell Consulting clients, in our judgment. 

 In 2016, I helped to facilitate the formation of a small trade organization representing licensed cannabis retail establishments and later became the Executive Director of that organization. In my role as Executive Director of the Cannabis Organization of Retail Establishments (CORE), I saw firsthand the impact that direct outreach from business owners can have in the Legislature, helping coordinate several trips to Olympia . When we began advocating on behalf of licensed cannabis businesses, the industry was little understood and the issues of interest to use generated either confusion or outright opposition from lawmakers. Now, five years later, the industry is considered a mainstream business sector comprised of primarily small businesses that employ over 10,000 people state-wide, pay millions of dollars in wages, and generate significant revenue for the State. In my time leading CORE, I worked parallel to Vicki Christophersen, one of the most established lobbyists in Olympia. Vicki observed my successes representing CORE, and offered me a position to work with her on all of her clients.”