Western Washington University

08/06/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/07/2026 10:06

Advancing financial literacy: Highlights from the 2026 Washington Economics Symposium

Advancing financial literacy: Highlights from the 2026 Washington Economics Symposium

More than 100 people explored topics including financial education, artificial intelligence, and workforce trends

August 6, 2026

by Jennifer Nerad

University Communications

The education track at the Washington Economics Symposium includes interactive economics and personal finance sessions, ensuring participants leave with classroom-ready tools and ideas. Photo courtesy of Washington Economics Symposium.

The 2026 Washington Economics Symposium brought together K-12 educators, policymakers and industry leaders for a day filled with exploration, collaboration and hands-on learning.

The annual symposium is dedicated to advancing financial and economic literacy throughout Washington state. This year's event, held on July 28, featured a robust agenda including speakers Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown and Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti, with sessions covering Washington's legislative, regulatory, and fiscal landscape, as well as breakout sessions tailored for policy and industry professionals and educators.

Keynotes and panels highlighted artificial intelligence integration in education and the workforce, youth financial resilience, understanding economic indicators, and other timely topics.

The symposium was organized by Western Washington University's Center for Economic and Financial Education (CEFE), the Washington Council for Economic and Financial Education, and the Financial Education Public-Private Partnership, and held at the University of Washington, Bothell.

Organizers provided 182 professional clock hours to in-service Washington state educators, underscoring the symposium's value to educator development. CEFE awarded 12 educator scholarships, enabling teachers from districts across the state to attend. In all, more than 100 attended the symposium.

Attendees shared overwhelmingly positive feedback about the event. One high school teacher who attended hoping to deepen their understanding of student financial literacy remarked they got that and more, saying "The symposium also expanded the conversation to include artificial intelligence and how this emerging technology can create new opportunities, influence future employment, and strengthen financial literacy for our students."

Another participant described the event as "an amazing learning and networking opportunity," while others noted the value of the student panel, networking opportunities, high-quality classroom resources, and enthusiasm for next year's symposium.

Visit WWU's Center for Economic and Financial Education to read more about the Washington Economics Symposium.

Jennifer Nerad covers Western's College of Business and Economics and College of the Environment for the Office of University Communications. Have a great story idea? Reach out to her at [email protected].

Western Washington University published this content on August 06, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on August 07, 2026 at 16:06 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]