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Home / Washington Business - March/April 2007 / Profile - ChangMook Sohn: Executive Director, Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council |
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Profile - ChangMook Sohn: Executive Director, Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council |
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Written On: March/April 2007 |
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Written By: by Richard S. Davis |
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When ChangMook Sohn came to Olympia in 1984, state government was just emerging from period of budget upheaval. State revenues had been hammered by the recession. Budgets were adopted and amended, taxes increased and spending cut in a fiscal fandango that sent public confidence in government plummeting.
Adding substantially to lawmakers’ challenges were shaky and contradictory revenue estimates. When you don’t know how much money you’re going to have, it’s hard to know how to spend it. To avoid a repeat, Republican Gov. John Spellman and the Democratic Legislature created the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council in 1984. The six-member body, comprising the state budget and revenue directors and members of the four legislative caucuses, hired Sohn as the council’s first—and so far, only—executive director.
Setting up the system, however, didn’t mean that everyone bought into it. Initially, he says, there were "huge suspicions" that had to be overcome.
"My goal from the beginning was to gain the full confidence and acceptance and earn the trust from all sides, policy-makers and institutions," said Sohn. He succeeded to an unparalleled degree.
In the swirl of conflicting opinion that often defines Olympia, Sohn shines as a polestar, unmoved by politics as he helps politicians set their course through the economic fog. His quarterly revenue estimates frame the legislative and executive budget deliberations. After a few challenges in the early years, they have routinely garnered the unanimous support of the six members of the forecast council.
Recruited from Oregon, where he had been state economist, Sohn says some of his colleagues there warned him that Washington was "very political." The state is still political, but Sohn’s integrity and professionalism have taken the politics out of the revenue forecast.
A native of Korea, Sohn was 25 years old when he came to the United States. He holds an undergraduate degree from Yonsei University in Seoul and a doctorate in economics from The State University of New York in Albany. Although he enjoys academics and regularly teaches part-time at St. Martin’s College and The Evergreen State College, his interest in public finance led him to public service.
While his career has brought him a great deal of satisfaction, Sohn comes alive when the discussion turns to his family. He’s a proud father of two, so before leaving Salem he checked out the public schools in Olympia. He compared the school systems and curricula, finding the Olympia system clearly superior. His son and daughter later graduated from Olympia High School. His daughter received her undergraduate degree at Smith College and is now living in New York. His son graduated from Williams College and is currently an ophthalmology resident at the University of Washington Medical School.
A member of the Higher Education Coordinating Board since 1995, Sohn believes strongly in education and the responsibilities of parents.
"More than anything, the parent’s role is important," he says. In addition to schoolwork, he made sure that both children studied music from an early age. As any parent who’s listened to a beginning violinist knows, that’s not always an easy commitment to keep. But the value endures.
"Music is more than just making melody and harmony. We used music as a disciplinary tool," he says. "Without practice, you cannot make a good sound."
Sohn approaches his career and his community service with a similar, disciplined commitment to harmony and honesty.
Sohn, who regularly visits Korea, strongly supports the state’s international trade missions. In October, he traveled to Korea and Taiwan with Gov. Chris Gregoire and AWB President Don Brunell.
"Personal contact is so important," he says.
Over his distinguished career, Sohn has received many awards, including the Governor’s Distinguished Management Leadership Award, the Asian-American of the Year Award from The China Post, and the Asian-American Pioneer Award. He has also served as an elected member of the Group Health Cooperative board of trustees.
This year, the Association of Washington Business has selected ChangMook Sohn to receive the C. David Gordon Award. The award, established in 2004 to honor former AWB President Dave Gordon, is given to an individual in recognition of outstanding achievement in public policy. Previous recipients include Gordon and C. Lee Coulter in 2004, Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg in 2005, and former state Sen. Jeannette Hayner in 2006.
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