OLYMPIA — Matthew Canedy has joined the Association of Washington Business as its government affairs director for health care and education issues.

Canedy relocated to Washington state from Washington, D.C. last year, where he most recently served as the staff director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Leaders’ Project — a national, bipartisan health care reform initiative led by former Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole, Tom Daschle and Howard Baker. Previously, Canedy served as an aide to U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., steering his work on health insurance coverage, Medicare, Medicaid, and medical research.

“Matt’s experience working on health care in the other Washington will be a tremendous asset for AWB, particularly as we head into the implementation phase of the new federal health care law and our own state-based health benefit exchange,” said Gary Chandler, vice president of government affairs. “Both health care and education will continue to play a significant role in our policy work in the Legislature, and we are pleased to have him handling both issue areas as a member of our government affairs staff.”

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Canedy began his career working in a number of budget and policy positions in the Texas Legislature. He holds a Masters of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.

In 2004, his professional report, “Healthcare Systems in the Era of Globalization: Resiliency or Retrenchment?,” received the Wilbur and Eloise Cohen Award for Excellence in Health and Social Policy Research from the LBJ School’s Center for Health and Social Policy.

About the Association of Washington Business

Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 8,000 members representing 700,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit www.awb.org.

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