Denny Heck, WA Lieutenant Governor (Sept. 6th) – Washington’s Business Competitiveness Study, Overview and Key Findings

Lt. Governor Denny Heck

Denny Heck was elected Washington’s 17th Lieutenant Governor in 2020. As the state’s Chief Opportunity Officer, Lieutenant Governor Heck brings a lifetime of experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. As Lieutenant Governor, he is the President of the Washington State Senate and Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, serves as acting-Governor whenever Governor Inslee is out of the state, and runs his own small agency.

Previously, Lieutenant Governor Heck served as the first United State Representative from Washington’s 10th Congressional District. While in Congress, he served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Financial Services Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee.

Prior to his service in Congress, Lieutenant Governor Heck successfully grew several small businesses in Washington state – one of which specializes in workplace education and grew from 2 employees to over 300.

A strong advocate of open government, Lieutenant Governor Heck co-founded TVW to provide Washingtonians greater accessibility to their state government. TVW has grown into the nation’s preeminent statewide public affairs network. While at TVW, the Lieutenant Governor hosted the Emmy award winning public affairs program Inside Olympia which he wrote, produced, and directed.

Early in his career, Lieutenant Governor Heck served his community in the State House of Representatives. Elected to give terms, he was chosen by his colleagues to serve as House Majority Leader before retiring in 1986. While in the State House, Lieutenant Governor Heck was one of the prime authors of the state’s historic Basic Education Act. After his time in the legislature, he served as Chief of Staff to Governor Booth Gardner during his second term.

Lieutenant Governor Heck was born in Vancouver, Washington and graduated from The Evergreen State college in 1973. He has been married for 44 years to Paula Fruci Heck, a retired principal at Jefferson Middle School in Olympia. He and Paula have lived in Olympia for 35 years. They have two sons, Bob and Tray, and are grandparents of Maleah.