Founding Partner, Washington Navigators
Bill Bates is a founding partner of Washington Navigators strategic consulting firm in Washington, DC. He previously served as Executive Vice President of the Council on Competitiveness and was the founding Executive Director of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC). He is a frequent national and international speaker on competitiveness and innovation topics, ranging from education to technology policy to advanced manufacturing. In his ongoing work with the Council, now as a Senior Advisor, he provides policy analysis and strategic advice to the 150 CEOs, university presidents, lab directors, and labor leaders that comprise the Council’s membership.
He previously served as Director of Government Relations for USTelecom. Before that, he was Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to House Commerce Committee Member Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA), where he advised her on a wide range of technology issues.
Bill currently serves as a Strategic Advisor to the Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset and as a Member of UT Austin’s Energy Advisory Board and Marquette University’s Corporate Engagement External Advisory Board.
Bill holds an MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in Government and History from Cornell University.