National Governors Association

🎉 Happy 230th Statehood Day, Tennessee! 🎸

On this day in 1796, the Volunteer State officially joined the Union as the 16th state. From the Great Smoky Mountains to the music of Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee has given America so much to celebrate.

Here's to 230 years of history, heart, and soul.

🎉 Happy 234th Statehood Day, Kentucky! 🐴

On this day in 1792, the Bluegrass State became the 15th state — and the first west of the Appalachian Mountains. From the Kentucky Derby to Louisville's world-famous bourbon, rolling horse farms to the Red River Gorge, the Commonwealth has been a gem of American culture for 234 years.

Here's to you, Kentucky!

Delivering a quality education to all students is always a priority for governors — and when challenges arise, they turn to each other and to NGA for solutions.

This week, the National Governors Association hosted its Governors' Education Policy Advisors Institute in New Orleans, bringing together education policy leaders from across states and territories to address one of the most pressing issues facing students today: improving math and reading outcomes.

The agenda covered the full picture: early childhood education, child care access, reading instruction, high-dosage tutoring, mental health in schools, career pathways, dual enrollment, and education finance.

This is what NGA does. Driving the conversations that lead to action.

Learn more: https://www.nga.org/news/press-releases/nga-convenes-governors-education-policy-advisors-institute-to-boost-student-achievement-create-more-universal-career-pathways/

Behind every health and human services policy that reaches a family in need is a team of advisors making it work.

This week, NGA convened those teams in New Orleans for the Governors' Health and Human Services Policy Advisors Institute — two days of honest, solutions-focused collaboration on the toughest issues in state government.

This is the work that doesn't make headlines. But it changes lives.

https://www.nga.org/news/press-releases/nga-convenes-governors-health-and-human-services-policy-advisors-institute-to-strengthen-healthcare-delivery-and-sustainability-in-states/

This week's 2026 NGA Policy Advisors Summit in New Orleans put governors' senior policy and legislative staff in the same room for honest, substantive conversations about the issues defining state leadership right now: from the future of the American workforce to energy security, rural resilience, disaster preparedness, and more.

These are the people behind governors' agendas. The ones translating policy into action, navigating federal shifts in real time, and building relationships that make better governance possible.

NGA is proud to convene them year after year, bipartisan and in service of solutions.

Learn more:

NGA Convenes Annual Policy Summit to Support Collaboration on States’ Top Policy Priorities Policy advisors and partners from across the public and private sectors discuss disaster response, AI and the future of work, rural development, energy affordability and more NEW ORLEANS – The National Governors Association (NGA) today convened governors’ senior policy and legislative staff in N...

350+ of the nation's top governors' policy advisors and private sector experts. One city.

Three days of work that actually moves the needle.

Kyle Ardoin, Deputy Chief of Staff for Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry opened a series of four NGA policy meetings in New Orleans this week bringing together state leaders for bipartisan collaboration on the issues governors are being asked to solve right now:

AI and the future of work. Disaster resilience. Energy security. Rural communities. Online gambling. Education. Workforce development. And more…

This is what effective governance looks like.

NGA convened the Governors Homeland Security Advisors Council (GHSAC) executive committee in Washington last week for high-level meetings with Congress and the Administration, because governors don't just respond to national security challenges. They shape the solutions.

Through NGA, GHSAC members secured seats at the table with officials from the House and Senate, the National Security Council, Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation to advance governors' priorities on:

🔒 Cybersecurity & state-federal partnerships
🚁 Countering nefarious drone threats
💬 Strengthening information sharing across all levels of government
💰 Federal homeland security grants & community preparedness
🤝 Coordinated disaster response

https://www.nga.org/meetings/ghsac-executive-committee-annual-meeting-with-key-congressional-and-administration-staff/

This week, NGA convened the Skills in the States Symposium — bringing together workforce leaders from 17 states, national experts, and private sector partners around a shared goal: building a workforce system that recognizes what people can do, not just the credentials they hold.

60% of Americans don't have a college degree. For too long, hiring systems have treated that as a disqualifier. Governors in more than 30 states are changing that — removing unnecessary degree requirements and opening doors for thousands of skilled workers.

We're grateful to our partners, including the Walmart Foundation, Business Roundtable , Lightcast, Credential Engine, AIR and workforce leaders from 17 states, for helping drive this work forward.

https://www.nga.org/news/press-releases/national-governors-association-and-walmart-partner-to-advance-skills-first-hiring-and-workforce-development-in-states/