Joe Fain

Joe Fain is the general counsel at Coopersmith Law + Strategy and a strategic advisor on public policy, technology policy, and business strategy. Before CLS, Joe served two terms in the Washington State Senate, where he was the Majority Floor Leader.

Joe enacted landmark family leave policy hailed as the most progressive in the U.S. and a model for other states. The coalition Joe built spanned business and labor, Republicans and Democrats. He was a member of multiple committees, including Ways & Means, Financial Institutions and Insurance, Healthcare, Early Education and K-12, Transportation, and Rules.

Previously, Joe served as Director of Economic Development for the University of Washington’s Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Technology Transfer (CoMotion). He was also Co-Chair of the Washington State Institute for Public Policy and is the CEO of the Bellevue, WA Chamber of Commerce, home to many technology headquarters. 

In 2013, Joe received recognition as a rising industry leader by Puget Sound Business Journal in their “40 Under 40” review and by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, receiving their Scott White Regional Leadership Award in 2015. He is a 2016 Rodel Fellow with the Aspen Institute. He also serves as the President & CEO of the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce.

Joe earned his Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration from Seattle University after graduating from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in political science.