Named Senior Vice President of Public Policy & Economic Development
Sacramento, Calif. – The Sacramento Metro Chamber announced that Robert Dugan will join the organization as Senior Vice President of Public Policy & Economic Development.
In his new position, Dugan will assume responsibility for direct management and oversight of all aspects of the Public Policy department, which includes development and direction of all advocacy programs and activities associated with the Metro Chamber's policy initiatives at the local, state and federal levels and managing Metro-PAC, the Chamber's political action committee. Additionally, Dugan will oversee the Economic Development department currently managing the Capital Region's Small Business Development Center which has assisted in opening 64 new businesses to date in the region since 2015.
Robert Dugan joins the Metro Chamber after serving as the Director of Governmental and Civic Affairs for Sacramento State. In this role, Dugan was responsible for advocacy, civic, industry, and community engagement for the University, its departments and colleges. As a tireless advocate of regional collaboration, Dugan worked with university, government, and community leaders to develop support for campus facility needs and growth initiatives; economic development partnerships, and bringing academic programming, scholarship, and research to the community to address local issues through strategic partnerships. Prior to his time at Sacramento State, Dugan was responsible for executing strategic public policy, public affairs and community engagement campaigns for Granite Construction, SureWest Communications and Pacific Bell and spent 10 years as a District Director for the California State Legislature managing constituent services and stakeholder relations.
"I'm excited to join the premier voice of business for the region: the Metro Chamber. I understand how to build a strong coalition based on collective impact, drive value for our partners and volunteer stakeholders, define the need and benefit for our government agencies and engage our members," said Robert Dugan. "As our region continues to grow, a strong regional Chamber of Commerce actively advocating, convening conversations and driving impact is mission critical and I'm excited to jump right in."
Dugan's professional career is complimented by volunteer activities in the business, civic and social service realm with local, state and federal non-profit and membership associations including: leadership roles with the Sacramento Asian Pacific and Roseville Chambers of Commerce; more than a dozen area non-profit organizations focused primarily on services to at-risk youth and public health; and almost 10 years on the Roseville Planning Commission. Dugan is currently the President of the Sierra College Foundation and an elected member of the Placer County Water Agency.
Dugan is a seasoned Metro Chamber volunteer and has previously served on the Board of Directors as Vice Chair for Public Policy, Chair of the Metro-PAC, Co-Chair of Leadership Sacramento and Program Chair of Cap-to-Cap. For the last three years, Dugan has spearheaded the development of the State Legislative Summit and Cap-to-Cap policy priorities for the Chamber's Workforce and Education team. In his new role, Dugan looks forward to increasing the connectivity between the Chamber's education partners and private sector employers to further refine efforts to meet the increased workforce needs of our growing economy.
"Robert Dugan is a proven champion for our region and will serve a critical role in executing and amplifying the advocacy work of the Metro Chamber on behalf of our members," said Peter Tateishi, President & CEO, Metro Chamber. "Robert's robust background in the policy arena and deep understanding of the unique needs and priorities of the business community will greatly benefit our members during this time of economic growth for the Capital Region."
Dugan graduated with Honors from Sacramento State, where he earned a bachelor of science in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in communications studies.