The 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense – a Richland High School graduate – will deliver the keynote address at the 2026 Association of Washington Business’s annual Policy Summit in Spokane this fall.

Retired Gen. James Mattis, who has returned to his hometown in the Tri-Cities since leaving public service, will speak on leadership lessons learned through combat and command and will take questions from attendees.

During his 44 years in the Marine Corps, Mattis rose from an 18-year-old Reservist to four-star general. He capped his military career as head of U.S. Central Command, overseeing all American forces in the Middle East and operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran and Yemen.

In 2017, four years after retiring from the military, he was appointed secretary of defense as the first member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet cleared to take office.

The AWB Policy Summit, which brings together employers and policy experts to help make sense of the issues impacting employers and communities and helps build connections with fellow business leaders from across the state, is scheduled for Sept. 15-17 in Spokane.

Tickets to the dinner keynote only are $299 and available at awb.org/event/2026-policy-summit.