Washington Retail President & CEO Renée Sunde has been elected as a director on the 2021 Board of the Council of State Retail Associations.

CSRA was formed to advance the retail industry through close coordination and cooperation among state retail association executives. CSRA acts as a portal for communications between all state retail associations across the country primarily concerning state legislation and regulations affecting the retail industry.

By creating opportunities for state retail associations to share legislative successes, strategies, potential coalition members, and arguments to defeat or pass legislation, retailers can feel confident that their state retail association is armed with information to help key policy and decision-makers pass supportive legislation on behalf of the retail industry.

Sunde’s participation will allow her to share issues that emerge in state and local governments and engage with retailer members and state partners on how policy solutions may be working in Washington State.

“I am thrilled to join my colleagues to further represent Washington State retailers on the host of issues facing our industry,” Sunde said. “CSRA is growing in strength and impact and has continued to evolve to serve members during the pandemic. The issues we face as association executives are not short of challenges and I look forward to providing leadership as we navigate those challenges together in the coming year.”

CSRA’s 2021 board consists of Chairwoman Cailey Locklair of the Maryland Retailers Association; Vice Chairman Bruce Nustad of the Minnesota Retailers Association; Secretary/Treasurer Erin Sigrist of the Vermont Retail and Grocers Association; and immediate Past Chairman Gordon Gough of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants.

Sunde’s fellow directors include George Keleman of the Texas Retailers Association; Rick Brown of the Alabama Retail Association; and Scott Shalley of the Florida Retail Federation.