Regional Leadership Awards

Shooting Star Presentation


Lesil McGuire, Alaska Senator and 2008 CSG-WEST Chair, was presented the prestigious State Government Affairs Council (SGAC) Shooting Star award in recognition of her legislative leadership in the West.

SGAC is a national association of state government affairs representatives that has provided long-standing support to CSG and its regions.

Distinguished Legislative Leadership Award


Former Arizona Senator and current Arizona Director of the Department of Water Resources, Herb Guenther received the CSG-WEST annual Bettye Fahrenkamp Award for Distinguished Legislative Leadership on July 19, 2008  in recognition of his deep knowledge of the law of the river and his leadership and profound commitment to a fair, predictable and transparent apportioning of major U.S. rivers.

Bettye Fahrenkamp Award For Distinguished
Legislative Leadership on Behalf of Western States

This annual award is in honor of Bettye Fahrenkamp of Fairbanks, Alaska, who served with distinction in the Alaska State Senate until her untimely death in 1991. Senator Fahrenkamp was a leader who cared deeply about her state, her region and her country. She recognized the importance of cooperation among the Western states in pursuit of common regional goals. The Fahrenkamp Award recognizes leaders whose legislative careers demonstrate the ability to see and work beyond the border of their own states in the interests of the West. 

Past Fahrenkamp Award Recipients include:

former Arizona Senator Herb Guenther (2008)
former Washington Senator Alan Bluechel (2007)
former Colorado Senate President Ray Powers (2006)
former Oregon Senate President Brady Adams (2005)
former California Senator Dede Albert (2004)
former New Mexico Speaker Raymond G. Sanchez (2003)
former Nevada Speaker Emeritus Joseph E. Dini, Jr. (2002)
California Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny (2001)
former Idaho Senate President Pro Tem Jerry T. Twiggs (2000)
former Colorado Speaker Bledsoe (1999)
former Oregon Senator Jeannette Hamby (1998)