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About Roger

Experience

Appointed Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee in his first term, Roger hit the ground running and led the legislature to enact a series of important bills including a landmark measure to reduce drunken driving, a major expansion of early childhood education, improvements to our court system and measures to help us prepare better for emergencies. More than half of the bills he introduced were enacted into law, as he developed productive working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders addressing key policy issues.

Roger brings considerable professional experience from his legal practice, from serving in federal and state government positions and from working in the non-profit world.

Trained in environmental law, Roger has a good working knowledge of the laws that protect our air, water, species, habitat and other natural resources. He also has developed expertise in energy policy, especially in alternative motor fuels. As senior staff in the U.S. Congress, he:

  • Managed the passage of a key amendment to the Clean Air Act of 1990, providing $250 million in assistance to workers in the coal, chemical and utility industries who were displaced by the effects of more stringent air quality laws.
  • Coordinated the establishment of a national research center on alternative motor fuels and bringing entrepreneurs and scholars together to promote alternative fuels.
  • Helped secure federal funding for heated bridge decks across the country, to make crossing bridges in cold weather both safer and cleaner, without having to use salt.
  • Managed other major legislative efforts to tighten waste laws, both for hazardous waste cleanup and solid waste disposal.
In Washington State in the late 1990s Roger served in Olympia as Executive Director of the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission, where he became an expert in sentencing policy and was elected to the board of the National Association of Sentencing Commissions. While managing the Commission, Roger:
  • Steered a bill through the State Legislature that toughened penalties on domestic violence, specifically for the violation of protection orders.
  • Helped to increase the amount of treatment available to drug addicts in the prisons.
  • Shepherded 14 other sentencing-related bills through the State Legislature.
  • Published major reports on prison capacity and sentencing policy.
In the last several years Roger has worked for the King County Bar Association on a ground-breaking initiative to take a critical look at our failed drug laws and to promote cheaper, more effective and more humane alternatives. Roger coordinates an impressive coalition of over 20 professional and civic organizations, including the Washington Academy of Family Physicians, the Washington Society of Addiction Medicine, the state Bar, Medical, Pharmacy, Psychological, Public Health and Osteopathic Associations, the League of Women Voters, the Church Council and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, among other groups. Together, this coalition has spurred the State Legislature to reduce needless incarceration for the addicted and to shift funding into drug treatment, an approach that research shows is cheaper and much more effective.

At Home and in the Community

Roger was lured to Washington State in the early 1990s, when he met his wife, Liv Grohn, whose family has lived in Kirkland for three generations. Roger, Liv, their daughter and son live amidst a network of longtime family and friends on the Eastside, only two miles from Grandma and Grandpa - and only two blocks from Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa!

Roger has always given back to his community. His local activities include:

  • Serving as President of Kirkland's Lakeview Neighborhood Association
  • Serving on the board of the Norkirk Neighborhood Association
  • Volunteering for many years as an attorney for the Eastside Legal Clinic

Roger is passionate about his growing family and loves to visit local parks with his daughter. Music is another great passion of Roger's, as is the National Football League and Major League Baseball. He has also traveled widely, which informs his common-sense and tolerant approach to life.

Roger's Resume

Education

  • Harvard University, M.P.A. (Kennedy School of Government), 1996-1998
  • The George Washington University, J.D., 1983-1986
  • Dartmouth College, A.B., also awarded Senior Fellowship, 1979-1983
  • U. of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), visiting research associate, 1981

Professional Experience

  • Executive Director, Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission, 1998-2000
  • National Association of Sentencing Commissions Board, 1999-2000
  • Washington State Law and Justice Advisory Council, 1998-2000
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative Rick Boucher (VA), 1993-1995
  • Legislative Director and Counsel, U.S. Representative Bob Wise (WV), 1989-1993
  • Legal staff, Democratic National Committee, 1988
  • Attorney, Tillinghast, Collins & Graham, Providence, RI, 1986-1988

Current Work

  • State Representative 45th Legislative District
    • Vice Chair, House Judiciary Committee
    • Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee
    • Early Learning and Children's Services Committee
    • Statute Law Committee
  • Law and Justice Committee, National Conference of State Legislatures
  • Public Safety Task Force, Council of State Governments
  • Criminal Justice Policy Consultant, King County Bar Association
  • Appointed Member, King County Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Administrative Board
  • Chair, Joint Legislative Affairs and Public Advocacy Committee, King County Mental Health Advisory Board and King County Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Advisory Board
  • American Bar Association, Standing Committee on Substance Abuse

Local Activities and Affiliations

  • President, Lakeview Neighborhood Association, Kirkland, 2001-2003
  • Board Member, Norkirk Neighborhood Association, Kirkland, 2004
  • Member, Kirkland Heritage Society, since 2003
  • Kirkland-Redmond Unit Leader, League of Women Voters, since 2000
  • Volunteer Attorney, Eastside Legal Clinic, since 2001

Regional and State Activities and Affiliations

  • Washington State Bar Association
  • Washington State Public Health Association
  • King County Bar Association
  • Metropolitan Democratic Club
  • Rotary Club - University District
  • Charter Board Member, Rainier Institute
  • Board Member, Marie Institute, affiliated with U. of Washington.