Myer

Ken Myer said he's proud of what he accomplished at the Washington Technology Industry Association over the past three years . But the 52-year-old technology executive -- who announced today that he'd be stepping down as CEO in March -- said it was simply time for a change. We chatted with Myer this morning about his accomplishments at the organization, the tech industry's challenges going forward and what he's planning to do next.

How long have you been thinking about stepping down? "I've been thinking about it since late fall of last year. You know, it has really been a fantastic experience leading this organization. When I came here three years ago, I saw an opportunity to bring my business experience in industry and apply it here, and I also feel like I wanted to contribute back to this industry and this community (where) really I spent all of my career. I am proud of what we've done and I am thinking now is a good time to go back to industry.... This is a great job, I've had a ball. I have a great board. The staff is good. I really just follow my heart, and it says you know this has been good but I think I am ready to go back into industry."

You are sure you want to do that with the economy the way it is? "I don't care....I listen to an internal voice, and it has always been right for me. So, yeah, why not?"

What's next for you? "I am not looking actively right now. I want to have a good transition to a new leader.... I am going to wrap this up well and go do some backpacking and visit some old college buddies, and then I'll start snooping."

Were you able to accomplish everything you wanted to at the WTIA? "I feel good about what we've been able to do. There's always more to do. But I feel good about all of the different things that we did on the program side, and expanding the organization to be more inclusive of more tech sectors and bringing TechAmerica in and doing our China initiative. From top to bottom, we really looked at everything we did and said: 'What's working, and what needs to change.'"

What was your biggest accomplishment at the WTIA? "I am proud that we were able to transition the WSA into a broader tech association, and reinvigorate our programs and services. We are now relevant to whole new set of companies, and the integration is going well. That to me is what has long-term impact because now we are welcoming virtually any tech company into our fold, versus previously we were really just viewed as software."

How is Washington's tech industry now viewed and how does it rank? "That's a big question. There's no question that we are one of the top tech centers in the world, and we continue to be really rich in software. There's no question about that. We have medical devices and electronics and telecom, but there's no question that we are core software. With the cloud computing trends and our strengths in Web services, I think we will continue to be a center for that.... But as a state, though, we've been more lucky than strategic. There are cities and countries around the world who are investing huge amounts of intellectual and financial capital to have their own center of innovation, and we need stronger intent and execution when it comes to growing our tech industry from the government."

What does Washington need to do better in terms of the tech industry? "I said this when I first came in: I think we need to exponentially increase the capacity of our college and universities for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) kinds of fields.... I think we even in tough times have to invest in state research. And I think we need to hold our students to high standards when they come out of high school for the kind math skills that they are going to need regardless of whether they are going to pursue a technical degree."