Bill Bates is a founding partner of Washington Navigators strategic consulting firm in Washington, DC representing academic and nonprofit clients. Most recently he was Executive Vice President of the Council on Competitiveness, where he continues to serve as a Senior Advisor.  He was the founding Executive Director of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC). Bill is a recognized expert in global competitiveness and innovation and provided policy analysis and strategic advice to the 150 CEOs, university presidents, and labor leaders that comprised the Council’s membership. 

During his time with the Council, he led a major, multiyear initiative to develop recommendations to both enhance advanced manufacturing capacity and capability in the United States and ensure adequate cyber protections for public and private investments in this sector. In 2019, he helped launch a university-led project to assess the role of higher education as a critical driver of regional and national competitiveness. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, he authored the report Transform2020 outlining critical public- and private-sector policy recommendations to strengthen the U.S. supply chain and protect critical infrastructure. 

He previously served as Director of Government Relations for USTelecom. Prior to that, he was Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to House Commerce Committee member, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA). He advised her on a wide range of technology issues, including telecommunications, biotechnology, space, and intellectual property. Before joining Ms. Eshoo, he was an associate with the Washington, DC-based public affairs company Cassidy & Associates. 

Bill holds a MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in Government and History from Cornell University. In his spare time, he runs ultra-marathons.