Wolfgang Opitz

Dr. Wolfgang Opitz, a Washington native, received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 1982 and his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986. Dr. Opitz was a research scientist with the Battelle Memorial Institute in Seattle from 1986 to 1988 before joining the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) in 1988 to do population forecasting, analysis of health care systems, and assessments of the economic impact of major industries on the state's communities. He was Budget Director for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services from 1994-1998 where he had responsibility for developing and implementing a $10 billion biennial budget. In 1998 he returned to OFM as Senior Budget Assistant to the Governor for Education where he prepared and implemented budgets for Washington's K-12, higher education, and workforce training systems. He has been serving as Deputy Director of OFM since July 2000.