Gov. Chris Gregoire kicked off the Washington State Technology Summit this morning in Bellevue by telling the audience of more than 400 that the state is a leader in the technology industry. But to maintain that position she said Washington needs to "think beyond the here and now."

It is already doing that in a number of industries, with Gregoire touting efforts in clean tech, biotechnology and global health.

She reiterated a goal to have 25,000 "green collar" jobs by 2020. And Gregoire said the state now ranks in the top five in wind and solar power, industries that she said weren't even on the "radar screen" a few years ago.

Having a "green economy" should not come at a price to the overall economy, with Gregoire saying that the state can marry the two in a way that benefits everyone. And she said there must be additional importance placed on math and science education in the state.

But in a later panel, Charles Henry, a senior lecturer at the University of Washington-Bothell, said the state is not doing enough to make sure that it creates the next leaders in science and technology.

"If you look at how our state funds secondary education, we suck," said Henry, adding that Washington is in the bottom five in the U.S.

The Washington State Technology Summit's focus this year is on clean tech, renewable energy, global health and materials science.

More to come later.