ACADEMICS
UW hires excellence chair in Conservation Economics
Albers
The University of Wyoming has hired H. Jo Albers to fill the newly-endowed Knobloch Wyoming Excellence Chair for Conservation Economics and Finance. She comes from Oregon State University, where she was a professor in the OSU College of Forestry’s Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society and in the graduate Applied Economics program. Her UW faculty position in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources includes a joint appointment with the Department of Economics and Finance in the College of Business.
Albers, who holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University California-Berkeley and other degrees in geology and environmental studies, was a 2013 Fulbright Scholar at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where her research and outreach focused on policies to promote both biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation.
UW hires leading biomed researcher
Nathanielsz
One of the world’s foremost experts in the science of how conditions during fetal development shape the lives of humans and animals has joined the faculty of the University of Wyoming.
Dr. Peter Nathanielsz, most recently the director of the Center for Pregnancy and Newbord Research at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center is now the Distinguished Research Professor of Life Course Studies within the UW College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Department of Animal Science.
UW College of Engineering appoints dean
Pishko
The University of Wyoming College of Engineering has a new dean: Dr. Michael Pishko, a biomedical engineering professor from Texas A&M University. The engineering school has been without a permanent dean for more than a year. Pishko takes the reigns amid a legislatively-mandated push to become a “top-tier” engineering program.
CWC Foundation hires new executive director
The Central Wyoming College Foundation has hired Becky Ruthenbeck as its executive director and Riverton native Jenna Hague as an administrative assistant.
Ruthenbeck moved from Rock Springs where she was the foundation director for Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. She brings 10 years of fundraising experience to her new position, according to a press release.
Ruthenbeck received a bachelor’s degree in communications and business from Concordia College-Moorhead in Moorhead, Minn. She later obtained a master’s degree in philanthropy and development from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Hague attended CWC where she obtained her associate degree in accounting. She then attended the University of Wyoming and acquired a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
AGRICULTURE
Stockgrowers add new board members
The Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust has added Kevin Voyles of Thayne and Annaliese Wiederspahn of Cheyenne to its Board of Directors!
Kevin is an attorney and managing member of Luthi and Voyles LLC and serves as counsel for the town of Thayne, Wyoming. Kevin is a volunteer with many other organizations in Wyoming including the Thayne Volunteer Fire Department.
Wiederspahn is a communications consultant and co-owner of Strawberry Creek Farm. She moved back home to Cheyenne, Wyoming after the passing of her father, Alvin Wiederspahn who served on the Land Trust Board of Directors as Treasurer and as past Chairman. Annaliese will complete the remainder of her father’s board term.
Mantha Phillips of Casper and Nels Smith were elected to new three-year terms as appointments of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association.
BANKING/CREDIT UNIONS
Mountain West CEO named to Western CUNA board
Earl
Mountain West Credit Union Association President and CEO Scott Earl recently joined the Western CUNA Management School (WCMS) Board of Trustees.
Comprised of nine credit union CEOs, two league presidents, the WCMS president, and WCMS provost—the board is responsible for oversight and direction of the school.
The Mountain West Credit Union Association is a combined entity comprising the Arizona Credit Union League, the Credit Union Association of Colorado and the Credit Union Association of Wyoming.
Meridian Trust names new Cheyenne branch manager
Danette Hager is the new branch manager of the Meridian Trust Federal Credit Union location at 2223 Warren Avenue in Cheyenne. Hager has more than 12 years of financial services experience and has been with Meridian Trust for more than 4 years. She has been a resident of Cheyenne for the past 20 years and is active with the Cheyenne Safehouse and the Women’s Civic League.
First Western Trust adds sales manager
Juarez
First Western Trust Mortgage has added Sales Manager Rene Juarez to its mortgage loan services team. Prior to joining First Western, Juarez was regional production manager at Goldwater Bank, and before that was branch manager at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. First Western Trust has 10 offices in Colorado, Arizona, California and Wyoming.
ENERGY
Veltri tapped to head U.S. Energy Corp.
David Veltri, former chief operating officer of Denver-based Emerald Oil Inc., has been named president and COO of Riverton-based U.S. Energy Corp.
According to U.S. Energy, Veltri has 33 years of oil and gas industry experience. Prior to his Emerald Oil tenure, he was vice president/general manager of Baytex Energy USA Ltd., production manager at El Paso Exploration and Production Co., VP/production and drilling at Yuma Exploration and Production Co., project engineer at EOG Resources and VP/production and engineering at Chesapeake Energy Corp.
ENGINEERING
Nutbrook back at Brierley Associates
Nancy Nuttbrock, PE has returned to Brierley Associates after serving as deputy director for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, and before that as deputy director for the Wyoming School Facilities Commission. She has a Bachelor of Science in Geologic Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and a Master of Science Degree in Mining & Earth System Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, where she focused on tunnel engineering. She will expand the company’s Wyoming presence, lead its Texas operations and open the firm’s Houston office.
FINANCE
Pedersen named to On Wall Street’s 40 under 40
Pederson
RBC Wealth Management Financial Advisor Bryan Pedersen, has been named to On Wall Street’s new Top 10 Regional Advisors Under 40 list. This exclusive list published on February 11 recognizes financial advisors under 40 for achievements in their field. Pedersen is a senior vice president-financial advisor with the Pedersen Investment Group at RBC Wealth Management in the Cheyenne office. With over 35 years of combined investment experience, the team has substantial experience helping individuals, corporations, non-profits and endowments with their unique financial needs.
GOVERNMENT
Miyamoto new Ag director
Gov. Matt Mead has appointed Doug Miyamoto as the new director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. Miyamoto served as the director and DEO of the Wyoming Livestock Board and before that was assistant director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. A graduate of Rawlins High School, Miyamoto went on to earn a BS in Rangeland Ecology and Watershead Management and a Master’s Degree in Rangeland Ecology from the University of Wyoming.
GTNP’s Consolo-Murphy earns award
Consolo-Murphy
National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis announced that Sue Consolo-Murphy, chief of Science and Resource Management at Grand Teton National Park, was selected as recipient of the 2013 Director’s Award for Natural Resource Management. This recognition acknowledges excellence in the areas of conservation leadership and resource management and salutes individual accomplishments in natural resource preservation by Park Service employees across the National Park System.
Consolo-Murphy was presented with the 2013 Director’s Award for her oversight of complex natural resource programs and for her work in an environment of focused concerns for key park resources. Consolo-Murphy, was the NPS Intermountain Region’s winner in the same category in 2008.
DEQ names Deputy Director
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director, Todd Parfitt has named Alan Edwards as the new deputy director for the agency.
Edwards is currently and will continue to be the administrator for the Abandoned Mine Lands Division within DEQ. He will officially begin his new role on December 31, 2014.
The Deputy Director and Land Quality Division (LQD) positions were made vacant following the departure of Nancy Nuttbrock. One of Edward’s first actions as Deputy Director will be to fill in as LQD Administrator as the agency goes through the selection process.
G&F’s Patla receives Craighead Award
Susan Patla, nongame wildlife biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Jackson has been named as recipient of the 2014 Craighead Conservation award. Patla was honored at the recently completed Jackson Hole Wildlife Symposium hosted by the Teton Research Institute and the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative.
During the past 10 years she has been instrumental with trumpeter swan research and wetland conservation efforts. She has also completed a wetland conservation plan for wetland pond projects and conservation easements in the Green River Drainage. Patla currently serves as a board member for the Meg and Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund, and is on advisory boards for Nature Mapping-Jackson Hole and the Jackson Bird and Nature Club. She started the Teton Valley/Alta Audubon Christmas Bird Count in 2004 and continues to direct that effort.
HEALTHCARE
Health Dept. promotes two
The Wyoming Department of Health added two new members to its senior leadership team: Korin Schmidt is the new WDH deputy director and Eric McVicker is the new WDH CFO. Schmidt is a Wyoming native and has been the WDH’s deputy administrator of the public health division since 2012. McVicker has nearly 25 years of experience in healthcare administration and finance including serving as the chief executive officer for Platte County Memorial Hospital in Wheatland.
SageWest names new CFO
Hamilton
SageWest Health Care has named Jennifer Hamilton to be the CFO for SageWest’s hospitals in Lander and Riverton. She is a native of Fremont County and has worked in the hospitals’ financial department since 1995. Prior to accepting her new position, Hamilton served as controller for SageWest Health Care and Lander Regional Hospital since 1996.
Hamilton holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from the University of Wyoming.
MEDIA
Teton Gravity Research adds brass
Teton Gravity Research (TGR) has added to its executive team with the hiring of Dan Vaughan as vice president of digital media and Bobby Pura as executive producer and head of production.
Vaughan will be responsible for the strategy and growth of TGR and brings full circle digital ecosystem experience through previous roles with Popular Science, Transworld Media and Competitor Group. Pura will be responsible for TGR’s growing studio production business. Most recently he produced two seasons of MTV’s Nitro Circus Live and worked on a project for NBC.
NONPROFIT
Jones to head Equality State Policy Center
The Equality State Policy Center has announced that Wheatland native Brianna Jones has accepted the position of interim executive director for the ESPC. Jones will officially begin her new role on January 1, 2015. She is replacing retiring Executive Director Dan Neal who has served as ED for the past ten years.
Jones is a 2009 University of Wyoming graduate in International Studies and Political Science and since graduation has worked across the country helping nonprofit organizations and campaigns meet their goals.
Two earn conservation award
Browning
The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming is proud to announce the University of Wyoming’s Matthew Kauffman and Kathy Browning, a Conservancy employee in Lander, as recipients of this year’s Deborah MacKenzie Award for Innovation.
Kathy Browning, the Conservancy’s conservation projects coordinator in Wyoming, demonstrated innovation by leading an effort to design and integrate a mobile conservation easement monitoring system that will be used nationwide.
Kauffman – a wildlife researcher with the US Geological Survey and professor at the University of Wyoming – is being honored for his work engaging the public in the Wyoming Migration Initiative (WMI). The goal of the initiative is to advance the understanding and appreciation of the big game migrations that make Wyoming one of the wildest places in the country.
WCDA names new deputy executive director
Wright
The Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA) has named Lesli Wright to succeed Cheryl Gillum as the Authority’s deputy executive director. Wright was appointed to the position after a lengthy search and hire process in November 2014 after Gillum announced her plans for retirement. Wright graduated from the University of Wyoming with a B.A. in Accounting. She recently served on the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank’s Community Development Advisory Council, and was a board member for Wyoming Housing Network, Inc. and the Community Health Center of Central Wyoming. Wright is a member of the Colorado Society of CPA’
WEDA elects board, officers
The Wyoming Economic Development Association (WEDA) board elections were held during the association’s recent Winter Economic Development Conference in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Anja Bendel, Cheyenne LEADS and Brandi Harlow, City of Wright, were reelected for second terms. Craig Nelson, Rocky Mountain Power, was newly elected to the WEDA Board. The WEDA Board also held officer elections in January 2015. The following officers will serve for one year: Anja Bendel, Cheyenne LEADS – President; Deb Wolfley, Lincoln County Economic Development Association – President-Elect; Noelle Reed, Casper Area Economic Development Alliance (CAEDA) – Secretary; and Brandi Harlow, Town of Wright – Treasurer.