History of Leadership Wyoming

UW Representative. Anne Alexander is Vice Provost for Strategic Planning and Initiatives at the University of Wyoming. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics at UW, and her Master’s and BBA in Economics from New Mexico State University. Dr. Alexander’s research and teaching focuses on the history of American capitalism, international economics, and health economics. She regularly speaks to statewide audiences and state and national media about the status of the Wyoming, US, and global economies. She has authored several publications on the political and economic impacts of transboundary pandemics and the productivity effects of various diseases. At UW, she has served as Interim Provost and VP of Academic Affairs, Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education, and the Director of International Programs and Associate Dean of Outreach. She has also served as a Resources Economist in the U.S. Department of State, Assistant Dean of the UW College of Business, and Director of the interdisciplinary Health Economics Policy Center at UW. She is an alumni of Leadership Wyoming, Class of 2013.  She serves on the boards of United Way of Albany County, the Wyoming Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Wyoming Business Alliance, and the Western Research Institute.  Anne lives near Vedauwoo with her husband Aaron and her wonderful idiotic dog, Hutch.

Mary is involved personally as a volunteer and professionally in service to the people of the State of Wyoming.  She is the president and chair of the John P. Ellbogen Foundation. The focus of her work is in education and for the benefit of children and families. She has given support to teacher quality, education leadership, early childhood care and education, civics education and student scholarship. She currently serves on the University of Wyoming College of Education Advisory Board, University of Wyoming Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors, University of Wyoming Literacy Research Center and Clinic Advisory. Mary has a marketing degree with a minor in finance from the University of Wyoming and is a Leadership Wyoming graduate, class of 2001. She was awarded the degree - Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa - from the University of Wyoming in May 2009.

Bill is a 4th generation native of Gillette and grew up on his great grandparents homestead. While in high school, Bill played football and worked at a local radio station, graduating with the Class of 1987. His radio job lead to an education at Brown Institute in Minneapolis with an Associate's Degree in Radio Broadcasting. After college, he returned to Gillette to work in radio, however that was short lived. Bill worked for Gases Plus for over 20 years. In 2012, he was and wife relocated to Casper where he went to work for Energy Transportation as General Manager. Bill now is the Terminal Superintendent over the Casper and Evansville facilities for Black Hills Trucking. He has two daughters and two grandchildren. Hobbies include: long walks/hikes plus enjoying the mountains and wide open spaces of Wyoming. Bill is a 2016 Leadership Wyoming graduate.

Pat, a retired CPA, is a Minnesota native and 38-year resident of Cheyenne. He practiced public accounting since 1971 when he joined a CPA firm in Rochester, Minnesota, later transferring to Hibbing, Minnesota and Indianapolis, Indiana before arriving in Cheyenne in 1985.  He retired as a partner with McGee, Hearne & Paiz, LLP in 2015 after working in the public accounting industry for 43 years. While in Cheyenne Pat served on the boards of the Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, Cheyenne Country Club, The Cheyenne Kiwanis Foundation, Great West Division of the American Cancer Society, the Wyoming State Board of Certified Public Accountants and more recently the Wyoming Community Foundation. He has also been a member of the Cheyenne Kiwanis Club for more than 35 years and is still an active member of the Chamber of Commerce. Pat received a Bachelor of Science degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Pat and his wife Jan have 3 children and 2 grandchildren providing them travel opportunities to Colorado, Minnesota, and Virginia.

Heidi Peterson is active and passionate about association, business, and operations management. She has a history of transforming under-performing operations to highly productive and profitable businesses. Heidi is the Executive Director of the Wyoming State Chamber of Commerce, Wyoming Construction Coalition and works with several other statewide associations concentrating on Workforce Development, Education and Marketing.  She holds an Institute of Organized Management (IOM) credential and currently serves on several NextGen Sector Partnerships. Heidi has received several awards and recognition, including, Wyoming’s “Forty Under 40” and is a Leadership Wyoming Graduate (2009).

Craig is a Wyoming Native that graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1988 with a BS in Secondary Education, Industrial Technology. Craig worked for Sisecam Wyoming for 30+ years, starting in the labor pool and advancing through the organization in several roles before becoming the Director of Public Relations and Government Affairs in 2019. In 2023, Craig transitioned to a new company, Project West, as their Director of Government Affairs and Public Relations, where he’ll help lead a greenfield project start up of a new trona mine and processing facility. Craig is active in the community and has served on several boards and committees, including: GRHS Booster Club, Green River Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Sweetwater County Treatment Court, Wyoming Business Alliance, Wyoming Taxpayers, Wyoming Skills USA and the Flaming Gorge Days Committee.  Craig is a graduate of the 2013 Class of Leadership Wyoming. Craig has two adult children.  Colter majored in Business Administration and graduated from Carroll College.  He and his wife Julie live in Green River where he is a safety manager for Simplot and Shyann received her Masters of Special Ed at University of Northern Colorado and her bachelors from University of Wyoming.  Shyann is a Special Ed teacher in Laramie. Craig enjoys spending time in the outdoors hunting, boating on the Gorge, scuba diving in the Caribbean and spending time at his cabin in the Wind Rivers. 

Leslie Shakespeare is the current Bureau of Indian Affairs Superintendent at the Wind River Agency located in Fort Washakie WY, that serves the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes.  All his duties and actions in that position and throughout his professional career have been implemented in an informed and sensitive manner, respectful of tribal sovereignty and the traditional and cultural values, beliefs and principles of tribal members and governments. Shakespeare has been committed to bettering his reservation community since graduating from college and returning home to use his skills to serve his tribe and the reservation as a whole. He served as a Juvenile Probation Officer with the Eastern Shoshone Juvenile Services for five years then served as the Director of the department for another three years. He left that position to become a Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer committed to keeping the reservation safe. Shakespeare left that position after four years to continue serving his Tribe and community at a higher level as the Wyoming Governor’s Tribal Liaison and most recently served as the Vice-Chairman of the Eastern Shoshone Business Council. Shakespeare is a proud alumnus of the University of Wyoming graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice in 2002 then receiving a Masters of Public Administration from Norwich University in 2007. He is the father of two daughters and two sons.

John Wetzel attended the University of Wyoming graduating in 1985 with Wyoming infused in his heart. He left to get master's degree in Graphic Communications from Clemson University in South Carolina. John traveled Europe for several months and 3600 miles on a bicycle before landing in Denver to start a career in the printing industry. Moving to Powell in 1992 community, family and children became the focus. John has worked in the publishing business ever since and continues his solid practice of community involvement serving on multiple boards. John served as a councilman in Powell for 11 years and is currently in his second four year term as Mayor. John is a graduate of the LW Class 2020. Longest class ever. Floating rivers, pheasant hunting and golfing occupy the remainder of his time these days.

Jennifer was born and raised in Rock Springs, Wyoming. As a student of Rock Springs High School, she had no idea that her alma mater would also become the place she would spend her career. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in secondary education and French, she returned home to do her student teaching and has spent her career as a social studies teacher, currently specializing in American Government and Psychology. A former University of Wyoming Alumni Association board member, she has also been the vice-president of the Sweetwater Education Association, and is the current chair of the Wyoming Council for Women. In a desire to contribute on the more local scale, she recently became the vice-chair of the Sweetwater County Museum board. She and her husband, Andy, enjoy traveling nationally and internationally and spending time on the family ranch on the Sweetwater River in Sublette County. Jennifer is a graduate of Leadership Wyoming, Class of 2019 (the Wolfpack).