Heath Hornecker
Professor of Practice (Faculty)
School of Teacher Education
Education
- M.A. University of Wyoming, 2009
- B.S. Texas Tech University, 1999
Affiliations
- Wyoming FFA Association
- Wyoming Agriculture Teachers Association
- Wyoming Association for Career and Technical Education
- National Association for Agriculture Educators
- National Council for Agriculture Education-Past Chair
- American Association for Career and Technical Education
Teaching
EDAG 3150: Community Programs in Agriculture Education
EDAG 4170: Principles of Ag Mechanics and Technology
EDAG 4180: Techniques of Ag Mechanics and Technology
Biography
Heath Hornecker has dedicated his career to teaching and mentoring students in agricultural
education at both the secondary and post-secondary levels.
A native of Lander, Wyoming, Heath graduated from Douglas High School, where he was
actively involved in agricultural education and the FFA. After serving as a Wyoming
State FFA Officer, he decided early in college that he wanted to become an agriculture
teacher, inspired by the example and lasting influence of his own ag teachers.
Heath attended Casper College on a livestock judging scholarship, where he was a member
of a National Championship livestock judging team. He later transferred to Texas Tech
University to continue his education in agricultural education while pursuing his
passion for judging livestock.
In 1999, Heath began his teaching career as the agriculture instructor at H.E.M. High
School in Hanna, Wyoming, where he taught students from the communities of Hanna,
Elk Mountain, and Medicine Bow. After four years, he accepted a position at Casper
College.
Heath joined the faculty at Casper College in January 2004, where he spent the next
22½ years teaching, coaching, and serving as Academic Chair of the Agriculture Department.
During his tenure, he received multiple teaching awards, collaborated with outstanding
colleagues, and taught more than 4,000 students.
Throughout his career, Heath has remained deeply committed to agricultural education
and the FFA. He has served in leadership roles with the Wyoming Agriculture Teachers
Association, the Wyoming FFA Association, the National Association of Agricultural
Educators, and as Chair of the National Council for Agricultural Education.
In addition to his professional responsibilities, Heath volunteered to teach junior
high agricultural education classes at St. Anthony Tri-Parish School in Casper, where
he helped establish Wyoming's first private school FFA chapter. He has also volunteered
as an FFA career development event coach for the Casper FFA Chapter where he has traveled
to Scotland twice in the last 4 years with award winning teams to compete in livestock
judging competitions.
Heath met his wife, Jaime, on the first day of livestock judging class at Casper College
in the fall of 1995 and they have been married for 25 years. They have 4 wonderful
children who keep them busy with activities and livestock projects. They live on
a small acreage northwest of Casper, have a small flock of sheep, a small herd of
cows and too many short-legged dogs.
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.