In 2015, the University of Wyoming took a chance on a young football player named
Josh Allen when no other Division 1 schools were interested. This past February, Allen
was named the NFL’s MVP, exemplifying the opportunities UW provides for its students.
Those opportunities extend well beyond athletics. The fall issue of UWyo Magazine
celebrates Allen and dozens of other alumni who are most valuable players in their
industries and organizations.
“Wyoming has always been a place where raw potential is recognized -- where those
willing to put in the work are rewarded,” says UW President Ed Seidel. “UW is a university
that doesn’t cater to just privileged or the predetermined stars -- it lifts up those
with ambition and gives them the tools to thrive. Here, success is not about where
you come from, but about what you’re willing to do to achieve it. The state’s only
four-year university is small enough to know its students by name and bold enough
to make an impact on the world stage.”
Featured MVP alumni who grew up in Wyoming include: King Ranch owners Mark Eisele
and Kendall Roberts (Cheyenne), NASA engineer Aaron Vigil (Worland), Merrick & Co.
President and CEO Tammy Johnson (Sheridan), Laramie County School District 1 Superintendent
Stephen Newton (Guernsey), Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments Director
Stacia Berry (Cheyenne), pathologist and educator Brian Menkhaus (Laramie), Smithsonian
Curator of Biological Anthropology Douglas Owsley (Lusk), Climb Wyoming CEO Katie
Hogarty (Sheridan), Coinbase VP of U.S. Policy Kara Calvert (Riverton), UPS CEO Carol
Tomé (Jackson), Judge M. Margaret McKeown (Casper), nurse executive Gaurdia Banister
(Casper), Wyoming Association of School Administrators Executive Director Boyd Brown
(Midwest), attorney Lynda Limón (Cheyenne), and entrepreneur and philanthropist Gene
Humphrey (Burns).
MVP alumni who came to UW from out of state (hometowns listed) include biologist Nina
Zitani (Moorestown, N.J.), agricultural counselor David Leishman (Italy), successful
author Kali Fajardo-Anstine (Denver), American Trucking Associations President Chris
Spear (Auburn, Neb.), basketball statistics guru Ken Pomeroy (Alexandria, Va.), University
of Tennessee Associate Dean and Gazelle Impact Kenya founder Mary Gitau (Kinangop,
Kenya), Judge Herman Walker (Glendale, Ariz.), photojournalist Joe Riis (Pierre, S.D.)
and economist John List (Sun Prairie, Wis.).
In addition, a feature on UW former student-athletes currently leading, coaching or
playing at the highest levels spotlights Allen, of the Buffalo Bills (Firebaugh, Calif.);
Logan Wilson, of the Cincinnati Bengals (Casper); coach Chuck Pagano, of the Baltimore
Ravens (Boulder, Colo.); Amanda Vandervort, of the Gainbridge Super League (Tucson,
Ariz.); Larry Nance Jr., of the Cleveland Cavaliers (Akron, Ohio); and international
player and consultant Josh Adams (Parker, Colo).
Readers of the fall issue also will enjoy profiles of University of Wyoming Alumni
Association awardees Maggie Scarlett (Cody), Lynne Simpson (Cody), Greg Dyekman (Cheyenne)
and Don Snyder (Aberdeen, S.D.).
“The alumni featured in this publication constitute what I consider best in class,”
says Jane France, president of the UW Alumni Association Board of Directors. “UW provided
them with a strong foundation to work hard, think outside the box, lend a hand and
use common sense. They have a deep sense of commitment to their chosen fields and
excel under pressure. Their time at UW has paid dividends, and they regularly lead
the way and outshine their competition. We are well represented on a global scale
with Cowboy and Cowgirl engineers, scientists, teachers, nurses, lawyers, musicians,
accountants, professional athletes and others.”
Additional articles highlight UW’s new residence and dining halls, a new exhibition
at the UW Art Museum, updates from the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
and the new Farm Credit Services of America College of Agriculture, Life Sciences
and Natural Resources Deanship.
Read and share the fall issue of UWyo Magazine at www.uwyo.edu/uwyo-mag.
