UW Alumni Association to Participate in Wyoming Womens Suffrage Celebration

As part of the ongoing celebration surrounding the 150th anniversary of Wyoming women’s suffrage, the University of Wyoming Alumni Association (UWAA) will recognize the women of its board of directors and those who have been employed by the association.

The UWAA originally planned to host a women’s leadership recognition ceremony at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center in Laramie Saturday, Sept. 5. In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UWAA decided to transition from an in-person event to a virtual celebration.

The UWAA is creating a specific page on its website, www.uwyo.edu/alumni, to highlight the women who have been involved with the organization. UWAA staff members are asking current and former board members, along with current and former employees, to fill out a profile questionnaire at http://uw.uwyo.edu/uwaaprofile to be featured on the UWAA website and communication platforms. The deadline to submit the questionnaire is Monday, Aug. 24.

The UWAA will electronically release a prerecorded UW Alumni Women’s Panelist event -- sponsored by Black Hills Energy, First Interstate Bank and UniWyo Federal Credit Union -- Saturday, Sept. 5. The panelist event will be moderated by UWAA board member Joslyn McGriff (B.S. ’05), and it will highlight four UW alumnae who will speak about their career pathways; their keys to success; and any obstacles they faced and how they overcame them.

The panelist members are:

-- Gaurdia Banister, executive director of the Institute for Patient Care at Massachusetts General Hospital and director of the Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research.

-- Mary Ellbogen Garland, president and chair of the John P. Ellbogen Foundation.

-- Mary Johnson, vice president of special projects for YoungWilliams, a government health and human services company.

-- Rita Meyer, infrastructure investments director for Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming.

The recording also will recognize former UWAA Executive Director Robbie Darnall, who served the association for 34 years.

Full biographies for each panelist can be found at www.uwyo.edu/alumni.

“The UWAA is proud to recognize the women who have served and continue to serve the association,” says UWAA Executive Director Keener Fry. “They have dedicated their time, leadership and knowledge to the association while continually upholding the UWAA’s vision and mission of engagement with alumni and promoting UW.” 

For more information about the recognition or panelist event, call the UWAA at (307) 766-4166 or email uwalumni@uwyo.edu.