program staff
Dr. Jean Garrison
Director, Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Program
Jean Garrison is the Stewart Family Professor in Public Service in the School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies. She has held a number of positions at UW advancing the university’s community engagement goals. These include serving as special assistant to the provost for community engagement in 2022-23 (leading UW’s successful application to be designated as a Carnegie Community Engaged Campus) and serving as special assistant to the president for engagement and then founding director of the Office of Engagement and Outreach and UW’s chief engagement officer (2017-2020). Dr. Garrison’s other administrative positions at UW have included serving as the founding director of the Center for Global Studies (2014-2019; 2020), former director of the Global and Area Studies Program/International Studies Program (2008-14), and interim department head for Modern and Classical Languages. In Fall 2015 she was a fellow at the Kolleg-Forschergruppe (KFG) – Transformative Power of Europe at the Freie Universität Berlin and is the past recipient of a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship where she served in the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in the U.S. State Department. Dr. Garrison has also been a visiting fellow with the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation in Washington, DC. She is the co-editor of Polarization and Deep Contestations: The Liberal Script in the United States (Oxford University Press, 2024) and the author of three books, Games Advisors Play: Foreign Policy in the Nixon and Carter Administrations, The Making of U.S.-China Policy: Nixon to G.W. Bush, and China and the Energy Equation in Asia, and numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in the area of American foreign policy and civic engagement. In 2021-22, she held the College of Arts and Sciences Seibold Professorship advancing numerous UW civic engagement activities. She has received numerous teaching awards, the College of Arts and Sciences Extraordinary Merit in Research and Extraordinary Merit in Advising awards, and is past recipient of the President’s Stewardship Award. In 2024, she was named an outstanding alumnus of the UW College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of South Carolina and B.A. from UW also in political science.
Marina Scholten
Graduate Assistant & Coordinator of Wyoming Youth Resilience Project
Marina Scholten is an MPA student & Graduate Assistant supporting the Wallop Program. She is from the Netherlands and holds a B.A. from the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht and completed a yearlong undergraduate exchange at UW in the 2024 academic year. One of her extracurriculars includes Model Arab League. After graduating Marina plans on working in the nonprofit sector.
Reese Davies
Wallop Intern and Wyoming Youth Resilience Project Staff
Reese Davies is from San Diego, CA and has been with the Wallop Program for over a year, after starting out as a Byra Kite intern. He holds a B.A. in International Studies and is pursuing a second B.A. in Political Science with Honors this fall. His awards include the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors Service Award and after graduation he plans on beginning a career in foreign policy or national security as well as attending law school.
Holly Wodahl
Wallop Intern and Wyoming Youth Resilience Project Staff
Holly Wodahl is from Laramie, WY and graduated with degrees in Political Science, International Studies, and Environment & Natural Resources, with minors in French and Honors, in 2022. She began the JD/MPA program in 2024 and will begin law school in Fall 2025. She will graduate with both degrees in spring 2028.
Charlsie Erickson
Website Designer & Stewart Family Fund Intern
Charlsie Erickson is from Lyman, WY, and graduated with a B.S. in Communication in 2025. She’s worked with different organizations on things like websites and social media, and enjoys finding simple, creative ways to share information with people. She will be attending Graduate School here at the University of Wyoming to obtain an M.A. in Communication starting fall 2025.
Wallop Advisory committee
The Wallop Advisory Committee was formed in 2025 to provide important advice and expertise to advance the civics education mission of the Wallop Civic Engagement Program. This small group of dedicated partners has been central to both the development of the Wallop Civic Engagement Program and provides important direction shaping its future program goals. This group will meet twice per year.
Dr. Colby Gull
Managing Director of the Trustees Education Initiative and the Wyoming School University Partnership at the University of Wyoming
Colby Gull is the Managing Director of the Trustees Education Initiative and the Wyoming School University Partnership in UW’s College of Education. Prior to coming to the University, he served as the superintendent of schools for Uinta County School District #6, Lyman, Wyoming and superintendent of schools in Challis, Idaho. Colby earned his B.S. in elementary education and special education from Southern Utah University. He also holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Southern Utah University. Colby earned his EdD from Idaho State University in Education Leadership and Administration. Customized learning, rural education, and interdisciplinary programming are among Colby’s professional interests.
Dr. Jason McConnell
Director of Center for Civic Engagement at Black Hills State University and former Co-Director, Wallop Civic Engagement Program
Dr. McConnell is a true University of Wyoming legacy. He followed in the footsteps of his parents – the other two Drs. McConnell – to attend UW where he earned both B.S. and M.A. degrees in Political Science. After working in the private sector for some time, he returned to U.W.’s College of Law, where he also earned a Juris Doctorate, completing a U.W. academic trifecta! Jason earned his Ph.D. from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. Until spring 2025, he was an assistant professor in the School of Politics, Public Affairs & International Studies teaching courses in judicial politics and political communication and served as the co-director for the Wallop Program. He now leads the new civic engagement initiative based out of Black Hills State University.
