Dan McCoy

Education and Certifications

• Ph.D. in Education (Higher Education Administration) – University of Wyoming, 2018
• M.A. in Adult and Postsecondary Education – University of Wyoming, 2013
• B.S. in Recreation Management (Programming Services Emphasis) – University of Montana, 1997
• Semester in Patagonia – National Outdoor Leadership School, 1994
• Wilderness First Responder – NOLS (current since 1995)
• Leave No Trace Master Educator – Center for Outdoor Ethics

 

Background and expertise

Dr. Dan McCoy has served as Director of the Jay Kemmerer Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality (WORTH) Institute since 2022. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the University of Wyoming's College of Business and College of Education. Previously, he was the Degree Coordinator for the Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management (ORTM) program in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, where he helped launch both the ORTM degree and the Outdoor Leadership Minor.

Dan brings more than two decades of experience in outdoor leadership, education, and recreation. He managed the UW Outdoor Program for nearly two decades, developing it into a premier resource for students, staff, and faculty, and later served as Assistant Director of Campus Recreation, leading a $30.5 million award-winning renovation of the Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center.

His leadership extends statewide through research, workforce, and engagement initiatives. Dan has been principal investigator on over $4 million in sponsored projects related to sustainable tourism, recreation economics, and resident sentiment analysis in Wyoming communities.

Dan has also served on 14 graduate committees (eight as chair), presented at over 20 professional conferences, and published scholarly work in PLOS ONE and the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. He is a founding board member of both the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Business Alliance and the Pilot Hill Project, and former president of the Wyoming Hospitality and Travel Coalition Education Foundation.

 

Courses Taught

• ORTM 1000: Foundations of Recreation & Tourism
• ORTM 2050: Program Planning, Design, and Delivery
• ORTM 4902: Recreation Venue Operations
• ORTM 4903: Capstone
• ORTM 4970: Internship
• ENR/ORTM 2800: Outdoor Leadership
• UWYO 1001: First Year Seminar – Outdoor Leadership
• ENR 5960: Thesis Research

 

Selected Awards and Honors

• Promoting Intellectual Engagement (PIE) Award – 2024, 2019
• Top Prof – UW Mortar Board, 2022
• Person of Influence – UW Veterans Services Center, 2021
• Graduate Student Commencement Speaker – 2019
• Outstanding Staff Award – UW Division of Student Affairs, 2008
• Faculty Fellowship – Academic Affairs, 2020
• Bill Daniels Ethics Fellowship – 2022