Dr. Dan McCoyEducation and Certifications
Background and expertise
Dan McCoy became the Interim Director of the WORTH Initiative in March of 2022. Previously he was an Associate Lecturer and Degree Coordinator for the Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management Degree in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. He has extensive experience in the fields of outdoor leadership, education, and recreation. He ran the University of Wyoming Outdoor Program from 1999 to 2017, building it into a first-class resource for outdoor equipment rentals, outings, and trainings for UW students, staff, and faculty and overseeing the Half Acre Gymnasium climbing wall. As Assistant Director of Campus Recreation, starting in 2008, Dan oversaw aquatics, safety training, fitness programs, personal training, and facility operations. In addition, he was part of the planning team for an award winning $31.5 million renovation and addition to Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center.
Dan helped create the Outdoor Leadership Minor and the Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management Degree in the Haub School. In addition, Dan has been an instructor for the UW Department of Kinesiology and Health, a board member of the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE), a member of the City of Laramie Parks, Trails, and Recreation Master Plan Advisory Committee, and the Wyoming State Advocate for the Center for Outdoor Ethics, Leave No Trace. Prior to his time at UW, Dan worked for the Wilderness Institute in Missoula as a Field Instructor, Longacre Expeditions as a Course Director, and Sweet Briar College as the Outdoor Program and Student Activities Coordinator.
Teaching
Selected accomplishments
Manasseh FranklinManasseh Franklin is a first-year graduate student in the Haub School of Environment
and Natural Resources. Having spent much of her adult life working in and writing
about tourism-oriented communities in the Mountain West, including Jackson, Wyoming
and Aspen, Colorado, she’s thrilled to join the WORTH initiative and participate in
initiatives to support tourism growth in Wyoming. She is particularly interested in
the socio-cultural impacts that stem from the transition of resource extraction economies
to tourism economies in rural communities. She also hopes to explore sustainable tourism
development in mountain towns that are seeing expansive growth in tourism, often at
the expense of the locals’ quality of life and cost of living.
Manasseh has been involved in the Haub School for the better part of a decade, initially
as a graduate student pursuing an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and Environment and Natural
Resources where she wrote about receding glaciers in North America, and most recently
as an adjunct instructor for both ENR and ORTM courses. Her travel and environmental
articles have been published in mainstream publications including Adventure Journal,
Alpinist, Aspen Sojourner, Rock and Ice, High Country News, and Western Confluence
magazines, and she is the former Editor in Chief of the backcountry ski publication
WildSnow.com. Her wide-ranging experience in the outdoors include working as a hiking and climbing
guide in Aspen, and for a brief time, Nepal. She is excited to delve deeper into the
multifaceted world of tourism development, both in her role with WORTH and as a graduate
student in ENRS.
Morgan HollandSenior Research Economist
College of Business Bldg 367
mhollan9@uwyo.edu
Morgan graduated with a PhD in economics from Florida State University in 2022 with research interests in the economics of automation, corporate finance, human capital, and the economics of disability. In addition, Morgan worked as an economic consultant for the FSU Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis, pursuing applied research projects in a wide variety of fields. Today, Morgan focuses on economic research in the tourism and hospitality sectors in Wyoming. He is especially interested in researching and promoting policies that will help Wyoming take full advantage of its outdoor recreation resources while preserving them for future generations. Morgan also provides support services to stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sector through economic research and analysis.
Jordan KobliskaInternship and Employment Coordinator
Ross Hall, Rm 451
jkoblisk@uwyo.edu
Jordan Kobliska serves as the internship and employment coordinator for the Wyoming
Outdoor Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality (WORTH) Initiative. As part of the student
services team in the Haub School of ENR, she works to connect students in the Outdoor
Recreation and Tourism Management (ORTM) degree, and the Hospitality minor in the
College of Business, with employment opportunities throughout Wyoming. As an alum
of the ORTM program, she continues to create and sustain outdoor recreation, tourism,
and hospitality partnerships throughout the state to help provide a sustainable and
qualified workforce.
In her free time, she is involved in responsible recreation education efforts on Pilot
Hill where she frequently hikes with her dog Motley Chew. She is passionate about
exploring Wyoming's public lands and protecting them through science communication
efforts.
Taylor KrugerTaylor is a Research Associate and a recent graduate of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. Her thesis work focused on climate change communications in rural communities. Taylor is interested in outdoor recreation and tourism, particularly the effect on local communities and the implicit climate impacts those industries face. Taylor grew up in New England and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Colby College in environmental science with focus areas in aquatic ecosystems and conservation biology; she spent a semester at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, and her senior capstone project focused on nutrient loading in freshwater ecosystems. Transitioning to a drier climate was a challenge, but Taylor loves the robust outdoor opportunities that Laramie provides. When not in class or working on her thesis, Taylor enjoys drinking coffee in the Night Heron café and bookstore, going to the Laramie Farmers Market, and hiking and biking around the Laramie area.
Yun LiangCollege of Business, Rm. 226
yliang3@uwyo.edu
Yun Liang is a postdoc research associate of WORTH and the School of Computing. Yun Liang’s research focuses on racial minority groups and visitor experiences in outdoor recreation and tourism. Yun applies both big data and qualitive approaches to understand visitor behaviors and experiences. Her research has been published in the Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, and International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Yun Liang’s Google Scholar
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=zh-CN&user=wt6LZ1wAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
Hailey MossHailey Moss joined the WORTH Initiative in January 2023 as the first WORTH Extension Educator serving the state of Wyoming. Originally from Douglas, Wyoming, Hailey has always been passionate about sharing the unique stories and experiences Wyoming has to offer. She attended the University of Wyoming and obtained her BS in Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management. It was this degree program that sparked her love and passion for the Wyoming outdoor recreation, tourism, and hospitality industries. After graduating from the University of Wyoming, Hailey worked for Wyoming State Parks at the Wyoming Pioneer Memorial Museum while finishing her MS in Arts Administration and Museum Leadership from Drexel University in December 2022.
Hailey recognizes the WORTH Initiative’s unique ability to connect industry, experience, and most importantly the people within the state of Wyoming. Her role as the WORTH Extension Educator is to provide support to rural Wyoming communities and businesses to maximize natural resource-based tourism opportunities in a responsible way. As many say, Wyoming is a small town with long streets, and Hailey is excited to be part of the WORTH Initiative as it continues to make these connections and provide support throughout the state.
Nilou ShamlooNilou was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She moved to Greeley, Colorado with her parents while in high school. After graduating from high school, Nilou attended the University of Kansas where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in French Literature. During her years at KU, she studied abroad in Paris and Angers, France. After graduating, she worked as an English teacher in Lille, France Following her time in France, she moved to Laramie, Wyoming to attend the University of Wyoming. She obtained her Master of Science degree in Applied Statistics in 2021. She currently is working on her second Master of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling.
Nilou joined WORTH as a Graduate Research Assistant in August 2022 working with Dr. Dan McCoy to establish and advance an applied research agenda for Wyoming’s second largest industry—tourism. Her research interests include quantitative social science, particularly human behavior, development, and sentiment.
In her free time, Nilou enjoys reading, being in nature, traveling, cooking, and spending quality time with her boyfriend and their cats.
