WORTH logo over a picture of salmon, the Wort Hotel, and a person hiking

WORTH: Staff

WORTH Staff


Dan McCoy headshotDr. Dan McCoy

Education and Certifications

  • PhD Education, University of Wyoming (2019)
  • MA Education, University of Wyoming (2013)
  • BS Recreation Management, University of Montana (1997)
  • Semester in Patagonia, National Outdoor Leadership School (1994)
  • Wilderness First Responder (WFR), NOLS
  • Leave No Trace Master Educator, Center for Outdoor Ethics
  • Level I Mountain Bike Instructor, Bicycle Instructor Certification Program (BICP)

Background and expertise

Dan McCoy has been the Director of the WORTH Initiative since March, 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

  • UWYO 1001: FYS Outdoor Leadership
  • ENR/ORTM 2800: Outdoor Leadership
  • ORTM 1000: Foundations of Recreation and Tourism
  • ORTM 2050: Program Planning, Design, and Delivery
  • ORTM 4903: Capstone
  • ORTM 4902: Recreation Venue Operations
  • ORTM 4970: Internship

Selected accomplishments

  • Promoting Intellectual Engagement (PIE) Award, 2024
  • Top Prof, UW Mortar Board, 2022
  • Person of Influence, Challenge Coin Recipient, UW Veterans Services Center, 2021 
    Graduate Student Commencement Speaker, 2019
  • Promoting Intellectual Engagement (PIE) Award, 2019
  • Promoting Intellectual Engagement (PIE) Award Nominee, 2017
  • Outstanding Staff Award, Division of Student Affairs, 2007

Manasseh Franklin headshotManasseh Franklin

Manasseh 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 Holland headshotMorgan Holland

Senior 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 Kobliska headshotJordan Kobliska

Internship 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 headshotTaylor Kruger

Taylor 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.


Hailey MossHailey Sorg

Outdoor Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality Extension Educator
hsorg@uwyo.edu

Hailey Sorg 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.

 
 
 
 
 
 






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