Former Wyoming State Parks Administrator to Join New UW Program

A nationally recognized leader in the outdoor recreation industry has been hired to help build the University of Wyoming’s new degree program in outdoor recreation and tourism management.

Domenic Bravo will begin his new position as professor of practice in UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources in August. He comes to UW after serving as administrator for Wyoming State Parks and the Outdoor Recreation Office.

At UW, Bravo will help guide the development and expansion of one of the university’s newest degree programs. The outdoor recreation and tourism management (ORTM) bachelor’s degree program, a collaborative effort between the Haub School and the UW College of Business, launched last fall.

“We are thrilled to have Domenic join the Haub School,” says Haub School Dean Melinda Benson. “His leadership at both the national and state levels in outdoor recreation management will be a tremendous asset to the school. With 20-plus years of professional experience, along with his extensive knowledge and affiliations within the global outdoor recreation and tourism arena, Domenic’s involvement will help ensure our new degree program engages enrolled students and businesses seeking graduates from UW.”

In his new position, Bravo will conduct outreach with business and organizational partners in outdoor recreation and tourism, teach in the ORTM program and provide service to an industry that is of growing importance to the state, region and nation.

Bravo received his master’s degree in park and resource management from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. For the past 11 years, he has served in an executive-level position with Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, overseeing a $25 million biennium budget and more than 100 employees. He also has served on several national committees and recently ended his term as president for the National Association of State Park Directors.

Bravo was one of eight signatories to the Outdoor Recreation Confluence Accords, which aligned the work of state-level outdoor recreation offices nationally. During his tenure as administrator with Wyoming State Parks, he also taught courses at Laramie County Community College and delivered one of the first courses in the ORTM degree at UW, “Natural and Cultural Resources of the West,” in fall 2018.

Bravo has spent much of his life in the outdoors, backpacking, mountain biking, hiking, hunting, fishing and four-wheeling. He enjoys traveling with his family, visiting national parks, state parks, Walt Disney World and other tourist destinations.