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Cheyenne, Wyoming – As Wyoming Governor-elect Mark Gordon continues to build out his Administration ahead of his official swearing-in on Monday, January 7, he announced two key appointments today. 

Governor-elect Gordon hired Rachel Girt as his Communications Director and Erin Johnson as his Health and Human Services Policy Advisor. Girt will serve as the Governor-elect’s spokesperson and be the chief contact for media. Johnson will advise the Governor-elect on key healthcare and human services policy issues. 

“Ensuring an open and effective working relationship with Wyoming media and being accessible and transparent are incredibly important to me,” said Governor-elect Gordon. “I am pleased Rachel Girt will be helping me meet these goals, serving as my spokesperson and handling day-to-day media and outreach.”

Governor-elect Gordon continued, “Erin Johnson brings decades of experience working on key Wyoming issues and advocating on behalf of mental health patients, those with disabilities and Wyoming youth. Her energy and expertise on key issues will be invaluable moving forward.”

For the last eight years, Girt has owned and operated Girt Communications, LLC, a small public relations consulting business based in Cheyenne. Prior to starting her business, she led communications at the Wyoming Business Council and the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, as well as serving as press secretary for former Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer. She has worked as a reporter for two Wyoming newspapers, a freelance writer for the Wyoming Business Report and a legislative reporter for a statewide radio outlet.  She has a Master’s degree in International Studies and has undergraduate degrees in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Wyoming. Girt most recently was finalist for the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Woman of Distinction Award for her volunteer efforts. She serves on the board for Ballet Wyoming, on the Steering Committee for Junior Leadership of Laramie County, the USS Wyoming Committee and the Advisory Committee for the University of Wyoming UWyo Magazine. She is the former board president for Black Dog Animal Rescue. She volunteers on both the Public Relations Committee and the Military Committee for Cheyenne Frontier Days, as well as helping take photos for the Wyoming Women’s Antelope Hunt. 

Johnson previously served as the Executive Director of Wyoming Association of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Centers (WAMHSAC). Along with advocating for behavioral health issues, she served as the Chapter Director for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Wyoming and assisted Wyoming Youth Services Association (WYSA). Johnson served as a Field Director for U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Cubin, working on constituent affairs for southeast Wyoming. She has worked on legislative, statewide and gubernatorial races and remains active in the Wyoming Republican Party. She is on the WYGOP Central committee (Laramie County Committeewoman) and is the Vice President of the Capitol City Republican Women. Johnson is a 12-year member of Cheyenne Frontier Days Security Committee. 

For additional information on Governor-elect Gordon’s transition, please visit www.gordonforwyoming.com. Girt will be the official press contact for Governor-elect Gordon starting January 7, 2019. Girt can be reached at 307-286-1592. Starting on Jan. 7, her email will be rachel.girt@wyo.gov.

Cheyenne, Wyoming – Wyoming Governor-elect Mark Gordon announced six new additions to his Administration today, bringing together a team of seasoned policy advisors and experienced administrators.

“Our state success moving forward is going to depend on having optimistic and energized veteran leaders with experience working on state and local issues,” said Governor-elect Gordon. “This team of skilled policy experts and administrators will not only help me hit the ground running on day one, but help me steer the ship in the coming months. I’m honored to have them by my side.”

Gordon announced that Betsy Anderson will serve as General Counsel, Buck McVeigh as Policy Director, Renny McKay as Senior Policy Advisor, Rob Creager as Policy Advisor, Patricia Kramer as Senior Administrator and Machá Ledet as scheduler.

Betsy Anderson has worked for the Wyoming State Treasurer’s Office since September 2004, and currently serves as its General Counsel. She started her legal career practicing commercial real estate with Morris, Manning & Martin. After five years in private practice, she moved on to in-house positions with Qualex, American Stores Company, TWA and SpectraSite Communications. Her in-house legal practice has involved many areas of law including contracts, finance, securities, real estate, technology, aircraft, employment and health care. Anderson received a B.A. in History from Wake Forest University and a J.D. degree from The University of Georgia School of Law.

Buck McVeigh joins Governor-elect Gordon’s staff having served as President of the Wyoming Taxpayers Association for the past five years. Prior to leading the Taxpayers Association, McVeigh worked for the State of Wyoming for 32 years, serving under five governors and working in four agencies, the Department of Agriculture, State Auditor’s Office, Public Service Commission and the Department of Administration & Information (A&I). McVeigh is a former state economist and division administrator. He was a longtime member and 14-year executive branch co-chairman of the State’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG). Born and raised in Cheyenne, McVeigh is a graduate of Laramie County Community College and the University of Wyoming.

Renny MacKay has served as the Communications Director for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department since 2014. Prior to that, he was the Communications Director for Governor Matthew H. Mead from 2011 to 2014. MacKay spent nearly a decade as a journalist covering statewide news for Wyoming Public Radio. He also was the press secretary for Governor-elect Gordon’s Congressional Campaign in 2008. Renny received his Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri.

Rob Creager served as the statewide Field Representative for Governor-elect Gordon’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign. He previously worked for the United States Senate Budget Committee, chaired by Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi, as well as Wyoming House Speaker Steve Harshman during the 2018 Budget Session. Creager is a native of Casper who graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance this winter. At UW, he competed for the Track & Field team in the long and high jump.

Patricia Kramer grew up in San Diego, California, graduating from Eldorado College and studying business at San Diego State. She spent the first part of her professional career working for non-profits, including the Alzheimer’s Association and San Diego Youth Services before moving to Wyoming in 2009. Kramer worked for the Secretary of State’s Office as an Executive Assistant to the Secretary from 2009-2015 and the State Treasurer’s Office as a Business Analyst from 2015-2018. She is currently a part of the Gordon Administration Transition team.

Machá Ledet moved to Cheyenne at the age of three and spent her childhood growing up on F.E. Warren Air Force Base. In 1984, her father was stationed to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. After completion of secondary school in Nevada, Ledet received her Associates Degree in accounting from Central Virginia Community College. In 2008, Ledet moved back to Cheyenne and began working as a Business Registrar for the Wyoming Secretary of State. In 2014, she joined the Office of State Lands and Investments as Executive Assistant to the Director.

Gordon previously announced that Dr. Pat Arp will serve as his Chief of Staff and Bridget Hill as Attorney General. For the latest information on Gordon’s transition and upcoming Administration, visit www.gordonforwyoming.com.

Cheyenne, Wyoming – Wyoming Governor-elect Mark Gordon announced the first members of his Administration today, tapping two seasoned Wyoming leaders to fill the role of Chief of Staff and Wyoming Attorney General.

Gordon has chosen Bridget Hill, the current Director of the Office of State Lands and Investments to serve as Wyoming Attorney General. Dr. Pat Arp, the current Wyoming Deputy State Treasurer, will serve as Gordon’s Chief of Staff.

“I’m honored that Ms. Hill and Dr. Arp have agreed to fill these important leadership posts in my Administration,” said Governor-elect Gordon. “To ensure a smooth transition and an effective Administration capable of tackling the challenges we face head on, I need a strong team of individuals with experience, diverse skill sets and connections to the people, communities and businesses across Wyoming. Ms. Hill and Dr. Arp have shown time and again their ability to make state government work smarter and harder, all while ensuring transparency and access to the public.”

Originally from Saratoga, Wyoming, Hill attended the University of Wyoming where she received both her undergraduate degree in accounting and her law degree.  Following law school in 2002, Bridget served as a staff attorney for Justice Larry L. Lehman and Justice Michael Golden of the Wyoming Supreme Court. Following her time with the court, she moved to the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office and served for several years as the attorney for the Office of State Lands and Investments, State Loan and Investment Board, and Board of Land Commissioners and several other agencies. In 2013, she was appointed by Governor Matthew H. Mead to serve as Director of the Office of State Lands and Investments.

Prior to joining the State Treasurer’s Office in April 2015, Dr. Arp was the Deputy Secretary of State for 20 years; having served terms with former Secretaries of State Max Maxfield, Joseph B. Meyer and Diana J. Ohman. From 1991 through 1994, Dr. Arp was the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Wyoming Department of Education. She previously worked as a high school biology, chemistry and physics teacher; and a child protection social worker and a juvenile probation officer in northeast Wyoming. She was also the Northeast administrator for the Department of Family Services.

Additional announcements regarding Governor-elect Gordon’s Administration team will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information on Governor-elect Gordon’s transition or the inauguration, please visit www.gordonforwyoming.com.

Cheyenne, Wyoming – Wyoming Governor-elect Mark Gordon announced co-chairs for his official transition committee today, tapping two longtime Wyoming leaders with deep experience in state government and public policy.

Gordon announced that Dr. Pat Arp, the current Wyoming Deputy State Treasurer, and Gale Geringer, Gordon for Governor campaign manager, will serve as co-chairs of his transition team. In these roles, Arp and Geringer will assist Gordon in setting up his gubernatorial office, guide staffing decisions, administrative procedures and initial policy rollouts.

“I’m honored to have Pat and Gale guiding my transition into the role of Governor of our great state,” said Governor-elect Gordon. “Combined they bring decades of experience in navigating state government from both inside and out, as well as deep policy backgrounds in fiscal and tax issues, education and telecommunications. With their leadership, we can ensure a seamless transition that will enable our team to hit the ground running effectively on day one.”

Prior to joining the State Treasurer’s Office in April 2015, Dr. Arp was the Deputy Secretary of State for 20 years; having served terms with former Secretaries of State Max Maxfield, Joseph B. Meyer and Diana J. Ohman. From 1991 through 1994, Dr. Arp was the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Wyoming Department of Education. She previously worked as a high school biology, chemistry and physics teacher and a child protection social worker and a juvenile probation officer in northeast Wyoming. She was also the Northeast administrator for the Department of Family Services.

Geringer brings more than thirty years of experience in strategic communications, government, federal campaigns, state and federal politics and issue management. She owns and operates a Cheyenne-based consulting firm that specialized in campaign management, lobbying and strategic planning, as well as issue management and public relations. Geringer has been named one of Wyoming’s top five Republican ‘influencers’ by Campaigns and Elections Magazine.

Kristin Walker will continue to serve as the media contact for Governor-elect Gordon through the transition.

For additional information on Governor-elect Gordon’s transition, please visitwww.gordonforwyoming.com.

Cheyenne, Wyoming – Treasurer Mark Gordon released the following statement today following the Wyoming Gubernatorial Election.

“Words cannot express the heartfelt gratitude Jennie and I have for every single person across Wyoming who put their faith in us this evening,” said Treasurer Gordon. “It’s been a long journey to get here tonight, — over 60,000 miles since March to be exact — but I can say with a full heart that I am very proud of the race we have run. From the beginning, we were committed to running a clean campaign. One focused on the issues that matter most to Wyoming people – jobs and the economy, education, energy, and healthcare. We stayed true to that mission and, in the end, hard work, integrity, and a focus to drive to real solutions for Wyoming’s challenges won out. To the thousands of supporters, volunteers, neighbors, friends, and family who worked tirelessly to make this victory possible, we say thank you.”

“From the primary through the general, this race has brought out vigorous debate from all sides. I am grateful for that because we live in the greatest country on earth and citizenship demands rigorous debate. Because of it, the best ideas rise to the top. Now that the election has come to a close and the people of Wyoming have spoken, Jennie and I stand humbled by the trust you have put in us, yet we are ready to represent every citizen in this state. We raised our family here. We grew our businesses, coached kids, and gave back to our community here, because we love this state. No matter your background or who you voted for, know this – I am committed to YOU. Together we can build this great state and make sure it has a bright future.”

“Wyoming is home to many firsts – a fact First Lady Carol Mead has recorded in her wonderful book, Wyoming Firsts. We were the first state to grant women the right to vote. We are the home of the first national park and the first business west of the Missouri River. Wyoming offered the most efficient path for the transcontinental Union Pacific Railroad. Wyoming offered the United States its best chance to join our nation together. We were literally built around the pursuit of the American Dream – the idea that every single person should have the opportunity to achieve success through hard work and determination. At our core, I believe these are the values that still connect each and every one of us in Wyoming – independence, grit, and self-reliance. This will be the charge for our next Governor – to ensure that Wyoming continues to be a place where you, your family, your friends, and your neighbors can pursue your dreams. And that work starts tonight.”

Inauguration
January 7th, 2019 is Inauguration Day.

Additional details on Governor-elect Gordon’s inauguration will be released soon. Please check back for updates.