Leadership and Board

Emily works to position people and processes for success. Her passion for Climb Wyoming was first ignited while facilitating ropes courses for Cheyenne Climb participants. Emily received a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Wyoming, and a Master of Science in Organizational Performance from Bellevue University. Emily is certified in change management, process improvement, and whole-life coaching. Her career started in Student Affairs at UW and then shifted to healthcare, where she worked for Cheyenne Regional Medical Center in Organization Development & Learning. Emily lives in Gillette with her husband, Mike, and two children.

Curtis is the director of the Trustees Education Initiative at the University of Wyoming’s College of Education. In this role, he works to create and accelerate statewide (and beyond) partnerships, strategy, programs, and technology that drive Wyoming education, workforce, and economic development. He has also held positions with New Jersey City University’s Community College Leadership Doctoral Program and was the Interim Dean of Student Affairs & Services at Sussex County Community College. He has been a member of the Wyoming Workforce Development Council and currently serves on the board of the Wyoming Association of Career & Technical Education. Curtis is in the process of earning his Ph.D. in International Educational Leadership at the University of Montana.

A graduate of the University of Wyoming, Kathryn developed partnerships and events to help Wyomingites learn to hunt and fish for the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before retiring in 2022. She’s the former Chief of Staff to Wyoming First Lady Nancy Freudenthal and now serves on the Wyoming Governors Residence Foundation Board to fight food insecurity for Wyoming children and families through Wyoming’s First Lady Jennie Gordon’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative. Kathryn has also been an avid volunteer with the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, the National Advisory Board of the University of Wyoming Art Museum, and the Cheyenne Frontier Days Art Show. A 2010 Leadership Wyoming graduate, she has always made serving people the guiding principle of her work.

Phil Dinsmoor is retired after a successful 43-year career working in the energy industry. He now focuses his energies and skills on benefiting people and communities in Wyoming. He serves on the Board of Directors of Crook County Family Violence and Sexual Assault Services. Phil has participated since 2017 as a volunteer in the 307 Teen Challenge Program that helps high school students make wise decisions around alcohol and drug use, teen violence, bullying, social media, and more. He also helps with high school career planning classes and as a mock interviewer for Climb Wyoming participants.

Bryant is the Manager of Client Treasury Services at Hilltop Bank in Casper, Wyoming. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Wyoming and a master’s in accountancy from the University of South Dakota. Originally from Cody, Bryant was the founding executive director for two non-profits: the Yellowstone Recreations Foundation, which reopened the Sleeping Giant Ski Area west of Cody, and By Western Hands, a non-profit that aims to preserve western functional art and design. Bryant and his family relocated to Casper in 2016, embracing the vibrant community. Bryant is an avid outdoors enthusiast and enjoys climbing, skiing, backpacking, and hunting. His heart lies in his family and spending time with his wife, Vickery, and their children, Grace and Tommy. Outside of his family and professional commitments, Bryant dedicates his time to local and state-level volunteer work. In addition to Climb Wyoming, he currently serves as the treasurer for Leadership Wyoming and Active in Recovery and coaches youth ski races for the Casper Mountain Racers.

JJ is founder of Healy Capital LLC, an investment and real estate firm located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. JJ is a technology industry veteran with more than fifteen years of operational, investment, and M&A experience with companies including EMC Corporation, CS First Boston and Yahoo! Inc. Prior to founding Healy Capital, JJ was vice president of corporate development for Yahoo! Inc., where he teamed with founder Jerry Yang to develop Yahoo’s acquisition and investment program, completing over 20 corporate investments and 16 acquisitions, totaling more than $10 billion, including several of the largest acquisitions in the early history of the Internet. Prior to Yahoo, JJ was a technology investment banker with CS First Boston in San Francisco. JJ owns the Double J Ranch LLC, a cattle operation in Daniel, Wyoming and is deeply involved in conservation, having served on the board of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and currently the board of the Jackson Hole Land Trust. JJ attended Saint Anselm College and completed his MBA at the Thunderbird School of International Management. JJ currently lives in Wilson, Wyoming with son Cormac and daughter Sawyer.

Carrie Kirkpatrick envisions and contributes her life force to creating a world where authenticity, compassion, and equal opportunity are the norm. She has a degree in Human Development from Boston College and has worked in the field of change management at various non-profits, as well as in equity research at The Brandywine Funds. For the past several years, Carrie has been actively engaged in guiding individuals and teams to use the Enneagram for greater self-awareness and more effective communication. Her business, Freedom Finders, also makes philanthropic investments in organizations working to address social justice issues inherent in the mass incarceration system. She served on the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole for 10 years, including time as board chair during the final year of her tenure. Carrie lives in Jackson and has two young-adult daughters.

Laura has over 25 years of experience in finance, strategic planning, marketing, and project management. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, cum laude, from Pepperdine University and a Masters of Business from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2001, Ladd formed Hewitt Ladd, Inc., a management consulting business based in Jackson Hole. Hewitt Ladd specializes in real estate development, homeowners’ association management, and economic advice for new business and energy initiatives. From 2006-2010, she served as an Energy and Economics adviser to Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal. Ladd has also served in an advisory capacity to the Powder River Energy Corp., Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole and Hillwood Development Company. She is currently the board chair for the Wyoming Retirement System, and serves on the Boards of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, the Jackson Hole Historical Society, and as an Advisory Board member for Compass Working Capital. She is an emeritus board member of the Wyoming Women’s Foundation and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. Ladd and her husband Ted live in Wilson, Wyoming and are longtime supporters of Climb.

Dona is a professor at the University of Wyoming College of Law, where she teaches courses and directs an experiential clinic focusing on families, intimate partner violence, children, and dispute resolution. She has contributed extensively to state policy on domestic violence, family law, juvenile law, and access to justice issues. She is the Wyoming State Bar ABA Delegate, the State Bar’s Second Judicial District Court Commissioner, an original member of the Access to Justice Commission, a board member and former chair of the Women’s Law Caucus with the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association, a trained mediator, and a Certified Child Welfare Law Specialist (ABA/NACC). When she’s not mentoring and teaching tomorrow’s lawyers, Dona enjoys traveling, learning Spanish, cooking, and spending time with her husband, Rolly Maldonado, and their sons, Reno and Gabriel. Reno is a urology resident at UC Health in Denver, Colorado. Gabe graduated with his Juris Doctor and has joined a law firm in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Angie brings experience as a mom, community volunteer, business leader, and native Wyomingite to Climb. Angie graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BSME in Mechanical Engineering. After 10 years away, she and her husband, Ben, moved back to Wyoming to raise their three boys. Angie is now the Chief Operating Officer at Flowstate, a software development company that she co-founded in 2019 specializing in using innovative technologies to detect leaks in pipelines. Her volunteer activities show her passion for education and community. She serves as an Advisory Board Member to the University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Physical Sciences as well as the UW-Casper Bachelor of Applied Sciences program. Since 2012, she has worked with CASA of Natrona County, assisting with fundraising, website, and marketing, and, most importantly, serving as an advocate for children in protective custody.