Meet Our
Board of Directors

Michele DeHoff was raised in Laramie County, attending K-12 in Pine Bluffs. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance with minors in Accounting as well as Banking and Financial Services in 1999 from the University of Wyoming. She then joined the Wyoming Division of Banking as a Bank Examiner, learning a great deal about banking operations. She left the banking industry briefly to try her hand at traveling sales while seeing much of the great State of Wyoming. She returned to banking as a Credit Analyst in 2004 and was soon promoted to the Commercial Lender. In 2015, Michele joined the Commercial Lending Team at Jonah Bank. She is a proud graduate of Leadership Cheyenne, the Colorado Graduate School of Banking and, most recently, Leadership Wyoming. She has a passion for serving nonprofits and volunteering in her community. She has served in leadership roles for local nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls Club of Cheyenne, Wyoming 2-1-1, Junior Leadership of Laramie County, the Early Education Partnership and the Cheyenne Family YMCA. Michele is a founding member of a nationwide nonprofit, Funding the Future, which seeks to improve access to financial literacy education for America’s youth. She also seeks every opportunity to mentor youth in DECA and FBLA, as well as college students participating in entrepreneurship competitions. More than anything, Michele and her husband Tom enjoy raising their four children, MacKenzie, Luke, Marcus and Mason, in Wyoming. They love supporting their kids’ activities, traveling, hiking and exploring.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Wyoming with minors in Accounting and Banking and Financial Services 

Shawn Reese was born in Cheyenne.  After graduating from Central High School, he attended the University of Wyoming and received a BS in Sociology and Master’s work in Planning.  He married Amiee Case in 1996.  Reese’s career has been marked by public service and planning and development.  In 2003 he began a long tenure with the Wyoming Business Council (WBC) which was then in its infancy.  There he developed and grew the Business Ready Community Grant and Loan Program.  Governor Mead hired Reese in January 2011 to serve as his policy director and energy advisor. In 2014 he returned to the WBC as CEO, overseeing a $34 million-dollar annual budget and 45 employees.  In 2019, his wife took a job in her hometown of Laramie as a gift officer for the UW Foundation.  Seeing this as an opportune time for change, Reese left the WBC and now is the Chief Operations Officer for Wyoming Humanities, a private, non-profit based in Laramie.  Shawn and Amiee have two children, Clara and Owen, both of whom attend the University of Wyoming.

Specialties

Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Wyoming Humanities

Education

BS in Sociology and Master’s work in Planning.

Dr. Danielle Ryan is a fourth-generation Wyomingite born and raised in Cheyenne who takes a strong leadership role in her career and community. Danielle attended college at the Universities of Wyoming and Georgia and is the Pathway Coordinator for the Human & Public Services Pathway at LCCC where she serves on several committees and initiatives. She has published numerous articles in high-impact journals, presents at international conferences, and continues to receive grant monies from the National Science Foundation and the USDA for her international work on improving opportunities for underrepresented student populations in higher education. Danielle was nominated as LCCC’s professional employee of the year in 2019 and was Faculty of the Year in 2024. In her community, Danielle received the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Women’s Leadership Award in 2002 and has been a finalist several times for the Wyoming Women of Influence and the Emerging Leaders Award.

Dr. Danielle Ryan believes in serving her community to the best of her ability. Over the years, she served as a Board Member and Co-chair of United Way of Laramie County’s Annual Campaign and performed as a Boys & Girls Club Celebrity Dancer in Dancing With the Stars. She serves as President of the STARBASE Foundation, a member of Rotary’s IMPACT Chapter, Cheyenne’s Chapter Z of P.E.O., Wyoming Breast Cancer Initiative and was the chair for the Pink Ribbon Run in 2019, as a board member for the Cheyenne Capital Chorale, and the Forward Greater Cheyenne’s Beautification Committee. Danielle also loves to volunteer with Kiwanis, Neighborhood Night Out, the Rocky Mountain Future Leaders Conference, and so much more!

Education

• Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Georgia
• M.A., Anthropology, University of Wyoming
• B.A., International Relations, University of Wyoming

Gay Woodhouse is a Wyoming native, born and raised in the Torrington community. She received her B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Wyoming. She practiced law for the past 44 years in Wyoming. She has worked in private practice, as an Assistant Attorney General, an Assistant United States Attorney, Chief Deputy Attorney General and Wyoming’s first female Attorney General. In 2001 she started her own solo practice of law Cheyenne. Over the years the Firm has grown with partners, Deborah Roden and Tara Nethercott and in 2022 with Katye Ames and Christopher Brennan with a firm change to Woodhouse Roden Ames & Brennan. She was elected to serve on the Judicial Nominating Commission and has served as Wyoming State Bar Commissioner and President. In 2008 she was elected Laramie County Commissioner where she served for 4 years. She is involved in numerous non-profit boards including the Wyoming Senior Olympics, United Way of Laramie County, Wyoming Professional Assistance Program Board of Directors, Wyoming Catholic Ministries Foundation and others. Now living an amazing retired life, she is an avid competitive road cyclist and enjoys water skiing, scuba diving, working out, yoga, and acrylic painting. She is married to Randy, has two sons, Dustin and Houston and two grandchildren, Makenzie and Austin.

In 2004, Brittany brought her passion for organizational improvement and community development to the table as one of the founders of Align. Since then, Brittany has specialized in human resources, organizational improvement and community development. Brittany brings an extensive knowledge and understanding of the most effective ways to work and communicate with organizations and communities, large and small. She is uniquely effective in bringing people together, building consensus, and moving projects and programs forward. With a keen sense of how leadership roles and organizations impact and shape the arenas they operate in, Brittany has developed strategies to improve work environments and communities throughout the region. Her skilled approach began with her heritage.  Brittany grew up on a farm in eastern Colorado which prides itself in coming together for the betterment of its citizens. When not facilitating or driving program success, Brittany can be found running her children to dance or volleyball and volunteering in the community. She is currently on the Laramie County School District #1 (LCSD1) Board of Trustees and is an active member of the Cheyenne Rotary Club.

Specialties

• Administrator, Cheyenne-Laramie County Economic Development Joint Powers Board
• Human Resources
• Training
• Facilitation
• Management and Leadership Development
• Rural Community (extensive work with and understanding of rural communities)

Education

• BA, University of Colorado-Boulder
• MS Adult Education & Learning Technologies, University of Wyoming
• SHRM-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), Society for Human Resource Management
• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), HR Certification Institute
• Certificate of Nonprofit Board Consulting, BoardSource