The Wyoming State Board of Education is composed of educators, community members and business people who are responsible for setting Wyoming’s education policies. Members represent stakeholders and work in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Education to ensure that all students have equal access to a quality education. There are 14 state board members, including Chairman Bill Lambert, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Director of Wyoming Community College Commission, President of the University of Wyoming (or designee) and 10 additional members appointed by Governor Mark Gordon for six-year terms.
Bill Lambert has served on his local school board, as a county commissioner, and as a member of the Wyoming Livestock Board. As a Wyoming rancher in Weston County, Lambert knows the power of work ethic. He is pleased that the SBE has turned its attention to Career and Technical Education, and he believes that students should be given every opportunity to maintain balance in career education and academics.
Dr. Mark Mathern has served in education for 32 years as a classroom teacher, school principal, and associate superintendent in Natrona County School District. He facilitated the process of establishing dual language immersion, beginning in kindergarten, for Mandarin and Spanish in several districts across Wyoming. He was recognized as a Friend of Education by the Wyoming Foreign Language Teachers’ Association. His work also included expanding college and career readiness learning opportunities through the Pathways Innovation Center in Casper and ensuring all NCSD preschools were National Association for the Education of Young Children accredited. Mathern has a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University in classical languages, a master’s degree from the University of Wyoming in educational administration, an Ed.D. from Seton Hall University, and maintains his certification as a school administrator. Since 2015, he has been an accreditation evaluator and staff development presenter for schools and systems in multiple countries, many U.S. states including Wyoming, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). Mathern has several members of his family engaged in Wyoming education including his partner, Donna, her daughter, and four grandchildren.
Ellen Creagar is a Professor of history, government, and business law at Eastern Wyoming College. Prior to moving to Torrington, she practiced law in Denver, after clerking for a Denver District Court Judge. Ellen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA), her JD from the University of Colorado-Boulder School of Law and a Master of Arts in Teaching History from the University of Wyoming. Ellen is truly inspired and motivated by her students who exhibit determination, passion, hard work and intellectual curiosity on a daily basis.
Ellen actively volunteers, serving as the Treasurer for the Wyoming State Board of Education and as the President of the Goshen County Library Board. She and her husband, Bob, have two adult children, Molly (Lincoln, NE) and Ethan (Houston, TX) and a lovely cat named Laila.
Amy Pierson was born and raised in Wyoming. She has dedicated her life to public education and is excited to serve on the State Board of Education. Amy attended the University of Montana, where she received her BA in Elementary Education (2004), a Reading Specialist Certification (2004), and her dual Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and Literacy Studies (2008). She also completed her PhD in Education specializing in Learning, Instruction, and Innovation.
She is a National Board Certified Teacher and the 2016 Wyoming Teacher of the Year. Amy also serves on the University of Wyoming Trustees Education Initiative (TEI) Governing Board and the Johnson County Library Foundation Board.
Amy, her husband, and three beautiful children reside in Buffalo and enjoy spending time in the Bighorn Mountains every chance they get.
Debbie is a Wyoming native. She taught elementary students for 28 years, mostly in Torrington and Casper. She worked for special education for 10 years as an instructional strategist. Debbie retired in 2015 from Natrona County School district. She served as a legislator for 2 years, has been an State Board of Education member for 5 years, and is Chair of the Iris Clubhouse Board (a place for adults with mental illnesses).
Reynolds J. (R. J.) Kost was a mathematics instructor, a coach, and the curriculum coordinator in Wyoming public schools from 1975–2018, when he retired. Born and raised on the farm, agriculture is also a passion. He received a double major Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics and in Physical Education/ Health from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana, then earned his Master’s in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wyoming.
He is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and Wyoming Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (WY-ASCD). R. J. serves as President on the board for one of our local credit unions and President of the Powell Valley Health Care Board. He is a member of the Park County Health Coalition, and Powell Economic Partnership. He also served one term as Senator for District #19 in the State of Wyoming.
He credits his success to his wife of almost 48 years. He has been blessed with two children and two grandchildren. It is R. J.’s desire to give back to the community, the county, and the state where he has been blessed with his success.
Kristen Schlattmann is a Public Defender with the State of Wyoming Office of Public Defender in the Worland field office. Prior to joining the Public Defender’s office in 2017, she served as a staff attorney for the District Court in Hot Springs, Washakie, and Big Horn Counties. She also worked as a healthcare compliance officer and in the private practice of law in Cheyenne before moving with her family to her husband Mark’s hometown of Basin in 2008. Kristen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law. Schlattmann is currently serving her second term on her local school board, enjoys being engaged with her community, and is active with other local and professional boards. Schlattmann and her husband have three children, all of whom attend or attended school in Basin.
Taylor Jacobs has served on her local school board since 2020, working in partnership with families, community members, and school staff to develop policies and procedures that support and enhance the learning environment and promote student success. Taylor earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology from Colorado State University and went on to receive a Masters of Science degree in School Psychology at National University. Taylor has spent her career serving in public education as a School Psychologist and a national Board Certified Behavior Analyst in the preschool through 12th-grade setting. Taylor owns an educational service and consulting business in which she contracts with multiple school districts throughout the state, as well as the WDE Deaf-Blind Project’s Next Step Assessment Clinic, providing support and services to special education and at-risk students. She attributes much of her passion for education to a family of educators that promoted and emphasized lifelong learning.
Matthew Scott Crisp was named Wyoming High School Principal of the Year in 2021. Since 2009, he has been the Principal of Jackson Hole High School in Jackson. Beginning in July of 2023, he will serve as the Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Teton County School District #1. In 2013, JHHS received the Blue Ribbon Award for “High Performing High School”. Crisp has led, with his staff, Jackson Hole High School to be ranked number #1 high school in Wyoming by U.S. News & World Report in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. Prior to being a school leader, Crisp spent ten years as a high school social studies teacher in Wyoming, South Carolina, and Oregon. Crisp was twice selected to serve as a U.S. Department of Education Principal Ambassador Fellow, both in 2017-18 and in 2020-21.
Joseph Gaspari was elected to serve on the Carbon County School District #2 Board of Trustees and has been a dedicated board member since 2010. In 2023 he was appointed to serve on the Region V BOCES Board. Previously, he served on the local BOCES Board for nine years, and for 40 years on the Governing Board of his local church. Gaspari moved to Carbon County in 1970 and is a graduate of Platte Valley High School in Saratoga, as are his four daughters. Since receiving an Associate Degree in Automotive Technology from Casper College in 1981, he and his wife, Carolyn, have owned and operated a successful automotive repair shop in Saratoga. Joe and Carolyn also have seven wonderful grandchildren all of whom are currently attending Wyoming public schools. Gaspari understands the value of training up a child in the way they should go. He considers it an honor to serve on the State Board of Education to help make the future of Wyoming’s youth the best it can be.
Fred von Ahrens is currently serving as the Vice President of Manufacturing at Genesis Alkali in Green River, WY. With over 40 years of experience at FMC and now Genesis Energy, Fred has held various roles in Engineering, Maintenance, Operations, Plant Management, and General Management across different locations in the United States, including Corporate Headquarters.
Fred’s first role in Senior Management was as the Resident Manager in FMC’s Newark, California, manufacturing plant and later took on the role of Manufacturing Manager in Pocatello, Idaho. He also served as a Resident Manager in Lawrence, Kansas. Subsequently, Fred spent two years as the Resident Manager of FMC Agriculture Products Group’s Baltimore facility before relocating to Philadelphia as the General Manager of the Persulfate and Peracetic Acid Business.
Throughout his extensive career, Fred has consistently emphasized safety, manufacturing excellence, continuous improvement, and growth. He has dedicated his energy and manufacturing resources to these areas. In addition to his professional endeavors, Fred is an active participant in the community. He has played a pivotal role in establishing the Pulse of Southwest Wyoming, an initiative that aims to inform regional legislators about crucial business, health, and education initiatives and legislation important to the community. Fred has also played a key role in forming the Southwest Wyoming Manufacturing Partnership, a business education partnership spanning across the five counties. Furthermore, he is a member of the University of Wyoming Art Museum National Advisory Board.
Fred’s past memberships include The Governor’s RIDE initiative, serving as the Chair of the Wyoming Business Alliance and as a Board Member of the Sweetwater Memorial Hospital Foundation. He was also a Board member of the Wyoming Mining Association and Fred is an alumnus of Leadership Wyoming, having completed the program in 2012.
Megan went on to earn a master’s degree in Economics from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China, with her thesis focusing on the elasticity of demand between coal and natural gas. During her time in China, Megan taught in K-12 schools and community colleges.
Megan served as the Chief Policy Officer at the Wyoming Department of Education under Superintendent Jillian Balow. She oversaw multiple divisions, including standards & assessment, accountability, and the Hathaway scholarship, as well as a $30 million budget and 25-person staff. Megan also comes from years of private sector experience, in the fields of coal and oil and gas, where she worked to lessen regulatory burdens and government overreach.
Megan volunteers on several non-profit boards, coaches the University of Wyoming women’s rugby team, regularly fosters rescue dogs, and is an active volunteer in her church. She enjoys hunting, competitive trap shooting and hiking, and has traveled to six continents and 37 countries. Megan’s husband, Bryan Dugas, is an anesthesiologist, and they have two beloved rescue dogs, Loretta Lynn and Patsy.
She earned a B.A. in piano performance at California State University (1994) and an M.M. in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music (1996). She received her teaching certificate in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) from the University of California-Los Angeles (2001); and an M.S. in literacy education (2006), a CAS in literacy education (2007) and a Ph.D. in language and literacy education (2009), all from the University at Albany, State University of New York.
Her research interests include Psychoanalysis and Education, Intercultural and Multicultural Education, Cross-Cultural Pedagogies, The Sociology of Education, and Second Language Teaching and Learning.
