Board Members

John Masters - Chair

John is an attorney in Cheyenne who previously served as Counsel to the Wyoming Department of Education and later as Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2011 to 2015. He also served as Vice-Chancellor and then as Chancellor to the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming before becoming the first Executive Director of the Diocese’s Foundation. He received his Bachelors and law degrees from the University of Wyoming and is the father of two children who attended school in Laramie County School District No. 1.

R.J. Kost

Reynolds J. (R. J.) Kost has been a mathematics instructor, a coach, and the curriculum coordinator in Wyoming public schools from 1975 until his retirement in 2018. 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).He is a member of the Park County Health Coalition, and Powell Economic Partnership. In his first term as Senator for District #19 in the state of Wyoming it is R. J.’s desire to give back to the community, the county, and the State.

Evan Simpson

A Star Valley, Wyoming native, Evan Simpson is a retired Consulting Engineer. He is the former CEO/President of Sunrise Engineering, Inc., a Fortune 500 Engineering firm. He is a University of Wyoming graduate. Since retiring, he has been serving in the Wyoming House of Representatives for the past 5 years. Two of those years he spent working on the Legislative Education Committee. He currently sits on the Appropriations Committee and also chairs the Select Water Committee.

Evan currently lives with his wife Bev on a ranch near Afton, Wyoming. They have raised six daughters and now enjoy six amazing sons-in-law and 19 precious grandchildren, many of whom are in Wyoming public schools.

Craig Dougherty

Craig has been in education since 1983, serving as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent, as well as serving as president of the Reading Recovery Council of North America and on the First People’s Center for Education board. He served as superintendent of Sheridan County School District No. 2 for 21 years, working to create statewide and national initiatives to improve reading, writing, and mathematics education. Craig continues to create momentum for transforming education, elevating the idea that all children should learn at high levels. Craig and his wife Judy have three daughters who inspire them continuously.

David Northrup

David Northrup was born in Laramie and raised on his family's homestead on the Willwood, south of Powell. He graduated from Powell High School and Northwest College, then earned a Bachelor's degree in Geological Engineering from Montana Tech in Butte. He served eight years in the Wyoming legislature as representative for House District 50, serving as chairman of the House Education Committee for four years. David also served on the Park County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees for 12 years, six of those as chairman, and on the Willwood irrigation district board including five years as vice-chairman. He currently serves on the Willwood light and power board and runs his family's farm. David and his wife Astrid have been married for almost 40 years; they have three sons, two daughters-in-law and two grandsons.

Fred von Ahrens

Fred is the Genesis Alkali Vice President of Manufacturing in Green River, WY. He has held Engineering, Maintenance, Operations, Plant Management and General Management roles in various businesses during his more than 40-year tenure with FMC Corporation and now Genesis Energy. Throughout his career, he has focused his energy and manufacturing resources on safety, manufacturing excellence and continuous improvement.

Fred is actively involved in the community, including forming the South West Wyoming Manufacturing Partnership, a five-county business education partnership He is a past chair of the Wyoming Business Alliance board of directors and a Leadership Wyoming graduate.

Brian Worthen

Brian is the CEO of Visionary Broadband, a broadband provider headquartered in Gillette, Wyoming. Worthen graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor’s degree in Small Business Management. Worthen is a Wyoming High School graduate, and his wife Nikki is a substitute teacher for the Campbell County School District.

Nicole Novotny Wonka

A Buffalo, Wyoming native, Nicole has worked for over 10 years as Executive Assistant and Office Manager to Richard Wonka, an Investment Adviser Representative with Cetera Advisor Networks LLC in Buffalo, overseeing $160 million in client assets, nationally. She attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy earning a Bachelors of Science degree in mathematics and Coast Guard commission as Ensign in 1995. After nine years of active duty service, she resigned her commission as Lieutenant to return to Wyoming. Ms. Novotny Wonka and her husband have three active teenage sons. Her military and family experience inspired her interest in education excellence and her service as Board Trustee for the Johnson County School District from 2010-2018.

Thea True Wells

Thea True-Wells is a Wyoming native who has been professionally involved with formal and informal pre-K-12 education for over two decades. She has facilitated science outreach efforts to low-income elementary schools, taught middle and high school science courses in public and private schools and has been involved with the expansion of pre-K opportunities and Dual Language Immersion in Natrona County School District #1.