Senior Administration (President's Cabinet)
Debbie Baker has been at Western since 2011 and serves as the Associate Vice President of Finance for Western Wyoming Community College. Debbie earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Colorado. In addition to her MBA, she is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since April of 2001 and a CPA in Wyoming since 2011. Debbie was a audit manager at Forvis CPA firm for nine years where she focused on Governmental and NFP clients, with several higher education institutions. She continued her career as the Assistant CFO of RSNB Bankcorp in Rock Springs, Wyoming before coming to the College. In addition to her career, Debbie has served: on the Board of the Wyoming Community Foundation for Rock Springs, the Board of Theater Works, the Allocations Committee for Pikes Peak United Way and as a volunteer for food distribution and in a youth homeless center among others.
Dr. Conover has been at Western Wyoming Community College since 2004. He has served in multiple positions including GEAR UP Director, Adjunct Instructor of Spanish, Director of Housing & Student Life, and Dean of Students. He began his college career at Western as a student and was involved in many parts of campus as a Resident Assistant, Student Government Association Senator, Student Ambassador, and Peer Tutor. Dr. Conover earned his Associate's Degree from Western Wyoming Community College in Communications, his Bachelor's Degree from Chadron State College in Spanish, his Master's Degree from the University of Wyoming in Spanish, and his Doctorate Degree from Capella University in Educational Leadership and Management. When he is not on-campus and engaging with students, Dr. Conover loves hanging out with his wife and four boys, playing basketball, or enjoying the outdoors. He is a huge sports fanatic and loves the New York Yankees, the Denver Broncos, the Utah Jazz, the Wyoming Cowboys, and the Western Wyoming Mustangs!
Beth Gard is the Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and has been at Western since 2013. She has a strong background in academic and administrative roles. She previously served as the Chair of the School of Business and Computer Technology, where she spearheaded innovative initiatives that led to the introduction of Western's first Bachelor's degree program and the development of stackable information technology certificates. Beth holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and an MBA. Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys time with her husband and three sons. You will find her cheering from the sidelines at football and basketball games. As a family, they enjoy gold, skiing, hiking and boating.
Megan Neal serves as the Associate Vice President for Human Resources at Western. She comes to the college with over thirteen years of prior experience in the human resources field. Megan is passionate about meeting people where they are, and helping them to grow. Ms. Neal studied at Dakota Wesleyan University where she received a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources and a Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Higher Education Policy and Administration. At home, Megan enjoys time with her three children, two cats, and a dog.
Mark Rembacz is the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and has been at Western since 2000. He manages an office that is responsible for institution wide data collection, state & Federal reporting, assessment of student learning, program review and project management. He also serves as the college’s Accreditation Liaison Officer. Prior to his current position Mark has served in variety of roles at Western, including, Advising, Career Service and Retention & Completion. He has also taught a wide range of courses as an adjunct faculty. Mark has a Master’s Degree in Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in History. When he is not working, he enjoys anything outdoors, but is particularly passionate about fly-fishing.
Prior to joining Western in 2019 as the Vice President for Administrative Services, Wm. Burt Reynolds graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree while working full-time in the banking industry. Three years after graduating, he returned to his alma mater and began serving students at UTSA in the auxiliary services department. While working at UTSA he earned a Master of Business Administration degree and became certified in customer service and auxiliary services by each respective international professional organization. He also served as an elected officer during his tenure as a member of the UTSA Staff Council. Burt served as chair for the National Association of College Auxiliary Services’ Communication Services Committee and Awards Committee. He published articles internationally in leading industry publications and has presented at local and national conferences on auxiliary services. Locally, Burt served as co-chair of the Rock Springs International Day Committee and continues to serve that committee as a member. Burt is currently pursuing a doctorate in higher education administration and a certificate in community college leadership from the University of Wyoming. He and his wife, Ana, have three children attending school in Rock Springs. They all love spending time outdoors and enjoy all that Wyoming and the Rock Springs area have to offer.
Biography coming soon!
President's Cabinet Commitments:
- Confidentiality: Keep information confidential when needed
- Good Stewards of the College: Set aside personal agendas, be dedicated, align with the Strategic Plan
- Open and Honest Communication: Be honest, speak up, personal responsibility
- Respect and Care for Each Other: Demonstrate active listening and openness to others’ viewpoints, be prepared, respect and accept each other
- Unified Voice: Support the decision and follow through
President's Cabinet Values:
- Ethics
- High Performance
- Honesty and Authenticity
- Integrity
- Respect
- Student-Focused
- Strategic Thinking
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Trust
President's Cabinet Goals:
By August 2023, we want to improve confidence in senior leadership (President’s Cabinet)
as measured by the Great Colleges to Work For survey. Using the Carnegie Classification,
we aim to improve percentages for the following survey questions:
Q27: Clear direction
Q37: Genuine interest in wellbeing
Q41: Communicates openly
Q45: Believe what I am told
Q52: Well-run institution