EWC names new president

Dr. Lesley Travers to lead college into future

Crystal R. Albers
Posted 5/10/17

At a special meeting Thursday afternoon, the Eastern Wyoming College Board of Trustees unanimously approved Dr. Lesley Travers of Casper as the next president of the educational institution.

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EWC names new president

Dr. Lesley Travers to lead college into future

Posted

TORRINGTON – At a special meeting Thursday afternoon, the Eastern Wyoming College Board of Trustees unanimously approved Dr. Lesley Travers of Casper as the next president of the educational institution.
The board contacted Travers prior to the meeting and she officially accepted the position and agreed to the contract without alteration, according to Board President John Patrick.
“I think – I certainly hope, I pray a little bit – that this is a good choice,” he said at the meeting.
At her open public forum last month, Travers emphasized listening as key to her success as a community college president.
“I want to spend a lot of time watching and listening,” she said. “That’s how I want to learn about this college.”
Travers currently serves as the Dean of the School of Business and Industry at Casper College, a position she has held since 2009. She has extensive background in counseling, including a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Montana, a master of science in community counseling from the University of Wyoming (UW)/Casper College and doctorate in higher education and marriage and family therapy from UW. She holds Wyoming state licenses as a marriage and family therapist, addictions therapist, and professional counselor. She is also a national board certified counselor.

“My counseling and mediation background have been extremely helpful to me as an instructor and dean and will undoubtedly provide the same assistance as a president,” Travers said in an interview with the Telegram. “Counseling, in its most liberal sense, provides the foundation for a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals and groups to accomplish goals. So, my counseling background provides me with tools for better communication, listening and to understand behaviors related to growth and/or change.”
With the ag-centric nature of Goshen County and the college’s goal to raise funds to build the Agricultural Technology Education Center, the board considered several candidates with ag backgrounds. Travers said she’s enjoyed rural living for approximately 20 years.
“I have a farm outside Casper in which we grow grass alfalfa hay for horses,” she said. “We also have six horses, two donkeys, 11 chickens and grow a garden.
“While I was raised in Lander; I was not raised on a farm or ranch,” Travers said. “However, I have had a love for the country life since I was young. My dad finally bought me my first horse when I was 12 and I realized my dream of country living and farming about 20 years ago.”
Travers has made an offer on a house in Torrington and plans to move to the area near the end of June. Her official start date is July 3.
“I am looking forward to meeting all the staff, faculty and students at EWC,” Travers said. “(EWC) is an incredible school that provides opportunities for lots of people from very diverse backgrounds and I want to see that flourish.
“The campus is beautiful and there are some great adventures ahead; whether it is raising monies for the new ATEC building or growing programs to benefit our students,” she said. “The possibilities are endless with lots of challenges. There are a lot of talented and wonderful people at EWC to work with me and that is very exciting.”
The EWC Board of Trustees received 72 total applications for the position. A search committee narrowed the pool down to 16 and interviewed these individuals via Skype. The applicants were scored and the board selected six to bring to the campus.
“The board felt confident that any one of those candidates would have been an effective and capable president, and thanks them for their interest in EWC,” Patrick said in a press release. “As the torch is passed to a new leader, I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Dr. Rick Patterson for his commitment and dedication to EWC as witnessed by his willingness to assume the presidency at a difficult moment for our college and to steer it successfully through the stressful situations created by significant funding cuts imposed during a period of decreasing funding from the state of Wyoming.”
Travers’ accolades include receiving the Wyoming Counseling Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, a nomination for the Outstanding Administrator Award in 2012, 2016 and 2017. She received the Rosenthal Outstanding Educator Award in 2009 and the Wyoming Counseling Association Outstanding Service Award in 2008. In 2007, she was nominated for the Rosenthal Outstanding Educator award and the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honorary, UW, 1999-present.
“Thank you for placing your trust and faith in me as president, and I look forward to getting to know the college community, the Torrington community and the six counties and outreach centers that we provide services to in Wyoming,” Travers said. “I am looking forward to this wonderful opportunity and cannot wait to see the challenges that lie ahead.”