CWC announces new hires and retirees

Central Wyoming College adds seven new faculty to campus this fall. They are Aaron Bender, Casey Styvar, Cathy Beck, Jack Robison, Joey West, Tammy Forbis and Terry Wilson. The new instructors will fill positions in areas of business, nursing, agriculture, theater and biological science.

Robison, instructor of business, comes to CWC from Grand Junction, Colorado. He said he had a wonderful experience attending a rural community college in Kansas prior to achieving his Masters of Business Administration at Colorado University.

“It’s exciting to be coming to teach at a community college,” Robison said. “They are so responsive to communities, their program development is agile and responsive to the immediate populations they serve.” He will teach economics in the business department.

Forbis, instructor of business, taught as an adjunct instructor for CWC last year. She said she is looking forward to being a full time member of the business faculty team. Forbis has a master’s of business administration from the University of Wyoming and has seven years of instructional experience.

“I graduated from CWC and was a quality leader while I was a student here, so I am really excited about working with students and helping them start careers in business,” Forbis said.

The nursing program is adding two new faculty members to their department; Wilson and Beck. Wilson will teach at the main campus in Riverton. She has 31 years of experience as a nurse which includes teaching and training.

“I am looking forward to teaching students at the collegiate level and preparing them to have the skills to be successful in the working world,” Wilson said.

Beck will teach at CWC Jackson.  She worked as a clinical instructor at the University of Wyoming and has experience as a nurse from St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson as the manager of the medical/surgical unit.

Bender, instructor of biology and physical sciences, graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and botany and his doctorate in molecular biology. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Mayo Clinic and worked for the University of Kansas in the Medicinal Chemistry department.

“I am a big proponent of using the scientific method in everyday life, even if you don’t pursue science as a career,” Bender said. “I think it helps you think critically.”

West, instructor and director of theatre, has studied acting throughout the world and has a master of arts in acting from The Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts in England. He also has a master of fine arts in acting from Minnesota State University. Some of West’s favorite roles he has played are The Bishop in Les Miserables, Adam in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Eumaeus in the Odyssey.

I love teaching and I’m really excited to teach theatrical backgrounds because the history of theater is important because it impacts the way we tell stories. I want the community to feel welcome here because the theater belongs to the community. ”

Joey West, instructor and director of theatre

Styvar, instructor of agriculture, has a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture education from Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He has experience in livestock judging and has taught high school agriculture and welding for about 17 years.

“We are very excited to announce additions to our new faculty,” said Scott Miller, director of human resources. “They shape the student experience and are our primary connection to our students. We incorporate our values into our hiring process to recruit faculty that will fit well with the CWC culture and become contributing members of our communities. CWC faculty foster quality, excellence, and innovation in the work they do for our students.”

Retirees

In the spring CWC announced three faculty retirees; Debbie McClure, Bill Hitt and Mike Myers.

McClure, nursing professor, started working for CWC in 2007. She is originally from Riverton and came from a homesteading family in the 1930s. McClure said she loved moving into the new beautiful science building and the simulation lab while she was an instructor and has a lot of memories there.

“I’ll miss seeing the students blossom into nurses and all the friends I have made here,” McClure said.

In her retirement, McClure plans to take a trip to Utah and Georgia. She enjoys gardening and will later take on management of the Wind River Job Corps.

“Its low key, less complex area of nursing but looks to be quite fulfilling,” she said. “I’m not ready for complete retirement. I will miss the nursing program but I am so ready for less hours and more free time.”

Hitt, who was the instructor of fire science, worked for CWC for more than 10 years. His job was design and start a fire science program at CWC.

“It was hard to make the decision to retire from CWC because of all the good students and people here,” Hitt said. “I will miss them.”

Hitt said he will be able to work with students through their addiction of helping others in emergencies around the county, state and nation. He plans on doing more national emergency dispatches and in his spare time he will hunt, shoot, fish and have fun.

Myers was the theatre director and professor for more than 17 years. Myers directed more than 45 major plays at CWC and wrote seven plays which have been produced. Myers was one of the first actors to be certified in stage combat by The American Society of Fight Directors.

“I liked exploring a new play with each production,” Myers said about working with students at CWC.

After his retirement, Myers traveled to the Philippines to explore the Cordillera Mountains for a week and spend another week on the South China Sea. Myers is now in near Yangshuo City, Guangxi Province where he now teaches English at an English language boarding school and explores the country in his free time.