Dusty Spomer

After nine years as a Northwest College trustee, Dusty Spomer is resigning the position, leaving a vacancy to fill in the Powell subdistrict.

Spomer said his reasoning has nothing to do with the board itself; he just happens to be moving out of Subdistrict A and into Cody.

“We decided a few years ago to buy a property in Cody,” he said. “Our kids have left home, we’ve remodeled the property, so now we’re moving to it.”

Spomer said he hasn’t decided whether he would consider running for a Cody seat in the future. He is pleased with the way he’s left the college and board he first joined in 2014.

“We’ve had some great challenges but it’s been very rewarding, and it’ll always be a great memory of mine for sure,” he said, noting struggles with budget cuts and being the chairman through COVID-19. “We’ve had to make some tough decisions ... but we had a great team and pulled through those things.”

Spomer had just been reelected last November to a third term. Whoever is appointed to fill the vacancy will serve until the 2024 General Election, at which point there will be a race to fill the final two years of the term.

Candidates must be residents of Park County School District 1 or a Park County resident of a Big Horn school district and be willing to attend regular and special meetings.

To apply, individuals should submit a one-page letter of application stating their qualifications and reasons for seeking the position; a resume and references are optional. Letters should be submitted to NWC Executive Secretary for the President and Board of Trustees Keli Borders at Keli.Borders@nwc.edu.

The deadline to submit letters is Thursday, Nov. 30. For more information or questions, call Borders at 307-754-6058.

Trustees will review and consider applications at their Monday, Dec. 11 meeting.

Candidates interested in reviewing an archive of meeting minutes and other information about NWC can do so by visiting the Board of Trustees page at nwc.edu/bot.

Trustees are Mark Wurzel (president) and Denise Laursen of Powell; Tara Kuipers (vice president/secretary), John Housel and Bob Newsome (treasurer) of Cody; and Larry Todd of Meeteetse. 

“I think we have really set the tone for a direction for the future,” Spomer said. “It began when Stefani [Hicswa] was on board, then Lisa [Watson] as interim, then president and a new strategic plan … Ultimately, we’re setting the tone for the next decade.

“I feel like the board is as positive a place its been on my time on the board,” he added. “There are a lot of things that need work, but there’s a bunch of great people at the college, motivated people doing hard work, and I think the future is really bright for the college.”