Seidel Names Third Cohort of UW Presidential Fellows

Four University of Wyoming faculty members have been selected by President Ed Seidel for the third Presidential Fellows Program cohort, which will run from Aug. 26 through May 29, 2026.

In alignment with UW’s 2023+ strategic plan, the Presidential Fellows Program elevates and facilitates faculty-led projects that advance the university. Celebration and promotion of teaching, research, extension, engagement, innovation, inclusion and service contributions to UW’s mission are a key execution strategy of the strategic plan. The Presidential Fellows Program contributes to this work.

Faculty members selected by Seidel as Fellows will collaborate closely with the Office of the President and other units to develop projects that enhance the academic, research, economic development and civic engagement missions of the university.

“We had an outstanding pool of applicants for the Presidential Fellows Program this year, and I believe this cohort will achieve remarkable results in their projects,” Seidel says. “Each participant will play a significant role in advancing the success and excellence of UW and the state of Wyoming through their initiatives. I am confident that their contributions will have a lasting impact on our institution for years to come.”

Members of the third cohort of Fellows are:

-- Matt Burgess, an incoming faculty member in the College of Business, will work with Chief of Staff Kelsey Kyne to establish the “Getting Things Done” podcast -- a rapid-response dialogue series for major news cycles.

-- Lars Kotthoff, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and an adjunct faculty member in the School of Computing, will work with Seidel to further the use of artificial intelligence (AI) at UW and increase awareness of AI uses across the state.

-- Jason Shogren, the Stroock Chair of Natural Resource Conservation and Management and a professor in the Department of Economics, will work with Beth Venn, executive director of UW’s Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts, to advance economic development opportunities in the key area of the creative economy.

-- Chase Thiel, the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program Professor of Business Ethics and an associate professor in the Department of Management and Marketing, will work with Senior Vice Provost Tami Benham-Deal to establish the UW Faculty Leadership Institute. Barbara Hickman, an assistant professor in the School of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy and Design, and Gabel Taggart, an assistant professor in the School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies, will join Thiel as Presidential Fellows collaborators on the project.

For more information about the Presidential Fellows Program, click here.