Rita Meyer — Serving Wyoming and our Nation

Rita has spent her professional career, dedicated to public service and helping make Wyoming a better place to live, work and raise a family. She brings over 30 years of leadership experience and decision-making to the position of Wyoming Governor.

Meyer-Family-Portrait.jpgElected as Wyoming State Auditor in November 2006, Rita has overseen the office that tracks all the state’s income, spending, budgets and bad debts. In this position, she has served as Chief Accountant and Payroll Officer for state agencies. Among the major changes in the office have been efforts to update the state's financial and accounting systems, as well as initiatives to continue to uphold transparency in government by having information available to the public online. 

As one of the five elected officials, including the Governor, who serve on the State Loan and Investment Board and Board of Land Commissioners, Rita has experience making hard financial decisions that impact communities across Wyoming. While serving on the State Loan and Investment Board, Rita has supported grants and loans for local government projects necessary for the health, safety and general welfare of Wyoming residents. Rita has supported state investment in economic development efforts that help communities grow business opportunities and jobs. As a member of the Board of Land Commissioners, Rita is responsible for the lease and use of over 4 million acres of state trust lands, the farm loan program and the management of approximately 250,000 acres of forested trust land. She also serves on the State Building Commission and the State Canvassing Board.

Education

Coming from a one-room schoolhouse, Rita knows the value of a good education. Her long list of academic accomplishments includes two undergraduate degrees from the University of Wyoming, a B.A. in Education and a B.S. in Finance. She also has a MBA in International Business from Regis University, and a Master's in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the University of Wyoming College of Business Advisory Council and was named Distinguished Alumni from both the University of Wyoming College of Business (2008) and the College of Education (2009). 

Professional Experience

In addition to Wyoming State Auditor, Rita has been an instructor in a technical college system, a dental public health assistant at a major university, and a staff accountant for a regional accounting firm. She has also served as a trustee for the University of Wyoming from 1995-1998 and was chief of staff to Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer from 1998-2002. 

Rita-in-Dress-Uniform.jpgGaining experience in personnel management and overseeing million dollar budgets, Rita served as both a commander for base infrastructure and as comptroller for the Wyoming Air National Guard. Rita enlisted in the Wyoming Air National Guard in 1984 and was soon commissioned as an officer. She served as a citizen-soldier from 1984 until her retirement as a full Colonel from the Wyoming Air National Guard, 153rd Airlift Wing in 2007. 

Her first assignment as a commissioned officer was in the Medical Service Corps. In this capacity, she was mobilized to serve our country, overseas, during Operation Desert Storm. In 1995, the Air National Guard tapped Rita to work in Washington, D.C. as the strategic planning officer for the National Guard Bureau's Counterdrug Directorate. During this tour of duty, she authored a publication titled "The National Guard: In Defense of America's Children." Upon returning to Wyoming, she was appointed full-time Comptroller for the Wyoming Air National Guard which included responsibilities as the Assistant United States Property and Fiscal Officer. 

Although eligible to retire from National Guard service in 2004, Rita volunteered for an active duty command in Southwest Asia. She was selected to serve as the 455th Airlift Wing Expeditionary Mission Support Group Commander at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. She completed her tour in May 2005. 

Family

Service has always been an important value to Rita. Working as ranch hands in rural western Nebraska, her family had very little when Rita was growing up, but her parents still encouraged her three brothers, her sister and Rita to work hard and, most importantly, to help their neighbors. 

In 1977, she moved to Centennial, Wyoming and married Dr. Charlie Meyer, of Rawlins. 

They have one son, Charles, a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. He is married to Emily Cromwell Meyer, an export control attorney, formerly of Enid, Oklahoma.

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