ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Office of the Governor
State Capitol, 200 West 24th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-7434
Chief of Staff
Kari Gray; headed Mead’s Transition Team and managed finances for the Mead campaign. Gray is an attorney who served as Director of the Department of Family Services in the administration of Governor Jim Geringer.
Deputy Chief of Staff
Tony Young will be Deputy Chief of Staff, a role he also played for the transition. He will also serve as Agency Coordinator. Young worked with Mead in the Wyoming U.S. Attorney’s Office as head of Wyoming’s Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee, and he was the Assistant Campaign Manager.
Policy Development and General Counsel
Carol Statkus is named General Counsel to the Governor, which includes responsibility for policy oversight in the Mead administration. She was Chief of the Civil Division when she worked with the Governor-Elect in the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Mead cites her depth of knowledge in numerous areas as a key to his preparation for serving as governor.
Communication Director
Prior to joining Governor Matt Mead’s staff, MacKay was a reporter and anchor with Wyoming Public Radio, where he covered local and statewide issues for almost eight years. For his work at Wyoming Public Radio, MacKay won numerous awards for his coverage of Wyoming issues. He also was the press secretary for Republican Mark Gordon, who ran for U.S. House in 2008. MacKay received a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri in 2001.
Scheduler
Prior to becoming Governor Matt Mead’s scheduler, Ruth Critchfield worked in the United States Attorney’s Office beginning in 2006 in the Administrative Services area. Although born and raised in Kansas, she moved to Wyoming in 1981 after graduating from St. John’s College in Winfield, Kansas, and considers the state her home. She worked for the Department of Education from 1983-1987, Gilchrist Elementary School from 1987-2000 and was the executive assistant at Unicover Corporation from 2000-2006. She and her husband, Dale, have two married daughters, and one granddaughter, and enjoy spending time outdoors in Wyoming.
Administrative Assistant
Annie Akerley was born and raised in Colorado. She graduated from Colorado State University where she received a degree in English with a writing concentration. Annie came to Wyoming in 2009 and has worked for both Cheyenne Regional Medical Center and the State of Wyoming Department of Education prior to working for Governor Mead's office. She is enjoying life in Wyoming and appreciates being a part of this great state.
Executive Assistant
Dede Reed raised her family of four children in Lusk where she served as county treasurer for 16 years. She later operated a retail clothing business in Lusk and Salt Lake City. After practicing real estate in southern California and Cheyenne for several years, Dede came out of retirement to join the Mead for Governor Campaign and now enjoys the position of executive assistant to Governor Mead.
Administrative Assistant
Tania Trujillo was born and raised in Cheyenne where she worked for 17 years at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and two years at the Wyoming Department of Education. She and her husband, Anthony, have three children: Alexis, Aubrey and Brendan. Tania enjoys walking and watching her children's sports games, including baseball, softball and basketball.
Budget Advisor
Shelly Andrews worked as licensed CPA conducting governmental audits, and also served as the vice president for Enrollment Management with Adams State College in Colorado. She served as the director of Budget and Finance for the Wyoming Community College Commission and most recently as a budget analyst for the Department of Administration and Information.
Office Manager
Prior to joining Governor Matt Mead’s office, Michelle Dynes was state government and military reporter with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. The Casper native graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2003 with a degree in journalism. She’s also a 2008 graduate of Leadership Cheyenne and completed a fellowship with the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism at the University of Maryland that same year.