Former Wyoming Govs. Mike Sullivan, left, and Dave Freudenthal, center, along with James Ogsbury, executive director of the Western Governors Association, talk during the Former Governors Roundtable Discussion on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, at Little America Hotel and Resort in Cheyenne. The roundtable discussion wrapped up three days of the Wyoming Governor's Business Forum. Blaine McCartney/Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Former Wyoming Govs. Mike Sullivan, left, and Dave Freudenthal, center, along with James Ogsbury, executive director of the Western Governors Association, talk during the Former Governors Roundtable Discussion on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, at Little America Hotel and Resort in Cheyenne. The roundtable discussion wrapped up three days of the Wyoming Governor's Business Forum. Blaine McCartney/Wyoming Tribune Eagle
CHEYENNE – Gov. Matt Mead kicked off the 2018 Governor’s Business Forum this week with a synopsis of challenges Gov.-elect Mark Gordon may face as he assumes the role this winter.
Although Mead said his successes included establishing greater regulatory relief and improving a number of state industries, he noted education funding, rising health-care costs and the state tax structure will likely be Gordon’s main concerns.
His administration’s solution was to increase economic development in the state, he said, while defending his ENDOW initiative.
“There are citizen concerns about ENDOW,” he said. “But let me tell you something about ENDOW; these young people are not asking ‘Should we do this?’ They’re asking when we can do this. They’re telling us to do it and do it now.”
ENDOW stands for Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming. It is an initiative started by Mead in November 2016 to find ways to diversify the state’s economy and reduce its dependence on the minerals industry.
The three-day business forum, hosted by the Wyoming Business Alliance and the Wyoming Heritage Foundation, featured dozens of panelists outlining Wyoming’s efforts to pioneer emerging technology and pursue international trade.
Experts agreed economic expansion hinges primarily on the technology sector, including K-12 computer science education, innovative blockchain legislation and quality-of-life improvement to entice young professionals.
Keynote speaker Michael Rogers, an author and self-proclaimed “futurist,” said artificial intelligence and robotics are already fairly streamlined nationwide.
“The impact of these on the workforce is going to be tremendous, and it’s going to change the way we educate our kids,” he said.
He used an example from the legal profession to underline these changes.
“In the old days, you’d get all the documents and, if there’s some sort of wrongdoing you suspect, you would have your associates spend months combing through evidence,” he said. “That work now is done in software. They can do it in half a day. It’s not only cheaper and faster; it can sense things that humans can’t.”
He praised legislation requiring Wyoming to develop Common Core computer science standards and offer instruction for all K-12 students.
“What we’re doing is teaching a kind of thinking,” he said. “It is a way of thinking in a rational, logical way, so you can flex the muscles a little bit. We must speak the language that machines speak, and that’s why computer science is important.”
This creates some challenges, though, when younger generations with more institutional knowledge outpace teachers.
“Technology is rapidly changing,” said Erin Moore, CEO and partner of software company Gannett Peak Technical Services.
“Teachers are faced with a group of students that have access to things we did not when we were students, and have higher levels of understanding.”
Carla Hester-Croff, associate instructor of information technology at Western Wyoming Community College, said the solution is extensive educator training.
“We are working with teachers to get them trained,” she said.
“We are doing a computer science endorsement and a certification program through the University of Wyoming. In the meantime, we are asking teachers to just teach concepts.”
Once this comes together, the next step is establishing a fertile business and legislative environment for businesses and young, educated professionals to invest in Wyoming, according to Shawn Mills, CEO and founder of Cheyenne-based Green House Data.
“It’s about quality of life,” he said. “… A city with restaurants, coffee shops, art scenes and a good education system.”
