Honing his leadership style, Sallee completes Leadership Wyoming program

Jared Sallee, a 2001 Newcastle High School graduate, recently completed the prestigious Leadership Wyoming program.

Sallee, who has spent most of his life in Newcastle and often returns to visit the family ranch, resides in Cheyenne, where he works as a force integration officer for the Wyoming Army National Guard.

Every year, a leader from each branch of the military in the state is nominated to participate in Leadership Wyoming. Military leadership then narrows down these nominations to a single individual for enrollment in the program. In 2023, they selected Sallee.

Honored by their selection, Sallee was excited to partake in the same program that counts prominent Wyoming leaders such as Sen. John Barrasso and former Gov. Matt Mead as alumni.

Leadership Wyoming first began in 2000 as a University of Wyoming program, and in 2019, it transitioned into a standalone nonprofit. According to the program’s website, “over 1,000 incredible leaders (have completed) the program.” The program’s mission is “inspiring Wyoming’s leaders through exploration and connection.”

Sallee said that the yearlong program primarily consisted of traveling the state to see what each county has to offer in areas such as industry, philanthropy and, most importantly, leadership. Sallee and his fellow participants started in August of last year in Pinedale and ended this past May in Sheridan. They met nearly every month to visit a different part of the state.

During the group’s travels, participants observed various leadership styles and honed their own. They also benefited from making “great contacts” that will likely prove useful as they continue to establish themselves as leaders in their own right.

Sallee said that his favorite session was the one that took place in southwest Wyoming. Being from Newcastle, he is very familiar with the coal industry, so it was quite interesting for him to learn about another natural resource industry in the state, namely, the trona industry.

In addition to traveling the state to gain insight into what makes Wyoming special, Sallee and his fellow participants also completed projects to develop their individual leadership styles. According to Sallee, these tasks were challenging but worthwhile.

“It was pretty humbling. To dig into your own leadership style and become a better leader, it was worth the investment,” he said.

Overall, this experience has left Sallee feeling very optimistic about Wyoming’s future.