Governor John Hickenlooper recently appointed Pam Bricker and Reeves Brown and reappointed Wendell Pryor to the Board of Trustees for Adams State University. All will serve three-year terms ending December 21, 2020.
"These individuals each have influential careers and bring valuable leadership experience in education, community service, and local and state government to our Board. They clearly appreciate how important Adams State is to our students and to the San Luis Valley and will help us advance our mission," said Adams State President Beverlee J. McClure.
Pam Bricker
A resident of Del Norte, Colo., Bricker recently concluded a term as Rio Grande County Commissioner. She and her husband, John, own Three Barrel Brewing Company. Previously, she had a gratifying career as an educator and school administrator. She completed that career as the Byran Syring DELTA Center Principal and Adult Education Director in the Monte Vista School District.
"It was an honor to be appointed an ASU Trustee, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to once again be involved in my lifelong passion for education," Bricker said. "My diverse background in education, government, and community service has given me a unique perspective from working with people from all walks of life that is compatible with the board’s work."
Bricker has a diverse resume that includes service on the Action 22 Executive Board (a southern Colorado regional advocacy organization), Upper Rio Grande Economic Development, Colorado Department of Criminal Justice and Safety Sex Offender Management Board, Rio Grande Planning and Zoning Commission, the Colorado Coalition of Alternative Education Campuses Board, Colorado Adult Education Professional Association, and Monte Vista City Council. She has also been involved in numerous other boards and volunteer community organizations over the years.
In 2003, Bricker earned an M.A. in education from Adams State with endorsements in educational leadership and in language, literacy, and culture. She also holds a B.S. in foreign languages (Spanish and Russian) with a secondary education endorsement from the University of Northern Colorado.
Reeves Brown
Brown, a resident of Denver, is an independent public policy consultant and Project Coordinator for the "Building a Better Colorado" project, a non-partisan effort to engage Coloradans in a constructive conversation about how to improve their state and seek consensus public policy recommendations to that end.
"Two things impress me about Adams State at this point in time. Number one is the leadership on the Board of Trustees. It is a combination of people that have both statewide reach and a local passion for the university. The other strong asset is Dr. McClure. I am more and more impressed with her and with her common sense approach. I am very excited to begin working with this team," Brown said. Having grown up on a Montana ranch, he added, "My heart is in rural communities, and I recognize the important role higher education can play in defining the fabric of a community and as an economic driver. There is no greater example of an institution serving that role than Adams State."
From 2011-2015, Brown served on Governor John Hickenlooper’s cabinet as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), which provides technical assistance on all aspects of local government administration, housing solutions, and property tax administration.
He previously served as Executive Director of CLUB 20, a non-profit political advocacy organization representing the diverse interests of the 22-county Western Colorado region. He also served as the Executive Director of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and oversaw the creation of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agriculture Land Trust, which led to the protection of over 2 million acres of agriculture land nationwide. All of those experiences allowed him to become familiar with the San Luis Valley. Reeves earned a B.S. in agriculture business with a minor in economics from Montana State University.
Wendell Pryor
First appointed to serve on the ASU board of trustees last May, Pryor is the director of the Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation. He is also an adjunct professor/lecturer with the University of Colorado School of Public Affairs and was recently appointed a Senior Fellow for the Buechner Institute with the School of Public Affairs.
Pryor retired as the State of Colorado Civil Rights Director and has extensive executive level management experience in civil rights, human resources, and nonprofit management in Colorado and California. A former lobbyist and social entrepreneur, he served as chairman of the Foundation Board for Innovage, a senior care organization, and on its Board of Directors. He holds a law degree from the University of Denver, a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado, and an undergraduate degree from Western State Colorado University.
