2025 Ignite Conference Presenters
2025 ignite conference
Presenters
P.J. Burns
P.J. is a Wyoming native and is passionate about helping small businesses succeed. She has spent the majority of her career advising and advocating for small businesses in her roles at chambers of commerce and economic development organizations. She has a background in marketing, human resources, strategic planning, leadership and organizational management. She and her family enjoy the many outdoor recreational opportunities that living in this great state provides.
Julie Chadwick
A Sheridan College alumna, Julie has lived and worked in Oregon, Texas, Colorado, Florida and Wyoming and currently is the digital director at Sheridan Media. Julie has 19 years of experience in broadcasting, 14 years in print and website and eight years of digital marketing experience. Julie has twice been recognized nationally by Radio Ink Magazine as one of radio’s Top 20 Digital Sales Professionals in the country. Julie implemented Sheridan Media’s popular online auction, online contests and promotions as well as digital marketing capabilities.
Jen Crouse
After more than 15 years in healthcare administration, Jen transitioned into higher education, bringing her wealth of experience to Sheridan College. For the past eight years, she has served as executive director of the Sheridan College Foundation and as vice president of student affairs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s in business administration. Jen is the author of “Proof God Hears Your Prayers,” a memoir in which she shares her powerful story of survival and resilience.
Kristen Czaban
Kristen leads the marketing team as director of marketing and communications at Sheridan Memorial Hospital. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Wyoming. Prior to joining the SMH team, she worked as a journalist, editor and publisher at The Sheridan Press for 15 years and has presented at a number of conferences, including the Wyoming Press Association, Inland Press Association and the Ignite Conference.
Adelita Duryea
With over seven years of experience in marketing and branding, Adelita has been carrying a passion for marketing and digital design since her first career in graphic design began in 2018. Adelita founded Sprout & Scale Marketing in September 2022. Since that time, Sprout & Scale has grown into a full marketing and branding agency, working with more than 65 brands and collaborating with some of the finest businesses in Wyoming.
Camden Easterling
Camden has 20+ years of experience in communications and marketing along with expertise in building and leading teams. She has worked with for-profit and non-profit organizations ranging from local startups to national companies, serving in roles including consultant, in-house strategist, team leader, and project manager. Camden is mindful of both clients’ possibilities and their real-world limitations. She thrives on seeing clients, teams, projects, and processes functioning seamlessly.
Nadine Gale
Nadine is the co-owner and CEO of AlphaGraphics of Wyoming. As an owner/operator of a printing and marketing company since 2010, she specializes in helping companies reach their target audience through effective visual marketing strategies. Under her leadership, AlphaGraphics in Sheridan has grown to a team of 10 people. AlphaGraphics is unique because they not only offer strategic and design services, but they also manufacture most of the products on site.
Zane Garstad
Growing up in a rodeo family in Canada, Zane attended Sheridan College on a rodeo scholarship. After time on the professional rodeo circuit, he served as Sheridan College’s rodeo team head coach and in various administrative positions in enrollment services and as director of college services. Zane is one of the founders of the hockey program here in Sheridan. Retiring in 2020, Zane started a new career in real estate as a sales associate. He has been the Executive Director of the Sheridan WYO Rodeo since 2023 and has been on the board for 33 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from UW and a master’s degree in public relations from MSU.
Bob Grammens
Employed at Sheridan Media for over 39 years, Bob currently serves as general manager. Under Bob’s leadership, Sheridan Media has diversified to become a multi-media marketing and entertainment company which includes 10 radio stations, digital media, social media, video and a print publication. Today Sheridan Media is an employee-owned, 30-person company. Bob has served on the board of the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters and as the organization’s president.
Ryan Gregory
Ryan is a Certified Pinnacle Business Guide and leadership coach who helps business owners build self-sustaining, high-performing teams. He has spent decades leading businesses and guiding them from owner-reliant chaos to structured, scalable success. There’s no place for fluff or corporate buzzwords in Ryan’s coaching strategies…just battle-tested strategies that work.
James F. Ishoy
Jim is a Certified Maxwell Leadership Executive Program Director and Former CEO. Jim’s extensive experience in executive-level roles in Silicon Valley manufacturing and his successful past accomplishments in leading teams to uncover company-ending field issues, launching new products, reducing operational costs, as well as his success in
directing international quality operations for 40 facilities, make him uniquely qualified to help effectively lead teams to get great results for organizations.
Emily Kremers
Emily is a results-driven marketing professional with a background in business marketing and extensive experience in digital and social media strategy. Before joining AlphaGraphics, she worked in economic development, gaining valuable expertise in program management and data analytics. With a keen eye for market trends and a data-driven approach, Emily excels at crafting impactful marketing campaigns that drive engagement and growth.
Erik Kulvinskas
Erik is a graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Outdoor Recreation (yes that’s right). He has over 25 years of experience in website creation, content management strategy, analytics and digital marketing. He’s launched ‘dot coms’ before they were called ‘dot coms,’ owned his own company, raced mountain bikes competitively, directed several software teams and successfully launched countless websites. He has a knack for explaining technical concepts to people who could care less about the jargon of the day.
Ryan Landis
With nearly two decades of experience in non-profit organizations and higher education, Ryan serves as the director of operations at The Hub on Smith, where he focuses on operational excellence, leadership development and fostering meaningful community connections. Previously, he has served in diverse roles at the Ucross Foundation, Whitney Center for the Arts at Sheridan College and Mississippi State University. Ryan is a proud graduate of the University of Alabama with a doctorate in musical arts.
Douglas D. Lee
Doug Lee retired in 2015 after 36 years of working in homebuilding and mortgage banking. In the construction industry, Doug has served as a construction superintendent, new homes salesperson and sales and marketing director. He also was a mortgage loan officer for JPMorgan Chase, branch and area manager of Norwest Mortgage/Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and a regional manager of Citizens Bank Mortgage. Doug is a Leadership Evergreen graduate. He has coached 3rd-8th grade youth tackle football for 25 years in multiple states and continues coaching Little Guy Football here in Sheridan.
Stuart “Stu” McRae
Stu spent 30 years with the U.S. Army, ultimately rising to the top 1% of its leadership. He was selected as a commander on multiple occasions spanning a total of nine years, and over those years, he was responsible for leading more than 9,700 soldiers. The experience also offered him the opportunity to intersect with military and civilian leaders from the highest levels of government, from whom he gleaned great life lessons. Since then, McRae has overseen the operations of the City of Sheridan for the past five years.
Matt Melinkovich
Matt initiated Timberline Training to educate and empower business professionals with tools for success. As a certified Innovation Growth Coach, a level two Family Business Advisor and an accredited trust facilitator, Matt brings a wealth of knowledge and business experience on the topics of efficiency, innovation, leadership, trust, team building, customer interaction and value-added sales. For the past 13 years he has been using his entrepreneurial skills and business experience to help small businesses become more efficient, grow their operation and increase profits.
Lisa Mueller
Lisa currently serves as chief operating officer and division director of Resource Acquisition and Government Affairs for MC2 Collaborative. A certified grant writer and grant administrator, Lisa specializes in business development, resource development, grant writing and administration, assisting with community and economic development needs and public relations for municipalities, private business, non-profit and cultural centers and colleges and universities.
Jim Schellinger
Currently sales manager, Jim joined Sheridan Media in 1989 after two years of prior sales experience with KWIV in Douglas. Since then, he has been extremely involved in the Sheridan area and throughout the state through several organizations, including Wyoming Jaycees, the Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce and Sheridan City Council. Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is a Certified Radio Marketing Consultant.
Steven Schreffler
Steven Schreffler is the interactive media manager for Sheridan Media. He has 19 years of experience in photography and video as well as 12 years of website management.
Stacia Skretteberg
Stacia has over 25 years’ experience in the human resources field. Over the past 13 years she has been providing consulting to both profit and non-profit organizations. She has held human resources and management roles in industries spanning retail, communications, hospitality and food and beverage. She provides clients with innovative HR solutions that are easy to implement. Her passion for human resources is clear, as is her down-to-earth realistic approach to assisting clients in solving their workplace issues.
Brooke Welch
Brooke has 18 years of experience in marketing and graphic design that began at a small business in Bozeman. Her expertise has made her a sought-after source for teaching social media courses tailored to small businesses in the U.S. and abroad. Currently as the vice president of marketing and digital content for MC2 Collaborative, she provides her specialized skills in crafting and designing digital content, curating and managing MC2’s social media and developing informative, educational content.
Olivia Billings
Born and raised in Sheridan, Olivia has always had a passion for empowering those in her community. After graduating from the University of Wyoming with degrees in accounting, finance and management, she began her career in public accounting at Harker Mellinger where she works closely with small businesses. She is dedicated to helping clients understand their finances to maximize growth. One of her greatest skills is being able to simplify complex financial information. Olivia has also served as the treasurer for the Sheridan Volleyball Officials Association.
Bru Swing
Bru Swing, staff accountant at Harker Mellinger, has been an integral part of the firm since graduating with a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Wyoming in 2018. Originally from Worland and now a dedicated Sheridan resident, Bru has consistently served the local small business community. Bru plays a vital role within the firm, leading training for new staff and serving as a key resource for complex accounting matters. He is deeply committed to helping both new and existing small businesses in the Sheridan area aspire to and achieve their financial goals.
Michayla Gilbert
Wyoming native, Michayla Gilbert, has almost six years of experience working with small businesses in the Sheridan area. She graduated from Weber State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and obtained her CPA license in 2023. Michayla is also a graduate of the Leadership Sheridan County program. Since beginning her career in public accounting, she has played a key role in helping small businesses to thrive. She finds great satisfaction in helping new ventures grow into sustainable, successful operations.
2025 ignite conference