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 Attorney General

Bridget Hill
On March 1, 2020, Bridget Hill was sworn in as the 38th Attorney General for the State of Wyoming.

Bridget grew up in Saratoga, Wyoming and attended the University of Wyoming where she received both her undergraduate degree in accounting and her law degree. After law school, Bridget served as a staff attorney for Justice Larry L. Lehman and Justice Michael Golden of the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Following her time with the court, she joined the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office as an assistant attorney general where she represented various state agencies including the Office of State Lands and Investments, State Loan and Investment Board, and Board of Land Commissioners and several other agencies for seven years. Bridget was working as the Special Projects Attorney in the Attorney General’s Office when she was appointed as Director of the Office of State Lands and Investments by Governor Matthew H. Mead in October of 2013.

Bridget was serving as the Director of the Office of State Land and Investments when she was appointed Attorney General by newly elected Governor Mark Gordon.


Chief Deputy Attorney General 

Ryan Schelhaas
Ryan grew up just south of the border in Longmont, Colorado. After graduating from high school, Ryan moved to Laramie and attended the University of Wyoming earning both his degree in business marketing in 1996 and law degree in 1999. Ryan began his career as a civil litigator with Hirst Applegate in Cheyenne. After spending over four years with Hirst Applegate, Ryan joined the Civil Division of the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office in November 2003.

Ryan began his career with the Office as a tax litigator representing the Wyoming Department of Revenue before the Wyoming Board of Equalization, various state district courts, and the Wyoming Supreme Court. Since joining the Office, Ryan has also represented the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, Military Department, Livestock Board, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Banking Commissioner, Department of Audit, Department of Administration and Information, Environmental Quality Council, and many licensing boards and commissions. 

In 2006, Ryan was promoted to section supervisor in the Civil Division and was subsequently promoted to Civil Division deputy in March 2015 by former Attorney General Peter Michael. During his time in the Civil Division, Ryan litigated and argued numerous cases before the Wyoming Board of Equalization, Office of Administrative Hearings, Wyoming’s state and federal courts, and the Wyoming Supreme Court.

In March 2019, Attorney General Bridget Hill promoted Ryan to chief deputy.

Ryan enjoys hiking, fishing, and spending time outdoors with his family. 


Special Assistant Attorney General

Jay A. Jerde
Jay was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a B.S.degree in Economics in 1988. After graduation, Jay served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Western Samoa for two years, where he taught Economics at Samoa College, a senior secondary school located in the capital city of Apia. After returning to Wyoming, Jay graduated from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1994. He served as the law clerk for Judge Edward Grant and Judge Nicholas Kalokathis of the Wyoming First Judicial District Court before joining the Wyoming Attorney General's Office in 1996. As an Assistant Attorney General, Jay's areas of practice included bank regulatory law, state tax law, civil rights and tort defense litigation, and natural resources litigation. In recent years, he has represented the State as lead counsel in numerous federal court cases involving environmental or natural resources matters, including gray wolf delisting and  grizzly bear delisting. In 2005, Jay was appointed as the Deputy Attorney General in the Water and Natural Resources Division. In December 2013, Attorney General Pete Michael asked Jay to serve as Special Assistant Attorney General in the Administrative Division. In 2014, Jay worked with law professors from the University of Wyoming to found the Energy, Environmental, and Natural Resources Law Clinic at the College of Law. He currently serves as a Co-Faculty Supervisor for the Clinic. In 2015, Jay received the Jim Jones Public Service Award from the Conference of Western Attorneys General in recognition of his commitment to public service and his work on natural resources issues affecting the CWAG member states. 

Legal Review Administrator

Kathleen B. Carlson
Kathy graduated from Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science degree and earned her Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School.  She also received a M.A. Library and Information Science degree from the University of Iowa. Before coming to the Attorney General's Office in 2012, she was the Wyoming State Law Librarian and served as an adjunct instructor for Legal Research and Writing at Laramie County Community College. On a temporary assignment, she was a law clerk for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky.  She also served as Editor for the Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Company. She has served as an Executive Board Member for the American Association of Law Libraries, Chair of the State Court and Counties Special Interest Section, and President of the Western Pacific Association of Law Libraries (WestPac). She received the 2010 Distinguished Member Award from WestPac in 2010.  Community activities have included Board of Directors, Wyoming Council Girl Scouts USA from 1990-1996, President of the St. Paul's Lutheran Church Foundation from 2012-2014, Chair for the Cheyenne Board of Adjustment, and Local Club President for Zonta International from 2002-2003.  Hobbies include travel, reading and puzzle challenges.
         

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Management Supervisor
Judy Mitchell
(307) 777-7841
judy.mitchell@wyo.gov

Legal Support Specialist
Brittany Zielke
(307) 777-7841
brittany.zielke@wyo.gov

Deputy Human Resource Manager
Tara Gross
(307) 777-7893
tara.gross2@wyo.gov

Fiscal Division
Steve Winders
Chief Fiscal Officer
(307) 777-7840
steve.winders@wyo.gov

Anita Booth
anita.booth2@wyo.gov

April Christensen
april.christensen@wyo.gov

Lisa Ware
lisa.ware@wyo.gov

Liz Zelasko
liz.zelasko1@wyo.gov