Two Officers in Hilltop Bank’s Cheyenne Office Share an Uncannily Similar Career Story

The following is sponsored content from Hilltop Bank.

What are the odds? Two of the three people working at Hilltop Bank’s Cheyenne office share a surprisingly similar—and unique—career journey.

Both Josh Hardee and Sean Michaels began their careers working in finance before they felt the calling to public service. Even if their day-to-day lives look a bit different these days—Hardee spent nearly two decades with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, while Michaels rose through the ranks of the U.S. Navy during a decorated military career—the Hilltop officers say that calling to serve others has remained.

For Michaels, it was important to find a career following his retirement from the military where he could continue to do some of the things, he found he loved, including helping people and teaching others new skills. As a trust and wealth management officer, he’s able to do just that.

“What I love about this job is that it gives me the same sense of purpose I had in the military—working with people, helping them understand their finances and investments, and guiding them as they plan for what matters most,” Michaels said.

Likewise, Hardee felt a strong draw to service following 9/11 and opted for the Wyoming Highway Patrol to be closer to his then-young children. After retiring from a very rewarding and fulfilling career in law enforcement, Hardee was eager to return to banking—and to Hilltop, where he’d previously worked in consumer lending.

“We're still helping customers, we're still working with the public,” said Hardee, Vice President and Business Banker. “It's not like we disappeared from the public, we're still helping a lot of the same people.”

Rejoining Hilltop Was a ‘No-Brainer’

Of course, life does look a bit different these days.

During his 17-year career with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Hardee served as a State Trooper specializing in DUI enforcement and drug recognition, notably as a Narcotic K-9 handler. In 2015, Hardee moved to Cheyenne to be an Explosive K-9 handler to ensure the protection of the Governor, First Lady, state legislators and Wyoming state employees at the capitol and was subsequently promoted to Lieutenant of Professional Standards and supervisor of the K-9 team.

When that chapter ended in 2023 with his retirement from the state, Hardee wanted to return to banking, where his career began as a teller with a National bank in Casper. Having worked at a large corporate bank at the beginning of his career and more recently a small regional bank, Hardee found it was harder to give customers the service he felt they deserved, and was especially eager to return to a community bank.

“Returning to Hilltop was a no-brainer,” Hardee said. “We're locally owned by a family out of Casper and have a 60-year legacy of serving Wyoming, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go back to that.”

Hardee said he finds great satisfaction in serving the Cheyenne community. And because he works in many facets of lending, his return to banking has been especially gratifying due to focusing primarily on helping small business owners who are either getting started or expanding their businesses. “I really enjoy getting to know them.”

An “Amazing’ Team

For Michaels, returning to his roots—and establishing roots in Wyoming—was an important goal after he retired from a career that spanned more than two decades in the Navy.

During his time in the military, Michaels was deployed near and far. A graduate of the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School, Michaels went on to earn his Naval Flight Officer “Wings of Gold,” and was trained to fly the EA-6B Prowler. Beginning in October 2001, he flew dozens of sorties into Afghanistan during the opening days and months of Operation Enduring Freedom. Two years later, Michaels contributed to the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was also deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. During his last operational assignment, Michaels transitioned to the Navy’s newest electronic attack aircraft, the EA-18G Growler.

Along the way, Michaels earned prestigious assignments, including flight instructor. His career took him around the world including, Osan Air Base in Korea as chief of strategy integration at the Korean Air Operations Center. Next as chief staff officer of Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and then back to Washington, D.C., where he served as a staff specialist at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. Finally, as an assistant inspector general at the Office of the Naval Inspector General.

Following his retirement, Michaels moved to Encampment with his wife, Physician Jody Cousins, where they spent a year living on her family’s cattle ranch before settling in Cheyenne.

When assessing his post-military career options, Michaels was drawn back to personal finance where his career began as a college student at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). There he interned at a Baltimore investment banking firm and landed a full-time role as a stockbroker, managing investment portfolios for numerous clients.

After serving the country during some of its most difficult times in recent history, Michaels was eager to help people with topics that many find challenging, like investing and personal finance. To ease his transition back into civilian life—and back into the world of investments and finance—Michaels used the G.I. Bill to earn an MBA in Financial Planning.

“I wanted to work for a local bank and I wanted to work for a place that cared about their customers,” he said. “I knew that Hilltop had a sterling reputation.”

And what Michaels has found at Hilltop is a team atmosphere that’s “amazing” and dedicated to serving its communities and customers. “I really like the camaraderie we have.”

Giving Back

“We have such a long and rich history in Wyoming, and we're looking to build on that in Cheyenne,” Hardee said.

It’s equally important to both men, that they also find ways to give back to the community when they’re off the clock.

In addition to serving as Vice President on the board of directors for Needs Inc., Hardee volunteers with that organization and several others, including delivering meals to people through Meals on Wheels. Meanwhile, Michaels serves as a volunteer board member for Community Action of Laramie County and also volunteers as a driver for Meals on Wheels.

“We want to show that Hilltop is a part of the Cheyenne and Laramie County area, and that we're here to help our community grow, to help our customers and businesses grow, and just make life here better for them,” Hardee said.

Wyoming-based Hilltop Bank opened its first Cheyenne Office in 2023 and continues to expand its footprint in the state’s capital. Construction is well underway on a 6,300-square-foot full-service branch near Frontier Mall. Hilltop Bank has recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Cheyenne State Bank.