Josh Dorrell has resigned as CEO of the Wyoming Business Council.
The council voted Wednesday to accept his resignation, and thanked him for his service.
This followed a lengthy executive session during which the board met out of public view.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t speak about Mr. Dorrell,” said board Chair Derek Smith. “Over the last couple years he’s generously demonstrated a genuine passion for the state of Wyoming, commitment to the business community and the things that make our state special, helping business and the state navigate the challenges of the pandemic, challenging and championing economic diversification; supporting entrepreneurs and strengthening the community.”
Smith said the board will begin the search for interim CEO immediately, then a broader search to install a permanent CEO by the summer of 2027.
The board also voted to empower “select individuals” in the organization to take on responsibilities to ensure continuity until the interim CEO could be appointed by the full board.
Dorrell did not immediately respond to a voicemail request for comment. A WBC statement issued the moment the meeting adjourned delivered a Dorrell quote, however.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built over these past few years, and proud that Wyoming has a solid foundation to build on,” Dorrell said. “But what I’m most proud of is the strength, resilience and devotion of the team at the Business Council, and the committed coalition of thousands of people across Wyoming who have partnered with us in making real progress toward a bright future. The future of the organization and of Wyoming is very bright, and I know this team will continue to play a key role moving forward. I’m grateful I got to be a small part of it.”
The Business Council hired Dorrell in 2020 following a national search; Gov. Mark Gordon and then-Board Co-Chair Megan Goetz extended the hiring offer to Dorrell at the time.
Challenges have flanked Dorrell’s tenure. The Wyoming Business Council was placed in charge of distributing COVID-related federal grant money to businesses, which also made it a watchdog for major fraud, resulting in some criminal cases and multiple news headline.
The council’s relationship with the Legislature is often rocky, since many Republican legislators in deep-red Wyoming dispute that a government agency should be “picking winners and losers” to promote certain businesses.
Dorrell has argued back that businesses have fair application opportunities, and the agency can boost the economy and help with youth retention.
In January of this year, appropriators in the Wyoming Legislature advanced a bill to defund, and another to dismantle, the Wyoming Business Council.
The effort ultimately failed, but not without compromise, as the WBC was pared down to its operating funds.
Lawmakers are now eyeing other methods of economic development, such as the community consensus grants program, where local communities would approach state elected officials directly for grants, rather than relying on the business council to mediate certain projects.
Dorrell's tenure also coincided with controversies in which the energy sector and much of the business community push for data centers, but many homeowners oppose them.
Dorrell's business council has backed some data center efforts, and Dorrell in 2021 lobbied against removing a sales tax break for data centers that the Legislature passed in 2010.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
