Schoenfeld resigns as commissioner, accepts position with Governor's office

Lauren Schoenfeld is stepping down from her role as a Sweetwater County commissioner in order to pursue new opportunities and new ways of serving both Sweetwater County and all of Wyoming.

Schoenfeld recently submitted a letter of resignation to the Board of County Commissioners, which was accepted during the July 5 meeting.

"She has accepted a position in the Governor's office which is forcing her to move to the eastern side of the state, and with that she has vacated her seat, so I'd like to show our appreciation to Commissioner Schoenfeld for her four years of service to Sweetwater County," Chairman Keaton West said during the meeting. "I thank her for her dedication and wish her well in her next endeavor."

The position Schoenfeld accepted is a senior policy staff position working under Governor Mark Gordon. She will be working specifically in the areas of economic development, broadband expansion, and supporting the Wyoming Business Council, as well as continuing her work as the Wyoming Innovation Partnership executive director, which she started last fall.

"I think that it's an exciting transition for me, because instead of just being able to support Sweetwater County, I can support the entire state in those areas," Schoenfeld said.

She's also excited about the opportunity to work under Governor Gordon, to travel the state to support specific policy areas, and to have the potential for growth and expansion in her personal life and career.

"Not very many people have that opportunity and I just feel very blessed that it was presented to me," she said.

Schoenfeld looks forward to having the chance to continue working on issues she's passionate about.

"Getting access to broadband to all of our citizens across the state of Wyoming" is one of her passions and has been for many years. She was part of the State Broadband Task Force when it started. Now she's excited that Wyoming is "in the process of receiving millions of dollars and federal funds to support broadband growth and development."

Having funds coming into Wyoming for multiple purposes is a special opportunity for the state that Schoenfeld is excited about, especially as it will keep supporting economic development, and she said she wants to help with "ensuring that we're utilizing those dollars in the best way possible for Wyoming." 

Sweetwater County in particular is in a great place economically, according to Schoenfeld, and has a lot of great opportunities coming up, including things like trona expansions and carbon capture projects.

In addition to being excited for future chances to support economic growth in the state, Schoenfeld also considers her work in local economic development to be one of the things she's most proud of from her time as a county commissioner, especially her work with the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition (SEDC). She helped transition SEDC from being under the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce to being under the county with support from both Rock Springs and Green River.

"That transition, I think, has allowed our Economic Development Council in Rock Springs to do the work that is necessary to support economic development and growth in Sweetwater County," Schoenfeld explained. "I'm just proud of the work that we've been able to do. All of that was collaborative, bringing Rock Springs and Green River together, having conversations, figuring out what everybody needed."

Thinking back over her time as a commissioner, Schoenfeld is also proud of her work on the specific purpose tax and especially thankful that the county "made it through COVID."

She also knows she'll miss things about being a commissioner and living in Sweetwater County.

"Sweetwater County has been incredible for myself and my family," Schoenfeld said. "My husband has spent 22 years in law enforcement in Sweetwater County. We've raised kids there. We've had the awesome opportunities of exploring the outdoors in Sweetwater County, which is unlike any other places in the state. And I'm going to miss all of that."

She also said she'll miss the partnerships and relationships she's developed with local elected officials, leaders, and the community as a whole.

Still, she's thankful she'll have the chance to keep building on the work she's done and expand it to the state level, as well as continuing to support Sweetwater County, just doing so from Cheyenne.

As the rest of the commissioners move forward, Schoenfeld's hope for them is that they will continue to work with and support new businesses coming into the community, look at the budget conservatively, and, especially with the potential influx of new businesses, figure out how to utilize additional tax dollars to benefit the community long term.

"There's great things for Sweetwater County on the horizon," Schoenfeld said.

With accepting Schoenfeld's resignation, the commissioners also officially declared a vacancy on the board, which gives the Sweetwater County Republican Central Committee 20 days to select three candidates to fill the vacancy. The committee will select candidates during a meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. July 22. The chosen candidates will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners, who will make the final choice for Schoenfeld's replacement.