WSGLT welcomes leadership
On Jan. 30, the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust (WSGLT) announced the appointment of five distinguished leaders to its board of directors – Gay Lynn Byrd, Marilyn Kite, Bret Leas, DJ Healy and Robert Heykoop.
Each brings a deep commitment to Wyoming, along with exceptional experience in conservation, law, finance, agriculture and community leadership.
“As the organization looks ahead, this group will play an important role in strengthening partnerships, advancing stewardship of working lands and supporting ranching families across the state,” said WSGLT Executive Director Christine Adams. “Their guidance will help ensure WSGLT remains responsive, durable and grounded in the needs of Wyoming’s agricultural communities.”
Byrd is a Wyoming rancher, conservationist and public servant raised on the Allemand Ranch near Douglas.
She earned a degree in agricultural business from Montana State University and returned home to help operate her family’s ranch while managing wildlife habitat.
Appointed in 2017 to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, Byrd represented District Seven and championed wildlife crossings, invasive species prevention, the WYldlife Fund and solutions balancing ranching with conservation.
Kite is a pioneering lawyer and judge who made history as the first woman to serve on the Wyoming Supreme Court and later as its first female chief justice.
A University of Wyoming graduate, Kite served on the court for 15 years, authoring more than 500 opinions while advocating for court security, civics education and expanded access to justice.
She now serves as counsel at Holland and Hart, focusing on environmental, energy and natural resource law, and she remains deeply connected to Wyoming’s outdoor traditions.
Leas is the owner of B1T Ranch in Sublette County and a partner and global co-head of Asset Backed Finance at Apollo Global Management, where he oversees approximately $280 billion in assets.
His background includes senior roles at Barclays Capital and Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP, and he brings extensive legal and financial expertise to the board. Leas also serves on the boards of several financial firms and has a longstanding record of nonprofit leadership.
Heykoop is a Wyoming entrepreneur, financial professional and longtime community leader based in Encampment. He is co-founder, chief executive officer and chief compliance officer of Traction Financial Partners, a Securities and Exchange Commission-registered independent investment advisory firm serving individuals, businesses and nonprofits.
Heykoop currently serves as president of the Wyoming State Fair Foundation, where he helped secure more than $1 million for the Wyoming State Fair Endowment to support youth programs and preserve Wyoming’s agricultural heritage.
Healy is president of LU Ranch Company and a fourth-generation leader of the historic LU Ranch, a multi-generation cattle operation in the foothills of the Absaroka Mountains. He returned to Wyoming to assume management of the ranch in 2018, continuing a family legacy that dates back to 1935.
Under his leadership, the ranch blends traditional horsemanship with modern stewardship practices, emphasizing sustainable grazing, advanced genetics and careful land management.
Healy has been recognized for his conservation leadership, partnering with government and nonprofit organizations on long-term wildlife habitat and resource management projects across Wyoming’s working lands.
“We are excited to welcome Byrd, Kite, Leas, Healy and Heykoop to the WSGLT,” said WSGLT Board Chair Marissa Taylor. “Their experience, leadership and shared commitment to Wyoming’s working lands will be a tremendous asset as we continue our mission to keep Wyoming, Wyoming.”
WSGLT is dedicated to conservation through ranching. Based in Cheyenne, the nonprofit organization serves the entire state and is Wyoming’s only agricultural land trust. Through partnerships with families, WSGLT holds and stewards agricultural conservation easements on more than 307,000 acres of land throughout Wyoming. Founded in 2000 by the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, it is one of the largest regional land trusts in the U.S. For more information, visit wsglt.org.
