Our Story

A non-profit organized for Cheyenne Frontier Days volunteers in times of crisis or emergency.

Board of Directors

President

Jeremy Lopez

Jeremy J. Lopez has been a volunteer for CFD as part of the Contract Acts Committee for 19 years and he works as Stage Manager to aid the entertainer’s stage manager with set up and tear down of shows. He is active in other aspects of Contract Acts including being one of the primary operators to pull the stage down track for Frontier Nights’. He is very proud to be on the Board of Directors of the Volunteer Crisis Fund. He started volunteering when the organization was founded in 2007, was elected to the board in 2017 filling the role of Entertainment Director and was selected as President in January 2021.

Family: Wife - Katie; Children - Reagan, and Ariah.
Employment: Wyoming Air National Guard.
Years of Service: 17 years volunteering for the VCF, 7 years on the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Crisis Fund and 19 years as a CFD volunteer.
Interests & Hobbies: Cheyenne Frontier Days, golfing, traveling, quite the foodie (will not turn down a steak), spending time with family and friends, and hunting.
Email: president@cfdvf.com

Vice President of Operations

Tiffany Hayes

Tiffany Hayes was born and raised in Missoula, MT. She joined the Air Force in 2007 which has lead her to be stationed in Cheyenne, WY. She has been a part of the CFD family for 11 years now. First on the Parades committee and now on the PR committee for the past 6 years. Currently she is the Vice President of Operations for the Volunteer Crisis Fund (VCF) Board of Directors. She has been on our board for the past 5 years but volunteered to help VCF for the past 9 years. She loves that she is able to give back to the volunteers who truly make Cheyenne Frontier Days what it is today.

Family: Husband- Chris; Children- Makenzy, Hayden, Cayden, and Kowen

Employment: WY Air Nation Guard- 243d Air Traffic Control Squadron CSS

Years of Service: 11 years

Interests & Hobbies: Camping, hiking, riding UTVs, and fishing

Email: Vp@cfdvcf.com

Vice President of Fundraising

Cory Castle

Cory E. Castle has been a volunteer for CFD as part of the Public Relations Committee since 2010 and works as a Lead for the PR Chairman. He takes an active role in multiple subcommittees to help maximize the CFD experience for both volunteers and customers. In 2020 he became a HEEL and was recently selected to serve on the VCF Board of Directors in June of 2022. He is proud and honored to serve in this expanded role for the CFD volunteers.

Family: Wife - Stephanie; Daughter – Kaitlin.

Employment: Wyoming Army National Guard, Deputy Director of Logistics

Years of Service: 15 years volunteering for CFD, 2 years on the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Crisis Fund and 3 years as a CFD HEEL.

Interests & Hobbies: He enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, camping, hunting and fly fishing.
Email: vpf@cfdvcf.com

Treasurer

Jack Lyman

Jack Lyman joined the Indian Committee in 1998 upon graduating from Leadership Cheyenne. He was voted Volunteer of the Year in 1999 and elected to the CFD HEELS in 2008. He is a Lead Assistant for the Indian Committee. He has served in a variety of other roles for the Committee and around the park. He served as a member of the CFD RRR (Recruit, Retain, Recognize) Committee for three years. Jack was born and raised in Ten Sleep Wyoming on his family-owned Lazy 8 Ranch. He attended the University of Wyoming receiving degrees in Education and Accounting. Jack is a Certified Public Accountant.

Family: Widowed- Lori Lyman; Children- Malone, Mason, and Blaine

Employment: Controller at Capital Business Systems Inc and CBL Inc

Years of Service: 27 years as a CFD volunteer, 3rd year to VCF Board

Interest and Hobbies: Watching and coaching sports, avid University of Wyoming fan, snowmobiling, skiing, fishing, boating, exercise, and travel.

Email: Treasurer@cfdvcf.com

Secretary

Dana Gage

After leaving the US Navy, Dana accepted a position at FE Warren AFB. Dana quickly fell in love with the area—specifically, its people and its awesome landscapes. Since 2004, he has been a volunteer for both the Security and Military Committees. His current committee duties include RRR, Lead Volunteer Coordinator, and Volgistics Manager. Dana authored his committee’s first Volunteer Handbook, and liaisons with the CFD Strategic Trail Guide to the Future and Operations Committees. Dana has offered his time as event photographer for the last several VCF banquets and has recently been appointed VCF Board Secretary.

Family: Dog – Klaus (the most photographed dog in Wyoming)

Employment: Department of Defense (Retired)

Years of Service: 20 years as a CFD volunteer and 1st year with the VCF

Interests and Hobbies: Hiking and photography. Hiking guide for group hikes in Vedauwoo. Board member for the Cars, Cigars, and Guitars Under the Stars annual fundraiser.

Email: secretary@cfdvcf.com

Director of Organization

Rylee Anderson

Rylee Anderson was born and raised in Burns, Wy, and fell in love with Cheyenne Frontier Days™ as a little girl. Rylee competed in the Jr. Barrel Race and was an outrider in the parades until she was old enough to try out for the Dandies. She served as a dandy for four years before eventually being selected as the 2016 Lady in Waiting and ultimately becoming Miss Frontier in 2017. Immediately following her reign, Rylee was elected to the CFD Volunteer Crisis Fund Board of Directors and served from 2017-2020 before moving to Phoenix, AZ. While she moved away, she still found time to be involved and worked the new Tunes on the Terrace cocktail tables during the last two shows. In November of 2023, Rylee made the move back home and now works for the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Foundation serving her passion of helping those in our community. Additionally, Rylee runs an online boutique, Ranchy B, with her best friend and Lady in Waiting, Emily Cameron. Rylee is so grateful to be back on the CFD Volunteer Crisis Fund Board and looks forward to serving the volunteers who have become like family to her.

Family: Fiance - Kaiser Cunningham Mother – Elaine Anderson, Father – Robb Anderson, Brother – Cashe Anderson

Employment: Cheyenne Regional Foundation

Years of Service: 1st year, reelected

Interests and Hobbies: All things Cheyenne Frontier Days, running her boutique Ranchy B, golfing, roping, volunteering and spending time with family and friends.

Email: organization@cfdvcf.com

Director of Sponsors

Brent Hunter

Brent Hunter is very proud to be on the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Crisis Fund. He has been a volunteer for CFD for 28 years and is part of Operations Committee. He is also a HEEL and a member of the for Cheyenne Frontier Days Foundation Board.

Family: Wife, Candy; Children , Trent (Jill), Brant, Eric, Josh (Katie), Austen (Daisha), Ciel (Adrian) and Aries and 8 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Employment: Capital Lumber

Years of Service: 8 years on the Board of Directors for the CFD Crisis Fund and 28 years as a CFD volunteer.

Interests & Hobbies: Cheyenne Frontier Days, Model Railroading, Traveling and spending time with Family.

Email: Fundraising@cfdvcf.com

Director of Donor Relations

Jeremy Lowe

Jeremy Lowe has been a volunteer for CFD as a part of the Rodeo Committee for 11 years. He has worked in the main alley for 10 of those years and is currently the Crew Chief of the Wild Horse Race. He also serves as one of the Rodeo Committees RRR Representatives to help Recruit, Retain, and Recognize new volunteers. He is very honored and humbled to be on the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Crisis Fund. He was elected to the board in 2024 and is excited to get to work with such an important organization and some wonderful people to keep the many volunteers that help put this show on year after year taken care of.

Family: Wife -Tracie; Children – Guy, Brooklyn, Grady, Gavyn, Peyten

Employment: Pacer

Years of Service: 10 Years

Interests & Hobbies: CFD, watching my sons travel baseball team, golf, spending time with my family, and horses.

Email: relations@cfdvcf.com

Director of Entertainment

Joe Lopez

Joe has been a Cheyenne Frontier Days Volunteer for over twenty years. He is on the Contract Acts Committee. He was the Contract Acts Committee Chair from 2007 through 2009. Joe was the founder of the Volunteer Crisis Fund in 2007 and has been a part of the organization since.

Family: Joe has been married to his wife, Peg for the past 46 years. He is a proud grandpa of three beautiful grandchildren, Hunter, Reagan, and Ariah.

Employment: Retired

Years of Service: 20+

Email: Entertainment@cfdvcf.com

Director of Marketing

Dawn McDonnell

Dawn McDonnell was born and raised in Pulaski, Wisconsin but Cheyenne has been home for over 22 years. She has been a volunteer for CFD on the Public Relations Committee as a photographer for over 12 years and serves on the CFD Dandies Advisory Board. She loves big blue skies, western life and rodeo! She is currently serving with Wyoming Air National Guard in the 153d Force Support Squadron as the MPF Superintendent. She was appointed to the VCF board in 2022.

Family: Husband- Jim; Children- Schuylar and Delaney, Step-children Austin (Dakota) and Morgan

Employment: WY Air National Guard.

Years of Service: 12 years PR member, 2nd year CFD Dandies Advisory Board and 2nd year VCF.

Hobbies & Interests: Photography, horseback riding, reading, loves the sun, and spending time outside.

Email: marketing@cfdvcf.com

Director of Auctions

Rashell Rodekohr

Rashell Rodekohr became a director of the Volunteer Crisis Fund Board in 2020. She has been a volunteer on the Cheyenne Frontier Days’ Public Relations Committee since 2019. Rashell was born and raised in Cheyenne Wyoming and has spent most of her adult life here. She is an attorney and works at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming as a Staff Attorney. She loves to be able to volunteer for Cheyenne Frontier Days and for the Volunteer Crisis Fund to be able to help out fellow volunteers.

Family: Spouse - Ryan; Children - Graysen and Payten

Employment: Blue Cross Blue Shield Wyoming

Years of Service: 3

Hobbies & Interests: Spending time in the mountains (snowmobiling), and traveling.

Email: Auctions@cfdvcf.com

Director of Benefits

Bob Symons

Bob has been a member of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Indian Committee since 2006 and was honored to become a member of the CFD HEELS organization in 2013. Bob is from Sheridan Wyoming and is a general partner, along with his sister, of the Symons Ranch Limited Partnership, RLLP. He retired from Sheridan Fire-Rescue Department in 2005 as the Fire Chief and then worked for the State of Wyoming Public Safety Communications Commission for 12 years retiring in 2017.

Family: Wife – Rita; Children - Brian and Erika

Employment: General Partner Symons Ranch Limited Partnership, RLLP

Years of Service: 3 years.

Hobbies & Interests: Traveling, Bicycling, Ranch

Email: benefits@cfdvcf.com

Director of Events

Aleyta Zimmerman

Aleyta Zimmerman has been a volunteer for CFD since 2014 for the Public Relations Committee. Her duties on the committee include Sponsor Hosting during Cheyenne Frontier Days, and is also the liaison for the multiple committee fundraiser called the Flatiron Steak Fry.

She has recently changed positions from Secretary to Director of Events. She was appointed to the VCF board in 2019.

Family: Children - Kellan and Kai

Years of Service: 10 years as a PR member, 6 years on the VCF board

Interests and Hobbies: When she is not busy with her two children and their activities, she volunteers as the board secretary for Coats for Kids, and enjoys traveling, cooking, singing karaoke and home improvement projects.

Email: events@cfdvcf.com