Civic Chat: Today's Superheroes Guiding Tomorrow's Changemakers
June 17, 2025, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Laramie County Library, Cottonwood Room
It takes people of all kinds to shape our communities and our country for the better. Whether you’re a nurturer, defender, connector, or amplifier, your unique Civic Superpower can change the world.
Join us as local young people lead inspiring and energizing conversations with four Civic Superheroes who will share their experiences, give advice, and explore the countless ways we can all unleash our Civic Superpowers! Want to learn your superpower, take the quiz here!
Our Superheroes:
- Nurturer - Melissa Martin, chair of the Laramie County Better Together Action Team who believes in celebrating and bringing out strengths of others.
- Amplifier - JoLynn Paulsen, Content Manager at Arts Cheyenne and Marketing Assistant at Cheyenne Civic Center who uses her communication skills to provide accessible and reliable art education for all individuals in Laramie County.
- Connector - Milward Simpson, an unwavering arts and humanities advocate who builds partnerships, connects with local artists, and works alongside educators and historians
- Defender - Marguerite Herman, a legislative lobbyist with decades of experience engaging with state government and leaders.
All attendees who register and attend the event will be entered for a chance to win a $50 gift card. Register here.
What to expect:
- Dinner is generously donated by Wing Shack!
- Participants will sign in, get a name badge, and be seated. Coloring sheets will be provided for those who enjoy a quiet activity while they listen to the chats.
- The Civic Chat will begin at 5:45 p.m. with an introduction from the Braver Angels Laramie County Alliance.
- After introductions, the program will be shaped around the four Civic Season Superpowers. Civic Superheroes from our community will partner with young people who will ask questions and guide a 10-minute chat with each of the four leaders.
- After approximately 40 minutes, the conversations will wind down and will transition to a Q&A session with the audience.
- The Civic Chat will end at about 7:00, but guests are welcome to stay, socialize, and connect until 7:30 p.m.
Speaker Bios:
Melissa Martin lives to communicate; it is through communication that she continues to be a lifelong learner. She is especially interested in having others share their stories. Melissa uses her degrees in Communication Theory to guide the Better Together action team, lead workplace development workshops ,and teach college classes. She delivers relevant, engaging content to professionals and students. Her areas of expertise include team building, communication, conflict management, workplace success, strategic planning, visioning, and professional development.
Melissa is a certified facilitator for DiSC Personality Assessment, Bridges Out of Poverty, Getting Ahead, Crucial Conversations, Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, and Workplace Stability. She lives in a multi-generational household where she enjoys Sunday dinners with family and friends. When she’s not teaching, she likes road trips, walking her dog, and cooking for her family.
JoLynn Paulsen is a Content Manager at Arts Cheyenne and a Marketing Assistant at Cheyenne Civic Center. Her introduction to Content Creation and Community Outreach started at Central High School with work on the Weekly Video Announcements & as Vice President of their Student Council. A huge reason JoLynn works in Arts Advocacy is to create accessible and reliable art education for all individuals in Laramie County. This advocacy also dips into all-around Community and Civic Engagement as she’s also extremely passionate about Cheyenne’s local politics and creating a city she feels proud calling home.
Milward Simpson has spent a diverse career in the arts and humanities, historic preservation, parks and recreation, and conservation. He served as Manager of the Wyoming Arts Council from 2003 - 2005 before being appointed Director of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources from 2006 – 2016. After leaving state government, he led The Nature Conservancy’s Wyoming Chapter and served as Executive Director of the National Association for Interpretation. Simpson currently serves as Chair of the Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board and Chairs the American Heritage Center Board of Advisors. In 2023 he received the Governors Arts Award.
Marguerite Herman (BA English, MA Teaching, MA communications) has been a reporter, student and advocate in government and civics since her arrival in Wyoming in 1980. She has served eight years on the Laramie County School District 1Board of Trustees and has been a contract lobbyist for the League of Women Voters of Wyoming for 25 years. She serves on the boards of several local and state community and civic organizations and is an avid clarinet player in community bands in Cheyenne. Marguerite, who grew up in an Air Force family, is the mother to three wonderful children and lives with husband George Powers in downtown Cheyenne.
