Wyoming Business Council CEO resigns amid agency reform efforts

Wyoming Business Council CEO Josh Dorrell resigned Wednesday after the agency’s board of directors met in executive session. His departure, which comes months after a failed legislative push to defund the agency, is effective at the close of business on Friday, according to the board. 

The council did not offer an explanation for Dorrell’s sudden departure.

“The Wyoming Business Council is very proud of the work Josh has done for the agency, and the board is focused on continuity and on the council’s future,” Wyoming Business Council Board of Directors Co-Chair Derek Smith said via email. “Out of respect for Josh and for the council, I won’t discuss private personnel matters or the details of the transition.”

The agency’s work will continue “uninterrupted” as the board seeks an interim CEO and while it searches for a permanent replacement, leaders said. 

“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, who grew up in Rawlins, said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “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.”

Dorrell’s six-year tenure saw Wyoming’s top economic development shop navigate through a wildly shifting economic landscape, from managing federal emergency relief measures during the COVID-19 pandemic to new initiatives aimed at retaining and attracting new businesses, as well as fortifying communities both on the upswing and those that face growing budget constraints — all in the midst of a national shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

The agency is a regular target of scrutiny, and a Wyoming Freedom Caucus-led effort during the past legislative session sought to defund and dismantle the business council. Despite criticism of the agency and Dorrell’s leadership, the council dodged its demise in exchange for an ongoing effort to reform and more narrowly focus its work — an endeavor Dorrell has said he enthusiastically embraced.

“We are very willing to not defend our programs, or to defend the efforts that we’ve taken so far, but rather to seek out the problem and address it with the right statutes and the right investment mechanisms,” Dorrell told a legislative panel in January.

The political firestorm around the council followed declarations by Dorrell in the summer of 2025 that both the council and state leaders need to radically change course due to a “long-term economic decline in Wyoming,” and a lingering, painful youth exodus that exacerbates workforce limitations to grow the economy.

“Over nearly seven years, Josh has demonstrated a genuine passion for Wyoming and a steadfast commitment to the businesses and communities that make our state special,” Smith said in a prepared statement. “His leadership has made a meaningful and lasting impact, and we are grateful for the energy, dedication and heart Josh has brought to the Wyoming Business Council and its mission.”