CHEYENNE, Wyo. - For providing world-class ethical leadership throughout his multi-layered careers and life, Tucker Fagan, of Cheyenne, has been selected as the 2020 Bill Daniels Ethical Leadership Award recipient.
The Bill Daniels Ethical Leadership Award is a joint venture among the Daniels Fund, the University of Wyoming College of Business and the Wyoming Business Alliance/Wyoming Heritage Foundation. The award honors business leaders who represent the "best of the best" in ethical leadership and have lived a life of integrity at work, at home and in their communities. The award was created to recognize Wyoming citizens who embody the ethical leadership principles exhibited by Bill Daniels, a cable-television pioneer who started his professional career in Casper. Dave Bonner, of Powell, received the first award in 2016, followed by Greg Dyekman, of Cheyenne, in 2018. Fagan was selected by a diverse group of Wyoming leaders who served as the selection committee tasked with the tough challenge of reviewing the multiple award nominations. The selection committee included: Ernie Skretteberg, Shawn Reese, Wendy Soto, Joan Evans and Greg Dyekman. "The citizens of Wyoming have been extremely generous to my family and me," Fagan said. "I truly appreciate that the Daniels Fund, the University of Wyoming (where I sent all four of my children and now oldest grandchild) and the Wyoming Business Alliance/Wyoming Heritage Foundation have chosen me. This state is the absolute best place to live because we abide by the Cowboy Creed. Nowhere else have I seen the great leaders and civic-minded commitment from so many citizens to work together for the betterment of society. In all my dealings with people in Wyoming, I always admired their civility, intelligence and willingness to get things done." "I was delighted to see that Tucker Fagan was selected as the 2020 recipient of the Bill Daniels Fund Ethical Leadership Award," said Cindy DeLancey, president of the Wyoming Business Alliance/Wyoming Heritage Foundation. "Tucker has served as a friend and mentor to so many in Wyoming and has left a permanent mark of excellence on our state. It is an honor to know Tucker." "Like our past honorees, Tucker is very deserving of this recognition," said Kent Noble, the Bill Daniels Chair of Business Ethics at the University of Wyoming College of Business. "Bill Daniels once said that integrity and unwavering ethical behavior provide the ultimate business advantage. It's clear to me that Tucker reflects this sentiment." "For eight years, Tucker Fagan served as my chief of staff, most trusted advisor, colleague and friend," said former Congressman Cynthia Lummis. "Shoot, he even officiated my daughter's wedding. Tucker's superb leadership and unmatched management skills allowed Wyoming's congressional office to outpunch our weight with a small staff and effectively serve more than 500,000 constituents. With consistent integrity, kindness and commitment to excellence, Tucker has made Wyoming a better place. He is truly the best of the best and most deserving of this honor." In his multi-layered careers as a senior military officer, director of two state agencies and Congressional chief of staff, Fagan has distinguished himself as a person of integrity, treating his colleagues and employees with fairness, respect and dignity.
Fagan joined the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War and served as a missileer at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. Throughout his 30-year military career, he served as a missile combat crew commander, was one of eight military personnel chosen to build the U.S. nuclear war plan, and had the opportunity to lead the Joint Chief of Staff Nuclear Section. Fagan produced U.S. President Ronald Reagan's black bag, called the "football", and taught the president and his senior staff the options, countries and timing of the plan. His military career culminated at F.E. Warren Air Force Base where he served as the wing commander in 1991 and retired as the 20th Air Force vice commander in 1998.
After the Air Force, Fagan pursued a nine-year career in state government, followed by an ongoing political career. In 1998, Gov. Jim Geringer appointed Fagan as the head of the Wyoming Department of Commerce, where he helped transition and divide the agency's programs into the Wyoming Business Council and the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. In 2000, he was selected as CEO of the Wyoming Business Council, where he served until his retirement in 2007. In 2008, Fagan headed Cynthia Lummis' campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. After she won, Fagan served as her chief of staff through her eight years in Congress. He currently serves as a senior advisor for the Lummis campaign for U.S. Senate.
Fagan has been widely recognized for his devotion to his community, Wyoming and the military. He received the Air Force Distinguished Public Service Award in 2011, was inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) Hall of Fame in 2013 and was selected as the Greater Cheyenne Area Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year in 2018.
He has served on the CFD General Committee, chairman of the CFD Board of Directors and as president of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Crisis Fund. He is currently on the board of Align, CFD Foundation Board and the Air Force Chief of Staff Civic Leader Group. He has also previously served on the Laramie County Community College Foundation Board. He and his wife have four children and eight grandchildren.
Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at the University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming College of Business launched its current Business Ethics program in 2005. Endowed by the Daniels Fund, the program is a statewide initiative that draws on and reinforces Wyoming's existing reputation as a highly ethical place in which to do business. The Business Ethics program advances teaching regionally and nationally via the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Consortium of 11 business schools and one law school across the Rocky Mountain West. Visit https://www.uwyo.edu/ethics/index.html
Wyoming Business Alliance The Wyoming Business Alliance serves as the state's premier business advocate and proponent with the mission of promoting and advocating a growing economy by connecting business leaders from across Wyoming, representing business interests and issues, and partnering with key business organizations and trade associations. For more information, visit www.wyomingbusinessalliance.com.