Lifetime of Supporting Students Leads Newman to EWC Board of Trustees

TORRINGTON, Wyo. – Standing inside the Goshen County Courthouse on June 12, Julia Newman officially took an oath that, in many ways, reflected a lifetime of service to education and community.

Sworn in by Goshen County Circuit Judge Jacqueline K. Brown, Newman became the newest member of the Eastern Wyoming College Board of Trustees, stepping into a role she said feels like a natural extension of decades spent helping students find their path.

For Newman, support for education, particularly community colleges, has never been just professional. It is personal.

“I have always been a very strong supporter of EWC and community colleges in general,” Newman said.

A Goshen County native who grew up on a farm and still calls rural Wyoming home, Newman has spent nearly four decades helping students navigate education and careers. She worked for 37 years as a high school counselor. She has worked at Torrington High School and Torrington Middle School and spent 26 years as the Director of Counseling at Scottsbluff High School in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, becoming a trusted guide for generations of students preparing for life after graduation.

Even in retirement from SHS, Newman’s commitment to education did not slow down.

She joined Western Nebraska Community College, serving five and a-half years as the College Now director. In that role, she helped launch the college’s Career Academy and worked closely with high school students throughout Nebraska’s Panhandle, connecting them to college courses and career opportunities.

The experience only reinforced her belief in the importance of accessible, workforce-centered education.

“Workforce Development is near and dear to my heart,” Newman said. “The college is a focal point for the changes Wyoming has worked hard as a state to implement.”

Newman also brings statewide experience to the trustee role. For the past eight years, she has served on the Wyoming Community College Commission, giving her a broad perspective on higher education and the evolving needs of students and employers across the state.

Ironically, Newman’s appointment to the EWC Board of Trustees may have come later than expected, but perhaps at just the right time.

She said she first considered joining the board several years ago but recognized her schedule would not allow her to fully commit.

“I wanted to be on the EWC Board of Trustees a few years ago, but I didn’t have the time,” she said.

Instead, she was asked to join the Wyoming Community College Commission, an opportunity that broadened her understanding of community colleges and their role in workforce development.

At the time, Newman said, “the timing wasn’t right” for serving on the EWC board.

When longtime trustee Randy Adams stepped down, community members again encouraged Newman to consider the position.

“This time, I felt like the timing was right,” she said.

EWC Board of Trustees Chairperson Jackie Van Mark said the college had a strong pool of applicants for the vacant position.

“We had three excellent candidates, and we are very proud to have accepted Julia Newman as our newest trustee,” Van Mark said during the board’s June 9 meeting.

As Newman begins her service, she said one of her priorities will be supporting college leadership during a period of transition and growth.

“There have been a lot of changes that needed to happen,” she said, adding that continued stability and support are important as the college moves forward.

She believes community colleges are uniquely equipped to respond quickly to workforce demands in ways larger institutions often cannot.

“Community colleges are in a unique position to pivot and be flexible unlike other institutions,” Newman said. “They can train people in areas our four-year institutions don’t have the opportunity in doing.”

That flexibility, she said, is especially important as Wyoming continues to adapt to changing economic realities and workforce needs.

For Newman, the appointment also represents something deeply rooted in community, a chance to give back to an institution she has long admired.

Now, after decades spent helping students prepare for the future, Newman is stepping into a role where she hopes to help shape the future of higher education in eastern Wyoming.

And after years of waiting for the right moment, Newman believes that moment has finally arrived.

[A woman stands with her right hand raised, being sworn in by a judge holding a document in a courtroom. Both women have gray hair and wear glasses. The background shows empty chairs and large windows.] Julia Newman is sworn in as the new Eastern Wyoming College Trustee on June 10 by Goshen County Circuit Judge Jacqueline K. Brown.  Newman has spent nearly four decades helping students navigate education and careers.