News – Sheridan Media
On September 15, the Ucross Foundation, the acclaimed artist residency program, announces the addition of four new trustees to its board: Richard Davis of Sheridan, Wyoming; David Leuschen of Roscoe, Montana; Christian Nelson of Fredericksburg, Texas; and Naoma Tate of Cody, Wyoming.
“We are honored to welcome these new trustees to the board,” said Caitlin Addlesperger, Ucross President and Executive Director. “Their commitment to our mission, diverse expertise and connection to the Mountain West will be invaluable as we continue to grow as both a premier artist residency and a vital cultural institution in Wyoming.”
A native of Colorado, Richard Davis moved to Wyoming in 1968 to join the law practice of Henry A. Burgess and continues today as of counsel to the successor firm, Davis and Cannon. He pursued an interest in theater as a participant and through Tandem Productions, a 501 (C)(3) organization created with his wife, Tami. Davis also has a strong interest and experience in ranching, grazing practices and conservation. Believing in the importance of community, he has served on several boards, including the Northern Wyoming Community College District and Foundation; Sheridan Memorial Hospital and Hospital Foundation; Sheridan Area Community Foundation, WYO Theater, University of Wyoming and Wyoming Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. On the professional side, he served as president of the Wyoming Bar Association, member of the American Bar Association, the American Judicature Society and a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation Wyoming State Bar Delegate to the American Bar Association.
David Leuschen is the co-founder and senior managing director of Riverstone Holdings, one of the world’s largest energy and agricultural decarbonization investment firms. Prior to this, he held senior positions at Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs Global Energy and Power Group and the Goldman Sachs Energy Investment Committee. Leuschen has served as a director of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Cross Timbers Oil Company, J. Aron Resources, Riverstone Energy Limited and Permian Resources. Leuschen serves on many nonprofit boards, including Conservation International, the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Montana Land Reliance; he is also a founding member of the Peterson Institute’s Economic Leadership Council. As a third generation Montanan and lifelong rancher, he is actively involved in large-scale innovation in land and agriculture. His commitment to integrating innovative technology with traditional farming practices aims to create more efficient, productive and eco-friendly agricultural systems. He is the sole owner and president of Switchback Ranch and on the advisory board of Big Sky Investment Holdings.
Christian Nelson has ties to Ucross dating back to its inception, as her father, Jim Nelson, is a founding member of the board. She grew up visiting Ucross and participating in the Fourth of July celebrations. Nelson is a seasoned philanthropic leader and communications strategist with more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and corporate sectors. She has held senior roles at City of Hope, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she led transformative donor engagement and communications initiatives. She has successfully executed multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns and comprehensive marketing communications programs aligned with organizational priorities as well as branding initiatives. Nelson’s career also spans public relations and events leadership, serving high-profile clients across lifestyle, healthcare and finance industries.
Naoma Tate is an acknowledged silver historian and certified gemologist. She is an avid collector of Western art and a longtime patron of the arts in Wyoming and Utah. In 2009, she was awarded the Wyoming Governor’s Arts Award. Tate’s interests and expertise have led her to serve on the boards for the National Board of the Smithsonian and the Smithsonian Natural History Museum Gemology Board, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, Leakey Foundation, Berkley Geochronology Center and the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming. She has also served on the Advisory Board for the University of Utah World Leaders Lecture Forum and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. She is a member of the Utah and Wyoming Westerners, the Utah Daughters of the Pioneers, Daughters of the American Revolution and American Friends of the Louvre.
“We are looking forward to working with Christian, David, Naoma, and Richard,” said Ucross Board Chair Jesse Marion. “Each brings a deep commitment to philanthropy, along with a depth of experience that will help guide Ucross into its next chapter. Their diverse perspectives will strengthen our mission to support artists and protect the land.”
In addition to Davis, Leuschen, Nelson and Tate, the Ucross board comprises Chair Jesse Marion of Spring, Texas; Vice President Susan Miller of Sheridan, Wyoming; Treasurer Jim Nelson of Big Horn, Wyoming; Secretary Kim Cannon of Big Horn, Wyoming; Tracy Boyle of Sheridan, Wyoming; Armand Brachman of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Anne Pendergast of Big Horn, Wyoming; Roger Plank of Ucross, Wyoming, and Houston, Texas; Gerald Peters of Jackson, Wyoming, and Santa Fe, New Mexico; Scott Manning Stevens of Syracuse, New York; and Arin Waddell of Sheridan, Wyoming.
Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, more than 3,000 artists have received the gift of time and space. Distinguished Fellows include Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez and Tayari Jones. National Book Award winners Susan Choi, Sigrid Nunez and Sarah M. Broom have been residents, as have Academy Award and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. To learn more about Ucross and its residency program, visit ucross.org.
(Photos of new trustees courtesy of Ucross Foundation)
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Last modified: September 23, 2025