Rita Meyer

Rita Colleen Meyer was born on April 27, 1951, in Wakefield, Nebraska, the daughter of Wayne Hadley Johnson and Marjorie Wauneta Richeson Johnson, Nebraska natives engaged in agriculture. Reared on farms and ranches in the area, Meyer graduated from Ainsworth High School in Ainsworth, Nebraska.

In 1970, she earned a certificate in dental assisting from Omaha Technical Community College in Omaha, Nebraska. From 1971 to 1973, she was an instructor of dental assisting at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. From 1973 to 1977, she was a dental public health assistant at Creighton University, Omaha.

Rita Johnson married L. Charles Meyer, a dentist and Wyoming native, on November 12, 1977, at the Vee Bar Ranch in Centennial. She became the dental practice manager of the Dental Arts Group, in Laramie that year, a position she held until 1990. In 1982, Meyer earned a B.A. in Education from the University of Wyoming. In 1989, she received a B.S. in Finance, with honors, also from the University of Wyoming.

From 1990 to 1992, she was a staff accountant with McGladery and Pullen in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Governor Jim Geringer appointed her chief of staff in 1998, a position she held until 2002. While working for the governor, she completed her M.B.A. in International Business from Regis University, Denver, Colorado, graduating with honors in 1999.

In 2007, Meyer was elected State Auditor. She ran for Governor in 2010, but was defeated in the Republican primaries by Matt Mead.

Rita and Charlie Meyer are parents of a son, Charles Stoddard Meyer, born on September 9, 1978, in Laramie.

Meyer began a military career in 1984 when she enlisted in the 187th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron of the Wyoming Air National Guard. Rita served in various positions within the National Guard including Aeromedical Operations Officer, Personnel Programs Officer, Comptroller, and Executive Support Staff Officer. From 1996 to 1997, she served as Strategic Planning Officer for the National Guard Bureau Counterdrug Directorate in Washington, D.C.

In 2001, she was appointed commander of the 153rd Airlift Wing Mission Support Group, Wyoming Air National Guard. In July, 2004, she was promoted to the rank of colonel. Her foreign service includes operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Provide Comfort, and as 455th Expeditionary Mission Support Group Commander, Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan. She retired from the military in November 2007.