Senator Affie Ellis Says She Is Retiring From Wyoming Legislature

A Republican state lawmaker from Laramie County says she won't be running for another term in 2024.

Sen. Affie Ellis, who is a member of the Navajo Nation, was the first female Native American in the Wyoming Legislature. She was first elected in 2016 and served two terms in the Wyoming Senate.

In a release announcing her decision, Ellis said “Serving the people of Wyoming is a tremendous honor and I am proud of the work my colleagues and I accomplished in these last eight years,” Ellis said. “My family has provided love and support throughout this journey and they’ve made sacrifices as I traveled this amazing state to do the work of Wyoming people. In 2025 and beyond, it will be time to focus my attention on my family, particularly my children, before they head off to college in the coming years.”

In the release, Ellis cites her six years on the Senate Education Committee, where she modernized Wyoming’s curriculum to include computer science instruction for all K-12 students, providing Wyoming graduates with the skills they need to successfully compete in an increasingly technology reliant economy. She is a fierce advocate for parental rights and led efforts to enhance school safety and improve early childhood literacy which plays a pivotal role in a student’s academic success throughout their school years.''

Ellis also served on the Joint Revenue Committee, working on personal property tax releif and the Senate Travel, Recreation and Cultural Resources Committee. She currently is Senate Chairwoman of the Select Committee on Tribal Relations and serves on several other committees as well.

Ellis Has Received Several Awards During Her Time As A Senator

She was recognized as a “Woman of Influence” in 2017 by the Wyoming Business Report, a “Leader in Policy” in 2019 by the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, a “Friend of Languages Award” from the Wyoming Association of Language Teachers in 2022, and a “Champion for Charter Schools” by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools in 2022.