Colin Crossman

Secretary of State's Office, State of Wyoming

Deputy Secretary of State Cheyenne, WY · Nov 2025 – Present

• Coordinate agency-wide operations and strategy across core regulatory and public-service functions (business entities/UCC, securities, notaries, public records, and related services).
• Lead legislative and policy development in partnership with the Governor’s office, AG’s office, and legislative committees; translate statutory changes into executable procedures and public-facing guidance.
• Oversee modernization initiatives (process redesign, data governance, cybersecurity alignment, vendor management/procurement), with measurable SLAs and dashboards for throughput, accuracy, and cost.
• Direct intergovernmental coordination on CTA/BOI issues with FinCEN and state partners; align state systems with evolving federal compliance while safeguarding state transparency and privacy standards.
• Support litigation/rulemaking posture, including amicus strategy on matters touching state regulatory authority and technology sovereignty.
• Build leadership capacity, mentoring managers, strengthening succession pipelines, and institutionalizing continuous-improvement practices.

Secretary of State's Office, State of Wyoming

Director of the Business Division Cheyenne, WY · Apr 2023 – Nov 2025

• Led the division managing high-volume corporate filings (600K+/year), aligning operations with evolving data protection, KYC/AML, and public record transparency standards; coordinated the state-level response to FinCEN’s Corporate Transparency Act Beneficial Ownership Information rule.
• Resolved cross-functional legal and operational issues through inter-agency coordination across legal, IT, and policy teams, improving legal accuracy and filing turnaround through deep knowledge of Wyoming corporate law.
• Advised on legislative reforms involving business and privacy law; shaped state-level data governance through statutory analysis and collaboration with counsel.
• Testified before the Wyoming Legislature on modernized digital business infrastructure, including reforms affecting privacy, data access, and automation; coordinated cross-agency input from legal, policy, and IT teams.
• Co-authored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland on state regulatory authority, technology sovereignty, and data control.
• Prepared and filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Wyoming Secretary of State in the Custodia Bank v. Federal Reserve appeal.
• Built Python automation to streamline corporate name checks, saving ~1 FTE/day of manual review and raising processing throughput by 7%.

Distributed Hash

Member & In-House Counsel Wyoming · Jan 2022 – Oct 2025

• Served as general counsel for all legal matters, negotiating infrastructure and data-hosting contracts, including academic partnerships, with attention to privacy compliance, IP safeguards, and commercial viability.
• Directed design and launch of a digital infrastructure facility, overseeing regulatory approvals across jurisdictions and compliance with environmental, data-handling, and emerging crypto/tech law.
• Built internal compliance systems in Python/SQL for real-time monitoring and audit-ready records.
• Developed Python automation for remote infrastructure control, improving uptime and reducing manual risk.
• Published regulatory insights and whitepapers for investors and policymakers on energy use, infrastructure, and compute-intensive systems.
• Led regulatory engagement with local authorities to secure permits, and negotiated long-term infrastructure and utility service agreements.
• Oversaw multi-jurisdictional compliance, including zoning, data governance, and operational disclosures.

Rhea Hospitality

Principal and General Counsel Cary, NC & Las Vegas, NV · Nov 2007 – Apr 2023

• Founded and led a multi-state hospitality group, overseeing legal, financial, and regulatory operations for a 135-person team and $7M+ in annual revenue; served as de facto general counsel for all contracts, compliance, and risk management.
• Drafted and negotiated commercial agreements across construction, vendor, and financing; provided in-house counsel across multiple jurisdictions.
• Structured and closed $17M+ in capital through private placements, public funding, and municipal partnerships; led all legal due diligence, regulatory compliance, and investor disclosures.
• Structured a Regulation A+ offering via a Delaware PBC, managing SEC disclosure and investor-protection requirements in preparation for Tier 2 qualification.
• Drafted and secured zoning and permitting approvals across jurisdictions.
• Designed and deployed internal legal/ops automation tools (Python, SQL, Flask), streamlining payroll and compliance workflows and saving $100K+ annually in operational overhead.

PhD Posters, LLC

Member and General Counsel Durham, NC · Nov 2005 – Apr 2023

• Provided end-to-end legal leadership for a $1.2M+ multi-location e-commerce operation; oversaw commercial contracts, IP protection, and data compliance across digital and physical retail.
• Drafted consumer-facing terms, franchise agreements, and IP filings; managed brand protection strategy, including a federal trademark portfolio.
• Directed international legal and tax strategy for a Canadian subsidiary; managed outside counsel and cross-border compliance with consumer protection and data regulations.
• Led legal structuring for the transition to a national e-commerce model.
• Acted as general counsel for all business operations, handling employment matters, dispute resolution, and commercial contracts.

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)

IT Consultant Philadelphia, PA · Jul 2020 – Apr 2023

Senior Program Officer Philadelphia, PA · May 2015 – Jan 2016

• Researched and classified university speech codes for constitutional compliance; worked with university administrators to bring policy language in line with First Amendment standards.
• Developed a Python-based tracking system to monitor outreach progress.
• Designed and deployed a 3CX-based internal VoIP system, modernizing office communications and reducing IT overhead.
• Led the organization-wide migration from LastPass to Okta, strengthening security posture and access control.
• Provided on-demand technical consulting across web infrastructure, cybersecurity, and internal systems.

Triangle Apartment Association

Government Affairs Director Raleigh, NC · Jan 2008 – Mar 2009

• Developed and directed the association’s governmental and regulatory policy objectives.
• Analyzed proposed legislation, rules, and case law and determined their impact on the membership; educated members on developments and coordinated member responses.
• Advocated with elected officials at the municipal, state, and federal levels, across parties, and coordinated with allied groups to increase impact.

Duke University School of Law

Faculty Fellow for IP Law Durham, NC · Jan 2005 – Aug 2006

• Faculty fellow at the Center for the Study of Public Genomics.
• Researched the effects of university-owned software patents, focusing on the creation and dissemination of genomic data.
• Developed and taught an upper-level law course on Intellectual Property Licensing.
• Produced and presented academic research at conferences.