2026 Association Officers
Officers
Greg Goss -President
Greg Goss is the essence of battle-born and bred. A 2003 graduate of Reno High, Goss also attended TMCC, UNR, and Feather River College in Quincey, California, where he played baseball, a sport that he loves to this day.
Greg has been a part of the Reno Rodeo landscape for as long as he can remember. Always a fan of the sport, he comments, “Every time Mark Elston saw me sitting down, he gave me a job. I didn’t have time to keep track of the committees I worked on.” Greg made it official as a wrangler in 2009, followed by his association membership two years later. He was successfully elected as a director the first year he ran in 2015 and has never looked back. Fast forward to April of 2024 when he was elected to serve as the Reno Rodeo’s 2nd vice president. His official term began in August last year.
His commitment to the Reno Rodeo has not gone unnoticed. He has received several different awards over the years including an Award of Merit Knife in 2018 and the Merit Buckle in 2023.
For his day job, Greg serves as a business agent for the Operating Engineers Local 3; a job he has had for the last four years. “My life goal is to work enough in the next 15-20 years to buy some land and raise cattle. My dream would be to own my own ranch and run cattle.”
Greg and his wife Cara met through the Reno Rodeo and were married in 2017. They have two boys aged five and two.
Greg’s philosophy about rodeo is simple. “Every day should be fun at the rodeo. If you’re not having fun at the rodeo, you need to find something else.”
Justin Thomsen - 1st Vice President
Justin Thomsen is much more than a friendly face. A fourth-generation Nevadan, he was born and raised in Minden, where he picked up a work ethic early and never really put it down.
He grew up around “construction guys,” but knew that wasn’t his path. “I’ve always been a computer nerd,” he admitted. “At one point, I wanted to be a programmer, but I thought that might be a little too nerdy.”
After graduating from Douglas High School in 2001, Justin headed to the University of Nevada, Reno. “I was fortunate to earn a Millennium Scholarship, which allowed me to attend college virtually free,” he explained. He walked out in 2005 with a dual degree in accounting and information systems.
He started his career at Muckel Anderson, working in tax, audit, and IT services while still in school. In 2014, he struck out on his own and founded Slate Accounting. The idea was to take the accounting off his clients’ plates so they could get back to running their businesses. “We aim to provide real value,” Justin said. “Dealing with finances and money is a personal and intimate responsibility. Our goal is to make people’s lives easier and give them peace of mind.”
Justin gives his family, his friends, and the Slate team the credit. They stuck with him through the hard years, and they’re still the reason he keeps at it. He and his wife have two kids, who started middle school and high school this year.
Spenser Downie- 2nd Vice President
Spenser Downie lives and breathes the Reno Rodeo. Spenser’s father, Craig Downie, became involved with the Reno Rodeo in 1990 and became a member in 1992. He went on to serve as President of the Reno Rodeo in 2020 and 2021. From the time they were kids, Craig brought Spenser and his brothers around the Rodeo, and they quickly fell in love with it.
Today, Reno Rodeo continues to be a family tradition. Spenser’s brothers, Zach and Scott Downie, and sister-in-law, Bree, are all members. Spenser’s fiancée, Erin Robinson, along with her sister, Katie, and mother, Karyl, also volunteer. It has become a special part of the Downie family and something they all enjoy being involved in together.
Spenser became a Wrangler in 2008, a member in 2010, and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2016. Since then, he has served in a number of leadership roles and on several committees, including serving as Chairman of Day Events and Assistant Chair of Arena, as well as previously chairing BFI and the Mutton Bustin’ Championship.
Outside of the Reno Rodeo, Spenser works for Ryder Homes, a home builder serving Northern Nevada. Spenser graduated from McQueen High School in 2008 and began coaching baseball for McQueen immediately after high school. He became the head coach in 2012 and continued coaching until stepping down in 2021. Coaching taught him a lot about leadership, teamwork, accountability, and the importance of investing in the next generation.
After running for President in April 2026, Spenser is honored to have the opportunity to serve as President of the Reno Rodeo in 2029. Spenser hopes to continue the traditions that makes the Reno Rodeo special while also helping it grow and remain strong for future generations.
The Reno Rodeo isn’t just something he volunteers for; it’s something he grew up with. For Spenser, it’s more than an annual event, it is family, tradition, friendship, community, and a commitment to continuing something special for generations to come.
Andi Morency - Treasurer
Andi Morency is an educator and community volunteer in Reno, where she founded and now serves as Executive Director/Principal of the Honors Academy of Literature. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Penn State, then came back to UNR for her Ph.D., which she finished in 2016. She later did postdoctoral work at Harvard in Advanced Education Leadership and is a certified Data Wise coach.
Along the way she has brought in more than $5 million in grant funding for student learning and community programs. Outside of school, she managed the Black Rock City Census for the Burning Man community from 2020 to 2025 and has helped pull together collaborative art projects, including the 2024 Honoraria art grant for “A Capsule of Curiosity.”
Andi signed on as a Reno Rodeo Wrangler in 2015 and became a Member of the Association in 2017. She joined the Finance Committee in 2018, was elected a Director on the Reno Rodeo Board in 2021, and currently serves as treasurer. Outside of work and volunteering, Andi stays busy with four dynamic children who are into sports, singing, hunting, cheer and robotics. She loves to travel, read, and strives to always keep learning new things.
Debbie Sprague - Secretary
Debbie Sprague, originally from Alamosa, Colorado, moved to Reno with her family at the age of six. She is a graduate of Procter R. Hug High School and has trained with Rapport Leadership International, as well as the Paul Mitchell School of Beauty, to become a licensed cosmetologist.
Debbie has been with the Reno Rodeo Association since 1994, serving in multiple capacities. She has worked on over a half-dozen different committees and chaired the Buckles and Jewelry Committee from 2001 to 2015. She was elected a Reno Rodeo Director in 2008 and has served on the Executive Committee since 2012. In 2015, Debbie became the first RR female officer when she was elected as secretary. She has been very proudly reelected for another term in 2024, for two more years. In recognition of her many contributions, she won the Award of Merit Buckle in 2013.
Debbie has proudly raised three grown children and three grown grandchildren and is very proud of her extended family too.
Debbie claims that the past several years have been some of her most memorable times with the Reno Rodeo. “I’m busier than ever as secretary, but I wouldn’t change a thing.” As I sit here and remember the past thirty years… “I can still remember the day that I was sitting on my horse in the RR arena and Cotton Rosser was on horseback next to me in 2015… still a day I will never forget, one of my fondest, happiest memories,10 years later!”
She considers the opportunity to serve as the secretary as “priceless and glad to serve our community with such a great organization.” I have been blessed with hundreds of friends during the last 30 years, both here in Reno and on the rodeo road.
Blessings… Deb
Executive Committee
Finance Committee
