Meet the team

Joey Faigl was born and continues to reside in the beautiful city of Rock Springs, Wyoming. He graduated from Rock Springs High School in the year 1992, marking the beginning of his journey into adulthood. In 1997, he embarked on a career with Union Pacific Railroad, where he dedicated 16 years to enhancing their safety program. His hard work and commitment to excellence did not go unnoticed, as he received multiple awards for his contributions, including a noteworthy national recognition in Washington DC. In 2011, Joey took a significant step in his passion for wildlife conservation by co-founding the Muley Fanatic Foundation, where he held the esteemed positions of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

Joey has nurtured a profound passion for mule deer for over 40 years, a love that started when he found his very first shed antler at the tender age of five. Throughout the years, he has invested countless hours into filming and photographing mule deer, further deepening his knowledge and love for this remarkable species. Beyond his professional endeavors, he takes great pleasure in various outdoor activities, drawing wildlife, and volunteering within his community. He is also an avid supporter of local youth sports and enjoys watching the Wyoming Cowboys during football season. Joey is known for being a joyful and laid-back individual, and he is immensely proud to be a native of Wyoming. However, his main priorities firmly rest on Faith and Family. His relationship with God comes first, followed by his loving wife Nikki and their three sons: Brady, Brendan, and Hunter. He cherishes the moments spent creating lasting memories with his family amidst the beauty of nature.

Chris Steffen was born in Rochester, New York, in 1969. His parents, after visiting Wyoming on their honeymoon, moved there to buy a ranch. Chris grew up on this ranch in northern Wyoming, where he helped raise cattle, worked in the fields, and enjoyed the outdoors. Hunting and fishing were important to him. He spent much time in the Big Horn Mountains and the Cody area. Chris graduated from Rocky Mountain High School in 1987 and attended Northwest Community College for two years before transferring to Montana State University to complete his education. Chris changed his path from studying in college to pursuing a career in law enforcement. He joined the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy's Pre-Service program when it started and became the first civilian in Wyoming to receive certification as a law enforcement officer, graduating with class 91C69. Chris applied to various law enforcement agencies and found a home at the Green River Police Department in February 1992. He held several positions there, starting as a patrol officer and advancing to Juvenile Detective, Patrol Corporal, Detective Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant, and finally Chief of Police. He graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, in 2005. His time serving the Green River community was one of his proudest achievements. Chris retired from the police department in November 2017 and joined the Muley Fanatic Foundation. Before working there, he volunteered with the Southwest Chapter, wanting to give back to the outdoors he loved and support mule deer conservation. He served on the Allocation Committee, became its Chairman, and later joined the banquet committee.

Chris has been the co-chair and later the chair of the SW Wyoming Chapter. He is a dedicated family man who enjoys outdoor activities with his wife Andrea, son Easton, and twin daughters Chloe and Clair. Chris loves summer camping, fishing, archery, and fall hunting. He is also a Wyoming Game and Fish Hunter Education Instructor, helping kids and new hunters get started. Most weekends, Chris spends time hunting or fishing in Southwest Wyoming with family and friends, appreciating nature.

Janet Crofts is the Outreach Coordinator for Muley Fanatic Foundation, joining the team in January 2020. Born in Thermopolis, Wyoming, she grew up in Green River, graduating from Green River High School in 1993. After high school, Janet attended college in Colorado and returned to Wyoming to work for Dowell/Schlumberger in 1996, where she spent 19 years in various administrative roles. She met her husband, Jay, in 1995, and they married in 1996. Jay introduced her to outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, and camping, which sparked her love for nature and wildlife.

From 2016 to 2019, the Crofts family lived in South Carolina, where they learned the value of their Wyoming roots. They returned to Wyoming in 2019 and bought their dream property in the mountains near Kemmerer in 2020, where they now enjoy their free time. Janet's passions include crafting, outdoor photography, promoting outdoor activities for women, and spending time with her husband and their two dogs, Wahku and Hakela.

“Conservation is a great moral issue, for it involves the patriotic duty of ensuring the safety and continuance of the nation.” – Theodore Roosevelt

I have pondered these words to the greatest depths of my mind over the last few months and they have led me to countless prayers for discernment and guidance. Now official, I want to share with you that I have accepted an opportunity to serve within the Trump administration and will begin a new aim on May 1 in Washington D.C. This new role will conclude my 13-year history at the helm of MFF as the President/CEO. Establishing and growing MFF from a novel idea into a mule deer focused conservation powerhouse with affiliated chapters across seven states and organizational membership spanning all 50 states and more than 700 Life Members is special. While these accomplishments and actions to move the MFF mission forward have been plentiful, it is the relationships and the people along this journey that will always be the most significant. WE have done this together. All of the gains MFF has accomplished have been because of the army that we have built, together. It is also why I know these efforts will only get stronger moving forward. The MFF mission and model ensure its need beyond our living years. When Joey and I established MFF in 2012 according to the 70/30 model, many said it would never last.  The model focused on empowering local chapters to not only retain 70% of their annual net revenue, but also to bring together sportsmen and sportswomen to allocate funding through locally led, all-volunteer project allocation committees empowering individuals to measure the fruits of their labors, but also to take ownership in their personal engagement. This is our moment on the timeline of history and our stewardship responsibilities for the next generation is our patriotic duty. This is the backbone of MFF! In addition to the enormous chapter conservation impacts, I will always be proud of the labors tackled by MFF HQ that initiated many actions to move the mission forward through funding contributions to mule deer research and drafting a bill to create the Wyoming Wildlife Conservation license plate. Additionally, efforts to provide funding for conservation easements, wildlife crossings, landscape level habitat projects and implementing the Putting the ‘U’ in Hunt program that has put over 100 youth with terminal or life-threatening illnesses in the field are a few of the highlights I recall when looking back on what we have accomplished together. Still, even with this list, I see faces and hear voices: pride, laughter, joy, teamwork, and accomplishment. I think of many people in all of these efforts. Thank you for being in the arena. You have probably heard me say on more than one occasion that we are blessed with a bounty of wild and natural resources, but none are greater than our people. I believe this to my core. It has been an incredible honor to lead MFF and it is going to be an incredible honor to serve the United States of America. Those of you who know me, know that I hold service above self with the utmost regard. It defines my existence.  I have been incredibly blessed to work with an exceptional team and hundreds of passionate volunteers and others who are committed to making a difference. This experience has prepared me well to take on this new challenge and I am eager to get to work. I look forward to using my skills and experience to serve the American people in the Trump administration. I don’t know all the details of my role yet but I look forward to sharing those in the coming weeks and months. With the support of my beautiful wife, children, family, and the MFF team to take on this new challenge I know, as the MFF motto states, Do the Right Thing, that this calling is the right thing to do.

With the deepest appreciation,

Joshua W.D. Coursey