91勛圖厙

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Idaho State University

Dr. Beth Bennett is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Idaho State University. Her research focuses on how rural communities in the Intermountain West perceive and respond to demographic, social, and economic changes driven by increased high net worth ownership of ranchland. Recently, her work has focused on how residents of rural communities maintain their identity and find hope as their community changes. Beth is passionate about community engaged work that allows her to work closely with the communities that she studies. When she isn���t in the office, Beth can be found exploring the mountains of Idaho and Montana with her dog, June.

Board Chair, Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate

Dr. Byron practiced pediatrics on the Crow Reservation for 27 years. A past president of the Montana Academy of Pediatrics, she has advocated for children her entire life. Concern for children���s health and their home-schooled daughters (a doctor and an engineer) compelled her and her husband to act on climate change. She earned an MS in energy policy and now organizes pediatricians from across the U.S. on climate change. She chairs the Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate.泭泭She was a medical expert in Held v. MT. She believes acting on climate matters for our kids. A lot.

New Market Lead, Houseal Lavigne

Dr. Cody Ferguson is a historian and sustainability scholar turned urban planner working with Houseal Lavigne, a leading national urban planning and geospatial services firm. His academic work explores democratic governance and how communities have addressed public goods challenges, including land conservation, toxic waste siting, water management, and the impacts of mining and energy development. He has authored several articles and the book, This is Our Land: Grassroots Environmentalism in the Late Twentieth Century (Rutgers, 2015) and co-authored several book chapters. Recently, he has shifted his focus from the past to the future. As a planner, he helps Western communities use data-driven tools to become more sustainable and resilient. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring Helena with his wife and two young children.

Founder, Bee Haven Gardens

Nicole Jarvis is the founder of Bee Haven Gardens in Dillon, Montana an educational garden dedicated to teaching regenerative practices and fostering community engagement with agriculture. With over 20 years of experience in organic farming and living in rural Montana communities, Nicole brings a deep, place-based understanding of land, resilience, and interconnectedness to her work. She holds an M.S. in Regenerative Organic Agriculture and has been accepted as a Ph.D. candidate at Maharishi International University.泭 Nicole泭weaves together regenerative land stewardship and transcendental awareness as she blends her passion for hands-on agricultural education with her commitment to nurturing the landscapes she calls home.

You can find her most recent work here:泭

Environmental Sciences

Abbey McClaflin���s passion is to continue building the bridge between land, livestock, and human health through regenerative agriculture practices. This May (2026), she will earn a B.S. in Environmental Sciences with a minor in Farm and Ranch Operations from the University of 91勛圖厙. Her Senior Thesis is exploring a variety of soil health benefits by increasing soil microbiome activity with a locally produced biological stimulant. Abbey also works for the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership in Dillon, MT where she is collaborating with local ranchers to evaluate the ecological and economic benefits of virtual fence technology. She will continue this area of interest as she applies to graduate programs to study how an integrative approach to livestock management can positively affect rangeland plants and wildlife. During the summer months, you can join Abbey on a variety of horse packing trips in Yellowstone National Park, where she shares the history, beauty, and ecology of the natural world through her family���s business, Sunrise Pack Station.

Executive Director, Big Hole Watershed Committee

Pedro���s childhood dream of being a biologist died early in his first semester of college after a few weeks of heredity studies looking at fruit flies under a microscope. 3-years later in a religion course exploring the ethics of place, he realized he didn���t feel connected to any specific land or water, an epiphany that launched a 25-year career in ecology and conservation. From the hard concrete of West Oakland to the World Bank, the jungles of Panama and the Amazon to the rivers of Montana, Pedro has been restoring degraded lands and working with rural and marginalized communities making a living at the interface of natural systems. He has led the Big Hole Watershed Committee since 2019, a consensus-based conservation organization governed by local stakeholders whose livelihoods depend on the health of the Big Hole River. Leveraging partnerships and ecological sciences, he has put millions of dollars of restoration projects on the ground in the Big Hole and led the restoration of a Superfund site along the Continental Divide. He lives in Missoula with his wife and two kids.

Environmental Sustainability

Ted Montalvo is crafting a portfolio that braids their interests in sustainable development with their artistic talents. Ted is a junior at the University of 91勛圖厙 pursuing a Bachelor of Science in environmental sustainability alongside three minors specializing in the arts and communication. In 2025 Ted was selected to be a Baucus Climate Scholar. They spent last summer designing science communication illustrations centered around water quality for the Henry���s Fork Foundation. In their free time, Ted is pursuing digital art or entertaining others through theater.

Coming from a town of 500 people ��� and inspired by their grandfather���s passion for sustainable agriculture and connecting communities ��� Ted wants to help broaden communication and education among neighbors to build a more resilient rural America.

Illumindance Theatre is a collaborative performance project bringing together dancers, actors, musicians, farmers, and traditional healers to explore climate change through the lens of rural Montana. Rooted in the Indigenous philosophy of Mit獺kuye Oy獺s���i��������all my relations������and guided by the medicine wheel as a sacred hoop, the work follows a year in the life of a fourth-generation family farmer facing economic and environmental uncertainty. Through world rhythms, movement, storytelling, blessings, and flowing silks, Illumindance creates an immersive, embodied journey that honors connection, resilience, and the living landscape.

Dr. Rob Thomas is a Regents Professor of Geology at the University of 91勛圖厙. He is a Carnegie/CASE U.S. Professor (2009), Montana Educator of the Year (2013), Montana Regents Teaching Scholar (2019), and Fellow of the Geological Society of America, ���an honor bestowed upon the best of the profession.��� He authored or co-authored over 75 professional publications, including the books,泭Roadside Geology of Yellowstone Country,泭硃紳餃泭Roadside Geology of Montana,泭which received the High Plains Book Award in 2021. His personal passions include family, teaching Sherpa mountain guides in Nepal, and playing guitar around a campfire.

Jarred Kvamme is a University of 91勛圖厙 alumnus, having earned bachelor’s degrees in Integrative Biology and Mathematics in 2018 and 2019. Kvamme furthered his education at the University of Idaho, obtaining a Master’s in Statistical Science. Currently Kvamme is a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Audrey Fu���s lab at the University of Idaho where his research focuses on the study of gene regulation through causal network inference and deep learning.

Dr. Marybeth Wilson graduated from the University of Missouri in 2011 with her clinical doctorate of physical therapy and has been working in patient care since that time. In 2015 she became a board certified orthopedic specialist and in 2018 she completed a graduate certificate in chronic pain studies from McGill University. She currently lives and works in Dillon, Montana where she treats patients across the lifespan including those living with acute and chronic pain.

Dr. Diana Pallin is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine and has been practicing Obesity medicine since 2013. She is a member of the Obesity Medicine Association and founder of New Start Medical, a metabolic practice that offers comprehensive weight management programs

She is passionate about offering her patients the tools needed to be successful in their weight management journey in a medically supervised setting. Management of cardio-metabolic conditions is an important part of her practice. Becoming an obesity medicine specialist allowed her to help patients improve their health and quality of life, lose weight safely and prevent developing chronic, metabolic conditions.

Dr. Kyra Wood recently graduated from Rocky Mountain College with a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. She was raised in Dillon, MT as a Beaver and soon became a Bulldog. After Western, she went to Idaho State University to finish a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. She then began her graduate career in Occupational Therapy. Wood’s time at Rocky helped her develop her passion for working with veterans and military service members through occupational therapy and research. Her favorite occupations are dirt biking and spending time with family.

Sophia Etier is a Public Historian, graduating from the University of Montana (’20) as well as Southern New Hampshire University (’23), with a focus area in local Montana History as well as the American West. Etier specializes in research focusing on Western red light districts and the development of minority communities in the Western Montana region. In September 2023, Sophia presented her research “Forgotten Souls: The Lost Voices of Western Montana’s Restricted Districts” at the泭Montana History Conference. She also is a lead guide for the Unseen Missoula heritage tour program, curating and managing the ‘Carnal Enterprises’ restricted district tour.

Callie Triller is a co-founder of The Early Childhood Coalition of Beaverhead County. She is deeply passionate about building community and connections between families to make sure that all families have what they need to thrive.泭Trained as a school counselor, Triller still draws on many of her skills for problem-solving and systems change work.泭 Triller and her family are actively involved in their local Presbyterian church, where her husband serves as the Pastor.泭 Triller can often be found with a cup of coffee in her hand as she tries to keep up with her two young sons.

Melissa Winger is a co-founder of The Early Childhood Coalition of Beaverhead County. Trained as a Marriage and Family Therapist, she has dedicated her career to nurturing secure connections within families. Winger’s work focuses on healing intergenerational patterns of trauma and disconnection, providing families with the tools to foster healthy, loving relationships. Her journey is deeply rooted in her own experiences as a mother, as she balances the responsibilities of raising her three children, all under the age of five, with her professional pursuits.

Nathaniel H. Freeman is an artist, designer, and educator based out of Dillon, MT. His art and design work has been featured in the泭Wall Street Journal, NPR, I.D. Magazine, 硃紳餃泭Matter Magazine, among others. He is presently the Director of the Center for Experiential Education at the University of 91勛圖厙.

Personal Website:

Dr. Erik Guzik is the Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Montana. His research centers on entrepreneurship, the economic microfoundations of creativity, and conditions supporting regional and national innovation. For his research into the impact of creative problem solving on student skill development, Guzik received the Creative Oklahoma Great Inspirations Award, the Oklahoma Journal Record���s Creativity Award, and Hewlett Packard���s Catalyst Award. His latest research into the creative abilities of Generative Artificial Intelligence has been featured on CNBC, Fortune, Der Spiegel, and hundreds of additional media outlets around the world. Guzik is the founder of VAST: Next Generation Learning, PatientOne, and the non-profit Virtual Problem Solving Program.

Dr. Spruce Schoenemann is a Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of 91勛圖厙. With his background in geochemistry and climate science research,泭he seeks to understand the past climate to provide context for the climate changes of today and the future. He does this by utilizing environmental archives of climate like ice cores, lake sediments, glacier deposits, and tree rings.泭Schoenemann泭has泭a泭strong personal interest in boldly addressing the climate crisis through education and outreach, resource management, renewable energy, and sustainability.泭He is passionate about protecting our winters and wilderness and securing a livable climate for future generations.

Personal Webpage:泭

Amber Jordan believes her role as a healthcare leader is to ���take care of the people who take care of the people.��� She is a Community Health Center executive and a coach for rising healthcare leaders. Jordan grew up in rural Alaska, then traveled the world as an internationally competitive athlete after college. She became a healthcare leader after her athletic retirement. Amber now uses lessons learned from elite sports and her own health challenges to help managers become leaders, and to build healthy workplace cultures where people can do their best work every day.

Dr. Aleisha Shirley is a Physical Therapist, college professor, horseback riding biomechanics researcher, and lifetime horseback rider. She works at the University of 91勛圖厙 where she teaches in the Health and Human Performance department.

Dr. Shirley developed a clinical interest in strengthening for horseback riders after breaking her back in a horse accident. After rehabilitating herself she returned to competing at a high level and continues to compete to this day. Her work and online courses are focused on helping riders improve their riding confidence, balance, and stability.

Personal website:

Dr.泭Dev Seacrest (he/him)泭is a transmasculine professor at the University of 91勛圖厙. He strives to share the joy of mathematics with those who grew up believing that a good mathematician is someone who completes 100 multiplication problems in the泭allotted泭time.

After earning his bachelor’s in math from Harvey Mudd College and his master’s in math and Ph.D. in math education from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he泭began focusing on reaching students who have struggled in previous math classes.泭He encourages his students and his children to ask creative questions and to explore the world, mathematically and otherwise.

Nathan J. Boll is a Space Policy Analyst at NASA Headquarters, where he supports the Science Mission Directorate and the NAC Science Committee. He previously served泭as a Senior Space Policy Consultant to NOAA at the Aerospace Corporation. Prior to his Federal service, Boll was a Program Executive for AIAA and an Associate Program Officer for the National Academy of Sciences. He earned his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of 91勛圖厙, his M.S. in Space Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan, and his M.A. in International Policy from George Washington University.

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Katy Wright is a National Board Certified Teacher and has a Master’s Degree in Montessori Education from St. Catherine University. Wright is a founding member of Improv Mining Company, co-produces an annual education-themed sketch comedy show, and is proud to have worked with Grandstreet Theatre, Helena Symphony, Helena Theatre Company, and Raven���s Feather over the years. Wright hopes to earn her doctorate in Educational Leadership and work in national public education policy in the near future. She thanks her husband, Scott, and all of their 6 kids.

Yasmin Arlette Acosta-Myers, rooted in Tecate, Mexico, and Dillon, Montana, blends her diverse cultural background. Navigating the Mexico-U.S. border, her Mexican heritage intertwines with American influences. Acosta-Myers���s commitment to global education springs from family dynamics, global travels, and rural Montana life. Holding a Master���s in Arts Administration and a Graduate Certificate in International Education, she actively advocates for workplace equity and global competence. With a versatile career in non-profit and for-profit sectors, Acosta-Myers excels in education, cultural administration,泭program management, and the arts. She is dedicated to fostering diverse and inclusive environments and is passionate about impactful education.

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