2021-2022 Cohort Members

Information about the 2021-2022 cohort can be found here.

2020-2021 Cohort Members

All profiles date from members' participation in 2020-2021.

Charity Atteberry University of Montana

Charity Atteberry is the Director of Undergraduate Advising in the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and is honored to have served UM for six years. She earned her B.S. in Elementary Education and M.Ed. in Reading Education and is currently pursuing doctoral degrees in Educational Leadership at UM. Roles such as UM's Staff Senate President (Chair) in 2020-2021 have instilled in Charity an extraordinary sense of urgency to amplify her voice and the voice of her constituency, to lead with courage to support the needs of classified staff, a majority of whom are women, and to contribute meaningfully to promote a culture shift that epitomizes the values of UM's Priority for Action 3: Mission First, People Always. Charity believes that UM can and should serve as the laboratory for progressive thinking about equity across stratifications and intersections of privilege and its absence and is thrilled to discover how her participation in WLI will help her hone her leadership skills to promote this vision for the future.

Kelly Becker Clearwater Credit Union

Kelly Becker is the Internal Auditor for Clearwater Credit Union. She earned her degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting at the University of Montana. She joined the Credit Union in 2000. Since then she has been a teller, worked in card services, accounting and finally as an internal auditor. She enjoys new challenges and is looking forward to working with the Women’s Leadership Initiative. The WLI provides an exciting opportunity for personal development and to help others obtain their leadership goals.

Kalie Brittner Clearwater Credit Union

Kalie Brittner was born and raised in Missoula, MT. She works as an Assistant Branch Manager at Clearwater Credit Union. Kalie started working in leadership roles when she joined the Montana Army National Guard in 2013. She served in the MTANG for 6 years. She has strong ties to her community and is passionate about serving those in the community in any way she can. Currently she serves on board that helps young mothers with life transitions. Kalie hopes her time in the WLI will strengthen her leadership skills and help her to empower the woman in our community to do the same. Outside of work, Kalie enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids.

Sherrill Brown University of Montana

Sherrill Brown is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and the Director of the Drug Information Service in the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy. She received her PharmD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and completed a drug information residency at the University of Tennessee and Methodist University Hospital. She joined the faculty at the University of Montana in 2004, teaching courses on Drug Information and Drug Literature Evaluation. Sherrill is excited to be part of this group of diverse women, working to improve the landscape of women’s leadership at UM and in Missoula.

Stephanie Domitrovich University of Montana

Stephanie Domitrovich is the Director of Undergraduate Advising for the School of Integrative Physiology and Athletic Training and the School of Public and Community Health Sciences. She is a first-generation student who earned her BS in Athletic Training from the University of Idaho and her MS in Exercise Science from the University of Montana. Stephanie began advising in 2012 and discovered a passion for increasing the trajectory of UM students. Some of her most proud accomplishments include helping other first-generation students realize their potential. Careers in health and allied health are male dominated and Stephanie actively works to change that culture by advising women as they pursue careers in healthcare. In addition to advising, Stephanie is an advocate for UM Staff as a Staff Ambassador and an Executive Officer for Staff Senate where her mission is to lift the voices of underserved populations. Stephanie is excited to work on Women’s Leadership Initiative in this globally transformative year where she hopes to be a part of the powerful paradigm shift towards more inclusive communities and leadership.

Aimee Elliott University of Montana

Aimee Elliott is the Program Director for the Big Sky Culinary Institute and an Associate Professor at Missoula College. She is dedicated to creating opportunity and advancement for women in industries that are traditionally male dominated by fostering leadership, communication, inclusion, diversity, and service. Aimee has been part of the UM family since 2008 serving in various faculty positions, but always remaining a mentor to her students and peers. Aimee currently serves on numerous University committees and is an active member and partner in the Missoula and University community.

Jenny Hall (Wilson) University of Montana

Jenny Hall (Wilson) grew up in an agricultural community in South Central Montana. She left the tiny town of Boyd to attend the University of Montana and obtained her undergraduate degree in 2004. She has worked for UM since 2007, developing professional experience in education administration and management, which led her into her current role as Program and Curriculum Manager for the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana (FMRWM). Jenny started with the program in 2012 - one year before the inaugural class - and has found great fulfillment in helping to build a residency that focuses on training family physicians who will practice in rural and underserved Montana. Her current role allows her to focus on resident recruitment, clinical integration, and curriculum management and she takes great pride in leading the incredible FMRWM administrative team. Her personal interests include gardening, downhill skiing, hiking, and reading.

Kimberly Reiser University of Montana

Kimberly Reiser is an Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Applied Arts at Missoula College (MC) and the Discipline Lead of Communication Studies at MC. She has taught communication studies at MC for 21 years. Kim’s love for communication grew from competing in speech and debate; she found a “voice” she didn’t previously know she had. She competed in forensics at Carroll College while completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communication with a secondary teaching licensure in both Speech and English. Kim taught and coached high school and college forensics prior to completing her Master’s Degree in Communication Studies at UM. Her areas of research interest are gender and political rhetoric as well as communication education. Kim is excited to be a part of the Women’s Leadership Initiative cohort. She hopes to use the experience to be a vehicle for promoting women’s leadership skills amongst MC students and to foster positive attitudes about women in these roles. She also hopes to reexamine gender bias in leadership styles to promote inclusive workplace and learning environments at UM.

Eva Rocke University of Montana

Since 2014, Eva Rocke has been the Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Montana, helping guide UM’s climate action efforts and a wide variety of sustainability initiatives. The best part of her job is working with students who are eager to address the sustainability challenges we face as a society by finding hands-on, meaningful strategies on campus. Eva earned an M.S. in Environmental Studies from UM in 2014 and a B.A. in Anthropology and Environmental Policy from the University of the South (Sewanee) in Tennessee. Though not a native Montanan, she has lived in Missoula longer than any other community and so now considers it Home. Through the WLI, Eva is looking forward to discussing how women can do a better job of being our own best advocates and how to advocate for each other in ways that create a systemic shift to more gender equitable organizations.

Christa Schweer Clearwater Credit Union

Christa Schweer represents Clearwater Credit Union as the Lead Universal Associate. She has 8 years of experience in banking and joined the Clearwater team 3 years ago. Christa moved to Missoula, Montana in 2017 from her hometown Grand Junction, Colorado. Christa, her husband, and their two children spend much of their time enjoying outdoor activities. Together, they love fishing, camping, hunting and have recently taken up rafting the beautiful rivers that Montana has to offer. At Clearwater, Christa is a part of a new business model that she is proud to help implement and train others in the Universal Associate role. Christa is driven to serve and empower those around her. She is compassionate while assisting members and colleagues and she stands out as a leader on her team.

Jingjing Sun University of Montana

Jingjing Sun is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the Teaching and Learning Department. Her research has centered on the social and affective processes in learning, with a focus on learning through collaboration. Since arriving at UM, she has established the Collaboration and Reasoning Lab, where she and her students expand this research to consider the impact of broader ecological systems, such as culture and community, on classroom teaching and learning. She is a recipient of an Early Stage Investigator Career Award from the National Institutes of Health, and an early career research fellow of the American Educational Research Association and Society of Research in Child Development. Since 2018, Jingjing has proudly led an all-female interdisciplinary research team to collaborate with Native American communities and tribal and school stakeholders on the Flathead Nation of Montana to investigate culturally appropriate social emotional learning for Native American youth. As a new mom, she is compelled to help build a culture through WLI where women are empowered to reach the fullness of their career potentials while enjoying a fulfilled personal life.

2019-2020 Cohort Members

All profiles date from members' participation in 2019-2020.

Jennifer Bell University of Montana

Jennifer Bell is the Director of Clinical Education and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. She earned her BS in Kinesiology at the University of Texas at Austin, her Masters of Physical Therapy from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and her Doctorate of Science in Physical Therapy from Texas Tech University Health Science Center. She joined UM in 2013 after 7 years in rural clinical practice in Alaska. Since then, she has worked across programs to develop interprofessional education opportunities, developed the Certificate of Rural Health Leadership and has collaborated with across campus to develop and offer international global health programs in Africa and Asia. She also created the Women’s Development Group to empower and support female PT students on their path to careers in health and science. Jenn is very excited about the opportunity to engage with a diverse group of women who are dedicated to supporting one another in their personal and professional growth. She is committed to being a leader in changing the landscape at UM, Montana, and the world to be inclusive, safe and empowering for women. While the WLI is a year-long program, she views this as a lifelong commitment to shifting conversations, changing perspectives, and holding up women and girls to achieve their full potential.

Amy Fowler Kinch University of Montana

Since 2010, Amy Fowler Kinch has directed UM’s Faculty Development Office, which supports faculty research, teaching, service, and career development. For the past two years, she has participated in the Willow AGEP Alliance, a NSF-funded project, serving on a team researching how institutions can better support Native American faculty members. From 2005 to 2010, she worked as the program manager for Project PACE, a NSF ADVANCE grant to promote the recruitment and retention of women faculty in the sciences and to support indigenous women scientists. Amy oversaw the policy development component of that grant and collaborated with others to establish campus-wide initiatives such as UM’s faculty-staff child care center, retirees’ association, and faculty modified duties policy. Prior to working at UM, Amy worked on national early childhood education policy for Abt Associates (Cambridge, MA) and High/Scope Educational Research Foundation (Ypsilanti, MI). She earned a M.A. in Public Policy Studies from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University. As a WLI participant, Amy is excited to help build new leadership programs at UM and to find ways to better support and recognize the outstanding and frequently unsung work of UM’s employees.

Jasmine Zink Laine University of Montana

Jasmine Zink Laine has worked in UM’s Office of the Provost for seven years, where she manages institutional accreditation, and assessment, and various other academic reviews. Jasmine is an advocate for cultivating employee engagement and increasing professional development opportunities for UM’s people. She is passionate about creating an institutional culture at the University of Montana that emphasizes learning, growth, and inclusion. Jasmine earned an M.A. in Communication Studies and a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Montana and a B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Professional Flight from the University of North Dakota. Jasmine is grateful to be a part of the WLI cohort and is looking forward to developing a network of support for women’s leadership at UM.

Jeanne Loftus University of Montana

Jeanne Loftus is the director of the Franke Global Leadership Initiative at the University of Montana. She is passionate about helping students pursue their interests tackling local and global challenges, getting them engaged in their community, and supporting them in their experiences abroad. Jeanne attended the University of Montana to complete her undergraduate degree in Anthropology and pursue graduate work in Geography. Prior to her position with the Franke GLI, she worked for many years in UM’s Office of International Programs, where she supported international students and managed institutional partnerships. Love of travel has brought her to nearly thirty countries for work, volunteerism and personal journeys. She hopes her contributions as a Women’s Leadership Fellow will build on the commitments and work already outlined by the first cohort. Her key issue of focus is how we can engage men, along with women, in building a culture of support for women’s leadership.

Rachel Maki Clearwater Credit Union

Rachel Maki works as the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Clearwater Credit Union, where she serves in a number of leadership capacities, both internally and within the Missoula community. She is inspired to help empower women to embrace their strengths, not only for individual development but also for the strength and integrity of our communities and the good of all.

Melissa Neidigh University of Montana

Melissa Neidigh is the Associate Director of Operations for UM Housing and has been working on campus for over twelve years. She also oversees the Griz Card Center. During her time in UM Housing, Melissa has worked to streamline and find efficiencies in processes, document procedures, complete program assessments, and develop disaster recovery plans. She also serves on the DiverseU Committee and Diversity Advisory Council, and is a co-chair for the Griz Welcome Committee. Melissa was recently selected as the President Elect for the National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) and is a Missoula Community Forum Representative for her neighborhood. Melissa holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Montana. Prior to moving to Montana, she worked in the nonprofit sector in the Twin Cities and served as an Americorps VISTA in Minneapolis, focusing on affordable housing. Melissa believes in continuous improvement and enjoys the challenges and opportunities to creatively solve issues that her work on campus brings her. Melissa is honored to be part of the Women’s Leadership Initiative and believes the focus on women’s recruitment, advancement, and retention in leadership roles at UM will make it a stronger institution that will better serve students by demonstrating equality and including more women in key decision making.

Twila Old Coyote University of Montana

Twila Old Coyote is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke (Crow) tribe as well as a member of the A’aninin (Whiteclay) tribe. She received both of her degrees from the University of Montana and has served in a variety of capacities at UM since 2003, most recently as the director of TRIO Upward Bound. Her professional experience has always been in the areas of recruitment and retention of American Indian students. Her passion has always surrounded providing educational access to all while promoting the success of students at the postsecondary level. The WLI will provide an opportunity to further expand her professional and personal goals and passion. She is the proud mom of 3 beautiful children and 3 rambunctious fur babies.

Alison Pepper University of Montana

Alison Pepper is Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Arts and Sciences at Missoula College (MC) and the Discipline Lead of Psychology at MC. She earned her bachelor's degree in Human Development at the University of California, San Diego and her Master's degree in Experimental Psychology at California State University, San Marcos. The Ph.D. program in Psychology brought her to the University of Montana, and after graduating in 2009, she immediately began teaching at MC. For the last 6 years, Ali is a Research Assistant in Dr. Chris Fiore's Intimate Partner and Dating Violence Laboratory, which has been assessing students' attitudes and experiences with sexual assault. She also serves as Co-Chair on the Prevention Education Antiviolence Coordinated Efforts (PEACE) committee, and is a member of the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) and Title IX Case review. Ali takes great pride in being able to teach and mentor students in their academic careers; she also is passionate about advocating for the prevention and intervention of sexual assault. Ali is honored and excited to be part of this collaborative group of women, to examine gender biases in higher education, and refine her own leadership skills and ability to empower student success. Ali is a proud mom of a 4 year old (Max) and 2 year old (Jax). She and her partner enjoy pretty much any outdoor activity, and she is happy to share that she is an avid CrossFitter!

Sara Rinfret University of Montana

Sara Rinfret is the Chair of the Department of Public Administration & Policy and Director for the Master of Public Administration Program. She embraces the teacher-scholar model and is an expert in US environmental policy and teaches courses in public administration, public policy, and regulatory policy. Sara is a recipient of the Fulbright Specialist Program in public administration and studied with scholars at the University of Aarhus (Denmark) in 2016. In 2018, she was selected by UM student alumni as the "most inspirational teacher" of the year. She was nominated and selected for NASPAA Next, an institute for the future of public affairs education, Fall 2018. The Women’s Leadership Initiative provides an exciting opportunity to work with a cohort of women to change the systemic culture that often plagues many of our organizations to date. Together, we can help to change so that running public agencies, winning elections, or being president are no longer the exception, but the norm for women.

Rachel Severson University of Montana

Rachel Severson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Experimental Psychology PhD Program. She directs the Minds Lab, where she and her research team study how children attribute minds and internal states to others, including inanimate nature and personified technology (e.g., rocks and robots), and the social and moral consequences of doing so. She received a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Washington. Prior to joining the faculty at University of Montana in January 2016, she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of British Columbia and a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Oslo. Rachel is keen to build upon WLI's focus on leadership within UM and Missoula community to identify and remove barriers to women pursuing leadership roles, cultivate a culture of support for the next generation of women leaders, and develop a network of leaders to support women’s leadership more broadly.

Erika Sylvester Clearwater Credit Union

Erika Sylvester is a born and raised Missoulian. She received her degree in Psychology from Montana State University in 2012, and now works as a Financial Service Representative (FSR) Supervisor for Clearwater Credit Union. She is passionate about helping the staff of Clearwater become the best they can be and compassionately supporting the members she serves. Before working at Clearwater, she enriched the lives of many children by being a ski instructor and working individually with children with disabilities. By joining the Women’s Leadership Initiative, Erika hopes to hone her leadership skills and be a model to women in the community to be leaders in whatever field they choose. Outside of work, Erika is actively involved with Garden City Harvest, the Missoula Symphony Chorale, and serves on the board of the International Choral Festival. She loves to hike, garden, ski, sing, and be with her family; husband, Matt, and two rambunctious dogs.

Ke Wu University of Montana

Ke Wu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. With an educational background in Law, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Counseling Psychology, and Mathematics Education, Ke’s research interests include a variety of areas such as statistical modeling, mathematics education, STEM learning, and mentoring. Currently she is the Principal Investigator of NSF-funded MonTana Supports the Mathematician of Tomorrow project and the Willow AGEP Alliance: A Model to Advance Native American STEM Faculty project. She works closely with the Montana Math Teachers’ Circles - a fantastic professional development and learning community of over 450 math teachers and mathematicians in Montana! She is excited to join the Women’s Leadership Initiative to be part of the effort to support more women and diversity to thrive in the institute of higher education and in our communities.

2015-2016 Cohort Members

All profiles date from members' participation in 2015-2016.

Lisa Blank University of Montana

Lisa Blank is a Professor of Science Education at the University of Montana. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with specializations in Science Education and Environmental Science from Indiana University in 1997. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in science methods and curriculum development and reform at the University of Montana since 1998, received the Most Inspirational Teacher Award in 2001, and the UM Distinguished Teacher Award in 2015. She is a former middle and high school science teacher and elementary science specialist. Her teaching and scholarship reflect her interests in curriculum development and teacher professional development. Her goals for the Women's Leadership Initiative range from developing a deeper understanding of the business and marketing side of academia to working to advance the University of Montana as a leader in exemplary science teaching practices across all science programs.

Amy Capolupo University of Montana

Amy Capolupo serves as the Director of Disability Services for Students and she has worked for over ten years at the University of Montana. She views education as a right for all and has been passionate about this for her entire career. Over the years, her position has evolved from a coordinator serving 200 students to presently overseeing twelve staff, managing operations, and projecting the direction and strategic plan for the department in future years, while maintaining her coordinator caseload. Capolupo also serves on the campus Behavioral Intervention Team and is a member of the State of Montana Rehabilitation Council. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Montana and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Amy is honored to be a part of this initiative and has the goal that this cohort will positively impact university practices in the areas of the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. She also plans to use her time with the cohort to encourage practices, which focus on improving the graduation rates of students throughout the institution.

Amy takes incredible pride in the work of her office, her colleagues and the University. She continues to be inspired by the students that she serves and strives to make UM a place that eliminates barriers for these students; so that they may achieve their academic goals, and receive a degree. In doing so, ideally, they will improve their lives, the lives of those around them, and quite possibly the world.

Claudine Cellier University of Montana

Claudine Cellier lived in various Latin American countries as a child. She completed her undergraduate degree as well as her MA in Hispanic Literature at New York University. Claudine then joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France. Claudine deepened her understanding of international development and education politics there, particularly through her work for the Association for the Development of Education of Africa - a partnership between major donors to education in sub-Saharan African countries and those countries' ministries of education.

In the four years Claudine has run the administrative operations of the Office of the Provost, she has sought to make Academic Affairs initiatives more meaningful for more people on campus. Claudine is passionate about improving internal communications at UM as a means to broaden employee engagement with the University's goals and mission. Claudine has recently become Director of Academic Personnel and looks forward to serving UM in this capacity. Claudine hopes the Women’s Leadership Initiative will shape a strong network of men and women who recognize that UM's success depends on fostering a supportive and positive professional environment for all.

Sarah Certel University of Montana

Sarah Certel is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Biological Sciences where the focus of her group's research is to understand how aggression is wired into the nervous system. She began to appreciate the complexities and rules that govern animal behavior while a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and the complexities of nervous system development during her Ph.D. studies in Genetics at the University of Iowa. Her goals as a Women's Leadership fellow include to better understand and tap into the common threads that unite a group and to learn from the personal and professional leadership experiences of this collection of outstanding UM women.

Katie Dalessio University of Montana

In her eleventh year with UM, Katie Dalessio progressed from an accounting associate to Treasury and Investments Manager, to her current position as Director of Fiscal and Personnel Services. She spent three years on Staff Senate, serving as President in 2008. In 2014, she accepted her current position for Missoula College.   Her job encompasses anything and everything involving "money and people."  She truly loves working in the college environment and thrives off the energy and excitement of the students.  Although she is a committed member of the Griz Nation, she was born and raised in North Idaho, and is a graduate of the University of Idaho in Moscow (as are her parents and sister).  In 2004, she met a wonderful Missoula College alum, Everett Lanz, who convinced her to move to Missoula.  Everett is a former ranch kid from Boulder, Montana.  The couple married in 2007 and have three amazing children.  The opportunity to be part of the inaugural cohort of the Women's Leadership Initiative is one Katie will cherish.  She plans to support the women of UM in any way she can.  Her goals are to demonstrate the possibility for young women to work their way through the University system to leadership positions; to identify the barriers that women face in reaching these positions; and to work through the Initiative to minimize and eliminate these barriers.

Maria Mangold University of Montana

Maria Mangold is an academic advisor in the Department of English and the current Vice President (Chair-elect) of Staff Senate. She sees women as being uniquely qualified to champion social justice issues and bring about social change. She hopes to empower other female staff to effectively communicate their creative ideas and to contribute positively to student service. Eventually, Maria hopes that the Women’s Leadership Initiative will include students through outreach and mentoring. Maria earned a B.A. in Anthropology at Illinois Wesleyan University and a M.Ed. in Student Affairs Administration at Loyola University in Chicago. Prior to moving to Montana, Maria worked at Roosevelt University as an international student advisor.

Kirsten Murray University of Montana

Kirsten Murray is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Counselor Education. She received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Interpersonal Communication from The University of Idaho, and later pursued a master’s degree in Couple and Family Counseling from Idaho State University. Her Ph.D. is in Counselor Education and Counseling, also from Idaho State University. After four years teaching and supervising counselors-in-training at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, she returned west and joined the Department of Counselor Education at The University of Montana in the Fall of 2011. Kirsten’s professional counseling experiences began with counseling families in group-home settings and extended to serving couples and families across community non-profit sectors and private practice. Her teaching and research attends to advocacy, social justice, and family systems. Her scholarly interests include qualitative research methodologies, wellness and resiliency practices, counselor training and supervision, and family and couple counseling. As a member of the Women’s Leadership Initiative, she hopes to cultivate mentoring opportunities, further a network of interdisciplinary relationships with colleagues, and hone leadership skills that support a work-life balance and capitalize on the joy of our work on campus.

Wilena Old Person University of Montana

Wilena Old Person is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation with Blackfeet heritage. She grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Starr School, Montana. Wilena received her B.A. in History and Native American Studies at the University of Montana-Missoula.

Old Person’s professional experience focuses on retention of American Indian/Alaska Native students in the health professions. She has worked within the Skaggs School of Pharmacy’s Native American Center of Excellence and Diversity Programs since 2010. Additionally, Wilena serves on many different committees campus wide including but not limited to: Diversity Advisory Committee, University Athletics Committee, American Indian Support and Development Council, the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences Diversity Committee and the American Indian Heritage Day committee. Wilena is also co-advisor for the KyiYo Native American Student Association.

In the Missoula Community, Old Person has served on the Missoula Urban Indian Health Center’s Board of Directors from 2010-2014, Chair 2012-2014; Open Aid Alliance, March 2015-current; and NCBI-Missoula, June 2015-current and has been a NCBI Trainer since 2011.

At the University of Montana, Wilena feels that she’s an advocate and voice of encouragement for all students.

She is the proud mother of Joel, Alec, Jack and Jase. Her family loves the Grizzlies of Montana, Go Griz!

Nicky Phear University of Montana

Nicky Phear is a faculty member in the College of Forestry and Conservation. She has been teaching and leading academic programs at UM for the last 13 years, first with the Wilderness and Civilization program and currently with the Climate Change Studies program. Her focus is with interdisciplinary programs that blend classroom and experiential learning while engaging undergraduates in leadership development. Nicky serves on the Climate Smart Missoula leadership team and is active on campus and in the city organizing community-based conversations to address climate change. Internationally, Nicky has led climate change education programs in Bhutan and Vietnam and recently served as the Academic Co-Director for the Mansfield Center’s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative.

Nicky has a BA in Psychology from The University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Environmental Studies from The University of Montana, and a PhD from Prescott College in Sustainability Education. In addition to her interest in climate change education, Nicky is an avid backcountry skier and mountain biker.

In regard to the Women’s Leadership Initiative, Nicky would like to be part of a thoughtful, supportive group of women who look critically at gender biases in higher education, and who work to transform the culture here at UM. In doing so, the women involved will be transformed, better able to take a step in their own leadership, and more capable of supporting others in this path. She is looking forward to being a part of this network.

Holly Truitt University of Montana

Passionate about closing traditional opportunity and achievement gaps for the next generation, Holly Truitt directs the University of Montana Broader Impacts Group (BIG) and award-winning spectrUM Discovery Area. A former Noyce Leadership Institute Fellow, she regularly serves as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer on approaches to behavioural and social change. Truitt was recently named one of the top 20 business professionals under 40 by the Missoulian and serves on the boards of the Missoula Public Library Foundation, the Clark Fork Coalition, and the Noyce Leadership Institute. She lives in Missoula with her husband Reed, boy Finn, and a flock of rather unruly urban chickens. Truitt has a B.A. and M.S. from the University of Montana.

Kelly Webster University of Montana

Kelly is the Director of the University of Montana Writing Center where she coordinates writing in the disciplines and writing across the curriculum initiatives. She completed undergraduate degrees in Literature and Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame and two graduate degrees in Literature and the History of Consciousness at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She went on to become a teaching fellow in the Writing Program at UCSC and a lecturer at Cabrillo Community College where she helped lead efforts to unionize the faculty. Kelly then moved to Oregon to co-direct the Chemeketa College Writing Center and teach in the Chemeketa Writing Program where she led campus efforts to revise the developmental and college-level writing curriculum and to implement programmatic assessment. Kelly brings to the Women’s Leadership Initiative a sustained interest in creating conditions that support female leaders. Even as early as her undergraduate years, Kelly captained the Notre Dame Cross Country and Track and Field teams, and represented all athletes’ voices to university administration. Kelly plans to use the Women’s Leadership Initiative as a platform for interrogating the misalignment between perceived characteristics of leaders and traditional perceptions of women. She is committed to cultivating a campus community that treats women’s leadership efforts as a shared responsibility, not just a women’s issue.