Member Bios

Allison Kane – Energy and Climate Educator, Climate Smart, St. Patrick’s Hospital
Allison recently completed a Master of Science in Climate Change from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark where she specialized in community resilience building through the co-production of combined mitigation and adaptation efforts. A New York native, she has worked locally in the public sector for five years performing outreach and education regarding community-centered events and sustainability initiatives. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from the University of Delaware and is passionate about combining natural and social sciences to develop innovative and sustainable climate action! As Energy and Climate Educator in Missoula, she will be serving conjointly with Climate Smart Missoula and Providence St. Patrick’s Hospital. This partnership offers a unique opportunity to address climate solutions internally through the hospital’s sustainability program as well as externally implementing the City’s Climate Action Plan.

Althea Hogle – Program Coordinator
Althea graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems with an emphasis in Agroecology. She has spent her life developing a strong passion for local foods, community, and the special places that bring the two together. Her professional experiences range from managing a farm-to-table event company to being a market manager for a successful, diversified organic farm in the Flathead Valley. She is excited to bring her passions and experience together to serve the Whitefish community through the Center for Sustainability and Entrepreneurship. As an Energy Corps member, Althea will provide program support and play a key role in developing structures, systems, and programs that will, over time, ensure the success of the Center for Sustainability and Entrepreneurship-related educational programming.

Casey Brandon – Energy Conservation Coordinator, City of Missoula
Casey graduated from the University of Montana with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Climate Change Studies, as well as with a certificate in Sustainable Business. He has held seats on various campus committees and interned with ASUM Sustainability and the Missoula Downtown Association. During his service, Casey will be assisting in projects related to the City of Missoula’s goal to be zero waste by 2050, coined ZeroByFifty.

Claudia Hewston – Education and Outreach Assistant, National Wildlife Federation
Claudia Claudia is a born and raised Montana native. She graduated from the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana in the spring of 2018. While she holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology concentrated in Wildlife, Claudia has held a number of jobs ranging from field technician to head cook at the Rocking Z Guest Ranch. However, since graduation, Claudia has taken up a keen interest in educating the youth and working with various communities on a number of environmental topics, how these topics affect a community, and what actions can be taken in our everyday lives to make this beautiful state we call home a better place. Claudia will be rejoining the Energy Corps team after serving as the Montana SMART Schools Coordinator this past year. As Education and Outreach Assistant, she will be assisting with promoting environmental stewardship and engaging communities, schools, and other partners in opportunities that help develop and connect community stewards, support environmental education, and restore/protect wildlife habitat. She looks forward to serving a second term with the National Wildlife Federation in Missoula.

Hillary Sward – Zero Waste Ambassador, Home ReSource
Hillary has a Master’s in Geography and a certificate in Environmental Education, which is a change from her previous work as a Music Educator. During her term, Hillary will be serving in Missoula with Home ReSource’s Zero Waste Ambassadors Program (ZWAP), a program working with Missoula’s fifth graders about waste, sustainability, and making simple changes to reduce impact.

Jazzmyn Mullen – S.M.A.R.T. Schools Educator, Department of Environmental Quality
Jazzmyn recently graduated from the University of Montana Western with a Bachelor’s in Ecology. Before she went to college, she was a preschool teacher for three years. She worked two field seasons for the Forest Service monitoring plants and she is exited to delve into a new avenue of work. Jazzmyn will assist DEQ members with outreach for the SMART Schools Program. This program encourages schools across Montana to increase energy efficiency, decrease garbage, and improve environmental health.

Jennifer Walter – Community Sustainability and Climate Resilience Planner, Opportunity Link
Jennifer graduated in 2017 from Cornell College with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and a concentration in Sustainability and Civic Engagement. She has previously worked on community projects that dealt with food security, habitat restoration/development, water quality monitoring, and biodiversity/ecological research. During her service, Jennifer will assist in increasing energy awareness through education and outreach efforts to those groups most affected by energy and climate fluctuations.

Jeremiah Eaton – Sustainability Educator, Glacier National Park
Jeremiah has a bachelor’s degree in Zoology with a minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Michigan State University. He has been part of several research projects related to wildlife and hopes to bring his skillset to the field of sustainability. Jeremiah will serve to create a sustainable culture in Glacier National Park. His position will provide education and outreach to the public while improving green systems and reducing our carbon footprint.

Katie Simpson-Johnson – Sustainable Management Educator, National Center for Appropriate Technology
Katie attended Western Colorado University in Gunnison, CO where she earned her Bachelor of Science in biology, played on the NCAA women’s soccer team, and conduced botanical-based research. Since graduating in the winter of 2017, she bounced around Colorado and then Montana before landing in Butte and beginning this term of service. Katie will mainly assist the energy team at the National Center for Appropriate Technology in performing energy audit duties. She will also focus on educating the public about the projects the Energy Services department is working on.

Lexie Folkerts – Sustainability Associate, Park County, City of Livingston
Lexie has a degree in Environmental Resources Engineering from Humboldt State University in Northern California. She is a passionate environmentalist and she wants to use her education and experience to help people while preserving, maintaining, and improving the environment. Lexie has experience working for an energy consultant working on affordable zero-net energy and zero-net carbon housing projects, as well as for a start-up designing and manufacturing bipolar plates for redox flow batteries. While her education focused a bit more on water, e.g. water treatment, wastewater treatment, and groundwater hydrology, her work experience and interests thus far have been concerning renewable energy and a zero-net carbon future. Her responsibility as Sustainability Associate is to work with Park County and the City of Livingston to figure out the most cost-effective ways to access renewable energy in the community, especially through solarization and electric vehicle initiatives.

Maia Madrid – Electric Vehicle Outreach Coordinator, Department of Environmental Quality
Maia received a B.S. in Geology with a minor in Geography from Calvin College. She has experience in everything from door-to-door environmental canvassing to dune geomorphology and lunar scientific research, but her passion is community-oriented sustainability. Maia will be conducting community outreach promoting electric vehicle charging stations as well as background research.

Maryssa Fenwick – Community Sustainability and Resilience Educator, National Center for Appropriate Technology
Maryssa has a Bachelor of Science in Land Use Planning from the University of Wisconin-Stevens Point, with a focus on Conservation Biology. Her professional experience ranges from outdoor adventure guide, to Children’s Director for a church, and a representative for a Land Trust. She is very excited to add this position to her repertoire and to continue to grow professionally. Maryssa will be serving Montana communities to research, track, and implement sustainability-based systems. She will also aid in the development of resilient rural communities, focusing on local food, energy, and waste.

Olivia Kersey-Bronec– grew up in Canby, Oregon on her family’s organic farm where she first began to develop a passion for sustainable agriculture. She attended college at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington where she majored in Natural Science with an emphasis in Chemistry. She spent the last year serving as a Jesuit Volunteer Northwest/AmeriCorps member in Ashland, Montana at St. Labre Indian school as a teaching assistant in a kindergarten classroom. She will be working with Freedom Gardens in their new, exciting aquaponic greenhouse that is connected to the Frenchtown Elementary School outside of Missoula, MT. She will be providing eco-conscious educational programs regarding food scarcity and sustainability to the students of Frenchtown Elementary, as well as helping manage the aquaponic system and production. The greenhouse has yet to harvest a crop, but she will be helping with the evolution of this new project that will provide the schools with a sustainable food source and opportunities for cross-curriculum education.

Rachel Dodgen – Sustainability Educator, Yellowstone National Park
Rachel attended Appalachian State University for both her undergraduate degree in Sustainable Technology and her master’s degree in Building Science. In the first two years of her career, she has been working for a residential weatherization and building science consulting company performing energy audits and other residential home energy services. During her service, Rachel will be serving for the Office of Sustainability at Yellowstone National Park. She will be working towards gaining Dark Sky Park certification, improving facilities, and working towards reducing the park’s fossil fuel usage.

Robin Adams – Sustainability Coordinator, City of Red Lodge
After graduating Placer High School as valedictorian, Robin attended the University of California, San Diego for three years and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Human Cognition. In September 2018, Robin obtained a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults in Siem Reap, Cambodia. During college Robin worked part time as a server for UCSD catering, a wilderness guide for UCSD Outback Adventures, and a rental shop technician for UCSD Outback Adventures. Robin had three full time volunteer experiences within the past year, including being an ESL teacher in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, environmental educator at the Kuang Si Butterfly Park in Luang Prabang, Laos, and lastly was a chaperone for the Del Oro High School Southwest Trip. Robin will be serving in Red Lodge, Montana and will be engaging in hands-on energy assistance for various ongoing projects as well as energy education outreach for other projects, programs, and events.

Samantha McGowan – Sustainability Educator, Whitefish School District
Samantha has an educational and professional background in business and marketing. More recently she has worked in the tourism industry, mainly in remote lodges in Alaska. Her experience as a hiking guide in Denali National Park fed into her passion for protecting the environment and wanting to work within a community to help them become more sustainable and eco-friendly. During her service, Samantha will be supporting the Whitefish School District’s Center for Sustainability and Entrepreneurship (CSE) by creating curriculum for kindergarten through 12^th grade students and for adults on topics of sustainable agriculture, forestry, energy systems, and facilities.

Zack Darby – Sustainability Coordinator, City of Whitefish
Zack graduated with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from the University of Tennessee in 2015. Upon graduating, he enrolled in an SCA (Student Conservation Association) position working in Southeast Alaska as a fisheries and wildlife biologist technician with the Forest Service. He returned to Tennessee and began working as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Conservation Biology. His current research focuses on the economic evaluation of natural resources and factors that influence people to engage in conservation. He graduated with an M.S. this past December. As Sustainability Coordinator, Zack will be implementing objectives in the City of Whitefish climate action plan, conducting public outreach, assisting with installation of EV charging stations, and helping build partnerships to enable broader community engagement in the climate action plan.