1. One Montana: A Rural-Urban Partnership for Sustainability in the 21st Century
   (Increasing Assets & Wealth, Leadership Development)
   Presenters: Bill Bryan, Rural Landscape Institute and Panel (TBA)
   
   This presentation explains and promotes the benefits of One Montana, a statewide, programmatic initiative, led by the Montana University System, to build and sustain basic connections between rural and urban Montanans. The goal of One Montana is to change the way we think and act about rural and urban communities from “divide” to “connect” in order to enhance the sustainability of our state and be a model of sustainability for other states and our country.
   
   
2. Building Community Through Food: Assessment and Building Capacity in Rural Food Systems
   (Increasing Assets & Wealth)
   Presenters: Katie Weaver and Kate Stoysich, Community Action Program of East Central Oregon and the Gorge Grown Food Network
   
   All too often rural communities employ development strategies that focus on their problems and/or seek to improve conditions within the community by recruiting external businesses for job creation. We offer an alternative model of community development that focuses on the assets that already exist in rural communities and how to best utilize them to build health and wealth through the development of a resilient food system. This session will focus on capacity building through the strategic use of Community Food Assessments and fostering and empowering local leadership through Community Food Leadership Training.
   
   
3. Supporting Parents and Caregivers in Rural Communities as They Provide Early Home Learning Environments
   (Engaging & Attracting Youth)
   Presenter: Madeline Kotowicz, Hopa Mountain
   
   This session will focus on strengthening early learning in rural communities by supporting parents and caregivers of children 0-5 as they create nurturing learning environments at home. Participants will be provided with information and resources to share with their communities, so that local parents and caregivers—no matter their economic status or geographic location—will be equipped to provide their children with meaningful early experiences that will best prepare them for success in school and life. The workshop will address specific early learning challenges faced in many rural communities—the need to work sensitively across many diverse cultures, for example, and the fact that many of Montana’s rural communities are economically disadvantaged and geographically isolated from quality children’s books and resources—and how to surmount them. Highlighted will be crucial cognitive development findings and participants will gather in small groups to brainstorm about/discuss friendly, accessible methods of disseminating early learning information to parents and caregivers, as well as the broader community.
   
   
4. Trolling for Dollars in Troubled Waters
   (Increasing Assets & Wealth, Leadership Development)
   Presenter: Dave Young, MSU Community Resource Specialist, and Clarann Weinert
   
   During troubled economic times, seeking and securing funds for community-based projects is a challenge, especially for rural communities. Compounding this picture is the advancement of web-based technology and application requirements. Many funding sources are requiring online submissions of letters of intent, concept papers and full applications. An online presence is foundational to a community-based organization’s capacity and capability to raise funds, network with potential partners and submit grant applications. This workshop will provide an overview of the changing paradigm of fund-seeking and fund-granting processes and procedures. Topics will include: (1) future focus areas of major funders; (2) projections of charitable contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals; (3) tips on proposal preparation, writing and submission; (4) differentiating between vision, mission, goals and objectives; (5) tips on evaluation and sustainability; (6) highlights of the grant review process; (7) common reasons for non-funding; (8) web-based fund raising; and, (9) key features after the grant award. This workshop will be highly interactive with time for questions and hands-on experience in writing a concise, compelling, competitive concept paper. Accordingly, attendees are encouraged to come prepared with writing materials and a community-based project in mind that would lend itself to drafting an application.

1. One Montana: A Rural-Urban Partnership for Sustainability in the 21st Century
   (Increasing Assets & Wealth, Leadership Development)
   Presenters: Bill Bryan, Rural Landscape Institute and Panel
   
   This presentation explains and promotes the benefits of One Montana, a statewide, programmatic initiative, led by the Montana University System, to build and sustain basic connections between rural and urban Montanans. The goal of One Montana is to change the way we think and act about rural and urban communities from “divide” to “connect” in order to enhance the sustainability of our state and be a model of sustainability for other states and our country.
   
   
2. Preserving Affordable Housing Already in our Towns
   (Increasing Assets & Wealth)
   Presenter: Sheila Rice, Neighborworks Montana, Jim Morton, HRDC Missoula, and Brian Gion, Montana Cooperative Development Center
   
   Manufactured Housing is the nation’s largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing. In Montana, 14% of our homes are manufactured housing (nearly twice the national average), about half in parks and half on fee simple land. Old manufactured homes are energy guzzlers; new manufactured homes meet Energy Star standards; replacing old homes saves energy and provide better housing. Families and individuals who live in manufactured housing communities (parks) are vulnerable to rent increases, deferred infrastructure repairs, and park closures. Parks can be preserved by the creation of cooperatives formed by homeowners in the park, known as ROC (resident-owned communities). Learn more about preserving, replacing and developing new housing with manufactured housing – still America’s most affordable housing. Manufactured Housing Done Right can increase assets and grow wealth in low-income Montana families to the benefit of Montana ’s small towns.
   
   
3. Connecting Communities and Stimulating Wellness through the Montana Rural Health Initiative
   (Increasing Assets & Wealth)
   Presenter: Carolyn Pollari, Montana Office of Rural Health/Area Health Education Center and Panel of Teresa Danelson, Frank Rowland and mayor Gene Townsend
   
   The Montana Rural Health Initiative (RHI) is a collaborative effort to create a dynamic network linking prevention and community-based wellness programs throughout Montana. The RHI engages partners to share ideas and expertise while supporting communities in improving health. The RHI is currently managed through the Montana Office of Rural Health/Area Health Education Center. This session will describe the information and services available through the RHI, how to access state and national prevention and wellness resources, how the RHI supports local projects, how to connect with other health and wellness programs and experts across Montana, and the newest component of the RHI, the Incubator.
   
   
4. Hand in Hand: Workforce Development and Advocacy Skills
   (Leadership Development)
   Presenters: Toni Svaleson and Lauren Sukut, Rural Employment Opportunities
   
   The goal of this presentation is to share information on how Rural Employment Opportunities (REO) has taken a goal-based model to help our participants in Rural Montana Saves and other programs become employed and advocates for themselves and their communities. REO, a statewide non-profit organization, offers a matched savings program in 49 rural counties throughout Montana. This program, Rural Montana Saves (RMS), is one of our employment and training programs that help individuals create a long term road map by assisting them with short term goals. We create this road map of short term goals to help participants find sustainable employment and become advocates in their communities.

1. Revitalizing Rural Communities: The Key is Bringing Our Youth Home as Future Owners and Leaders
   (Engaging & Attracting Youth, Entrepreneurship)
   Presenter: Dean Weldon Sleight, University of Nebraska – Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture
   
   Our rural communities are dying because we have not developed the understanding needed to show our youth, before they leave for college, that we want them to come back home. The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture has developed some very unique youth ownership programs that teach students how to return home as partners/employees rather than just “hired hands.” A new course, Rural Career Development, is being taught to high school students, for college credit, that introduces them to their communities and the opportunities for future employment that reside there. Community leaders, agriculture and business enterprise owners and professionals are encouraged to develop preliminary partnerships and mentorships with high school seniors to keep them engaged in the community until they are prepared to come home.
   
   
2. Farm to Table - Local Food Sustainability
   (Increasing Assets & Wealth, Entrepreneurship)
   Presenters: Bruce Smith, Dawson County Extension Agent, and Peggy Iba
   
   This presentation will cover the history of our food systems in the last 50 years in Montana. We will discuss local food manufacturing, high hoop tunnels to extend the growing season, community gardens, farmer’s markets, how to offer more food choices grown in the region, and the local food council’s farm to school program. We will discuss what buying locally can mean to your economy. For each 1% increase in buying Montana grown food, $30 million is added to the economy. We will talk about stakeholders, resources available, start small strategies, and celebrations of success.
   
   
3. Transportation Options for Rural Communities
   (Leadership Development)
   Presenters: David Kack, MSU Western Transportation Institute; Taylor Lonsdale, Montana Safe Routes to School; Rebecca Gleason, MSU Western Transportation Institute; and Barbara Stiffarm, Opportunity Link
   
   The presentation and interaction with workshop members will highlight alternative transportation options for rural communities including public transportation options, bike and pedestrian options, and programs such as the Safe Routes to School program. The outcome of the presentation will be increased knowledge of transportation options for rural communities, funding sources for implementing the options, and sources of information on how to move forward with planning and implementing these options. Participants will be able to interact by asking questions of examples used, by describing transportation challenges in their communities and asking for potential options, and will get information on resources that can be used for further planning and implementation of transportation options. Presenters will provide an overview of the various topics: public transportation, bike/ped options and the Safe Routes to School program, and then provide specific examples of where these programs have been implemented in rural Montana communities.
   
   
4. Poverty 101: Cultural Competencies for Those Serving People in Poverty
   (Increasing Assets & Wealth, Leadership Development)
   Presenter: Lynda Sowell, IDA Asset Development Program Manager, Rural Dynamics Incorporated
   
   This Breakout Session will provide participants with the opportunity to: 1) gain an understanding of the 5 kinds of poverty and differentiate successful strategies for each; 2) review the history of poverty from President Truman’s War on Poverty through President Obama’s current anti-poverty strategies; 3) gain skills in honoring the oral-culture of communication which is widely prevalent within the culture of poverty while also teaching the necessary middle-class print-culture skills and norms needed to be successful in education and the work world; 4) learn what is “taught” when struggling to survive within the culture of poverty and skills to help people to cease internalizing the shame and blame of living in poverty; 5) utilize tools and resources to assess an organizations’ poverty competencies within policies and practices. Information will be provided via mixed media such as Power Point, video, and print resources; experientially activities to learn how one’s own life experiences provide a lens with which we view our work, and through rigorous group discussion. This workshop is not your traditional “talking head” lecture, but instead provides an opportunity to reflect upon participants’ experiences, bias, practices and expertise in serving people struggling in the crisis of poverty.
   

1. Revitalizing Rural Communities: The Key is Bringing Our Youth Home as Future Owners and Leaders
   (Engaging & Attracting Youth, Entrepreneurship)
   Presenter: Dean Weldon Sleight, University of Nebraska – Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture
   
   Our rural communities are dying because we have not developed the understanding needed to show our youth, before they leave for college, that we want them to come back home. The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture has developed some very unique youth ownership programs that teach students how to return home as partners/employees rather than just “hired hands.” A new course, Rural Career Development, is being taught to high school students, for college credit, that introduces them to their communities and the opportunities for future employment that reside there. Community leaders, agriculture and business enterprise owners and professionals are encouraged to develop preliminary partnerships and mentorships with high school seniors to keep them engaged in the community until they are prepared to come home.
   
   
2. Engaging and Creating Online Communities
   (Engaging & Attracting Youth)
   Presenter: Jolene Bach, Rural Dynamics Incorporated
   
   Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). And because they spend so much of that time 'media multitasking' (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes (10:45) worth of media content into those 7½ hours. According to the most recent study on youth media use from the Kaiser Family Foundation (Rideout, Ph.D., & and Roberts, 2010).
   
   It has become apparent, social media is not a fad and communities have a new dimension, on-line. Youth and young adults are Linked In and electronically engaged. By utilizing social media and other electronic tools, organizations and communities are better able to engage youth and young adults. Not all electronic/social media is right for each organization, yet to reach desired outcomes organizations and communities need more than static web pages. We will use case studies to introduce the wide variety of tools to participants; templates for developing a strategy and implementation plan; evaluating needs; and continual improvement.
   
   
3. Kansas State University's Rural Grocery Initiative: Saving Our Rural Stores
   (Entrepreneurship)
   Presenter: David Procter, Center for Engagement and Community Development, Kansas State University
   
   Almost daily, another rural grocery store shuts its doors and closes shop. This is creating a crisis as local grocery stores represent a critical infrastructure for America’s rural communities. These stores are an important part of the economic engine that sustains rural communities, providing essential jobs and taxes. They are a vital source for rural nutrition and health, providing a supply of fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and protein. Grocery stores are vehicles for community development, serving as sites where social capital is created and sustained. Kansas State University’s Rural Grocery Initiative (RGI) was initiated in 2006 to address this crisis. The RGI is a campus / community initiative involving multiple university centers and departments as well as statewide non-profits, rural grocery stores, and government officials. The RGI is working to identify new models of community capacity building, promote rural business development and sustainability, and enhance food security for rural areas. From this initiative, communities are mobilizing to attract new stores, sustain their existing groceries, create new jobs and provide healthy, nutritious food for their citizens. The initiative has also spawned a variety of university action research. This workshop will engage in discussion and interaction about K-State’s Rural Grocery Initiative.
   
   
4. Strength in Numbers: How Rural Communities Can Build Economic Prosperity Through Helping Local Entrepreneurs Compete Effectively and Plugging Leaks in Consumer and Institutional Spending
   (Increasing Assets & Wealth, Entrepreneurship)
   Presenter: Jeff Milchen, Co-founder, American Independent Business Alliance
   
   This “Strength in Numbers” workshop begins by highlighting the economic, civic, and other benefits of community-based business and their essential role in building wealth in rural communities. We’ll then explore a variety of successful initiatives from around the country involving public “buy local” education campaigns, policy initiatives, group marketing and advertising, facilitating new entrepreneurs, and more. Many of these activities will be discussed in the context of Independent Business Alliances -- local coalitions that strive to build more vibrant economies based on independent business. Participants will learn to evaluate which activities are most manageable for them and most likely to benefit their community. They also will gain a solid understanding of the steps and resources necessary to undertake the various campaigns. A presentation with visual examples and stories from many community alliances around the country will comprise the first 50-60 minutes, followed by 30+ minutes for discussion / Q&A.
   
   

Keynote Speaker, Joseph Marshall III: Joseph Marshall III was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Because he was raised in a traditional native household by his maternal grandparents, his first language is Lakota. In that environment he also learned the ancient tradition of oral storytelling. Joseph taught at the high school and university levels, and developed curriculum as well. Now he writes full time, having published fourteen (14) nonfiction and fiction works, with seven (7) of the titles in audiobook format. He is published in China, Taiwan, Korea, Bulgaria, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Israel, and soon, Germany. The Lakota Way calendar is in its sixth season. Joseph says, “Stories as far as I'm concerned, are the best way for people to get to know about each other. The name Thunder Dreamers is taken from my book The Journey of Crazy Horse, and not because I have any special power. Far from it. But just as Crazy Horse and other Thunder Dreamers were given a power by the Thunder Beings, I believe there is a power that comes from knowledge, which comes from experience - living life - and stories. The more honest stories we know about one another the more realistic awareness we gain. The more awareness we have the more likely we are to think of and judge one another fairly. Then we are more likely to greet one another with an open hand and an open heart, rather than a closed fist and a closed mind. Then we can honestly say Cante wasteya nape ciyuzapelo, I take your hand in friendship.” Joseph is the recipient of the Audie Award Best Inspirational for the Lakota Way. His Lakota Western Series has won both the Benjamin Franklin silver and the gold President’s award. His recent work, To You We Shall Return, is just released by Sterling, NYC. Currently associated with Tigrett Corp. of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania as a lecturer in leadership seminars, Joseph has developed a leadership seminar based on the leadership lessons of Crazy Horse. Joseph and his wife Connie (also his literary agent and manager) are the parents of a blended family of nine, and have ten grandchildren.

Jolene Bach: Jolene Bach has been with Rural Dynamics Incorporated since December 2006. She coordinates a variety of communication initiatives for Tax Help Montana, Consumer Credit Counseling, the Northern Plains Initiative, Rural Dynamics, and various regional coalitions. Her areas of involvement include marketing and advertising; sponsorship development; press releases and media contacts; state association partnerships; website development; intranet development including discussion boards; contact management program; publications; speaking engagements; and all communication and branding activities in support of the mission. Ms. Bach graduated from the University of Montana in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communications and a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing. Through college Ms. Bach held an internship with the state-wide accounting firm, Junkermier, Clark, Campanella, Stevens, P.C. Upon graduate she was hired as their Marketing Coordinator. In 2003 Ms. Bach was hired by the University of Great Falls as Director of Marketing and Communications. She is active with the Montana Financial Education Coalition, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and a variety of other community organizations. Ms. Bach is a Montana native and resides in Great Falls with her family.

Bill Bryan: Currently, Bill is the co-founder and executive director of the Rural Landscape Institute: A Catalyst for Food and Agricultural Integrity in the American West, whose mission is to increase the economic viability of farms and ranches, thereby enhancing the health of the land, open space and rural communities. The “One Montana” Rural-Urban Partnership Program has been a high priority project for this organization for over the last two years. Bill is also the Chairman of Off the Beaten Path, LLC, a premier travel planning service specializing in planning highly personalized trips for over 24 years to the Rocky Mountain West, Desert Southwest, Alaska and Patagonia. Bryan is the senior author of Sharing Your Home on the Range, a “how to” book for hospitality providers in farm and recreation (published 1991) and is the author of Montana Indians: Yesterday and Today, published in 1986 and again in 1996. Bill is a past-President of the Board of the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman and serves on 11 boards and planning councils on a regional and national level. For the last eighteen years, Bryan has consulted with over 1,000 family farmers and ranchers in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Arizona on farm and ranch recreation. Bill holds a Ph.D. in resource planning and conservation from the University of Michigan. He was the Founder and Executive Director of the Northern Rockies Action Group, providing technical organizational assistance for cause-oriented nonprofits in the Rocky Mountain West from 1973-1982. Bill has lived and worked in Montana for the past 37 years.

Dan Clark: Dan Clark joined the Local Government Center in April 2008. He has been serving Montana since 1997. Prior to joining the MSU Local Government Center, he served as the Statewide Director for the Montana Horizons program from 2006 to 2008. Previously, Dan worked as a Montana State University Extension faculty member in Teton County from 1997 to 2006. During this time, he served as Mayor of Choteau, Montana for four years. He earned his Bachelors and Masters Degree from the University of Arizona in Agricultural Education and taught high school agriculture for three years before joining Extension.

Waded Cruzado: Dr. Waded Cruzado officially took office as President of Montana State University on Jan. 4, 2010. She is the first woman and the first minority to serve as a university president in the state of Montana. Prior to coming to MSU, Dr. Cruzado served as Executive Vice President and Provost at New Mexico State University, a post she held from September 1, 2007 until coming to MSU. NMSU is a comprehensive research, liberal arts and sciences institution, home to a multicultural population of more than 31,000 students. NMSU is the only land-grant, Research Extensive and Hispanic Serving Institution in the United States. Dr. Cruzado had served as Interim President of NMSU from 2008-2009. Significant achievements during that time included the designation of 2009 as the Year of Sustainability at NMSU; efforts that resulted in record student enrollment; a substantial increase in funding for research; gains in the university's Comprehensive Campaign despite a troubled economy; full-term reaccreditation of the university by the Higher Learning Commission for the first time in NMSU history; initiation of the "Amazing Aggies" program of recognizing excellence; launch of the "Monday Morning Memo" method of communicating regularly with faculty, staff and students; and success at the 2009 session of the New Mexico Legislature that included $5.5 million in additional funding for the Center for the Arts. As Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. Cruzado provided leadership for the accreditation visit by the Higher Learning Commission in 2008, which resulted in the institution receiving full accreditation for a ten-year term. Dr. Cruzado revamped efforts and initiatives in regards to the First Year Experience and Student Learning Outcomes Assessment. Working with the academic deans, the institution registered student enrollment that qualified NMSU for additional state funding for two consecutive years, the only university in New Mexico to accomplish such growth. Dr. Cruzado increased the number of faculty positions and oversaw an institution that has expanded its efforts to encourage student success, research productivity, and civic engagement. Previously Dr. Cruzado served a four-year term as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, providing oversight and leadership to the largest academic unit at NMSU. Dr. Cruzado has also served as an ex-officio member of the NMSU Foundation Board, a co-PI of the ADVANCE Program for Institutional Transformation, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and a member of the Investment Committee, the Audit Committee, and the Board of Directors for the Paso del Norte Health Foundation. During her tenure as Dean at NMSU, the College of Arts and Sciences obtained a $4.5 million grant from NSF for the establishment of the Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics. Dr. Cruzado procured public and private funds for various expansion and renovation projects, including Foster Hall (Biology), Gardiner Hall (Physics and Geological Sciences) and the Arts Complex. Dr. Cruzado has been involved with NSF-AGEP, The Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Program and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). In 2005, Dr. Cruzado provided leadership to establish the J. Paul Taylor Symposium of Social Justice at NMSU. She was actively involved with NSMU's first Comprehensive Campaign that includes as its priorities the construction of an Arts Complex and a Native American Cultural Center, the enhancement of teaching and research capabilities of academic departments and units, and the establishment of scholarships, endowed professorships and chairs. During her tenure as Dean, the College of Arts and Sciences received the first two endowed chairs in its history: the Michael L. Johnson Endowed Chair on Geological Sciences and the Richard Hedden Chair on Advanced Philosophical Studies.

Teresa Danelson: Teresa is an RN who was employed as an Intensive Care nurse for the past 22 years. In 2008 she made a career change and began her endeavor in Public Health. She now is the regional (Daniels, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Valley Counties) program coordinator for the MT Cancer Control Program and Nutrition and Physical activity Program (NAPA). Teresa’s NAPA goals are to reduce children’s Screen Time and to develop a trail system in the Scobey area. Grants awarded to date are; Rivers, Trails, Conservation Assistance program, Beacon Community Foundation, Rural Health Initiative-Incubator Program, and the Safe Routes to School.

Peggy Iba: Peggy has a Bachelor’s degree in Home Economics from Montana State University and has continued lifelong learning with classes from DCC and UND. She demonstrated and instructed kitchen appliance use, recipe and food preparation, and energy conservation with Montana Dakota Utilities. She has worked in Public Relations & Marketing and has planned promotional information, press releases and special events for farm to table and beyond. Through her work as Eastern Montana Tech Prep Director and Eastern MT JobLINC coordinator, grant positions, she collaborated with interested parties to lay the groundwork for sustainability. Through MSU Extension Horizons program she taught community leadership programs and administered funds for several communities, serving as coach and coordinator. She has served as the manager of Western Trails Food since purchased in 2006 as Glendive's project through the Horizons' program. This has included but not limited to label design, inventory management, quality control, supervision, packaging, shipping and accounting. She serves as rental manager for the Prairie Development Center and supervises VISTAs, Experience Works and volunteers.

Brian Gion: Brian Gion is the CEO of the Montana Cooperative Development Center. Brian has over 25 years of business development and management experience. Brian also specializes in feasibility and marketing plan development as well as financial analysis. MCDC exist to promote and develop cooperatives to meet the economic and community needs in Montana. MCDC has provided senior cooperative housing training and have started implementing the cooperative housing model in Montana.

Rebecca Gleason: Rebecca Gleason, P.E. has over fifteen years of experience working as an engineer, focusing on research for the past four years. Her experience ranges from coordinating with numerous organizations to complete large transportation and mining reclamation projects to active travel research. As a Research Engineer at the Western Transportation Institute, Rebecca’s work in the Mobility and Public Transportation Program Area focuses on integrating bicycle and pedestrian networks into existing transportation systems. Rebecca performs project management, client relations and outreach. Project work focused on active travel includes developing surveys, preparing reports and presenting findings at conferences and other outreach events. Responsibilities include staying apprised of current research in active travel including bicycle, pedestrian and transit transportation. Ms. Gleason is active in grant and proposal writing. Ms. Gleason was the primary author on the "Guide to Promoting Bicycling on Federal Lands", which contains information on planning, designing, implementing, maintaining and promoting bicycling programs and networks on public lands.

David Kack: David Kack is the Program Manager for the Mobility and Public Transportation research area at the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) - Montana State University. David holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and specializes in transportation coordination, management, and planning. At WTI, he has worked on several projects to develop and improve rural passenger transportation systems. He served on the team that developed the Montana Coordinated Transportation Handbook©, and served as the Principle Investigator for the Real Choices Systems Change Grant project, which focused on improving public and specialized transportation in two communities in Montana. Mr. Kack has helped three communities in Montana start public transportation systems. David is a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Rural Public and Intercity Bus Committee, and has extensive experience working with the public and cultivating multi-agency institutional relationships for the purpose of transportation development.

Madeline Kotowicz: Maddy Kotowicz holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University. She is serves as program coordinator of Hopa Mountain’s StoryMakers, an early learning initiative working to support parents and caregivers in Montana’s rural and tribal communities as they provide nurturing learning environments at home for their very young children. Maddy has worked as a Title 1 teacher in Wyoming and a writing instructor at Boston University and Montana State, where she taught developmental writing to incoming freshmen. Hopa Mountain invests in rural and tribal citizen leaders who are working to improve education, ecological health, and economic development in their hometowns.

Jan Lombardi: In 2009, Governor Brian Schweitzer appointed Jan Lombardi as Director of the Governor’s Office of Community Service. Jan has more than 30 years of experience in government, nonprofits and the business sector. She started her career in banking and finance and then transitioned to Montana’s nonprofit sector, working for more than a decade on issues related to public health policy, community development, women, children, and education. Lombardi was named the Governor’s Education Policy Advisor in 2005, focusing on early childhood, K-12, higher education and workforce education and training. Jan has worked for the State Superintendent in the Office of Public Instruction and was the Co-Director of the Prevention Resource Center for the State of Montana. Jan has been very active in the Helena community, serving as Vice Chair of the elected Helena Citizens Council and other local organizations. Having returned to Montana two decades ago to be closer to family, Jan and her husband Bill have raised their children to also be active in the community. Jan received her B.A. from Newcomb College of Tulane University.

Taylor Lonsdale, PE: Mr. Lonsdale has 18 years of civil engineering experience with a focus on bicycle and pedestrian issues. As the Safe Routes to School coordinator for Montana, he has the opportunity to work with schools and communities across Montana to make it safe and convenient for children to walk and bike to school.

Jeff Milchen: Jeff Milchen is a leader in helping communities build vital local economies based on local independent business and maintaining ongoing opportunities for entrepreneurs. He co-founded the American Independent Business Alliance, a Bozeman, MT-based 501c3 organization helping communities across North America launch and effectively operates Independent Business Alliances (IBAs), “Buy Local” campaigns and policy initiatives to support community-based enterprise. IBAs (described within proposal) are based on a model Milchen pioneered in 1998. Since 2001, more than 65 communities of all sizes, ideologies and economic conditions have employed this model. These Alliances play a crucial role in creating and maintaining opportunities for entrepreneurs. Milchen is a prominent advocate for independent business and entrepreneurs as a writer as well as speaker. His commentaries and how-to articles have appeared in a wide range of publications including The Washington Post, High Country News, Chicago Tribune, Inc. Magazine and The Ecologist.

Jim Morton: Jim Morton is Executive Director of District XI Human Resource Council (HRC), which is a Community Action Partnership Agency formed in 1965. Jim has held the position of Executive Director since January 1979. HRC offers services to lower income households in the counties of Mineral, Missoula and Ravalli. Services provided by HRC include: Rental Assistance, First Time Home Buyer Loans, Home Rehabilitation Loans, Summer Youth Lunch, Youth Employment and Training, Residential Energy Conservation, Work Opportunities for public assisted households, 2-1-1 telephone information and referral, Public Policy Advocacy, Developing Access to primary healthcare, and Low Income Energy Assistance. Jim supervises the operation of 132 rental units, owned by HRC, that are targeted to lower income and disabled persons. He is also responsible for the development of affordable housing, both new construction and rehabilitation of existing units.

Carolyn Pollari: Carolyn Pollari is currently working with the Montana Area Health Education Center and Office of Rural Health on various projects including the Rural Health Initiative. She is a senior at Montana State University majoring in Community Health with a minor in Psychology. As her awareness of the many health disparities across Montana and abroad increased, so did her desire to work in the health care field. She was born in Billings, MT, but grew up in Canada. She loves being outdoors and exploring the many opportunities Montana offers.

David Procter: David Procter is Director of Kansas State University’s Center for Engagement and Community Development and a professor of communication studies. He received his B.S. and M.A. from Kansas State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska. Since arriving at K-State in 1987, he has worked in partnership with communities across the state. He has worked on issues of school consolidation, community strategic planning, heritage museum education, facilitation of community dialogue, strategies for re-populating rural communities, sustaining rural grocery stores. Procter has authored two books on community building - Enacting Political Culture (1991) and The Rhetoric of Community Building (2005) plus numerous essays and book chapters on the subject. In 2007, Dr. Procter and the Center for Engagement and Community Development convened a group of rural grocers and community leaders to address the issue of sustaining rural groceries. Since that time, Procter has received a USDA Rural Development grant to support this work, created a website (www.ruralgrocery.org) to address the issue, developed an online forum for rural grocers, hosted a rural grocer summit, developed a series of rural grocer best practices, and presented this work at several national food security conferences and presented a briefing of the initiative before the U.S. House Hunger Caucus. Procter’s rural grocery initiative was awarded the National Outstanding Community Development Program Award by the Community Development Society in 2010.

Sheila Rice: Sheila Rice has been the Executive Director of NeighborWorks Great Falls and NeighborWorks Montana since 2003. In 2007, she completed the NeighborWorks America Achieving Excellence Program at Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Sheila has served on several national committees, including the Board of Directors of the National NeighborWorks Association and the Fannie Mae National Advisory Committee. Prior to joining NWGF and MHN, she was a senior officer of ENERGY WEST, a natural gas utility and energy marketing firm located in Great Falls. Sheila is a graduate of Great Falls Central High School, holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Montana and an MBA from the University of Montana. She served in the Montana House of Representatives in 1991 and 1993 legislative sessions and was a member of the Montana Redistricting Commission in 2000.

Frank Rowland: A Northern Cheyenne, Dr. Rowland earned his doctoral degree from Montana State University-Bozeman in 1994. Entitled, “Tribal Education: A Case Study of Northern Cheyenne Elders” Dr. Rowland’s dissertation selected as the dissertation of the year and was given international recognition by the International Adult Education Research Conference (AERC) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where he was subsequently voted to be the first Native American to be a member of the AERC Research Board. Dr. Rowland has now developed an Indigenous Model for Conflict Resolution and writes poetry to draw contrast and parallels between the Indian and non-Indian worlds.

Weldon Sleight: Weldon Sleight serves as Dean for the University of Nebraska – Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. Prior to his appointment to this position in 2006, he held several faculty and administrative positions in the College of Agriculture and University Extension. He earned BS and MS degrees from Utah State University and a PhD from Iowa State University. During his 32 year tenure at Utah State University he was instrumental in the development of telecommunication systems, branch campuses, centers and outreach degree programs for time and place bound students throughout Utah, several western states and Asia. During his tenure at NCTA he has been instrumental in the infusion of entrepreneurship across the entire curriculum. This theme has been the catalyst in the development of the 100 Beef Cow Ownership Advantage Program, 100 Acre Farm Program and the NCTA Business Builder Program. Each of the programs is designed to provide NCTA students with an early entry into an agriculture or business enterprise as a partner/owner that will lead to eventual ranch, farm or rural business ownership.

Bruce Smith: Bruce Smith was born and raised on a farm and ranch in northeastern Montana and has been involved in commodity agriculture for the better part of his life. After spending a year in France, he returned to the family farm in 1980. After five years of drought and grasshoppers, he returned to school and from 1987 to 1994 spent seven years out of state working for large food companies freezing broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and Brussels sprouts in California; making margarine in Illinois; and frozen French fries in Idaho. He's been actively involved in all levels of the food chain from field to table. He currently lives and works in Glendive, Montana as an Extension Agent with Montana State University.

Lynda Sowell: Lynda Sowell joined the asset development team at Rural Dynamics just over two years ago and recently obtained certification as a Poverty Coach. Professionally Lynda has worked with families and individuals experiencing poverty and crisis for nearly twenty years, but it is her first hand experiences as a “mixed-class” individual who survived both Situational Poverty as a child, and Working Class Poverty through early adulthood which brings authenticity, empathy, and even humor to this very serious issue. Lynda is an experienced presenter and group learning facilitator. She has contracted with the State of Montana to train prospective foster and adoptive parents; facilitates monthly Prosperity Club meetings for low to moderate income families and individuals in Helena and Great Falls, and most recently was selected to present a break-out session at the Montana Financial Education Coalition 2010 conference.

Marissa Spang: Marissa Spang is from Lame Deer, Montana and is Northern Cheyenne and Crow. Marissa graduated from Dartmouth with a Bachelor's in Native American Studies. She has worked in the field of education as a College Admissions Officer, Career Counselor and Scholarship Coordinator and currently works for Hopa Mountain as the Youth Leaders in Service Coordinator and Strengthening the Circle Coordinator. Hopa Mountain is a Bozeman-based nonprofit that invests in rural and tribal citizen leaders who are working to improve education, ecological health and economic development in their home communities. Marissa works and lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Barbara Stiffarm: Barbara is instrumental in the development of partnerships with the tribal governments in north central Montana. She has an extensive background in providing community and economic development services to both native and non-native communities in the region. Prior to working for Opportunity Link in 2006, Barbara served as a senior staff writer for RJS & Associates, Inc. (RJS), an American Indian-owned consulting firm located on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation in Montana. She was also previously employed by the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council as Tribal Planner/ Community Development Block Grant Coordinator, where she served as research and development manager for established and non-established Tribal services. Projects included housing rehabilitation, building construction, sanitary facility construction, public services, and numerous economic development ventures. Barbara served on the Governor’s Council on Economic Security for Montana Families, and currently serves on the Fort Belknap Investment Board, Montana Community Finance Corporation Board, University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research Board, and University of Montana’s Montana Making $ense Advisory Board. She is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe and has resided in Harlem, Montana since 1982.

Kate Stoysich: Kate Stoysich is the project manager for Gorge Grown Food Network, a non-profit in the Columbia Gorge region of Oregon and Washington working to build an economically and environmentally sound regional food system that engages, educates, and improves the health and well-being of communities. As a RARE AmeriCorps Volunteer she assisted in a 5-county Community Food Assessment and worked to develop and facilitate a Community Food Leadership Training course. Prior to her work in Oregon she served in the US Peace Corps in Paraguay as an Agriculture Extensionist. In 2003 she graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Biology.

Toni Svaleson and Lauren Sukut: For over seven years, Toni Svaleson and Lauren Sukut have been providing employment and training case management across the state of Montana. Most of their work has been focused on addressing the unique challenges and needs participants of rural communities face. Their diverse background of entrepreneurial-ship, workforce development, criminal justice and psychology allows them to step outside the box and assist participants in addressing a wide range of employment barriers and empowering them to create opportunities for themselves in their communities. Working as case managers for Rural Employment Opportunities allows them to access many different resources across the state to ensure participant success.

Gene Townsend: Born and raised in Three Forks, Mayor Gene Townsend is married to Pat O’Brian with two sons and one granddaughter. Mayor Townsend has served as a city councilman for 6 years, a volunteer firefighter for 10 years, as well as Vice President of the Montana State AFL-CIO for 6 years. Currently, he is serving his 24th year as mayor of Three Forks. He is a board member of The Human Resource Development Council, the Headwaters Food Bank, and the First Community Bank. Mayor Gene Townsend started the Headwaters Trail System in 1996 and built the first segment of the trail in 1997. The Headwaters Trail System now has 8.75 miles of paved trail, including 2 bridges. Since then he has presented talks and information on trail building to various groups and is currently working on a 12 mile connecting trail between Three Forks and Manhattan. In 2007, the Headwaters Trail System was named “Montana Trail of the Year.”

Katie Weaver: Katie Weaver is in her second year conducting research on and organizing around community food systems development in eastern Oregon as a Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Volunteer. She received her Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Idaho in 2008, where she focused on the cultural, economic, political and social issues faced by rural communities as they struggle to transition from extractive industries and natural resource-based economies. In addition to her food systems work, she is a part-time Community Organizer for Oregon Rural Action, a small non-profit working to build strong communities by organizing citizens to promote social justice, agricultural and economic sustainability, and stewardship of the region's land, air and water.

Clarann Weinert: Clarann Weinert, SC,PhD,RN,FAAN is a Professor at Montana State University College of Nursing and a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati. Sister Clarann received a BSN (nursing) from the College of Mount St. Joseph on the Ohio; MS (nursing) from The Ohio State University; and MA and PhD (sociology) from the University of Washington. She has a nearly 30 year funded program of research on the management of chronic illness which currently includes: use of computers as a means for providing support and health information to isolated rural woman with chronic illnesses; use of complementary therapy by rural residents; development of a measure of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) health literacy; family strategies for caring for Native American elders; community-based enhancement of health literacy for older individuals in rural settings, and a study of the health status and needs of persons exposed to asbestos from vermiculite ore mined in Libby, MT. Dr. Weinert is widely published in social support, rural health, measurement, and chronic illness management.

David Young: David Young is third generation Montanan who grew up in Billings. After graduating from high school and attending Eastern Montana College for two years, he transferred to Colorado State University where he received his DVM degree in 1966. David enrolled in the comparative pathology residency graduate program at The Ohio state University in the fall of 1966 and received his MS (1967) and PhD (1970) degrees in pathology. After graduate school, David was employed at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, MD from 1970-77, initially as a research pathologist and later as the head of the Comparative Pathology Section. In 1977, David joined the faculty at Montana State University (MSU), initially as a Department Head and later in various administrative positions overseeing biomedical and health-related programs. From 1995-2005, David served as Director of the Montana State Office of Rural Health. In 2005, David was appointed Community Resource Specialist with the University Extension Service and Research Professor with the College of Nursing. Throughout David’s 32+ years at MSU he has been actively engaged in grant writing, securing over $23 million in extra-mural funds as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on grants.

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