Denise Roth Barber

Denise Roth Barber has been a part of MCV from the start.  She was MCV’s first staff person, working for several legislative campaigns in the spring and summer of 1998.  Prior to this endeavor, Denise spent six years as the community organizer for the Northern Plains Resource Council.  Denise has since moved on to work as the Research Director for the National Institute on Money in State Politics, an organization that tracks campaign contributions to state-level candidates across the country and provides an important service to the field of environmental politics.  Denise is still active in the MCV community, having served on numerous committees in Helena throughout the years and providing her favorite contribution to MCV– housing volunteers passing through the capitol. 

Denise is a Chicago native and attended the University of Montana, earning a B.S. degree in Wildlife Biology.  She has been in Montana in 1983 and loves the quality of life here that state conservationists are fighting to protect.  When asked why conservation is important, Denise eloquently responded, “It is a widely held belief that God put humans in charge of the Earth and all its living beings. For many, that translates to being in a position of power and dominance.  But for conservationists, it is much less a position of power than one of responsibility.  If, in fact, we truly are in charge (which is debatable in and of itself), then it is our charge, not privilege, to use our resources in a responsible and judicious manner, and to ensure that the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the world we inhabit, is healthy, not toxic.” 

Denise lives in Helena with her husband, Jeff Barber, Water and Mining Program Director of MEIC, and their two children, Audrey and Evan.