Montana Conservation Voters Board of Directors
Ryan Busse, Chairperson
Ryan has been involved with Montana Conservation Voters for the past three years and is one of the founding members of the Flathead Chapter that began during that same time period. Since that time he has served as a State Board Representative as well as a former Vice Chair. He credits his wife, and fellow member Sara, for encouraging his involvement in non-profit organizations. Sara’s work as the Development Director for the Flathead Land Trust served as a motivating factor for Ryan to become more involved within local non-profit organizations.
Rich Day, Vice-Chairperson
Rich, Butte, currently works as MWF’s Teaming with Wildlife Coordinator and Communications Coordinator. He served as MWF’s first full-time executive director. Rich, as the regional director in California and Nevada for the Mule Deer Foundation, worked with local chapters to raise funds for mule deer habitat. Rich is a founding member and first president of the Gallatin Wildlife Association, president of the Montana Wildlife Federation from 1980-82 and served on the NWF board from 1985-88. Rich currently serves as a director of the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Butte.
Tracy Cosgrove, Treasurer
Tracy, Missoula, has been a Montana Conservation Voters member since 2002 and brings a wealth of non-profit experience to the Board. She just completed service as national chairperson of the YWCA USA Board, and the Seattle-based Social Justice Fund. She has worked and volunteered for several progressive groups including Women's Voices for the Earth and Montana Women Vote, a group she helped found. Tracy has degrees in Journalism and Political Science from Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota, respectively.
Juanita Vero, Secretary
Juanita, Greenough, oversees the fourth generation of a family-owned and operated guest ranch in the Blackfoot Valley. The ranch prides itself on its conservation ethic and long term range and timber management. Her community involvement includes the Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited (President for 2 years, and now Secretary); Sunset School Board, serving a small, rural public school; the Missoula County Open Lands Committee; and fundraising for conservation easements in the Blackfoot as part of the Blackfoot Community Project. Juanita is also a member of Montana Conservation Voters, the Blackfoot Challenge and Community Food Agriculture Coalition.
Rachel Carroll, Director
Rachel is from Helena and spends her working hours with the Montana Human Rights Network. She has a MS in Sociology from Utah State University with a focus in Social Change and Development. She received her BA in Sociology from the University of Montana, as well as her Certification in Nonprofit Administration from American Humanics. Rachel has worked in the areas of rural sustainable development, workers rights, and environmental justice. She is originally from Great Falls and loves to spend time in the great outdoors. Rachel has greatly enjoyed spending time volunteering with the Montana Conservation Voters annual meeting and volunteering for MCV endorsed candidates around the state. She is dedicated to educating and advocating for the conservation of our natural environment and to building stronger environmental voice in the political arena.
Ben Greybill, Director
Ben, Great Falls, was born into a politically active family. He worked in a variety of campaigns - mayoral to presidential. He completed law school in 1988, and for the last eighteen years has represented injured persons and victims of fraud. Ben spent three months as the intermittent page to his father, Leo Graybill, Jr., during his presidency of the 1972 Constitutional Convention. In witnessing the drafting of Montana's Constitution, he gained a deep appreciation for those who fought for the inclusion of the article obligating government and citizens to maintain a "clean and healthful environment". Through MCV, Ben hopes to help elect candidates who will fight to preserve the principles embodied in that article.
Wanda Grinde, Director
Wanda Grinde, Billings, worked as a dedicated teacher and librarian for over thirty years. Wanda served three terms in the Montana House of Representatives, working to promote energy efficiency in schools. During her time in the legislature, Wanda earned a perfect lifetime score of 100%. Outside of the Legislature, Grinde has also been active in the Heights Task Force, and is working to solve transportation problems by serving on the Alternate Routes Committee.
Jason Smith, Director
Jason, Helena, works for the Montana Department of Commerce as a program manager of the State Tribal Economic Development Commission, and has extensive civic engagement experience. He worked in the 2009 Legislature as Majority Aide and Montana American Indian Caucus staff member. A member of the Confederate Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nations, Jason was the Chairman's Assistant and Get Out The Vote Coordinator, and was a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Jason graduated from Salish Kootenai College in business entrepreneurship. He is working with his family to protect Chief Cliff Mountain near Elmo from rock quarry mining.
Michelle Stearns, Director
Michelle, Arlee, is a counselor in the Missoula school system. She grew up in the headwaters of the Musselshell River. After receiving her graduate counseling degree from MSU, and a brief stint in Helena, she moved to Missoula to begin her counseling career, and where she served on other community boards. She and her husband, Pat Smith, live in Arlee and share a passion for the Montana outdoors.
Jake Troyer, Director
Robin Saha, Missoula Chapter Representative
Robin is assistant professor in the Environmental S
tudies Department at the University of Montana. His teaching and research interests focus on environmental justice, health and policy with an emphasis on community engagement and empowerment. He is committed to providing assistance to contaminated communities and works actively on tribal environmental issues in Montana. Robin served on the MCV Missoula chapter steering committee.
Katie Craig Scherfig, Gallatin-Park Chapter Representative
Katie has worked as MCV’s Gallatin-Park Chapter Get-Out–the-Vote organizer since MCV’s first election in 2000. As a volunteer, she’s been involved in all phases of chapter activity, including legislative accountability, fundraising, events planning and endorsement interviews. Katie lives in Bozeman and works as the Manager of Wildwood Nursery in Big Sky. Previously she spent seven years with the Sierra Club working on grizzly bear, wolf, clean air and wildland issues. In winter she enjoys cross country and telemark skiing. In the summer Katie and her husband Peter spend their free time hiking, mountain biking and exploring Montana while camping in their 1971 VW bus. She is also an avid gardener. Katie began her love for the wilds of Montana when she moved here 33 years ago. She and her husband have two grown children who also have a passion for the Montana outdoors.
Daniel Short, Flathead Chapter Representative
Daniel is a long time hunting, fishing, floating and hiking enthusiast. He is a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch, where he has worked for 12 years. Dan is involved in a number of conservation groups and is currently the Vice Chairperson of the State Council of Montana Trout Unlimited. He has participated in MCV's Flathead Chapter, has been active with MCV endorsement interviews, and has helped with candidate campaigns including meeting voters at their doors and helping with fundraising. He has two children and one grandson who he is teaching how to fish.
David Chambers, Alternate Gallatin-Park Chapter Representative
David, Bozeman, is the president of the Center for Science in Public Participation, a non-profit corporation that provides technical assistance on mining and water quality to public interest groups and tribal governments in the US and Canada. Dave is a registered professional geophysicist with a Professional Engineering Degree in Physics from the Colorado School of Mines, and a Masters Degree in Geophysics from the University of California at Berkeley. He also has a Ph.D. in Environmental Planning from Berkeley. Dave and his wife, Sigrid, have resided in Bozeman for 12 years.
Jacquelyn Corday, Alternate Missoula Chapter Representative
Jacquelyn leads Missoula's open space acquisitions. Previously, she was a planner for the Missoula Office of Planning and Grants. She also practiced real estate, land use and environmental law in Oregon and Montana. Jackie received her B.A. in Environmental Biology from Humboldt State University and her law degree from University of Oregon School of Law.
Bill Walker, Alternate Yellowstone Chapter Representative
Bill previously lived in Juneau, where he worked for 18 years Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Air Permit Department as the supervisor over road construction permits for air quality. He decided to retire and move to Billings to be closer to family, and his motivation for joining the Conservation Voters stemmed out of personally witnessing the devastating impacts and that global warming was having on Alaska’s glaciers. He still works consulting part-time for his previous department, and enjoys his free time by hiking, fishing and learning about all of the great outdoor activities that Montana has to offer.
