Montana Girls STEM

Fall Collaboration Conference

Nov. 7, 2014 | Helena College | Helena, Montana

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

Welcome from the Dean

of Helena College

Welcome from the Montana Girls STEM

Conference co-chairs

May I personally extend a warm welcome

to you from Helena
College University
of Montana, one of
Montanas premier
centers of higher
education since 1939.
Helena College is
excited to host this
years Montana Girls
STEM Collaboration Conference. As technology continues to dominate much of our
daily lives it is increasingly more important
to encourage young women to pursue careers
in STEM related fields.

On behalf of the
Montana Girls STEM
Collaborative and our
board members and
advocates through
Montana, welcome to
our fall collaboration
conference! As you
will learn today, the
goal of Montana
Girls STEM and
our parent organization, the National Girls
Collaborative Project is to unite individuals
and organizations who support and educate girls
about the numerous career opportunities available
in the fields of science, technology, engineering
and math.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

are the disciplines that form some of the
most exciting, challenging, and rewarding
professions discovered by women of today.
In fact, major industries seek out and highly
recruit women who have mastered these
skills because they recognize the enhanced
values of diversity and critical thinking that
women bring in to the various professions of
STEM.
We hope you will enjoy your time at Helena College and the STEM Collaboration
Conference. It is my sincere hope that at this
conference you find many ways to help inspire girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Daniel Bingham, Dean of Helena College

One theme of our day is the power of role models

and mentors, which research shows is one of
the most important factors for young women in
choosing a career. We encourage you to think
back about the women and men who serve as
role models or mentored you. How could you
now support another young person to engage in
learning and exploring STEM fields? We hope
you enjoy the day and find many new ideas and
collaborators.
Conference Co-Chairs,
Suzi Taylor, MSU Extended University,
(Montana Girls STEM Collaborative lead)
Jan Lombardi, JML Strategy, Helena
(Montana Girls STEM Champions Board)

About the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project

The Montana Girls STEM Collaborative
brings together people and organizations
in Montana that are committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As part of the National
Girls Collaborative Project, which is funded
by the National Science Foundation, Montanas collaborative shares research and best
practices; offers professional development and
opportunities for collaborations; and funds
mini-grants.

Follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/MontanaGirlsSTEM
Follow us on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/MTGirlsSTEM
Sign up for our e-newsletter:
http://bit.ly/MontanaGirlsSTEM
Register in these mentor/role model programs
affiliated with our national organization:
Million Women Mentors (millionwomenmentors.org) and Fab Fems (fabfems.org)

If you have questions, please contact CollabAnyone in Montana (and beyond) is welcome orative lead Suzi Taylor; taylor@montana.edu
to become part of our organization. You can
The Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project is an
learn about STEM resources, professional
outreach program of Montana NSF EPSCoR, the National
development opportunities, grants, and more. Science Foundations Experimental Program to Stimulate
Our Website is: www.ngcproject.org/collaborative/montana-girls-stem-collaborative
If you are affiliated with a STEM program in
Montana, you can register your program in
our online program directory (or browse the
Montana programs already listed):
http://www.ngcproject.org/collaborative/
montana-girls-stem-collaborative/programs
(to list your program, youll first need to
make an account)

Competitive Research. EPSCoR is a federally-funded program

to promote the development of science and technology capacity in the United States. Montana NSF EPSCoR supports
capacity building by investing in researchers and institutions
to better position them to compete for federal research funds.
Montana EPSCoRs flagship research program is the Montana Institute on Ecosystems, with offices at both Montana
State University and the University of Montana. EPSCoR
also focuses its efforts on serving the state of Montana through
external engagement efforts, reaching diverse populations and
workforce development.
This material is based upon work supported in part by the National
Science Foundation EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement #EPS1101342

Montana Girls STEM Board Members

Leadership Team
Lisa Blank

Professor

UM College of Education and Human Sciences

Missoula

Wendy Fechter

Director

STARBASE

Great Falls

Laura Gittings-Carlson Continuing Education Program Director

MSU-Billings

Billings

Liz Gundersen

GirlTech director, retired MD

Exploration Works

Helena

Allyn Harris

Engineer

CTA Architects

Billings

Jenny Lind

Graduate Student

University of Montana

Missoula

Tiphani Lynn

Graduate Student

Montana State University

Bozeman

Melanie Magee

Educator / GEAR UP Coordinator

Browning Public Schools

Browning

JuDee ODonnell

Business Process Mgr., / Camp Director

Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming

Billings

Michael Stone

Retired educator

Montana public schools / former STARBASE director

Great Falls

Suzi Taylor

Asst. Director, Outreach and Communications

Montana State Universitys Extended University

Bozeman

Holly Truitt

Director

University of Montana spectrUM

Missoula

Sara Young

Community Engagement Core Director

Montana INBRE
IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence

Billings

Exploration Works

Helena

Champions Board
Nikki Andersen

Director

Annie Beaver

Associate Financial Consultant

D.A. Davidson

Livingston

Heather Bilden

Freelance educator / Ranch Co-owner

Coulee Creek Ranch

Lavina

Lisa Bullock

First Lady

State of Montana

Helena

Jonda Crosby

Farmer and Training Services Director

International Organic Inspectors Association

Broadus

Waded Cruzado

President

Montana State University System

Bozeman

Jan Lombardi

Owner/Consultant

JML Strategy

Helena

Sandi Luckey

Communications Director

Montana AFL-CIO

Helena

Monica Mainland

Refinery Manager

ExxonMobil Billings

Billings

Cindy ODell

Professor

Salish Kootenai College

Pablo

Martha Peters

Director of Administration

College of Nursing, MSU-Bozeman

Bozeman

Major General
Matthew Quinn

Adjutant General, State of Montana

State of Montana Dept. of Military Affairs

Fort
Harrison

Melanie Reynolds

Public Health Officer

Lewis and Clark County

Helena

Kim Schweikert

Sr. Director Adult & Community Services

Easter Seals-Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain, Inc.

Billings

Nancy Schweitzer

Former First Lady

State of Montana

Helena

Wendy Wigert

Director of Operations

Montana Conservation Corps

Bozeman

Montana State University

Bozeman

National Champions Board

Jessi Smith

Professor

Board members who are participating in our conference are denoted

throughout this program by the National Girls Collaborative Project logo

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

Schedule
Morning Session - Helena College Main Campus
8:45am
9am9:30am
9:30

9:35-9:50

Registration opens
Coffee /Breakfast and Networking
Welcome and Announcements
Jan Lombardi and Suzi Taylor, Conference Co-Chairs
The Voice of Girls, video
Remarks from First Lady Lisa Bullock
Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Champions Board Member

About the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative

Speed Networking
10:10-10:20
Break
10:2011:50
Breakout Sessions
Panel 1: Why STEM careers? Explore opportunities in apprenticeships,
two-year and four-year college degrees and beyond
9:5010:10

Although some might think that STEM is just for engineers or geeks, most employers want workers
who are able to reason and solve problems using some math, science, or technology knowledge.
Hear about STEM-based career opportunities from a panel of Montana business and organizational
representatives. You will also learn more about a variety of educational and workforce preparations
that can lead to building a diverse STEM workforce across the Big Sky state. And, you might be
surprised to hear about the variety of career paths that these panelists took!

Atrium
Donaldson
Lecture Hall
Donaldson
Lecture Hall
Donaldson
Lecture Hall

Donaldson
Lecture Hall

Panelists: Dr. Monica Berner, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana; Dan Carter, ExxonMobil;
Tiffany Ferguson, Northrop Grumman; Sandi Luckey, AFL-CIO; Stephanie Morrison, State
of Montana; Renee Quintana, Xerox Healthcare Services. Moderator: Pam Cote, Blackstone
Launchpad Montana
Panel 2: Collaborating to Fill the STEM Pipeline
Room 002-003
Why do businesses engage with the community? If youre a business looking to get started in
(downstairs)
community outreach or perhaps a non-profit or educational institution that wants to connect
more with business, come learn about some best practices in collaboration, including ways
to engage staff, reach out, find partners and share resources. Youll also hear about successful
Montana Girls STEM mini-grant collaborations: organizations that teamed up to advance
STEM for girls around Montana.

Panelists: Laura Clark, Opportunity Bank of Montana; Shari Eslinger, KLJ Engineering;
Josh Hughes, Add-a-Tudez Entertainment / Team KAIZEN; Jeff Kuratnick, Paris Gibson
Square Museum of Art; Christie Lende, Boeing Helena. Claudia Rapkoch, Northwestern
Energy. Moderator: Jan Lombardi, JML Strategy / Montana Girls STEM Champions Board
Panel 3: Learning Outside the Classroom: Hands-on STEM

Whether youre immersed in STEM education or just getting started, youll walk away with
several new ideas for bringing more STEM to youth in your programs. Presenters from several
different fields will walk you through hands-on STEM activities and strategies that you can
do yourself. Well also discuss best practices for engaging girls in STEM and STEAM when
integrating Art. Well have time at the end for participants to share their own go-to resources.

Panelists: Laurie Evarts, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Liz Gundersen,
ExplorationWorks; Pat Schneider, A World in Motion; Tim Speyer, Archie Bray Foundation.
Moderator: Suzi Taylor, MSU/Montana Girls STEM Collaborative

Room 120

11:50Noon

Break

Noon1:15pm

Networking Lunch and Keynote Luncheon Speaker

Pushed Away or Pulled In? Social Factors that Affect Womens and Girls
Participation in STEM
Dr. Jessi L. Smith, Montana State University

1:15pm-1:45pm

Break for travel to Helena College - Airport Campus (2300 Airport Road)

Room 002-003
(downstairs)

Transportation is on your own; bring your parking pass from the morning!

Afternoon Session Helena College Airport Campus (2300 Airport Rd, Helena 59601)
1:15pm1:45pm

Check-in for participants who are only attending the afternoon session
(Morning participants do not need to check in again)

1:45pm2:05pm

Welcome
Daniel Bingham, Dean of Helena College
Lieutenant Governor Angela McLean
Role Models Matter Training
Jamie Cornish, Extended University, Montana State University,
and Jessie Herbert, spectrUM Discovery Area, University of Montana

2:05pm-3:35pm

3:35pm-3:45pm

Break / Prize drawing winners posted...come pick up your prize

3:45pm-4:15pm
4:15pm-5pm

Tours of Helena College two-year STEM programs

Led by Helena College faculty, staff and students
The Last Word: Panel and audience discussion

5pm

Panelists: Nikki Andersen, Exploration Works; Melanie Magee, GEAR UP / Browning Schools;
Valerie Martinez, Helena College; Maria Bocquin, Vetter Aviation; Suzi Taylor, MSU / Montana
Girls STEM. Moderator: Jan Clinard, Helena College
ADJOURN

Join us for an interactive synopsis of the day. What takeaways do you have? What will you do next?
Our panelists will weigh in from various perspectives, and conference participants are encouraged to
share their thoughts, as well.

Youre invited!

Join us for an after-conference reception at Boeing Helena.

Boeing is pleased to extend an invitation to an open house reception at our Helena facility from 5:30 to 6:30
p.m. Light hors doeuvres and refreshments will be served. Some participants will have an opportunity to participate in tours of our fabrication facility. Boeing Helena is located at 3200 Skyway Drive. Upon arrival, please
check in through our main entrance located on the east side of the building. Plenty of parking is available. Directions from the Helena College Airport Campus to Boeing Helena are as follows:
Head northwest on Airport Road toward Washington Street
Turn right on Washington Street
Take the first right onto Skyway Drive. The plant is approximately 1.7 miles on the right.

Keynote Speakers
First Lady Lisa Bullock

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

Lisa (Downs) Bullock was born in Helena, Montana. She is the

oldest of six children in an Irish Catholic family. Her father was a
psychology professor, and her mother a nurse.
Lisa graduated from the Helena public school system. She received
her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Computer Science
from Carroll College in Helena, and attended graduate school at the
University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.
Lisa works as a management consultant for Public Knowledge,
LLC, a management consulting company, and has a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Manage-

Lieutenant Governor Angela McLean

Angela McLean, a Twin Bridges High School graduate, became

Montanas 31st Lieutenant Governor in February, 2014 when she
was appointed by Governor Steve Bullock.
McLean, an educator and classroom teacher, taught American History and Government at Anaconda High School and served as an
adjunct professor at Montana Tech in Butte prior to being tapped
Lieutenant Governor. She also served as the Chair of the Montana
Board of Regents prior to being appointed Lieutenant Governor,
and had previously served on the Montana Board of Public Education.
A tireless advocate for Montana, Angela has partnered with Governor Bullock to advance the administrations agenda of better jobs,
better education and a more effective government.
In her first six months in office, as part of Governor Bullocks Main
Street Montana Project, Angela visited all seven of Montanas Indian
reservations and met with tribal council leaders, community members, and educators to engage in a productive and valuable dialogue
about how to foster economic opportunities in Indian Country.
Angela also developed Montana SMART Schools, an initiative of
the Lieutenant Governors office, with the goal of reducing energy
usage in schools and saving schools money.

ment Institute. She also volunteers at her

childrens elementary school, serves on the
Board of the Lewis and Clark Community
Foundation, and coaches her sons basketball
team. Lisa is a member of the champions
board of the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project.
Lisa and her husband Steve have three children, Caroline, Alexandria, and Cameron.
She enjoys skiing, playing basketball, hiking,
and eating anything thats chocolate.

Angela also chairs the Montana Governors Drought and Water Supply Advisory
Committee, a clearinghouse for the sharing
of water supply and moisture conditions
among state and local agency officials with
responsibility to manage natural resources
and support constituents most likely affected
by drought, and the Labor-Management Advisory Council, which provides a structure
for an organized discussion of workers
compensation public policy.
Angela worked through high school as a waitress at the Blue Anchor
Caf in Twin Bridges. She earned a bachelors degree in 1994 from
Western Montana College in Dillon, now the University of Montana Western becoming the first member of her family to graduate
from college. She went on to earn her Master of Arts in Curriculum
and Instruction from the University of Montana in 2000 and in
2005 she became a Nationally Board Certified Teacher.
Angela and her husband Mike are the parents of Colin, a freshman,
and Ellen, whos in fifth grade. She enjoys spending time with her
family, as well as skiing, bicycling, hiking and camping.

Dr. Jessi L. Smith, MSU Professor of Psychology

Jessi L. Smith received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University
of Utah in 2002. She is now a Professor of Psychology at Montana State University and is Special Assistant to the Provost as the
Principal Investigator and Director of the NSF-funded ADVANCE
Project TRACS. ADVANCE Project TRACS aims to broaden
the participation of women faculty and enhance equity at MSU,
especially among the science, math and engineering departments.
Her research specializes in social psychological aspects of gender and

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

culture that utilizes models and theories to

advance the success of people at risk in education, business, and health. Dr. Smith recently was named to the national champions
board for the National Girls Collaborative
Project, parent organization of the Montana
Girls STEM Collaborative.

Breakout Session 1 Why STEM Careers?

Dr. Monica Berner,

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana

Monica Berner is the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana. Dr. Berner attended the
University of Houston as a National Merit Scholar studying Biology
and Chemistry. She then obtained her Medical Degree at Baylor
College of Medicine. Following a residency in Family Medicine at
Oregon Health Sciences University, Dr. Berner practiced medicine
for 12 years. In 2009, Dr. Berner became the Medical Director for
BCBSMT. In 2013, she was promoted to her current position. Dr.
Berners husband is a practicing Ophthalmologist at the Fort Harrison VA. Their daughter Grace attends Capital High School, and
son Arleigh attends CR Anderson.

Dan Carter, ExxonMobil

Dan Carter was born and raised in the Gallatin Valley, went to
school in Belgrade and earned his first real paycheck working at
a dairy. In high school, he enjoyed science, the natural world and
people so he figured journalism was a good career path. He worked
for 20 years in newspapers and spent eight years in public relations
at MSU Billings before joining ExxonMobil as Public and Government Affairs Manager at the Billings refinery in 2013. He does
STEM outreach with schools in Billings and Lockwood and serves
in an advisory capacity on Superintendent Juneaus College and
Career Standards Commission. He has been married for 31 years,
has three children, four grandchildren and five dogs.

Tiffany Ferguson, Northrop Grumman

Tiffany Ferguson is a Senior Program Manager with Northrop

Grumman in Helena, Montana. She has over 20 years of Information Technology experience including extensive experience managing large, integrated human services systems through all phases of
system development and implementation. Tiffany received her B.S.
in Business Administration Information Systems from Brigham
Young University. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and ScrumMaster. She also participates as a member
of the Helena College Campus Advisory Council. Tiffany lives in
Clancy, Montana with her husband and 3 children and is happy to
call Montana home. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys playing and
coaching basketball and enjoying the outdoors.

Sandi Curriero Luckey, AFL-CIO

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

Sandi Curriero Luckey worked as a journeyman equipment operator/grade setter for thirteen years. She worked nine years for the
MT Operating Engineers Apprenticeship Training Program as an
Instructor, Board of Trustees Member, and Interim Director. In
1998, Luckey became the first woman Organizer in the construction trades in Montana and the first in her national unions history.
She served five terms as the President of the Big Sky Central Labor

Council. In 2006 she was hired by the Montana AFL-CIO as a

Volunteer Coordinator, then the Writer/Researcher, and in 2010
she was promoted to the MT AFL-CIO Communications Director.
Luckey is a graduate of the AFL-CIOs Leadership Institute and the
MT Operating Engineers Apprenticeship Program. She is a Vice
President of the International Labor Communications Assoc. and a
member of the Montana Girls STEM Champions Board.

Stephanie Morrison, State of Montana

Stephanie Morrison has a Ph.D. in Physics from the University

of Notre Dame. After brief stints in academia and the non-profit
sectorwhere she partnered with MSU-Billings to start the annual
event Chicks in Scienceshe started as a revenue analyst at the
Governors Office of Budget and Program Planning in 2008. She
joined the Legislative Fiscal Division in 2010, where she continues
to concentrate on business and income tax forecasting. When not
analyzing data, Dr. Morrison enjoys attending summer garden tours
wearing sartorial statement hats.

Renee Quintana, Xerox Healthcare Services

Renee Quintana is the Program Support Manager for Xerox HealthCare Services. She has been in this role for over two years. She came
to Xerox from BCBSMT where she started her professional career
as a Decision Support Analyst. After her first year at BCBSMT, she
moved into the Actuarial Department where she spent five years as
an Actuarial Analyst. Renees main function at Xerox is to maintain
the payment methodologies for the MT Medicaid Project. She is a
native to Montana moving to Helena from Missoula in 2006. She
graduated from the University of Montana in the spring of 2005.

Moderator: Pamela Haxby-Cote,

Blackstone LaunchPad Montana

Pam Haxby-Cote is a lifelong Montanan, born and raised in Butte.

Currently, Pam serves as the Regional Director of Blackstone
LaunchPad. She has devoted most of her career to economic development and creating jobs, having over 25 years of experience in
the field. Her work began as Deputy Director and Loan Officer for
the Butte Local Development Corporation. From there she became
heavily involved with local and state government as a Community
Development Director first for Butte, then as the Senior Economic
Development Specialist for Governor Brian Schweitzer. She has also
served as the Butte Regional Director and Economic Development
Director under Senator Jon Tester. Pam has also served on many
boards including the Montana Supreme Court Citizen Review
Board, the Lady of the Rockies Foundation and Highlands College
Advisory Board. Pam hopes to continue to serve and strengthen
Montana and its economy so future generations can prosper in this
great state.

Breakout Session 2 Collaboration to Build the STEM Pipeline

Laura F. Clark,

Opportunity Bank of Montana

Laura F. Clark is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

for Opportunity Bank of Montana. Ms. Clark has over 35 years of
banking experience, including a variety of executive positions with
respected community banks throughout Montana. She holds a
double major in Business and Spanish from Montana State University Billings. Her background in bank operations, accounting
and financial reporting coupled with experience in bank marketing
and systems analysis bring a strategic approach to bank management. She initiated a company that provided operational support
and guidance to community banks. Ms. Clark has served on bank
boards and has consulted with banks in transition. Ms. Clark serves
on the board of ExplorationWorks Science Center. www.opportunitybank.com

Shari Eslinger, KLJ Engineering

Shari Eslinger is an energetic and out-going communicator, solution-finder and mother. She graduated from Montana State University with a degree in Civil Engineering and found herself trapped
by the abundance of hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, fresh air and
overall lifestyle that is Bozeman, MT. She works for KLJ Engineering as a Municipal Engineer and is part of their prestigious 3-year
Young Professional Development Program, designed to hone communication and leadership skills. She is thrilled to support STEM
in any way and believes that the key to STEM student participation
is not just sending out an invitation, but also opening the door and
extending a welcoming hand.

Josh Hughes,

Add-A-Tudez Entertainment / Team KAIZEN

Josh is part of Add-A-Tudez Entertainment Company and Team

KAIZEN in Great Falls. Team KAIZEN, which is Montanas first
PlayStation Certified Game Studio, views themselves as a teaching
studio that develop their own games alongside doing outreach programs to teach people about the STEM and opportunities behind
Game Design and Video Game Entrepreneurship. They give talks
on Game Design/Entrepreneurship to schools and work with entities like Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art to do LittleBigPlanet
Club, a program where students learn how to design their own
games within Sonys LittleBigPlanet game creation tool set.

Jeff Kuratnick,

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art

Current Curator of Education at Paris Gibson Square Museum of

Art in Great Falls, Montana, Jeff Kuratnick is a ceramic artist and
educator. Kuratnicks academic training is in K-12 Art Education
with certification from the state of Pennsylvania. Since earning his
degree, Kuratnick has taught in K-12 schools, Art Centers, Museums and Universities in Pennsylvania, Idaho and Montana. His
museum experience has led him to develop educational programs
and collaborations that focuses on visual art education to further
develop content knowledge in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics.

Christie Lende, Boeing

Christie Lende is an HR Manager for the Boeing Company, working in the Boeing Commercial Airplanes division at their fabrication
facility in Helena, Montana. Christie has worked in the Human
Resources discipline for over 17 years. She has a bachelors degree in
Human Resource Management from Western Governors University, and an MBA from the University of Mary, as well as a Senior
Professional Human Resource certification (SPHR). Christies career
in HR has been focused in heavy industrial settings including mining, power generation, Class 1 railroad transportation, and heavy
manufacturing. In addition to her career focus, Christie is also a
board member and secretary for the York Fire Service Area, supporting volunteer firefighting efforts in her community. She is proud to
be a native Montanan, residing in York with her husband Nick.

Claudia Rapkoch, Northwestern Energy

Claudia Rapkoch, APR, is the Director of Corporate Communications for NorthWestern Energy, an electric and natural gas transmission and distribution utility serving more than 678,200 customers
in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Her team is responsible
for all internal and external communication activities including
public and media relations, internal communications, online and
social communications, printing and publications, advertising and
sponsorships, community relations, corporate philanthropy and
stakeholder engagement programs. Claudia grew up in Colorado
and has a Journalism degree from Colorado State University. She
spent several years as a radio and television journalist in Colorado
and Montana before joining Montana Power as a writer in 1995.
She has an MBA from the University of Montana and accreditation
from the Public Relations Society of America (APR). When not doing fun things outside or renovating an old house or two, shes hard
at work in her office in uptown Butte or traveling for work and/or
enjoyment. She and her husband are the proud parents of a young
son and share their home with an equally rambunctious basset
hound. Twitter: @ClaudiaRapkoch

Moderator: Jan Lombardi,

JML Strategy

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

Jan Lombardi is owner of JML Strategy an education policy consulting firm. She has 35 years of experience working in government,
nonprofit, and the business sectors, including serving as the Education Policy Advisor and Director of the Governors Office of Community Service for Governor Schweitzer. Lombardis work in Montanas nonprofit and public sectors has resulted in lasting change in
service delivery and policy for children and families from cradle to
career. Considered a crowning achievement for future generations,
Jan helped with the passage of full-time kindergarten in Montana.
She is passionate about empowering young women to successfully
pursue their goals and dreams. Jans commitment to volunteering and giving back is evident in her service on numerous boards:
Montana Girls STEM Collaborative, Montana AfterschoolAlliance,
Helena College Foundation, Montana Conservation Corps and the
Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts.

Breakout Session 3 Learning Outside the ClassroomHands-on STEM (and STEAM!)

Laurie Evarts,

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

Laurie Evarts is the MT WILD Education Program Manager for

Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Laurie has a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction Science Education. She has over 10 years
experience in conservation education, including curriculum and
instruction, program development, and evaluation. Five years
experience educating students who are considered at-risk, minority or cognitively. Evarts will share information on Montana Fish,
Wildlife and Parks resources for educators and how to incorporate
STEM into teaching about Montana Fish & Wildlife.

Liz Gundersen, ExplorationWorks

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

Liz Gundersen MD is a retired pediatrician involved in the development of ExplorationWorks Science Center in Helena. Along with
a teacher friend, she has run the Girl-Tech program for 14 years, a
weekly mentored program for 5th-grade girls that teaches teamwork
while working on tech projects like circuits-and-switches, computer
animation, and robotics. Ideas proto-typed in this program have
helped expand a wide range of hands-on activities for all ages at
the science center, in particular a robotics experience for first grade
through senior high that has lead students to challenging STEM
career choices. Contact Liz at lizgunmontana@gmail.com See web
site at: www.explorationworks.org

Pat Schneider, A World in Motion

Patricia A. Schneider is Montanas Liaison to Society Of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Internationals A World In Motion (AWIM) in
partnership with 21st CCLC, Montana Private and Public Schools,
and Montanas Ambassadors. Pat is also the founder of MiPAS Educational Consulting Firm. Her firm coupled with SAEs award win-

ning STEM programs are directly involved in the Rocky Mountain

AWIM Initiative (RMAI) started by Arne Siegel, Montana Ambassador and SAE Foundation Member. Pat is a consummate educator with over 40 years in K-16 education and is currently a college
professor. She works with the Western States school districts to
develop K-12 STEM education outreach initiatives with important
and lasting results, by bringing together AWIM student programs,
community volunteers, and teachers.

Tim Speyer, Archie Bray Foundation Board

Life unfolds as a fascinating journey. At one time or another, Ive

worked as a landscape architect, park planner, interpretive naturalist, K-12 environmental educator, corporate operations manager,
elementary school teacher, middle school art teacher, and artist. My
combined interests in the fields of art, education, and science have
consumed most of my life. I currently serve on the board of the
Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts and work on various
independent projects.

Moderator: Suzi Taylor,

MSU Extended University

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

Suzi Taylor is Assistant Director for Outreach and Communications for Extended University at Montana State University in
Bozeman. She is also co-leader of the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project. At MSU, Suzi is involved in numerous STEM
outreach programs, ranging from nanotechnology to thermal biology, and has developed and taught several courses, including New
Technologies: Whats the Big Deal? to a group of lifelong learners, and Communicating Astrobiology to the Public for MSU
undergraduates. She recently partnered with the Gallatin United
Way KidsLink afterschool program to host Reverse Engineering,
learning that, given enough Dollar Store screwdrivers, any third
grader can take apart a microwave.

Role Models Matter

Role Models Matter is an initiative that prepares STEM professionals for outreach.

Princeton University in East Asian Studies, as well as an M.Phil. and

a Ph.D. in education from Cambridge University in England.

Role models play a vital role in getting youth excited about careers
in STEM, Less than 60 percent of high school girls know someone in a STEM career, and 93 percent of program participants in
Techbridge (the non-profit that developed RMM) say that field trips
and role models made them more interested in science, technology,
or engineering careers. Exposing girls to female role models helps
to counteract negative stereotypes about women and STEM. and
Role Models Matter will help you develop skills to engage girls and
underrepresented youth in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). RMM training is valuable for STEM professionals who
seek to hone their skills in reaching out to youth as mentors and
role models, and is also valuable to STEM educators and programmers who seek to incorporate role models into their classrooms and
programs.

Jessie Herbert, spectrUM Discovery Area

RMM was developed by Techbridge, a

501(c)(3) nonprofit inspiring girls and
underrepresented youth to discover a
passion for technology, science, and
engineering through hands-on learning and career exploration.

techbridgegirls.org/rolemodelsmatter/

Presenters
Jamie Cornish, MSU Extended University

Jamie Cornish is the science outreach and education specialist at

Montana State Universitys Extended University where she has
helped write, manage and implement grants from NASA, NSF,
and NIH. She has served as the both the director of education and
marketing at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman. Before moving to Montana, Jamie worked in New York City at Sesame Street,
the Walt Disney Company and Nickelodeon. Jamie has a B.A. from

Jessie Herbert serves as the STEM Education Program Manager at

the University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area. She earned
her bachelors degree in elementary education from the University
of Montana in 2008, and has worked in informal education for six
years as an educator, trainer, and coordinator. She became a certified
SciGirls trainer in 2011 and trains educators to implement gendersensitive curriculum in their classroom. As a passionate learner,
Jessie enjoys teaching and learning about all types of science, from
nano science and neuroscience to physics and ecology. She spends
her free time with her husband and two year old daughter, canoeing,
skiing, and dancing!

Get involved! Check out:

Million Women Mentors (millionwomenmentors.org) an engagement campaign and
national call to action that mobilizes corporations, government entities, non-profit and
higher education groups, around the imperative of mentoring girls
and young women in STEM fields. Montana has pledged 5,000
mentors!
Fab Fems (fabfems.org) is a database of women
from a broad range of professions in STEM. They
are passionate, collaborative, and work to make
the world a better place. Many girls have similar
interests but arent connected to adults who exemplify the STEM
career pathway. This is where you come in. Create a FabFems profile
to expand girls career options, dispel stereotypes and spark their
interests - just by being you.

This portion of our conference is sponsored by the Womens Foundation of

Montana. The Womens Foundation supports economic self-sufficiency of
women and a brighter future of girls. The Foundation:
Builds a permanent endowment that will provide funding to enhance the
lives of women and girls in Montana in perpetuity.
Makes grants to Montana organizations that help women and girls attain
economic self-sufficiency.
Creates statewide awareness of the barriers to economic self-sufficiency and supports systemic change to
eliminate those barriers.
The Womens Foundation offers grants that benefit women and girls as well as our communities overall. As the
only statewide fund dedicated to funding for women and girls, donations are leveraged through our endowment. Our grant-making is focused on lasting change for women and girls.
Visit http://www.wfmontana.org/about.html

The Last Word

Nikki Andersen, ExplorationWorks

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

Nikki Andersen is in her 4th year as director at ExplorationWorks

Science Center, moving to Helena so she could be surrounded by
mountains and immersed in science for kids and adults. Her career
work has always been in informal education for kidseverywhere
from the largest childrens museum in the world to colonial American and medieval arms and armor museums and now to Helenas
science center. Nikkis passion is helping children, especially girls,
build bright futures for themselves. She believes developing a love
for science and technology at an early age and keeping them engaged launches girls into rewarding career paths and opens the doors
to rewarding experiences throughout their lives. Nikkis served on
the board of Girls Inc in several cities and was active in the Womens
Initiative, a subset of the United Way in Massachusetts, also focused
on helping girls excel. She is a member of the Montana Girls STEM
Collaborative champions board.

Valerie Martinez, Helena College

Valerie Martinez is the Trades Technology Division Chair at Helena

College UM. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary
Education: Business and Office Administration, a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and over 30 years experience
as an instructor and administrator in post-secondary education.
The Trades Division offers educational opportunities for developing
aptitudes, perfecting skills, and acquiring the knowledge necessary
for individuals to be effective and competitive throughout lifetime
employment in a changing work environment. She reports working
with the faculty and students in the Trades Division at Helena College is deeply rewarding.

Maria Bocquin, Vetter Aviation

Maria Bocquin was a Boeing Scholarship Recipient, who graduated

from the Helena College Aviation Maintenance program and passed
her A&P licensure test in May of 2014. She currently works for Vetter Aviation, in Helena.

Melanie Magee,

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

GEAR UP / Browning Public Schools

Melanie Magee is the GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and

Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) Coordinator for Browning
Middle/High Schools, a college preparation program that serves
almost 1,000 students. She is a graduate of Browning High School
as well as a graduate of Carroll College. Before working with
students in Browning, Melanie worked in the Human Resources
field for 5 years, serving as the Assistant Personnel Director on the
Lolo National Forest (Missoula) then transferring to the Lewis and
Clark National Forest (Great Falls) as Personnel Director. Melanie
returned home when she met her now husband and served as the

Blackfeet Tribe Personnel Director for 5 years. She gladly traded this
career in when she got the opportunity to work with middle and
high school students, to help encourage more students like herself
to pursue college. Melanie and her husband Mark live on a ranch
south of Browning, raising 3 children that are currently in the 7th
(McKenna), 10th (Landon) and 2nd year in college (Jessica) at the
University of Montana.

Suzi Taylor, MSU Extended University

Montana Girls
STEM Collaborative

Suzi Taylor is Assistant Director for Outreach and Communications for Montana State Universitys Extended University. She is also
co-leader of the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project. She
earned her bachelors degree in journalism from the University of
Illinois and a masters in business education from MSU. In her position at MSU, Suzi helps develop STEM outreach programs for the
Montana Institute on Ecosystems, NASA Astrobiology Institute and
Thermal Biology Institute, and has presented at STEM events such
as NanoDays, Expanding Your Horizons and Astronomy Day. She
is a board member of the Montana Womens Business Center and
a recent graduate of Leadership Bozeman. Suzi and her husband,
Scott, an anatomy and physiology instructor at MSU, are parents to
a son, Cameron, 9, and a daughter, Molly, 14.

Moderator: Jan Clinard, Helena College

As the Career Pathways Coordinator for Helena College, Jan Clinard assists high school and college instructors develop seamless transitions for students, enabling them to earn dual credit, gain work
experiences, and make smart choices about course work and careers.
Previously, Jan served as the Director of College Readiness Programs
for the Helena College, managing grant-funded initiatives that
provided professional development designed to help K-12 teachers
prepare students for meeting college admissions requirements and
Common Core State Standards. As the Director of Academic Initiatives for the Commissioner of Higher Education, Jan directed the
Montana University System Writing Assessment for twelve years and
oversaw the development of Board of Regents policies for college
admissions, placement, and remediation. In 1989 she began serving
as the Language Arts Specialist, then as the Curriculum and Assessment Specialist for the Montana Office of Public Instruction, where
she developed model curriculum and assessment programs, organized and presented at workshops and conferences, provided training in performance-based accreditation, and published a series of
documents that guided teachers throughout the state in data-based
decision-making, curriculum development, classroom assessment,
and implementing interdisciplinary instruction. Before joining OPI,
Jan taught middle school through college levels in Butte, Denver,
Kalispell, and Helena. She holds a B.A. in English from Montana
State University and a M.Ed. with an emphasis in Curriculum and
Instruction and an Ed.D. with an emphasis in Higher Education
Administration, from The University of Montana.

About Montana Girls STEM mini-grants

The Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project has
funded 13 Montana projects that are designed to engage
more girls in science, technology, engineering and math.
The first round of mini-grants were funded by $10,000
from the National Girls Collaborative Project / National
Science Foundation and a generous $10,000 grant from
the Womens Foundation of Montana. Three projects
were selected via competitive application in Fall 2013
and eight in Spring 2014. They include:
Travel support for four Montana teens to attend the
Rutgers University 4-H Climate and Environment Summit and bring back ideas for hosting a similar event in
Montana.
The Butte Public Library developed Codespace4Girls:
Computer Coding Boot Camps. These free training
opportunities include programming languages CSS3,
HTML5, and PHP. Training for girls, taught by girls.
Young Women in STEM, a day of hands-on STEM hosted
by ExplorationWorks and Carroll College in Helena.
Montana Gems, an after school club in Butte that also
has a science fair component.

Mini-grant
success!
(Left to right)
Rachel Fessenden
and Jenny Greger
of Bozeman
and Alexandria
Schafer of Denton
are pictured with
retired U.S. Navy
Rear Admiral
David Titley, who was invited to Montana by Paul Lachapelle
(at right). Paul, a community development specialist for
MSU Extension, wrote a mini-grant that sent Rachel, Jenny,
Alexandria and Shelbie Fitzgerald of Cut Bank to a teen
conference at Rutgers University. Their journey served as
a catalyst for Dr. Titleys invitation to Montana, where he
worked directly with dozens of teens at the 4-H Congress and
gave a public talk to more than 200 people. The success of
the project was detailed in a blog entry on the National Girls
Collaborative Project Website. http://www.ngcproject.org/
blog/mini-grant-catalyst-rear-admirals-visit-montana

Scholarships for girls to attend the Montana Trout Unlimited Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp.

A STEM YouTube Channel hosted by women in STEM

created by the U. of Montana Paleontology Center and
local high school girls.

SciGirls Astronomy After School Club in Missoula: an

after-school program focused on physics and astronomy.

Hyalite STEM Club, a greenhouse/gardening/engineering

program based at Hyalite Elementary School in Bozeman.
LittleBigPlanet Club, a collaboration between Team KAIZEN Games and the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art
in Great Falls to involve girls in video game development.
Reed Point STEM Club, which engages high school girls
in robotic surgery simulations.
Gallatin Girls Coding Club, which will teach programming in the high-tech maker space at the Childrens
Museum of Bozeman.

In Great Falls, the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art

and Add-A-Tudez Entertainment / Team KAIZEN offered
a weeklong video game development came for girls. They
partnered with the Girls Scouts of Montana-Wyoming to
recruit participants.

Whats in the future for Girls STEM mini-grants? Thanks

to a grant from Northrop Grumman, weve begun to
raise money for our second round of mini-grants. If you
are part of a business or organization that could support
this effort, please see Suzi Taylor at the conference, or
contact taylor@montana.edu. Support for STEM minigrants is a tremendous way to grow STEM programming for girls in Montana!

Many thanks to our sponsors for their generous support!

A2Z Staffing Solutions is an
independent, Helena womenowned employment agency for all
professions for the past 11 years.
Hundreds of clients and thousands
of job placements later, we are as excited about what we do as
ever before! A2Z continuous to provide contracted temporary
worker services and recruitment services statewide to local,
state, federal government, corporations including Fortune 500
companies, and private sector employers. From office support
to professional, technical and scientific an employee certified payrollweve got YOU Covered! Customer-focused,
capable, results-driven, responsive, accountable, committed
thats us A2Z Staffing Solutions we are YOUR STRATEGIC PARTNER IN BUSINESS AND CAREER ADVANCEMENT embracing your business culture and investing in your career development working towards achieving
YOUR GOALS. A2Z is the only WBENC certified woman
owned business in our industry in Montana and ASTRA
Womens Business Alliance forum leader in our state. http://
www.a2zmontana.com.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Montana: As Montanas largest not-for-profit health insurer
with nearly 250,000 customers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Montana (BCBSMT) has
provided top-notch health insurance plans and administrative services to Montanans for nearly 75 years. BCBSMT has
distinguished itself in the marketplace through careful plan
stewardship, member-focused wellness solutions, superior
customer service and a nuanced understanding of Montana
culture. BCBSMT is strictly focused on serving Montana and
is committed to ensuring its membersno matter where they
are on the health spectrumachieve maximum health. BCBSMT is headquartered in Helena, with six regional offices
across the statean unsurpassed statewide presence of more
than 600 Montana-based employees.
Boeing Helena specializes
in complex machining
of hard metals, touching nearly every one of
Boeing Commercial
Airplanes products. Acquired in 2010, Boeing Helena has already distinguished itself with superior capabilities in machining parts for nearly all Boeing airplane models. The company
now employs 144 people in 112,000 square feet of space
located in Helena, Mont. A planned expansion will add nearly
50 percent to the manufacturing space when completed in
the fourth quarter 2014. Boeing Helena is a wholly-owned

subsidiary of The Boeing Company and is one of 12 Boeing

Fabrication sites located worldwide. Boeing Helena produces
parts and assemblies for Boeing Commercial Airplanes 737,
747, 767 and 787 airplane models. Major products include
side-of-body chords for the 787, which connect the wings to
the fuselage; terminal fittings for 737wing assemblies; 747-8
failsafe bars for the flap track assemblies; 747 small side plate
carriage, part of the front main landing gear assemblies; and
767 and 767-2C main landing gear assemblies. Boeing Helena fabricates products to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Boeing Production Certificate 700.
ExxonMobil is a strong supporter of STEM education not
only in Montana, but across the
United States. Employees are
involved in Science Ambassador programs, tutoring and classroom outreach because the company believes math and science are critical tools for students who will soon be entering a
highly competitive global environment. ExxonMobil has been
engaged in improving the quality of education for decades
and we think we have a responsibility to help find solutions,
some of which are funding the Mickelson Teachers Academy,
the Sally Ride Academy and the National Math and Science
Initiative. Billings Refinery Manager Monica Mainland serves
on the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative champions board.
JML Strategy provides
consulting services on education policy and strategy
for public, nonprofit and
business sectors. Find out how you can simply create policies
and practices to strategically impact today and build capacity
for tomorrow in a rapidly changing world.
MSU Extended University
is an academic outreach
department that supports
Montana State UniversityBozemans land-grant mission
by reaching beyond the traditional campus, classrooms and
academic programs to create unique learning environments
and provide educational opportunities for individuals to meet
their academic professional and lifelong learning goals.
M O N T A N A
N S F
Montana EPSCOR, the Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research, is a National Science Foundation program
to advance science and engineering
capabilities for discovery, innovation and overall knowledge-based prosperity. EPSCoR catalyzes key research themes, activates effective collaborations,
broadens STEM participation, and drives programmatic

Many thanks to our sponsors for their generous support!

experiments that motivate positive change and progression.
Montana EPSCoRs flagship research program is the Institute
on Ecosystems (IoE), a statewide, university system-led effort
dedicated to understanding the effects of climate change on
sustaining healthy ecosystems and economic growth. http://
www.nsf.gov/od/iia/programs/epscor/
Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation
are committed to expanding and enhancing the pipeline of diverse, talented STEM
students globally. They provide funding to STEM programs
that span from preschool to high school and through collegiate levels, with a major emphasis on middle school students
and teachers. Northrop Grumman employees actively volunteer in support of many STEM organizations in their communities and internationally. In 2014, Northrop Grumman
and the Northrop Grumman Foundation continued outreach
efforts by contributing millions of dollars to diverse STEMrelated groups such as the Air Force Association (CyberPatriot), Conservation International (ECO Classroom), the
REC Foundation (VEX Robotics) and the National Action
Council for Minorities in Engineering. Northrop Grumman
is a leading global security company providing innovative
systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber,
C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
NorthWestern Energy (NYSE:
NWE) provides electricity and
natural gas in the Upper Midwest and Northwest, serving approximately 678,200 customers
in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. More information
on NorthWestern Energy is available on the companys website at www.northwesternenergy.com. Follow us on Facebook
and Twitter @NorthWestern_MT

Xerox provides innovative

solutions, data analytics and
population health services that
simplify health program management, transform healthcare data into actionable insights
and improve the health of the citizens you serve. We support the continuum of government healthcare with analytic
and clinical solutions, population health management and
MMIS programs, eligibility services, long-term services and
supports, payment method development, auditing and BPO
services. We improve health outcomes, reduce administrative
burdens and save money for patients, payers and providers.
We simplify the way work gets done so you can focus on what
matters: better serving your citizens and state. Learn more at
www.xerox.com/govhealthcare.

Special thank you to the following:

All of our presenters, panelists and moderators
Alphagraphics - Bozeman
Curtis Biggs and the Montana Digital Professional Learning
Network / Montana Digital Academy
Scott Bischke, author of Fish Tank
Jan Clinard, Helena College
Mallory Cooper, AmeriCorps VISTA
Katie Gibson and High Country Apps
Montana Institute on Ecosystems
MSU Presidents Office
MSU Thermal Biology Institute
Mountain Pearl Photography by Jen Fredette.
www.mountainpearlphotos.com
Christy Stergard, Helena College
And to the many co-workers, friends and colleagues whom we
may have inadvertently left off this list. We appreciate all your
support!

TOMORROW: Women in Gear

Conference attendees are invited to observe tomorrows Women in Gear event, as girls in 8th
grade and high school get their hands on eight applied STEM fields beginning at 9am at Helena
College Airport Campus. A panel of successful young women is scheduled for noon.

Many thanks

to our partners,
Helena College and the Womens Foundation
of Montana, and to our sponsors:
A2Z Staffing Solutions, Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Montana, ExxonMobil, JML
Strategy, Montana Institute on Ecosystems,
Montana NSF EPSCoR,
MSU Extended University, Northrop
Grumman, Northwestern Energy, and Xerox
and to Boeing for hosting the evening
reception.

M O N T A N A

N S F