Kiersten Iwai
(she/her)
Executive Director
Inside the office: Kiersten spends her time bragging about Forward Montana’s badass programs, staff, and interns.
Outside the office: You can find Kiersten eating french fries after a long day in the mountains or dancing the night away.
Annie Warner
(she/her)
Operations Director
Inside the Office: Wake up babes, expense reports are due! Most often you can find Annie creating spreadsheets in colors that hurt her eyes or signing emails off with “love you <3”
Outside the Office: Annie can be found walking, biking, or long-boarding around town with her dog Gilly, knitting various winter garments, or laughing down a mountain on her skis
Courtney Smith
(she/her)
dIRECTOR OF vOTER eNGAGEMENT
Inside the Office: You’ll find Courtney strategizing about registering voters and encouraging as much voter turnout as possible!
Outside the Office: During the summer Courtney can be found hiking or soaking at the nearest hot springs. In winter, she can be found hibernating with her cat!
Margo Ensz
(she/her)
Development Director
Inside the office: You’ll find Margo perpetually gobsmacked by the work of her incredible colleagues, and opening yet another tab in her quest for funding (call her if you want to support our work!).
Outside the office: Margo spends most of her time trying to consciously raise a tiny human, scrambling the hillsides with her pups and pals, and playing trivia.
IZZY MILCH
(THEY/THEM)
Senior Organizing Manager- Western Montana
Inside the Office: You can catch Izzy chugging cold brew, openly weeping about how much they love their community, and doing absolutely anything to avoid sitting still while they dream about the future of queer connection in Montana.
Outside the Office: Izzy‘s probably either being a dirtbag at the skatepark, giving themselves an ill-advised stick-and-poke tattoo, or getting way too into an exciting new hobby they’ll abandon within a month.
lYLA bROWN
(SHE/HER)
senior Organizing Manager- Central Montana
Inside the office: Lyla can be found drinking at least three drinks at a time, listening to Beyonce on repeat, and day-dreaming about a Montana where all young people feel represented and cared for.
Outside the office: You can find Lyla getting lost on walks in Bozeman because she got distracted, playing with her cat (the most perfect angel baby), or trying to recreate baked good she sees on tv (and sometimes failing).
Pari Kemmick
(she/her)
Senior Organizing Manager- Eastern Montana
Inside the Office: Pari gets SO excited about the people and places of Eastern Montana and how hard our volunteers and interns work to make it a better, more inclusive place.
Outside the Office: Pari can be found drinking champagne or exploring the state, finding every last body of water to soak in with her sweet partner and pup.
DEVIN FILICICCHIA
(HE/HIM)
CIVIC EDUCATION ORGANIZER
Inside the office: You’ll find Devin sitting with terrible posture and a cup of coffee—brainstorming ways how he can best empower the next generation of leaders!
Outside the office: Devin can be found canoeing on the Blackfoot, getting heartburn after drinking a Chelada, biking around Missoula, half-heartedly learning guitar, or talking to his dog like she is an elected official.
Jana Richter
(they/she/he)
Missoula Field Manager
Inside the office: You’ll find Jana talking to themselves just a little too loudly while head thrashing to a power-ballad, rolling around excitedly in their chair about community building ideas, and sending everyone at FMT into a spiral with another mind-bending ice breaker.
Outside the office: Jana is probably sweating profusely while wrist deep in the earth, making up stories about the bugs that crawl across their knees, participating in mutual aid work, or dyeing their hair irresponsibly in their bathroom sink at 1 a.m.
Ian Fleming
(he/him)
Flathead Field Manager
Inside the office: You can find Ian working on five ideas at the same time on how to increase political participation on building affordable sustainable communities..
Outside the office: Ian can be found burning up all the daylight hiking, biking, swimming, recharging with a strong cup of coffee, and playing card games with friends.
chloe Runs behind
(they/them)
Community organizer
Inside the office: Chloe is making and sipping soup, sitting on their desk like a little gremlin, and scheming up ways to remind people of the transformational power that we hold together.
Outside the office: Chloe loves meeting neighborhood cats, making music with their friends, and getting acquainted with the plant and fungi allies of Montana.
kat elam
(they/she)
Community organizer
Inside the Office: You can find Kat passionately talking way too fast about plants and animals, languages and cultures, baking and crafting, the interconnectedness of just about everything, and basically anything else. They are very excited to be using their privilege to advocate with and build up underserved communities, and to help folks realize their power and use their voices.
Outside the Office: Kat likes to spend her time cuddling with her cat, two dogs, and wonderful partner, as well as crocheting, baking, reading queer fiction (and nonfiction – basically anything queer!), and taking nature walks – not the hikes where the goal is the top of a mountain, but the kind where you have to stop every few seconds to appreciate and learn about all the awesome nature things around you!
Cassidy Reeves
(she/Her)
Content Specialist
Inside the office: Cassidy spends her time making fun visual media and combing the Internet for inspiration. You can be sure to hear Cassidy passionately declaring how social media can be a powerful tool for young people to express themselves and a tool for good!
Outside the office: Cassidy loves reading (fav genre magical realism), gardening, and getting crafty with her hands. Nothing makes her happier than moving her body outside. You can reliably find Cassidy playing soccer, skiing, rafting, or doing dance aerobics in her front yard.
Savanna Washburn
(she/Her)
Development coordinator
Inside the office: You can find Savanna without shoes on, giggling with coworkers, and constantly trying to get the office dog’s attention – to the dismay of its owner.
Outside the office: You can find Savanna outside on some sort of adventure or at Country Bookshelf, adding to her ever-growing collection of half-read books.
Dara deines
(she/her)
Communications manager
Inside the office: You’ll find Dara hunkered down at her home office with music playing in the background, pets stealing the show on meetings and finding creative ways to share the work FMT does. She’s excited to be representing FMT in eastern MT!
Outside the office: Dara can be found binge watching anime or rewatching Criminal Minds for the 5th time, hanging out at Makoshika State Park with her pups, down at the local coffeeshop with the regulars, and uncomfortably bent over a puzzle for way too many hours.