BOZEMAN – Twenty current and emerging leaders from Montana’s natural resource industries have been selected to take part in Class III of REAL Montana (Resource Education and Agriculture Leadership).
Class III will begin their leadership journey on September 7, 2017 at their first seminar in Bozeman.
“REAL Montana continues to strengthen its mission of building a network of informed and engaged leaders to advance the natural resource industries in Montana.
The individuals selected for Class III are a diverse group of leaders who will offer a variety of perspectives and experiences. We look forward to the next two years,” says Howard Skjervem, chairman of the REAL Montana Advisory Board and Class I graduate.
The class of 20 participants was competitively selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates, all of who represent a variety of agriculture and natural resource industries.
Northern Ag Network has broadcast several great interviews with class members, and those interviews that describe the program can be seen by clicking here.
REAL Montana is a two-year program featuring eight in-state seminars, a weeklong national study tour in Washington D.C. and a ten-day international trip. Seminar topics include: agriculture institutions and agencies, natural resource development, public speaking/media, economics, state and federal policy, international trade, urban/rural relationships, water issues, transportation, labor and production costs, and entrepreneurship. REAL Montana is funded through a partnership with MSU Extension and private industry.
The list of participants who have been selected for Class III include:
Jack Alexander, Belgrade: Range Management Consultant and President of Synergy Resource Solutions
Bradley Cook, Helena: Certified Public Accountant, Partner, and Agriculture Practice Leader at Wipfli, LLP
Bonita Cremer, Melville: Owner of Sweet Grass Land & Cattle, LLC
Shawn Erickson, Hobson: Retail Account Manager with DuPont Crop Protection
Kimberly Gibbs, Miles City: Agriculture Instructor at Miles Community College
Lynda Grande, Columbus: Vice President of Grande Ranch Company
Karen Helfrich, Butte: Environmental Engineer with Pioneer Technical Services
Kevin Kanduch, Philipsburg: Logger at Kanduch Logging, Inc.
Ben Lehfeldt, Lavina: Rancher and Partner in Lehfeldt Rambouillets
Andy Lundquist, Dillon: Branch Manager for Northwest Farm Credit Services
Bridger Mahlum, Helena: Government Relations Director with the Montana Chamber of Commerce
Rose Malisani, Cascade: Agriculture Extension Agent with MSU Extension
Sarah Norcott, Helena: Corporate Counsel for NorthWestern Energy
Lexi Palagi, Great Falls: Marketing Representative for Calumet Montana Refining
Christian Rohloff, Great Falls: Regional Precision Agriculture Manager for CHS
Lori Shaw, Colstrip: Co-founder and Director of Colstrip United
Jillien Streit, Chester: CFO and Owner of Stricks Ag
Brian Thompson, Helena: Associate Attorney with Browning, Kaleczyc, Berry and Hoven, PC
Jeff Welborn, Dillon: Owner of Stock Drive Trailer Sales and State Legislator
Alysha Wilson, Ringling: Office Manager at Tintina Resources
Complete program information is available at www.realmontana.org or by contacting Janelle Booth, (406) 994-6480, janelle.booth@montana.edu.
The REAL Montana program is guided by a volunteer Advisory Board of 12 industry leaders from across the state. CLICK HERE to read the bios of the full 2017 Advisory Board.
Source: Northern Ag Network
