Meet The Board

Executive Committee

President, Naomi Alhadeff – Missoula, MT

Naomi joins from the National Wildlife Federation in Missoula as the Regional Education Manager and the Montana Project WET Coordinator. Her passion lies in communicating with the public about our wildlife and the habitat we all share. She graduated from the University of Montana’s Wildlife Biology program and has been involved in environmental education, both in and out of the classroom, with state agencies, conservation districts, and non-profit organizations in Nebraska and Washington before returning to Montana. The National Wildlife Federation’s goal to protect our wildlife and build upon our conservation heritage blends well with her work on the Wildlife Education Team. Having worked both in and out of the classroom, she enjoys sharing her love for wildlife with kids and adults throughout Montana. She is an avid gardener, an ever-improving hunter, and an amateur thespian.

Vice President, Vacant

Secretary, Vacant

Treasurer, Vacant

Board of Directors

Region 5 – Brooke Tucker – Billings, MT 

Brooke has been part of ZooMontana’s Education Department since May 2021, growing into her current position as Director of Education & Conservation. In this role, she leads the zoo’s educational programming and conservation initiatives, fostering a deeper connection between the public and the natural world. Brooke is deeply passionate about wildlife education and strives to inspire others to appreciate and protect the environment through engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys birding, gardening, and spending time with her own zoo of animal companions at home.

Region 8 – Michelle McCarthy – Helena, MT 

Michelle has been with the Office of Public Instruction since August 2015. She was a middle school science, social studies, and math teacher at Bridger Schools. She also served as their RtI and Test Coordinator. She has also been a ½ time principal/teacher in a three-room schoolhouse. As an adjunct faculty instructor at MSU-Billings and MSU Bozeman she taught undergraduate and graduate K-8 & 5-12 Science Methods and Ed Tech courses and was involved as a teacher leader in the Partnership to Reform Inquiry Science in Montana (PRISM) grant for six years. She earned her Bachelor of Science Education, SPED minor, and Master of Education at MSU-Billings. She completed the coursework for her doctorate at MSU Bozeman but never started the dissertation, so she ended up with an ABD.

 

Region 2 – Erin Vielbig  – Missoula, MT

Erin is originally from Michigan, where she grew up on a family farm filed with exploring the outdoors. After completing a bachelor’s degree in Public and Nonprofit Administration, she traveled out west to serve on trail crews through Americorps. After spending a few seasons traveling around, she eventually found herself in environmental education. Erin currently works at the Montana Natural History Center coordinating and teaching in the Visiting Naturalist Program. This role allows her to bring nature into elementary classrooms and explore the natural world alongside them. She is incredibly passionate about community building and teaching the next generation of environmental stewards.

Director at Large– Dusty Rixford  – Lewistown, MT

Dusty is the Education Manager for American Prairie Field School, providing outdoor education for both the young and old. She is “Wild About the Prairie” and loves sharing the magic of the prairie ecosystem with students. She grew up in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona among the mighty saguaro cactus and mesquite trees. Her love for the outdoors began as a child -hence the nickname-continued to grow while working as a firefighter on a hotshot crew and smokejumper traveling all over the Western states. Dusty has prior conservation education experience working with the Forest Service as well as Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. She enjoys spending time with her family doing anything that gets her outside.

Support Positions

Communications Coordinator – Heather Jameson – Bozeman, MT 

Heather joins us from a background in environmental studies and teaching. She started her career as an Interpretation and Education Ranger at Glacier National Park and has spent the last decade in the education field most recently as the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Wildlife Education and Outreach Specialist for Northwest Alaska. In her current role as the Strategic Initiatives Lead for the Montana Afterschool Alliance, Heather is leading the development of the Montana STEM Ecosystem. The initiative aims to create an interconnected network of organizations, institutions, and individuals working collaboratively to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities in the state. She holds strong to the belief that her experiences with the outdoors have led to her respect, curiosity and understanding of our environment. Through her service on the board, she hopes to support opportunities and resources for youth to form their own connections and sense of place in our natural world.

Heather Jameson headshot
Carolyn Taber, board member, board of the Montana Environment Education Association

Support – Carolyn Taber – Missoula, MT

Information pending…

Interested in making a difference? Join our board!

Our board meets monthly to support environmental education across Montana, with a focus on strategic planning, event coordination, and organizational leadership. Prospective board members are always welcome to attend a meeting to learn more, so please reach out, and we’ll add you to the agenda and send the Zoom link. We’d love to hear from you!

Contact our board president at meeapresident@gmail.com with questions or to RSVP. If you plan to attend, please complete the application form a few days before the meeting and submit a brief resume so we can introduce you to the board. We’ll distribute your materials to the board in advance.

Materials to Review
We encourage prospective members to review the following in advance:

Board Member Commitments

  • Term Length: Two years of active service, followed by one year in a mentorship role
  • Monthly Meetings: Second Tuesday of each month, 6:00–7:15 PM (MT) via Zoom
  • Annual Retreat: 2–3 days; usually in the fall
  • Annual Conference: Help organize and volunteer at our statewide conference each spring
  • Leadership: Actively serve on at least one committee, support the planning and success of the annual conference, and help advance MEEA’s mission every step of the way.