Staff
Executive Director: Ellie Fitzpatrick
Ellie grew up in Helena, MT, and although she’s lived and worked in other places, the beauty, diverse biogeography and recreation opportunities in Montana have always brought her back home. Her love of open spaces led her to a career doing various field-based jobs for the Forest Service, of which assisting with the management of Montana’s vast Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex was nearest and dearest to her heart. In addition to her time in the field, she also dabbled in substitute teaching and garnered a love of sharing outdoor experiences with people of all ages through education. She recently had the unique opportunity to jump into the ED position at Montana Discovery Foundation and is excited to expand her skillset outside of the field, while continuing to provide opportunities for learning in nature. Beyond work, you can find her floating rivers, spending time in the mountains, working on fuels reduction projects (i.e. chainsaw therapy), and most recently, reading papers on Mesoproterozoic rocks in Montana while hanging out with her two rambunctious cats. She especially loves winter and cannot wait to be sliding on snow in every possible capacity. Ellie lives in Choteau, MT with her partner, Chris.
Education Coordinator: Mari Lin Carroll
Mari, a Utah native, grew up immersed in nature. With her only siblings being brothers, family adventures included camping, hiking, and swimming in pristine lakes and rivers – their most favorite pastime. After graduating from college, she gained valuable experience working seasonal jobs with various agencies across Utah, Idaho, and North Dakota, focusing on outdoor education and visitor services. Mari especially enjoyed hands-on wildlife work, from tagging and feeding elk in winter, raising and tagging monarch butterflies, and counting and recording thousands of birds. Though she’s new to Montana, Mari is quickly falling in love with its stunning landscapes. Passionate about inspiring the next generation, she loves sharing her outdoor knowledge with kids and encouraging them to explore the wonders of nature. When she’s not at work, you can find her discovering more of what Montana has to offer, curled up with a good book, or adding to her collection of plants.
Outreach Coordinator: Laryssa Rote
Laryssa grew up in Pennsylvania where she honed her nonprofit experience over the course of 7 years working in Wildlife Rehabilitation. Moving west, she continued to grow skills such as grant writing, communications, and nonprofit marketing and advertising. A staunch conservationist, she believes that people will protect the things they love and the key to environmental education is helping individuals build personal relationships with the outdoors. In her spare time she partakes in the hobby of falconry, wildlife photography, and tracking wolverines through the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
Board Members
Tom Pedersen
I was born and raised in Williston, ND and later Grand Forks, ND. I graduated from the University of North Dakota in1974 with a major in Pre-Med, Zoology and a minor in chemistry. I attended the UND medical school 1974-1977 and left due to health issues. I received my master’s degree from NDSU in science education in 1984. I taught biology, chemistry, honors biology 2, and senior science seminar from 1977-2016. I loved my 39 years of teaching and 30 years of coaching XC assistant and head boys T&F. I also worked summers at the Canyon Ferry science camp. Youth Forest Monitoring Program through the MDF and USFS, and Forest for Every Classroom. I have been on the MDF board since—-? I believe in their mission, and I admire the sacred work that they do for people in the Helena L&C forest. All my teaching energy has been focused on getting kids outdoors into our beautiful mountains and streams learning about nature, from nature, in nature. Using nature as a classroom works because nature allows us to be alive and human.
Tom Clifford
Before joining the US Forest Service, Tom served as an Officer in the Army Corp of Engineers in Germany and then in Viet Nam as a combat engineer. Upon completion of his military service, Tom attended Michigan State University and graduated with a degree in Forestry. His 40-year career with the US Forest Service began in Happy Jack, Arizona. During his 19 years in Arizona, Tom worked on the Coconino, Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests before returning to Happy Jack as Ranger of the Blue Ridge Ranger District. He served 5 years as District Ranger before being transferred to the Washington DC office working in Land Management Planning. While there, Tom was selected for a Legislative Fellowship and worked as a Legislative Assistant for Congressman Al Swift. After 5 years in Washington DC, Tom was selected to be Supervisor of the Helena National Forest. He served as Supervisor for 12 years and throughout his entire career continued to work on wildfires. He and his deputy, Jim Guest, together created the Helena Forest Foundation which today is known as the Montana Discovery Foundation. Tom feels privileged to have worked with so many talented people over the years.
Tom and his wife, Gail, will celebrate their 58th anniversary this year. They have 4 children, 2 of whom also work for the USFS, and 8 grandchildren.
Bob Person
I was recruited to the board by Debbie and Liz somewhere around 2001 when they talked about the community naturalist roles of the Foundation. With a longstanding interest in the outdoors and specific interest in Montana’s native plants, this seemed a perfect fit for me. Additionally as I was growing up, outdoor activities on Montana’s National Forests and forestry itself was a consuming interest. While life took me in different direction, these affinities remained and my board activities have been personally rewarding. The education of others in these areas is of great importance to me. My wife and I have raised three children in Helena all of whom are very active in the out-of-doors. I hope and believe the work of the Discovery Foundation helps other families also grow to appreciate and use our great outdoors as well.
Roseva Guest
My husband, Jim Guest, and Tom Clifford had the idea or a foundation for the Helena National Forest as a means to provide various possibilities to get families and all the public to get outside and enjoy their national forest in ways not possible by the agency due to federal constraints. After Jim died, Tom and I continued to pursue those goals.
I am a retired K-6 schoolteacher. I have always felt strongly that kids should have the opportunity to learn and appreciate the outdoor world around them. I am proud to say the many programs offered by the foundation provide that opportunity. For example, the Family Camp Out, Adopt a Species, and Wildflowers hikes on Mt Helena. The foundation raised funds for many of the Mann Gulch 75th memorial activities.
Travis Vincent
Having spent an adventurous childhood backpacking, swimming and exploring in the Flathead and Swan Valleys, Travis is thrilled to call Helena home. His long circle back to the state began with the study of languages and economics at the University of Montana. From there he traveled to Russia, California, Italy, and Namibia to work and study, camping and hitchhiking along the way. With a wildlife and open-space career in mind, Travis earned a policy and economics master’s degree with a concentration in environmental affairs in Washington, D.C. He finally escaped the city and made his way home to the mountains in 2017 and has been working on land conservation in Montana since. He now leads the lands program for Prickly Pear Land Trust, a local conservation group. In his free time, he is camping, working on his very old house, or out with his wirehair hunting birds.
Bill Avey
Bill Avey served in the USDA Forest Service for forty years, retiring in January, 2022. While earning his Forestry degree from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, he started on the Bighorn Forest as a Forestry Technician. During his career, he served as a Forester, District Ranger, Regional Deputy Director of Fire and Aviation, and spent the last 10 years of his career as Forest Supervisor of the Helena- Lewis and Clark National Forest. He also served as Acting Deputy Regional Forester for Region 1 in 2018 and Acting National Fire Director in 2021. He and his wife Crystal Coffey-Avey (also a FS retiree) live in Helena, MT and have two adult daughters that live in Idaho and Montana. They also have a yellow lab named Kimber.
Jack Troyer
Jack grew up in Palisade, Colorado on a peach farm and went to Colorado State University where he graduated in 1969 with a degree in watershed management. He then began what became a 38 year career with the US Forest Service on the Plumas National Forest in Quincy, California where he met his spouse Carolyn. After nine different assignments in five regions of the country Jack retired in 2007 as the Regional Forester of the Intermountain Region of the agency in Ogden, Utah. Jack and Carolyn moved to Helena in 2019 where they absolutely love it and to be near kids and grandkids. Jack had many interesting jobs that included 24 years as a line officer, a long term detail as a Deputy Chief of the Forest Service, and was the first interagency coordinator of the Greater Yellowstone Area beginning in 1988. He also believed throughout his career that conservation education is important for future understanding and support for national forests and all public lands. Since retirement Jack served ten years on the Board of the National Association of Forest Service retirees, fund raised for the National Museum of Forest Service History, and began his project assistance work with the International Programs arm of the Forest Service in Africa and India. Jack and Carolyn enjoy traveling, sports, reading and just about any kind of outdoor recreation on our national forests.
John Hollow
Hollow was born in 1944, the second son of a University of Maryland home-economist, and a Carroll Saint/Griz Boxer. He has worked as a lawyer and a coach and holds current roles as a father and a grandfather. John was raised and schooled around Helena. His military career began in 1967 and consisted of Navy Officer school, basic underwater demolition, serving as a frogman doing beach recon in Vietnam, and then becoming a Seal, picking up a Purple Heart. After Vietnam, he managed the US Alpine Ski Team. He married Janice and went on to have two sons, O’Brien and Tyler. After pursuing legislative employment in Montana and American Samoa, John came back to Helena and opened a solo practice of law in 1980 called Diamond Block, where he practiced until 2014. As an addition focus, he coached YMCA, Arsenal, Helena High Varsity soccer, as well as coaching the Belmont Racers for Great Divide. This eventually transitioned to a more active role as President of the Helena Youth Soccer and Montana Youth Soccer Association, Belmont Ski Club, and Northern Division of U.S. Skiing. John remarried in 2007 after Janice passed of cancer at just 59. He has enjoyed aging and continues participating in physical activities such as swimming, biking, and skiing.
Evan Kulesa
Evan moved to Montana in 2010 from the plains of eastern South Dakota with his only goal being to spend as much time outside and in wild places as possible. Thanks to stints with the Montana Conservation Corps, Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, U.S. Forest Service, and Prickly Pear Land Trust he was able to reach that goal while building and maintaining trails alongside friends, volunteers, and mules in some of Montana’s most beautiful forests. A CPA by trade, he currently works as the accounting manager for Wild Montana, and lives in Helena with his wife, Krystle.