       |
|
  |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
Advisory Committee
|
|||||||||||||
 |
A former two-term legislator from Great Falls, Sheila worked for 24 years for Energy West. She is now the Executive Director of both the Neighborhood Housing Services of Great Falls and the Montana Homeownership Network, nationally recognized for its dedication to providing home ownership opportunities to hardworking Montanans. Mother of three adult children, she is also grandmother to a boy and a girl.
Alyce Kuehn (Vice Chair), Ekalaka, MT
 |
Alyce works as a hydro-engineer, telecommuting from her ranch computer in Ekalaka to a database in Denver as she designs new irrigation systems or retrofits existing ones. She and her husband Bill take delight in visits from their Arizona grandchildren. In recognition of her many accomplishments that have enriched several eastern Montana communities, she was named a Billings YWCA “Salute to Women” honoree in 2002.
Linda Carlson, Helena, MT
 |
Linda is a 36-year resident of Montana. Her career spans three decades of nonprofit, legislative and state government employment. She has served the Montana Wildlife Federation, the Myrna Loy Center for the Performing and Media Arts, and the Montana Women’s Lobby as development director. She has served on the boards of Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Helena Area Habitat for Humanity, United Way of Lewis & Clark County, the Friendship Center, Myrna Loy Center and St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation. Linda is currently the executive director of the Governor’s Office of Community Service, and manages Montana’s AmeriCorps programs. Linda is a mother and grandmother.
Sheila Conners, Kalispell, MT
 |
Born and raised in Chicago, Sheila has been a Montanan nearly 25 years. She received her undergraduate degree in occupational therapy from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Montana. Sheila lived in Great Falls for several years, where she served as executive director of the YWCA and later as an adjunct professor in business at Northern Montana College in Great Falls. She founded one of the city’s most popular events, the Rankin Run. Now living in Kalispell, Sheila teaches yoga, works part-time as an occupational therapist and manages a couple of small businesses. Throughout her career, she has made time to be an active volunteer, chairing a capital campaign for a Montessori school in Kalispell, helping guide her public radio station and working in political campaigns.
Penny Copps, Billings, Mt
Penny is well-known across the state for her previous work in corporate and civic affairs, economic development, education and, most recently, as the owner and manager of one of Montana's most successful quilt shops, Deer Country Quilts in Seeley Lake. Penny recently moved to Billings with her husband Jack, who was named superintendent of Billings Public Schools. During her twenty year career with US West (later Qwest), she found time to serve on the boards of the Helena School District, the Montana High School Association and the National School Boards Association. She has chaired the Montana Entrepreneurial Network board and co-chaired the Montana Rural Development Partnership, Montana Special Olympics and the Montana Centennial Celebration.
Merle Chambers (Ex-Officio), Denver, CO
 |
As President of Chambers Family Fund, the foundation that provided the challenge grant to create the Women’s Foundation of Montana, Merle devotes considerable time to philanthropy. She serves on numerous nonprofit and foundation boards and has often been recognized for her vision and commitment to improving the lives of women and girls. She was the recipient of the Committee of 220’s Philanthropic Innovator Award in1999 and was named the Outstanding Philanthropist in Colorado in 2002. Her BA is from the University of California at Berkeley, her JD from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law, and her LLM (tax degree) from the University of Denver.
Chantel McCormick, Helena, MT
 |
Chantel has a long history of philanthropy and activism in both the political and nonprofit arenas. Originally from Kalispell, Chantel founded and managed a successful fundraising and public relations firm in Lexington, Kentucky. After graduating from Montana State University in 1999, Chantel spent several years as a fundraiser for various local, state and federal candidates. She also worked as chief fundraiser for three state Democratic parties and has promoted various nonprofit organizations and issue campaigns. Chantel is a member of American Fundraising Professionals, Public Relations Society of America, Women Impacting Public Policy, Lexington Young Professionals Association and the Junior League. She currently works as an energy development officer in the Montana Department of Commerce, working to bring clean, green energy to Montana
Past Committee Members
Ellen Alweis, Billings, MT
 |
Dedicated for decades to improving her community, Ellen has served as a school board trustee, during which time she helped establish the Young Families program. For her many civic contributions — including those to Growth Through Art, the Western Heritage Center, and Congregation Beth Aaron—the Billings YWCA named her as one of its first “Salute to Women” honorees. A Southern Methodist University graduate, she was also active in the family business. She and her husband Don have two grown children and two grand-daughters
Anne Cole, Billings, MT
 |
Anne is the executive director of the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools, dedicated to enhancing educational opportunities. Actively involved in making her community a better place, she is also a director of the Remmer Family Foundation, which supports programs that help disadvantaged preadolescent and adolescent girls take charge of their lives to escape the confines of poverty. An avid tennis player, she lives in Billings with her husband and two children.
Jamie Cornish, Ph.D., Bozeman, MT
 |
Dr. Jamie Cornish is the marketing director at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, where she lives with her husband and their two children. She previously worked for Sesame Street and the Walt Disney Company, conducting research and developing publicity and marketing strategies. Her B. A. is from Princeton University; she earned her M. Phil. and Ph.D. from Cambridge University.
Dorothy Eck, Bozeman, MT
 |
After years of community involvement, Dorothy launched her distinguished career in politics as a volunteer for the League of Women Voters and later served as its statewide president. She was elected a delegate to the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention and later served as a state senator from 1981-2000. With her M. S. in Applied Science from Montana State University, she taught Sociology and Political Science there as a faculty adjunct. A longtime supporter of the Women’s Foundation of Montana, Dorothy continues to work with a variety of programs in the Bozeman area.
Jean Kahn, Bozeman, MT
An artist and retired business owner, Jean Kahn has extensive experience working with organizations concerned with improving the status of women. Originally from Texas, she and her husband retired to Montana, where both have become involved with various civic and philanthropic organizations. In addition to the Women's Foundation of Montana, Jean has served on boards of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and the Women's Center of Dallas.
Elizabeth (Liz) C. Marchi, Kalispell, MT
 |
Liz is the President/CEO of Montana West Economic Development/ Flathead County EDA Montana, a privately funded economic development organization in Northwest Montana focused on fostering high value job opportunity. She is a member of the Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs (MADE), a group that, in association with the University of Montana School of Business, teaches, supports, and recognizes distinguished entrepreneurship
Nancy Owens, Basin, Mt
A Ph.D. anthropologist, Nancy claims several areas of expertise, including national and international economic development policy; Indian reservation, Third World, and rural economic development; and environmental and women’s studies. She is an organizational consultant and a professor in the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program of the Union Institute Graduate School, the first “University Without Walls.” She co-founded and remains a director of the Montana Artists Refuge, a residency program for artists in Basin.
Diane Sands, Missoula, MT
A self-described feminist activist, Diane has worked passionately for more than 30 years on issues of importance to Montana’s women. A state legislator in the late ’90s, she has also lobbied on behalf of women and families for more than a decade. Diane has taught Women’s Studies and History in the Montana university system and, as the director of the Montana Women’s History Project from 1975 to the present, recorded tens of hundreds of stories that otherwise would have been lost. She lives and works in Missoula.
Carolyn Stamy, Libby, MT
A Libby resident, Carolyn is a consultant for nonprofit organizations. In addition to chairing the Women’s Foundation Advisory Board, her community involvement includes serving as a director of the Lincoln County Community Foundation. She earned a BA from Whitworth College, with a concentration in Community Leadership. Her two daughters are graduates of the Montana university system.
Suzanne Small Trusler, Lame Deer, MT
 |
Suzanne has been a general contractor and rancher for the last 31
years. Through her general construction company, Morning Star Enterprises, headquartered on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, she has helped bring economic prosperity to many Native Americans. In addition, she has worked tirelessly to bring other jobs to the Northern Cheyenne nation. She and her husband have raised two daughters and a son. She is committed to the Women’s Foundation, because its efforts encompass all nationalities.
