Hey there! My name is Casey Butcher, and I served as a Big Sky Watershed Corps Member in 2017, and onto a second term in 2018. Originally from the woods of NJ, I served in Malta, MT and throughout the Hi-Line towns, establishing connections and garnering support for the St. Mary’s Rehab Project, the headwaters of the Milk River, and in need of critical repair. My work with the Milk River Water Alliance was spreading capacity for the Milk River Project, and our group as well. I created the education programs for MRWA, and applied at all age levels. Traveling the Hi-Line from Havre-Glasgow was an amazing introduction to MT’s rural communities. Serving had a profound impact on my desire to volunteer and engage more in the communities we are in. You can currently find me in Lewistown, working for a physical therapist, enjoying my time with my husband and dog. I’m excited to meet Alum, and current members!

Megan started her National Service journey in 2007 working with the Student Conservation Association in the Washington, DC metro area. She soon found herself in Austin working for the Texas Conservation Corps, where she served for 2 years as a crew leader, not only doing trail work, but learning the power of AmeriCorps during disaster. She then started a disaster response program for TxCC and managed that program for 6 years, deploying to more than 15 federally declared disasters. She was on the forefront of building the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team network nationwide, and had the great privilege of working across state programs toward common goals and training objectives. Tired of the heat, she moved to Montana, where she joined the Montana Conservation Corps for the 2016 service year.

Megan and her husband are now deep into small business ownership, running and operating Stonetree Climbing Center in Helena, MT. She uses her diverse AmeriCorps skills every day, whether that is by building community, providing young people with their first job experience, or listening empathetically to the lives that arrive at the gym. She takes some contract work on the side too, helping organizations run strategically and smoothly. Megan loves adventures in all forms, her dog, her horse, and dystopian novels. She is thrilled to connect with other Alumni and to advocate for National Service in Montana.

With a background grounded in public service, programming, and leadership, Shannon brings two decades of experience in delivering high-impact training, group facilitation, and organizational development. Her efforts with Jump Start have earned her several accolades, including being named as one of Bozeman’s Top 20 Under 40, an award reserved for southwest Montana’s top young business professionals.

Prior to launching Jump Start, Shannon completed two terms of service as an AmeriCorps *VISTA and went on to serve as the Statewide Training Officer for the Montana Governor’s Office of Community Service. From there, she served as a Program Manager for Montana Campus Compact and invested eight years working with Montana Conservation Corps, earning the title of Director of Programs.

Josh Vanek is the father of two wild and amazing kids, husband and partner to an inspiring teacher and the executive director of the Montana Campus Compact, a seventeen campus higher education consortium. His work supports colleges and universities in their missions to engage students in their communities through ethical partnerships, research, volunteerism and democracy. Over his career, he has helped to start and develop several new AmeriCorps initiatives in Montana and the great plains, working heavily with local, state and federal partners to address college access, success and careers in the common good. He helped put together Montana’s statewide matching of the AmeriCorps Education Award, and the George M. Dennison Civic Engagement Scholarship. In his day-to-day, he works with amazing colleagues from college presidents to AmeriCorps and VISTA members, and supports a network of campuses with technical assistance, peer networks, awards and scholarships. He finds great inspiration in the service and activism of college students, AmeriCorps members, and the faculty, staff and administrators who support them. Josh is a University of Montana alum (Political Science, 1996), a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Latvia 1997-1999) and an AmeriCorps VISTA Alum (2000-2001). He also serves with the Montana College Access Network’s board and will take you on a bike ride or hike in western Montana.

Molly Collins was born and raised in Whitefish, Montana. She holds a BS in Psychology from Rocky Mountain College in Billings and an MPA from the University of Montana in Missoula.  She has an extensive background serving in various roles in working in higher education and non-profit organizations.  She has skills in leadership development, project management, consulting, grant writing--and everything in between. 

Molly and her family recently relocated back to Billings from Bartlesville Oklahoma.  She is excited to explore new professional opportunities in her home state.  Her passion is to make non-profit organizations better and to tackle issues head on. Molly has been married to her husband, Raj Kailasam, for 14 years and they have one son, Arjun. 

Molly is an AmeriCorps*VISTA Alum.  She served two terms of service with The Montana Campus Compact VISTA project – one with the United Way in Kalispell and the other at the headquarter office in Missoula.  In addition, she served as the program manager for Montana Campus Corps from 2002-2006.