Emily moved to Billings from Dayton, Ohio in the fall of 2014 and quickly found the Center through the participation of her two sons in the Nature Nuts program. She has a degree in Natural and Historical Interpretation and Applied Science from Hocking Technical College and has provided conservation education programs to local communities ever since, including with the Five Rivers MetroParks. Billings is the farthest west Emily has been and she’s excited to be part of the Montana Audubon Center.
Sarah is a native Montana girl with a love for adventure. Formerly a classroom teacher, she enjoys the freedom of discovery that environmental education allows. As a parent and outdoor educator of over 16 years, Sarah believes that spending time outdoors is vital to children’s development and well-being. In 2015, Sarah was honored by the Montana Environmental Education Association (MEEA) as Environmental Educator of the Year. She is also a certified Montana Master Naturalist and is passionate about learning outside and enjoying all the world has to offer.
Hailing originally from Texas, Chase is a new arrival in Montana. Chase has been in the world of environmental education since he began university, continuing his passion to this day. During his undergrad years, Chase worked in many places such as museums, zoos, and nature parks. After obtaining his degree in wildlife conservation from Southwestern Adventist University, Chase moved to Georgia to teach in the lower Appalachian Mountains. From there, he taught on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and now has joined the Montana Audubon Center as the Program Manager. Chase has a devotion to conserving nature and enjoys sharing that passion with the community. In his free time, you can find him looking for bugs, reading a good book, or taking care of his reptiles.
Kate originally hails from Eastern South Dakota but moved to Montana in Spring of 2018 to chase snow and the mountains. Majoring in Political Science at South Dakota State University, after college Kate took a seasonal job working in the Black Hills of South Dakota and was instantly hooked on the outdoor adventure lifestyle. This love of adventure took her to the beaches of Virginia Beach, the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, and the snowy slopes of Alta Utah; before finally finding her home in Big Sky Country. With a background in Natural Interpretation and Guiding, Kate loves all things nature, outdoors, and learning. After taking a couple of years off from working in the great outdoors, she realized nature was calling and decided to take the leap and switch careers back to Outdoor Education. Her favorite thing about working at the Center is learning something new every day! When not at Center, you can find Kate somewhere outdoors whether it be skiing, fishing, hiking, or kayaking.
Halei was born in Christiansburg, Virginia and grew up in Clover, South Carolina. She worked a summer in Glacier National Park and got to explore Montana while she was there. Halei knew she needed to know what it was like to live here full time and now Montana has become her home. Halei received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Biology from the College of Charleston, focusing on marine biology. She is excited to enhance the community of the Montana Audubon Center, and create more fun ways for locals to connect with nature. On a personal level, Halie is excited to get to meet more new people and make connections. In her free time, Halei loves to go out with her friends. You can usually find her at a concert, out on a hike, camping, or planning a daytrip. She loves working at MAC because it combines two of her most favorite things: being outside, and being among a wonderful group of people.
Originally from Utah, Danella has lived all over the U.S. and landed in Billings two years ago. She holds a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Ecological Restoration, with a background in biological research and university instruction. As the Conservation Science Coordinator at the Montana Audubon Center, Danella is excited to share her passion for biology with the community and help people build deeper connections to the natural world. She especially loves that her work still lets her wander among the trees and discover something new every day. In her free time, Danella enjoys hiking, white water river rafting, photography, painting, gardening, and playing games with her family.
Bo grew up right here in Billings, Montana. He started out at the Center as a Teacher Naturalist and has since moved into the role as our Facilities and Grounds Coordinator. Bo does a great job of keeping our grounds neat and tidy and is always working on some sort of fantastic project. In addition to this, he does great work with local community groups as a service project leader. In his free time, you can find Bo out at trivia nights, exploring, and chilling with his cat Kisa!
Ashayla was born and raised in Billings, Montana. She developed her love of nature and the outdoors by exploring and being immersed in the area. That love was further developed through a degree in Environmental Studies at Montana State University-Billings. During her senior year, she started interning at the Montana Audubon Center, a place she fondly remembered as a kid. Through her time interning, she developed a love for the Center and officially started working here during the summer and eventually transitioned to preschool. Teaching in such an environment is very enriching and rewarding. When she isn’t teaching, you can find her reading, jamming out to music, and exploring the great outdoors.
Rock was born and raised in Billings. He graduated from West High School and Eastern Montana College (MSUB) with dual degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education. After graduation, he joined the Peace Corps where he served in Paraguay for two years as a Volunteer and one year as the Education Coordinator. During that time Rock worked closely with the Ministry of Education to establish special education services for the country. After Peace Corps, he spent almost the entire next year just traveling through South America. Later, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and taught at one of the high schools. Three years later, Rock left for Crete, Greece to work for the Department of Defense at a military base where he taught first grade. Four years later, he returned to New Mexico and again taught at one of the high schools. After, Rock moved to Nashville where he went to Vanderbilt University to earn his Masters’s Degree in Special Education. He lived in Nashville for over 20 years and then eventually returned to Billings. Rock loves teaching at the Audubon Center!
Kira is originally from Billings. Growing up in an area such as this, has allowed her to develop a love for being outdoors and an eagerness to learn all about it. With a passion for wildlife, she pursued a degree in Anthrozoology from Carroll College. Looking for a way to further enrich her degree, Kira sought out the Montana Audubon Center after graduation. Initially, starting as a summer camp counselor, she now works as a teacher naturalist participating in various education programs at the center. Being able to share her love of the Montana environment through teaching has been a fulfilling and exciting experience.
Katie grew up in western Montana and now finds herself living in the farmlands about 40 minutes outside of Billings. She has a degree in Broadfield Science Education from Montana State University. After teaching high school science for a number of years, she decided to return to school to learn more about land resources and environmental science. While working on her master’s, Katie has been teaching programming here at the Audubon Center. In addition to the joys of working outdoors, her favorite part of each day is seeing our participants’ curiosity bloom. In her free time, you can find Katie working in her pottery studio, camping, or learning new things!
Sarah grew up in northern Michigan on the coast of Lake Huron playing in the forest. 2015 brought her to Montana. She instantly fell in love with Montana Audubon Center because it reminded her of the forested gravel pit near her childhood home. All four of her children have attended Fledglings Preschool and she could not be more proud to pass this experience along to other children in our community. In her free time Sarah enjoys adventures in the mountains with her family, playing with her dog Aspyn and pursuing higher education.
Ivory has enjoyed teaching in the classroom for over 20 years. She couldn’t ignore the call to move to teaching outside and the benefits for students and herself. Ivory started her college experience at the University of Wyoming living on the outdoor adventure floor in the dorms enjoying camping and rock climbing. She also loved rafting and kayaking in high school and college. She completed her dual major in Elementary and Special Education from University of Wyoming. Her 3 children have enjoyed numerous summer camps at Montana Audubon Center over the years, and Ivory is excited to join the staff at Montana Audubon Center as preschool teacher. Every day is a new adventure!
Colin is our Big Sky Watershed Corps member for 2025. He was born and raised in North Dakota, where he got his bachelor’s of science in Fish and Wildlife Biology and certificate in creative writing from the University of North Dakota. His term with the Montana Audubon Center will focus on land stewardship, outreach, and education. He is also working on water quality monitoring at the site. He is excited to be at the center to expand his horizons and provide support for novel and existing projects on site!
Alisha moved to Montana from Ohio in 2013. She has always had an interest in early childhood development and a love for nature, so when she discovered a nature based preschool program, she enrolled her eldest children. Alisha loved the program so much that after moving out of the Billings area, when her youngest was preschool age, she decided to apply to be a preschool teacher. Alisha enjoys sharing her love of sledding and snow creations.