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Non-University of Montana Members |
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John Fields, was born in 1927 in Spokane to Ralph E
and Hulda M Fields, residents of Libby, Montana, both graduates of UM.
He graduated from Missoula County High (now Hellgate High) in 1945, and UM
in1951 (B.S. Forestry). John's sister is
Nancy Fields O’Connor, who with her husband Carroll O’Connor, helped to
found the Center for the Rocky Mountain West. John's career with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management included assignments in
Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Washington D.C., and as Assistant District Manager in
Miles City, and as District Manager in Missoula, and in Lewistown. He
resides in West Hills, California. |
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Michael Gulledge is Publisher of the Billings Gazette in Billings,
Montana, and also serves as a Publishing Vice President for Lee Enterprises,
Inc. overseeing 15 newspapers from New York to California. Mike is the
current Past Chair of the Board for the Billings Chamber of Commerce, is the
Chairman of the Montana Meth Project and is a member of St. Pius Church. He
and his wife Susan have a twelve year old son, Michael Jr. |
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Robert Nystuen is a native of North Dakota and graduated from North Dakota
State University in 1975 with a degree in Agricultural Economics. His banking
career spans 34 years, the last 13 years with Glacier Bank in
Kalispell, Montana, where he serves as President. He is Vice-chair of the Board of Trustees of Flathead Valley
Community College, and serves on the boards of the Montana Ambassadors,
Montana West Economic Development, and the Flathead Food Bank. He and his wife Kimberlee live in Lakeside, Montana. They have three sons, Andy, Steven and Carl.
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Earl Old Person, of the Blackfeet Nation, has been
the tribe’s chief since 1972 and has served on the council for over 40 years.
Under his leadership the tribe built a community college, industrial park,
community center, and tourist facilities. He remains committed to advancing
educational and business opportunities for his people. For his effectiveness as
an advocate and lobbyist and unpretentious way of speaking with clarity, the
American Civil Liberties Union of Montana gave him in 1998 its most prestigious
award: The Jeanette Rankin Civil Liberties Award.
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Robert Rowe was named President and CEO of
NorthWestern Energy on August 13, 2008.
Prior to joining NorthWestern, Rowe co-founded a national financial and policy
consulting firm, working with many
companies across the country, including NorthWestern. He has
20-plus years of energy and utility
industry experience; including chairman and commissioner of the Montana Public
Service Commission from 1993-2004,
and president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners (NARUC). He holds a
Juris Doctor from University of Oregon and a bachelor of arts in history and
political science from Lewis and Clark College.
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James Scott
is Vice
Chairman of First Interstate BancSystem (FIB) and President of the FIB
Foundation. FIB is a regional bank
with offices throughout Montana and Wyoming. FIBF is a charitable foundation that supports regional economic
development. Jim is a long-standing supporter of the O'Connor Center,
including service on the Center's prior advisory board as chairman.
He resides in Billings, Montana, with his wife Chris. |
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Larry Simkins, President and CEO of Washington
Companies since 2001, provides leadership and direction to the Washington
Companies by serving as a member of the Board of Directors for each individual
company. In addition to his
involvement with the Washington Companies, Mr. Simkins is a former Director of
the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis – Helena Branch.
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James Steele, Jr., is the former Tribal Council Chairman of Confederated Salish &
Kootenai Tribes Of the Flathead Indian Reservation and Chairman of the Executive
Board of the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council. He resides in Pablo,
Montana.
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University of Montana Members |
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Royce Engstrom became
the 17th President of The University of Montana in October 2010, after serving
as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs since 2007. He also holds the
rank of Professor of Chemistry. After
graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he served many years as a
professor and administrator at the University of South Dakota. He has been involved at the national level
in building university research infrastructure, in undergraduate engagement and
educational reform, and in science policy.
He and his wife, Mary, have two children. |
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Daniel
Dwyer is Vice President for Research and Professor of Chemistry at The
University of Montana. Dan joined UM
from the University of Maine where he was a Professor
of Chemistry and Director of the Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology.
Dan is the author of over 60 scientific
articles and has edited a book, “Surface Science of Catalysis."
Dan received a BS in Chemistry from the State
University of New York at Oswego in 1972 and a Doctorate in Physical Chemistry
from Lehigh University in 1976. He
served as postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from 1976 to 1978. Prior
to joining the University of Maine in 1988, Dan served as Senior Staff Chemist
and Group Leader of Surface Chemistry and Physics at Exxon’s Corporate
Research Laboratories in New Jersey. |
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George Dennison is President and Professor Emeritus after serving as the 16th president of The University of Montana
for 20 years. Dennison came to Montana from Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he served as the
Provost and
Vice President for Academic Affairs of Western Michigan University (1987-90).
In
earlier years, he
spent time at the Universities of Arkansas and Washington prior to 18 years at
Colorado State University
in Fort Collins. He has written
numerous publications and made several professional presentations in
both history and higher education. |