Board of Directors | Montana Conservation Voters

Sally Ericsson

Chair | Whitefish

Sally Ericsson currently serves as a strategic consultant for select non-profit organizations and foundations on climate change and natural resource conservation policies, and she serves on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Protection Network. Working for two US presidents, Sally oversaw energy, climate, conservation and environmental policy at the White House Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration and natural resource policies at the White House Council on Environmental Quality during the Clinton administration. She has held various leadership positions on Capitol Hill and for environmental non-profit organizations.

Laura Wood

Secretary | Billings

Laura Peterson has spent a decade working in Washington, DC, on agriculture and conservation policy for companies as well as Conservation Districts. She has led three federal government affairs teams and has experience in the Kansas Legislature, US Congress and US Senate Committee on the Judiciary. She grew up on a multi-generational family farm and currently co-operates a cow-calf operation in Eastern Montana. She attended George Washington University Law School, where she also served as adjunct faculty in American Politics. She cares about conservation for future generations, including her two wonderful cowgirls.

Chris Saeger

Treasurer | Whitefish

Chris Saeger is an independent consultant who works with conservation groups to develop communications and advocacy strategies. Before that, he served as Director of the conservation group Western Values Project, Communications Director at the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and has held similar positions in political and issue advocacy campaigns throughout the West. Chris lives in Whitefish with his wife and son.

Shoren Brown

Director | Missoula

Shoren Brown is the interim Executive Director of the Conservation Alliance, and owner of Doublewide Strategies, a boutique consulting firm that provides communications, government affairs and organizational strategy to a wide array of private sector, nonprofit and government clients. Shoren grew up exploring the swamps of Tangipahoa Parish in southern Louisiana where he developed a strong connection with rural people and places, fishing, wild country, and New Orleans Saints football. He earned a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Conflict Resolution from the University of Montana where he studied as a Doris Duke Conservation Fellow. He earned dual degrees in Conservation Biology and Environmental Policy from Evergreen State College. He has been involved in issues and political campaigns for two decades. During that time he has devoted himself to the art of crafting successful strategies that tie communications, lobby and grassroots tactics together into hard hitting campaigns. A proven fundraiser, he has raised millions of dollars from high net worth individuals and foundations for conservation causes from Alaska to Maine. Shoren’s work has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio and many other media outlets nationwide. He currently lives in Missoula, MT with his wife and son and Dixie the dog.

Brendon Cechovic

Director | Helena

Brendon Cechovic is the CEO of Western Conservation Foundation, a public charity that works to advance protections for our public lands and climate. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of Washington Conservation Voters. Brendon is a board member of the national League of Conservation Voters, and though lives in Denver, considers himself a proud Montanan. He’s a University of Montana Grizzly who is happiest with a fly rod in his hand.

Dani Howlett

Assistant Treasurer | Missoula

Dani Howlett was raised in Polson, where she developed a love of the outdoors and an appreciation for conservation from a young age. Since receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science at UM, she has worked in campaigns, advocacy, lobbying, event planning, nonprofit management, and more. Dani currently works as the Associate Director of Operations and Programs for United Way of Missoula County, where she has honed her nonprofit management skills and worked on powerful community-wide initiatives benefiting Missoula. Outside of work, she can be found skiing in the winters and rafting in the summers with her partner and their dog Gus.

Jill Lombardi

Director/MCV Action Fund Chair | Helena

Jill Lombardi is a fourth-generation Montanan who started over a decade of campaign work by joining the field team of President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Supporting progressive candidates in red states, Jill put herself in the middle of some of the nation’s closest US Senate races, including Senator Jon Tester’s 2012 reelection in Montana and Senator Kay Hagan’s 2014 race in North Carolina. She previously was part of the state and local team at EMILY’s List where she helped Nevada elect the first female-majority legislature in the country, and now works on GiveGreen, a program that brings the environmental community together to elect pro-climate candidates.

Matt Taylor

Director | Missoula

Matt Taylor is a public health professional, consultant and outdoor adventurer with a commitment to the well-being of people and place. He serves as Senior Director of Center Engagement for the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. He has served as Executive Director of Forefront at the University of Washington, as well as Director of the Montana Safe Schools Center at the University of Montana. In the latter role, he worked extensively with the U.S. Department of Education on emergency management issues, and also with the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative. Matt is the author or co-author of more than $41 million in awarded grants and gifts. He lives in Missoula, MT with his wife and four legged friends. He loves to run rivers, share campfires and cast lines with creative people driven to make change.