Board | 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.

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.

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.

Alice Collins

Director | Missoula

Alice Collins brings extensive experience in fundraising, development, nonprofit management, and
electoral politics to the boards of MCV and the MCV Education Fund. Originally from Massachusetts, Alice came to Montana in her college summers as a horse wrangler and quickly decided to make Montana her home. An advocate for conservation and empowering communities, she has built a diverse career spanning both the political and nonprofit sectors. Alice recently served as the Finance Director for Ryan Busse’s 2024 gubernatorial campaign, where she traveled the state meeting with voters and supporters. Alice has also worked in fundraising and advocacy roles at Montana-based nonprofits, including Planned Parenthood of Montana and Forward Montana. She is currently the Senior Donor Relations Manager at Galvanize USA, an organization working to support women to use their civic power. Alice feels privileged to regularly recreate on Montana’s trails and rivers.

Sarah Degn

Director | Sidney

Sarah Degn, a fourth-generation farmer in the lower Yellowstone River valley, returned to her family’s irrigated grain farm in Sidney after a 20-year journey that took her across Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Tennessee. Her background in Photographic Communications allowed her to work in both rural and urban settings while maintaining her connection to the outdoors. Today, Sarah manages her family farm while serving as a school board director, Montana Farmers Union board member, and Next Generation Representative to the National Farmers Union Board. She lives in Sidney with her family, her dog, and a small herd of pampered barn cats.

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.

Chris Saeger

Director | 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.

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.

Heather White

Director | Bozeman

Heather is the author of three books published by HarperCollins: Eco-Anxiety, 60 Days to a Greener Life, and One Green Thing, the founder of OneGreenThing.org, and a leadership and fundraising consultant. Heather has directed environmental education advocacy at the nation’s largest conservation organization, served as executive director to an environmental health watchdog in Washington, DC, and led the nonprofit partner to Yellowstone National Park. Heather worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative counsel to Senator Russ Feingold and a presidential campaign staffer and recount attorney for Vice President Al Gore. She’s a frequent spokesperson in the national media on conservation issues and has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC News, PBS, and quoted in the New York Times, The Guardian, and Teen Vogue. She lives in Bozeman.

Laura Wood

Director | 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.