The Mountains and Plains Thriving Community Collaborative is one of 17 centers in the EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC) Program,serving Region 8. We support local and tribal governments, organizations, and communities in creating sustainable, healthy environments while addressing place-based environmental justice concerns. Our focus is on building capacity to navigate federal grant systems, develop strong proposals, and effectively manage funding.

MaPTCC helps organizations access funding for projects in:

  • Community and economic development
  • Environmental remediation, protection, and health
  • Energy security and clean energy development

Our Team

Our strength lies in a powerful collaboration led by Montana State University in partnership with the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, the Center for Environmental Justice at Colorado State University, the Center for Social Creativity, and land grant institutions and USDA Extension networks, including North Dakota University, South Dakota State University, Utah State University, and the University of Wyoming. View all partners and their contact information.

Our logofeaturesthe official state flowers ofRegion 8'ssix states:Rocky Mountain Columbine (Colorado), Bitterroot (Montana), Wild Prairie Rose (North Dakota), Pasque Flower (South Dakota), Sego Lily (Utah), and Indian Paintbrush (Wyoming).Meet our staff and explore their bios to discover their favorite regional wildflowers! 

 

Staff

 
portrait of Ben Williamson

Ben Williamson

Project Manager 

based at: Montana State University

Email: [email protected]

 

Ben Williamson is the Project Manager for the MaPTCC, where he is responsible for the implementation and assessment of collaborative initiatives, strategies, capacity-building efforts, and programs throughout EPA's Region 8. His work is dedicated to working with diverse stakeholders to further energy and environmental justice and foster thriving communities across the region.

Before joining MaPTCC, Ben served as the Executive Director of a non-profit dedicated to supporting research, leadership, and education in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He has also directed an environmental education center in northwest Montana and conducted community-based research on land use and governance in western Ghana, bringing diverse experiences to his current role.

Ben holds a B.S. in Ecology from the University of Montana and a Master of Environmental Management with a specialization in People, Equity, and the Environment from the Yale School of the Environment. Having lived in Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming, he has developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing communities in the region.

Ben's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Fairy Slipper

Portrait of Barbara Allen

Barbara Allen

Montana Community Resource Engagement Specialist

based at: Montana State University

Barb Allen has been with MSU Extension for 24 years and has done extensive program management, development and delivery in various aspects of health and environmental issues focused on underserved rural and Tribal communities.

Barb's favorite Region 8 wildflower is Wild Lupine

Portrait of Leigha Bradford

Leigha Bradford

Tribal Community Resource Engagement Specialist

based at: Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy

Email: [email protected]

 

Leigha is a registered member of the Little Shell Band of Chippewa Indians of Montana, the most recent Tribe to be federally recognized. She is a Montana native, having grown up under the big sky and on the hills of Butte, MT. Leigha is a first-generation college graduate with a
bachelor's degree in Political Science and Governance and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Montana. Although she had little exposure to political and governmental processes growing up, by the time she was a sophomore in high school, Leigha realized that these topics were areas she wanted to become more fluent in, especially as a minority in Montana. She spent many semesters in college studying, researching, and writing about federal processes and their effects on American Indians. Leigha's decision to pursue studies in political science, governance, and public administration has been instrumental in her success in various
service-driven roles and organizations she has been part of.
 
Leigha has dedicated her professional career to service-driven missions, including work with AmeriCorps and Indigenous organizations. She recently concluded her time as the Cultural Services Manager with an Urban Indian Organization (UIO) in Montana, one of five in the state and one of 41 in the United States. During her time at the UIO, Leigha and the Cultural Specialist planned and implemented the Cultural Department to offer urban Natives and non-Natives cultural connection, education, and resources. Leigha and her colleague dedicated significant time to ensuring that urban Natives had a voice, particularly focusing on youth who struggled with their identity as Native individuals in an urban environment.
 
When Leigha isn’t working, you can find her planning her next NHL hockey trip with her husband, tending to the small garden in her yard, beading, or studying the Ojibwe language, aspiring for future fluency. As her namesake Princess/General Leia would proudly proclaim, “Gi-ga-miinigoz Mamaandaawiziwin” - May the Force be with You.


Elizabeth's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Indian Paintbrush

Portrait of Leigha Bradford

Austin Holmes

Utah Community Resource Engagement Specialist

based at: Utah State University Extension

Email: [email protected]

 

Austin Holmes grew up near Salt Lake City, UT. He graduated from the University of Utah with Bachelor of Science degrees in Environmental Studies and International Studies with a minor in Anthropology. His previous experience includes project management, environmental justice, ecological data collection, community outreach, coordination and leadership, and more. He currently lives in Apple Valley, UT, and enjoys hiking, camping, reading, and spending time with his family.

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Elizabeth Lee

Program Assistant

based at: Montana State University

Elizabeth's role in MaPTCC involves supporting communications and project administration. Elizabeth a second year master's student in Geography working with Dr. Julia Haggerty as a part of the Resources & Communities Research Group. Her research focuses on philanthropy's impact on rural communities in Central Montana. 

Elizabeth's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Indian Paintbrush

Portrait of Megan Galaviz

Megan Galaviz

Funding and Organizational Development Training (FODT) Trainer

based at: Center for Social Creativity

Email: [email protected]

 

Megan is committed to strengthening systems and empowering non-profits to break barriers and execute high level services through sustainable means and is excited for the opportunity to work with such diverse entities striving toward the development of just and equitable programs. She brings experience in Fund Development, Grant writing and Award Management, Strategic Planning, and Coaching. In addition to her work with CfSC, she is an instructor at Regis University working to develop equity-minded future leaders.

Megan's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Columbine

Portrait of Melissa Bosworth

Melissa Bosworth

Funding and Organizational Development Training (FODT) Program Director 

based at: Center for Social Creativity

Melissa is a consultant and professor of health equity. She is the founder of Vertical Strategies, and its nonprofit arm, The Center for Social Creativity. She is also a professor and chair of health administration at Regis University.

Melissa's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Columbine

Portrait of Mindy Hill

Mindy Hill

Partnerships and Networks Coordinator

based at: CSU's Center for Environmental Justice

My 30 years of experience as an educator and administrator in the public school sector, higher education institutions, and non-profit organizations has strengthened my resolve to build more equitable, just, and nature-connected collaborations. I'm inspired by the MaPTCC partners and communities, and will work hard to coordinate resources through engagement, training, and support for clean energy and Environmental Justice projects.

Mindy's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Silvery Lupine

Miranda Margetts headshot

I have a faculty role with the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity at MSU conducting research related to rural and women's health, and serve on the community engagement core assisting on Montana and Mountain West based projects with our health system partners. I am also an instructor with the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Science MSU, and have an adjust assistant research professor appointment with the Division of Public Health at the University of Utah.

Miranda's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Indian Paintbrush

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Sue is engaged at CAIRHE where she links health researchers with rural and tribal communities, and assesses the profound effects of climate change on human health. A water resource manager by trade, her interests extend to her tenure as Montana’s state water planner, and later as the program director for The Tributary Fund fostering collaborations in Mongolia, Bhutan, and Montana. She also directed research communications at the MSU Water Center. Sue is a trained facilitator for natural resource and other community-based initiatives. For the Society for Conservation Biology, she co-developed best practices for scientists conducting research internationally in faith and indigenous communities. Sue holds a degrees in Biology (BS) and Natural Resources Management (MS).

portrait of Caleb Seeling

Caleb Seeling

Tribal Grants Program Manager

based at: Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy

Caleb is an accomplished leader offering over twenty years of experience in community building and collaboration, is adept at developing solid partnerships, cementing public support, and building strong teams. His personal mission is to co-create a world of peace and healing through communication and creativity. After receiving his Masters degrees in Social Work and Public Health, most of Caleb’s work has been in the non-profit sector: managing permanent housing programs for chronically unhoused people, marshaling community resources to keep people with serious and chronic mental illness stabilized in their homes and out of the hospital by designing and conducting community and professional health education programs, particularly focused on the underserved populations. Caleb joined the Economic Development Administration during the pandemic years, where he managed federal grants for the Denver Region, reinvigorating EDA’s work with the Tribal nations in the region, for which he received an individual leadership award and a silver leadership award from the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Commerce. He moved back into the nonprofit sector and is delighted to serve the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy.

Caleb's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Wolfsbane

 

Executive Steering Committee

Portrait for Julia Haggerty

Julia Haggerty 

Co-Founder, Executive Steering Committee Member, Subject Matter & Technical Expert

based at: MSU's Department of Earth Sciences

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (406) 600-1766

Geographer and Policy Analyst. Development, justice, and infrastructure in remote rural and tribal areas. Ambassador of Applied Compassion, Stanford CCARE '23.

Julia's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Glacier Lily

Portrait for Stephanie Malin

Stephanie Malin

Co-Founder, Executive Steering Committee Member, Subject Matter & Technical Expert

based at: Colorado State University's Center for Environmental Justice

Stephanie A. Malin, PhD, is a public sociologist studying environmental justice, health, and governance in extractive systems—and communities building distributive and regenerative systems. She utilizes mixed methods, community-based participatory research, and works with community partners. Stephanie has written two books, Building Something Better: Environmental Crises and the Promise of Community Change, with Meghan Elizabeth Kallman, and The Price of Nuclear Power: Uranium Communities and Environmental Justice. Stephanie is founding Co-Director of the Center for Environmental Justice at Colorado State University, where she is an award-winning teacher of courses on environmental justice, water and social justice, environmental sociology, climate grief and hope, and qualitative methods.

Stephanie's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Columbine

Portrait for Dimitris Stevis

Dimitris Stevis

Co-Founder, Executive Steering Committee Member, Subject Matter & Technical Expert

based at: Colorado State University's Center for Environmental Justice

Demitris is a professor of Politics at Colorado State University and a founder and co-director of its Center for Environmental Justice. I am serving on the worker subcommittee of the Colorado Office of Just Transition and pursuing research on Critical Minerals and Metals, funded by the Sloan Foundation.

 

Dimitris' favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Colorado Blue Columbine

Portrait for Ramon Sanchez

Ramon Sanchez

Executive Steering Committee Member, Subject Matter & Technical Expert

based at: Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy

Dr. Ramon Sanchez is the Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer at the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy; he is indigenous to the Mayo and Yaqui people of the coastal regions of Northwestern Mexico. Ramon fosters community partnership development, driving change through innovation, education, and workforce training using the best available technological and didactic tools. He is the instructor of the course "Design of Renewable Energy Projects," taught in the Sustainability and Global Development Practice Graduate Program at the Extension School at Harvard University. Dr. Sanchez Ramon was the Principal Investigator at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for international research projects aiming to estimate the health and environmental impacts of renewable energy projects and sustainable investment portfolios. He was the founding Director of the Sustainable Technologies and Health Program at Harvard University.

Ramon's favorite Region 8 wildflower is Sticky Geranium.

 

 

Extension Mentors

Portrait for Tara Mastel

Tara Mastel

MSU Extension Mentor

based at: Montana State University Extension 

Tara Mastel is Associate Specialist and Program Lead for Community Development at MSU Extension where she works to support rural community vitality and local leaders. She served nearly ten years as a Community and Economic Development Extension Agent in Jefferson County where she led a range of projects including historic building renovations, industrial park development, farmer’s markets and local community foundations. Tara grew up in a rural Northeast Montana and has a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning.

Tara's favorite Region 8 wildflower is Lupine.

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Julie Daniels 

UW Extension Mentor

based at: University of Wyoming Extension

Juliet Daniels (or as her friends call her, Julie) is a University of Wyoming Community Vitality and Health Extension Educator. As a professional educator and trained facilitator, Julie works with individuals, families, and communities to create healthy and thriving spaces to live, work, and play. Her programs focus on community capacity building and healthy living, with a focus on leadership, governance, and civic engagement. She offers training to nonprofits and governmental entities for their boards and employees, coordinates community leadership programs, and facilitates other community-focused activities.

Julie holds a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics with an emphasis in Community Development from the University of Wyoming and a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business from Colorado State University. Julie and her husband Wade have lived in the Cheyenne area for over 15 years and enjoy exploring Wyoming’s abundance of natural and cultural resources.

Portrait of Paul Hill

Paul Hill

USU Extension Mentor

based at: Utah State University Extension

Dr. Paul Hill is a tenured Extension Professor for Utah State University where he designs community, workforce, and economic development programs through the Remote Online Initiative (ROI) that he founded in 2018. His research interest on the adoption of remote work as a modern workplace practice has led to state and federal funding that have allowed the ROI program to expand across all Utah counties and 10 other states, helping rural residents connect to remote work opportunities.

Paul's favorite Region 8 wildflower is Sego Lily (Calochortus nuttallii)

Patti Schmitt Headshot

Patti Schmitt

CSU Extension Mentor

based at: Colorado State University Extension

Email: [email protected] 

 

Patti Schmitt is the Community Development Director for the Office of Engagement and Extension at Colorado State University. CSU Extension has offices in almost every county in Colorado. In this role, she works closely with Colorado communities, especially rural areas, to address complex social, health, economic and safety challenges. Patti is also the Director of a unique leadership program called the Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI) of Colorado at CSU Extension. FLTI is a community-based leadership program that utilizes an evidence-based curriculum to build community member capacity to be leaders in addressing local challenges in collaboration with content experts and decision makers. Her work builds, supports, and strengthens communities to be resilient in the face of complex challenges to places where more people feel a sense of community and belonging.

 

Subject Matter & Technical Experts

Portrait for David MacPhee

David MacPhee

Subject Matter & Technical Expert

based at: CSU's College of Health and Human Services

Email: [email protected]

 

As Community-University Partnerships Director in CSU’s Prevention Research Center, I collaborate with Extension, school personnel, public health staff, community leaders, and nonprofits in capacity-building endeavors that are grounded in community-based participatory research: needs assessments, coalition building, best practices in program planning and implementation, and especially program evaluations that involve mixed methods. I have collaborated with Extension specialists for 35 years, and a current grant entails providing training and technical assistance related to prevention science to Extension staff throughout Colorado. This includes support for grant writing, which also is one of the graduate courses I teach along with the department’s four-course sequence on prevention science (e.g., program planning, organizational readiness, implementation, evaluation). Finally, most of my community collaborations are with diverse populations, the courses I teach use an infusion model to address DEIJ issues, and I have co-led four high-impact campus initiatives that focus on diversity training.

David's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Colorado blue columbine

Portrait for Suzanne Tegan

Suzanne Tegen

Subject Matter & Technical Expert (equitable coal transition in the West)

based at: CSU's Center for the New Energy Economy

Email: [email protected]

 

Suzanne Tegen is the Deputy Director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at CSU. She leads and International Energy Agency task on energy siting and community engagement, and has expertise in workforce, economic impact, and energy transition research. She was at the National Renewable Energy Lab for 14 years prior to joining CSU in 2018.

Suzanne's favorite Region 8 wildflower is the Castilleja ("Indian" Paintbrush)

Tribal Advisory Council

The MaPTCC Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) plays a critical role in ensuring our project meets the needs of the 28 federally recognized tribes and their members living in EPA Region 8. The desired TAC brings an understanding of traditional knowledge and environmental justice issues faced by Tribal Nations and their landscapes based on their professional, cultural, and lived experiences. The TAC will provide guidance to MaPTCC's Executive Steering Committee and staff on environmental and energy justice initiatives. 

TAC Ambassador Qualifications: We seek Tribal leaders and Tribal community members within Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming) who have a stake in issues related to the environment, energy, health, and community development.

Expectations: TAC members will meet virtually four times a year to provide project leadership feedback and advice. There is potential for a yearly in-person meeting. Members are generally expected to serve for a full 2 years, with the option to extend service for the full duration of the five-year MaPTCC project.

Support and Compensation: Stipends and honoraria for participation are available. Please ask for what you need.

If you or someone you know would be an excellent addition to the TAC, please submit the nomination form by December 1, 2024. Self-nominations are welcome. 

For questions about TAC participation, please contact: Leigha Bradford, MaPTCC Tribal Community Resource Engagement Specialist Email: [email protected]

Nomination Process 

  1. Submit your nomination here by December 1, 2024. 
  2. The Executive Steering Committee will establish the roster for the Tribal Advisory Council by December 16, 2024. 
  3. The TAC will convene early in 2025.