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staff, board & volunteers
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Debbie Fassnacht, Executive Director, fell into a pond as a small child and has been playing and working with water ever since. She is one of the founders of the organization, along with Wendy Sturgis and Eric Ringleberg. What began as a volunteer stream monitoring effort in 1996 has grown into a successful nonprofit organization focusing on watersheds, wetlands and education. Deb brings science teaching and education/outreach experience to WEN. She has recently completed advanced coursework in non-profit administration at the University of Montana. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, field trips to the stream or wetland, skiing, hiking and baking her world famous chocolate chip cookies. Josh Gubits, Field Director, enjoys working with students of all ages. Josh received a B.A. in environmental studies from UM after transferring from the College of Santa Fe. His interests include working with non-profits, environmental education, fishery conservation and, of course, stream monitoring is the Missoula Valley!
Andy Erickson, Field Assistant, is a senior studying Environmental Studies at The University of Montana and a 2007 Harry S. Truman Scholar. He began working with the Watershed Education Network in 2001, volunteering on field trips and leading the Stream Team. Andy has worked on research projects studying Rattlesnake Creek in Greenough Park and has several years of experience leading WEN field trips. When not in the classroom, Andy enjoys fly-fishing, hiking, and cross-country skiing. Jeani Alonzo-Adams, , Milltown Dam Education Program Instructor/Coordinator, Jeani grew up in Montana, got her degree at Montana Tech in Butte, left for ten years for an adventure in Alaska, and then was lucky enough to get to return home. She has worked as a petroleum engineer, environmental consultant, and most recently, tutoring and teaching middle-school and high school students. She likes snow skiing, hiking, reading, quilting and being on the water in her sea kayak or paddle boat with her dog Zoe. Vailferree Brechtel, , Milltown Dam Program Coordinator. Vailferree received her B.A. from Black Hills State University in 2005. Currently, she is obtaining an M.A. from University of Montana in Rhetoric and Natural Resources Conflict Resolution. She enjoys good food, Celtic music, car camping, hiking, and running with her puppy, Rona. She is committed to the value of experiential education and the importance of sustaining the health of society and the beauty of our ecosystems through environmental education. Lauren McMahan, , Americorps Volunteer Coordinator. Lauren is the Volunteer Coordinator with the Watershed Education Network. Her position is through Americorps, an extension of the Montana Campus Compact. She interned last semester as an assistant volunteer coordinator under the direction of Sheena Broussard. Lauren graduated last year with a B.A. in environmental studies from the University of Montana. She was raised in Sheridan, Wyoming and loves spending time hiking in the Big Horn Mountains with her son Jack. Annie Kuster, , Administrative Assistant and Field Photographer, is a junior in the Photojournalism/Multimedia program at the University of Montana. Annie is usually playing with some kind of camera. Annie is originally from Sweden, but grew up in Sandpoint, Idaho near Lake Pend Oreille, where the Clark Fork River empties.
