board of directors
Emily Wilmott
Emily grew up along the banks of the Hudson River near Albany, New York. The juxtaposition of the river’s ecological degradation with that of New York’s capitol buildings always presented somewhat of an environmental paradox. The very institutions that were able to protect such a vital resource sat idly by as contaminated waters continued to be polluted. This grave injustice sparked Emily’s interest in pursuing an education in environmental policy.
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Emily attended the SUNY- College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY, which further laid the foundation for her passion in environmental policy and water resources. After earning her undergraduate degree, Emily attended Vermont Law School where she served as a Water and Justice Associate at Vermont’s Water and Justice program, earned a special certificate in Water Resources Law, and worked as lead clinician for two semesters at the nation’s top-ranked Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. In 2015, Emily relocated to the beautiful Missoula, MT. She is currently an associate attorney for Ferguson Law Office where she specializes in water and environmental law. Emily believes that resource conservation requires community engagement and citizen stewardship. While not working, Emily enjoys hiking, skiing and continuing to explore the Big Sky Country.
Matt Simms
Matt Simms is a ceramicist living in Missoula, Montana. He focuses his atmospheric firings on combining the marks of the artist and the passage of fire over the clay to preserve that relationship. Matt has fired his sculptural and utilitarian work in a wood kiln he built in Maxville, Montana, and at the Clay Studio of Missoula’s anagama and soda kilns. He earned a B.A. In Fine Arts from Lewis and Clark College after growing up in Colorado and Southern California, and has been an art teacher and fishing guide. Matt’s work has been exhibited in Missoula, sold privately and donated for auction.
Shae Barber
Shae Barber was born between the vast Great Basin and towering Rocky Mountains and on hot summer days growing up, they would drive out to Antelope Island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. Their connection to water was forged by digging in the oolitic sand, catching brine shrimp in a yellow sandcastle bucket, and watching as the hypersaline water dried down on their skin to glitter. This connection inspires their work as a current student in the Masters of Environmental Studies program at the University of Montana investigating social, emotional, and cultural relationships with water in the arid Western U.S. In their free time they love to read, paint, hang out with their cat Beetle, and get outdoors!
Joe Kirk
Joe grew up in Billings playing music and running around wild spaces. After moving to Seattle, he earned a BA in English/Creative Writing from Seattle University and worked as a backline technician for bands around the pacific northwest. He returned to Montana in 2017 to complete his MFA in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) at the University of Montana. Joe can most often be found tinkering with a new piece of music gear, trying to write a sentence down in a different way, or driving excessive distances for an afternoon of fishing. Currently, he works as the Education Director at the Zootown Arts Community Center.
Joe and Matt Simms are instrumental in building connections with rivers and art with people of all ages. WEN's summer ZACC camps have been a new addition to our citizen science programs.
Lucy Hicks
Lucy served as an AmeriCorps member at Zootown Arts Community Center, leading classes and mentoring students in the arts, then began her second AmeriCorps term at the University of Montana Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management in August 2024. Prior to her time in Missoula, Lucy worked as an Environmental Educator, teaching students about native Georgia wildlife, at the Chieftain's Museum/Major Ridge Home as a collections intern, and in the Children's Department at the Rome-Floyd County Public Library.
Lucy graduated Bachelor's in Sociology and Anthropology from Berry College where she completed an independent research project on the experiences of Black and African American young adults in outdoor activities, exploring potential barriers, the impact of historical trauma, and familial influences on involvement in the deep south. She also served as a member of the Berry Center for Integrity in Leadership Carper Mentoring Program, the founder of the Berry Coalition for Neurodiverse and Disability Rights, and a member of the Academic Community Engagement Certificate program. While here in Missoula, Lucy enjoys learning to figure skate, trying skiing and fly fishing for the first time, and exploring the Missoula Public Library.
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Heidi Sedivy
Heidi has worked with Watershed Education Network for over fifteen years as a volunteer,
AmeriCorps member, employee, contractor, and now, board member. It all began as a Stream
Team intern in 2006 while earning her Bachelor’s of Science in Natural Resource Conservation
at the University of Montana. WEN ignited a dedication to environmental education that
awarded her UM’s Student Volunteer of the Year in 2009. Since then, she has worked with
numerous Montana non-profits, state, local, and tribal governments to raise awareness and
prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. In 2018, she partnered with WEN , Flathead
Basin Commission and local teachers to fund, create, and lead hundreds of local students in the
high school curriculum, Columbia Headwaters Education Kit for Aquatic Invasive Species
(CHEK4AIS). Most recently she worked as the Grants Manager for the Clearwater Resource
Council. In her free time she likes trying out new recipes , going to local concerts and hiking
with her dog Max.