I was casually looking at nonprofit organizations in Western Montana when I came across a job posting for an Executive Director at Writing Coaches of Montana. I’d heard of the organization a few months before, when looking for writing-related communities in Missoula, and had book-marked the page to return to when I had more time. How serendipitous to find this job posting, just when I was considering the next step in my career path.
I first found my way to nonprofit work as a ballet dancer in Southern Minnesota. Teaching ballet and tap to children there, I also had the chance to learn about the behind the scenes work that goes into running a nonprofit. I immersed myself in the arts scene in Southern Minnesota, creating a youth arts program within my community, focused on opportunities for young people in the literary, visual, and performing arts.
Though I loved the community I had built in Minnesota, an opportunity arose for me to study English & creative writing in New York City, and I found myself moving from the rural Midwest to the big city. While the change came with its own challenges, I am so grateful for the opportunities I had to grow as a writer and reader during my time in that program.
In New York City, I found myself continuing to focus on nonprofit work, this time with literary organizations. I built a career as a successful fundraising professional while also getting the chance to support programmatic work and gain experience with nonprofit management more broadly.
After moving to Missoula, I continued to work with nonprofits and enjoyed the opportunity to once again feel anchored in my local community. I deeply loved the life I had here and the people I'd surrounded myself with; Missoula felt like home to me, and I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. But I found myself eager for work that tapped into the energy of this community and to brought me back to a focus on young people.
The Executive Director position with Writing Coaches of Montana brought together so many of the things I’d loved over the years: working with students, writing, an emphasis on community, and a chance to work with a variety of incredibly talented people. After reading Cassie’s blog post about her experience, highlighting what a special organization WCM is, I decided to apply for the position.
Since starting at WCM in April, I’ve spent time with coaches, staff, and board members in each of the counties we serve. It’s been so beautiful to get to see the impact of this work firsthand and to collaboratively shape a vision for this next era of WCM.
I’m thrilled to see the impact that WCM has made in the 2024-2025 school year. These past few weeks, I’ve had the chance to hear from teachers, administrators, and coaches about what Writing Coaches of Montana means to them—and to the students they work with.
As I look to the 2025-2026 school year, I know we can continue to provide meaningful guidance and community connection to the students we serve. I’m excited about the partnerships with Somers Middle School and Seeley-Swan High School developed this year and eager to continue to build relationships with more schools in Flathead, Missoula, and Ravalli counties. I’ve also had the chance to speak to people in the broader community, many of whom expressed their excitement upon hearing about WCM. As we continue to grow as an organization, I look forward to continuing to connect with more community members and share about the wonderful work that WCM does.
As we head into the summer, I’ll be working steadily behind the scenes (in collaboration with our incredible Board of Directors) to ensure that we can continue to support Montana students in becoming confident writers and thinkers for many years to come. Thank you all for trusting me with this work; I am honored to get to steward this special organization onward into its next era.
