The following is a snapshot of each of the members Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Matt Vincent proposed to appoint to the Superfund Advisory and Redevelopment Trust Authority. These members were selected based on individual qualifications, as well as a collective set of expertise sought for the entire group.
Ex Officio (Non-Voting) Members: the Chief Executive; the County Attorney; the Council of Commissioners, who has nominated Commissioner Dennis Henderson; and Atlantic Richfield, which has nominated Cord Harris and his local delegate in absences, Lori Birkenbuel.
Planning Board (Voting): nominated Rick LaBreche
Board of Health (Voting): nominated Chair Danette Melvin
Historic Preservation Commission (Voting): nominated Mitzi Rossillon
At-Large Members (Voting):
1. Megan Cusson. Ms. Cusson has bachelor’s degrees in Medical Technology and Mircobiology from the University of Montana and a graduate degree from Heritage University in Clinical Laboratory Science. Past background and work experience include serving as a public relations director for the Pre-Medicine Committee while attending the University of Montana; working as a phlebotomist at Western Montana Clinic in Missoula; as a clinical laboratory scientist at St. James Hospital in Butte, where she also served on the St. James Ethics Committee. She is a currently a clinical laboratory scientist at Anaconda Community Hospital. She lives in Butte where she and her husband both grew up and are parents to a newborn daughter.
2. Neil Bolton. Mr. Bolton is the president of Granite Mountain Bank in Butte and also serves on the bank’s Board of Directors. He has 20+ years experience in financial services, investments and banking, having managed the Granite Mountain Bank investment portfolio when he served prior as Executive Vice President. In addition to his professional experience, Mr. Bolton has a three-year master level training certificate from the Pacific Coast Banking School of the University of Washington-Seattle. He has a degree in Finance and Administration from University of Montana, is the current treasurer/vice president of the Butte Country Club, as well as a past president of the local United Way. Mr. Bolton and his wife both live in Butte and raise a family. He is an avid fly fisherman and outdoorsman.
3. Tom Michalek. Mr. Michalek is a Senior Research Hydrogeologist with the Groundwater Investigation Program at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG) since 2008 when he moved to Butte. His background and responsibilities include a graduate degree in geology from University of Montana and a career of experience managing groundwater research and hydrologic data collection and analysis. “I consider educating and informing the public about water and groundwater is the most important part of my job,” stated Mr. Michalek in his application letter. “If I can’t make non-scientists understand what I’m doing and what I’m learning, then it really doesn’t matter how good the science is. They won’t find it relevant to their lives.”
4. Stella Capoccia. Ms. Capoccia is currently an assistant professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Montana Tech, where she has been honored with the Rose and Anna Busch Faculty Achievement Award (2012) for her teaching excellence. She has a Bachelor degree in Biology from Lake Erie College, OH; a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy from Clark University in MA that included aspects of historic registry, environmental contaminants and community dynamics; and a PhD in Geography focused on cultural and economic aspects of local wildlife issues and the sub-disciplines of political ecology, common property, land use dynamics and animal science. In addition, Ms. Capoccia has developed an engaging Biology Speaker Series at Montana Tech and has served in a leadership capacity on a number of committees in her time at Tech, including Search Committee Chair for Restoration Ecologist faculty position, the Montana State Science Fair and the Pool Committee. She and her husband are the parents of a newly born daughter.
5. William P. Joyce. Mr. Joyce is a local attorney at law that has lived his entire life in Butte excluding his time away for law school at the University of Montana. He is the owner/partner of his own firm, Joyce & McDonald, and has over 26 years experience “in making fact-based decisions.” Mr. Joyce also states in his application letter that “I would like to see a Butte that is growing and can support a livelihood for my children and the children of my friends and family. The Trust funds provide an opportunity to make practical investments in Butte’s future. At the same time, I understand that there are limited resources available in the Trust and…I would be committed to being a good steward of those community resources.”
6. Wendy Grace, M.D. Dr. Grace is a self-described “new transplant to Butte” with her husband (a professor at Montana Tech), and are “committed to being in Butte for a longtime.” Previous time spent in Missoula has given Wendy “a degree of familiarity with Butte and some of the politics of Montana’s environmental concerns,” and she believes she can view our issues with “fresh eyes and an unbiased opinion.” She is a family physician at Southwest Montana Community Health Center, an avid nature lover and outdoor enthusiast and has experience serving on a number of committees over her years. In addition to her medical background, Dr. Grace has degrees in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Bioethics, all of which have provided her with a good understanding of science and an ability “to navigate difficult decisions mired in competing interests that may be useful in this setting.”
7. Mark Moodry. Mr. Moodry is a former Commissioner where he served on the BLDC Anaconda-ARCO Loan Committee, as well as the standing Personnel and Finance & Budget Committees; he currently serves as the alternate board member of the Bert Mooney Airport Authority Board. Mr. Moodry has a degree in Occupational Safety & Health from Montana Tech and has been a business owner (Big Sky Reclamation) working hands-on in the construction and design phases of Butte, Anaconda and Montana’s Superfund remediation and restoration since 1998. In addition, Mr. Moodry is heavily involved in and has been for years in a wide variety of Butte community and Butte Central youth sports programs.
8. Callie Boyle. Ms. Boyle is a Butte native raising a family here and has a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Montana Tech focusing on Biology, Ecology and Industrial Health and the study of urban environments. Currently, she is a fisheries technician with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks working in the Butte region. She is an avid outdoor recreationist and has volunteered hundreds of hours over the past four years as a scientist/instructor for the Clark Fork Watershed Education Program educating students of our watershed about Superfund and the remediation/restoration processes underway. “”Our streams and rivers are of the upmost importance to me, both as a recreational user and as a biologist working in that field,” said Boyle in her application letter. “I am deeply concerned with how the Superfund impacts our watershed...and if I can play even a small part in improving this environment, I welcome the challenge.”
As a matter of point, Ordinance 14-14 specifically refers that the at-large public members should have demonstrated knowledge or professional experience/training “to the extent practicable” in the following disciplines/areas: Finance, Investment or accounting; sciences (physical, biological or engineering); parks and recreation; education; local business management ownership.
Note the following additional expertise were more specifically required, as nominated by the Planning Board, Board of Health and Historic Preservation Commission, respectively: Land Use; Medicine or Health Science; Cultural Heritage or Historic Preservation.