Our Team

Board of Directors

Alissa Anderson

Natural Resource Science graduate student, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Diane Eagleson (Treasurer)

Director of Finance and Administration, City of Belgrade, MT

Garl Germann

Agricultural entrepreneur and rancher, McAllister/Bozeman, MT 

Bryan Haywood

Commercial Aviation Consultant, Chico, CA

Charlotte Heldstab

Agricultural Investment Analyst (Ret.), Whitefish, MT

Lacy Kowalski (Chair, Secretary)

Associate Director of Programs and Policy, Glacier National Park Conservancy, Columbia Falls, MT

Staff

 To contact People and Carnivores staff members, please email info@peopleandcarnivores.org.

Lisa Upson

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Lisa brings a background in law, mediation, and organizational development to P&C. Prior to joining P&C in 2011, Lisa was a wildlife advocate with a national NGO working on grizzly bear and wolf conservation. She has a J.D. from New England School of Law and an M.P.A. from MSU-Bozeman.  

 

Ryan Wilbur

CONFLICT PREVENTION SPECIALIST

Ryan focuses on P&C’s conflict mitigation efforts in Northwest Montana. Ryan has a background in Wildlife Biology and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. Early in his career he worked across the Rocky Mountains on diverse wildlife projects from mice and birds to bears and wolves. Following field projects, he shifted his efforts to understand how social factors affect human interactions with natural resources and wildlife. Ryan has earned a B.A. and M.E.M. from Western Colorado University and a PhD from University of Wyoming. Originally from Columbus, OH, he is living in Kalispell, MT.

 

Kristina Kennedy

CONFLICT PREVENTION SPECIALIST

Kristina leads P&C’s conflict prevention efforts in the High Divide of Southwest Montana. Her passion for wildlife conservation has led her to work for several natural resource entities across the West and Midwest where she gained practical field experience monitoring carnivores and ungulates across various landscapes, including working on a musk ox ranch in Alaska. She is committed to supporting the coexistence of large carnivores and local communities through finding creative solutions to human-wildlife conflicts. Kristina holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and a Graduate Certificate in Wildlife Management.

 

Amber Kornak

CONFLICT PREVENTION SPECIALIST

Amber has worked in the wildlife sector since 2012 in various positions. Prior to joining People and Carnivores she served as a wildlife biologist with USFWS, and before that she worked in the Idaho panhandle as a bear conflict manager. Earlier in her career, Amber was in Florida working on black bear research and management, and in Montana as a bear conflict technician in the Cabinet-Yaak. Amber is originally from Michigan and has a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. She resides in East Helena, Montana.

 

Kim Johnston

CONFLICT PREVENTION SPECIALIST

Prior to joining P&C Kim was a bear management technician with Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks. Before FWP, Kim worked for the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, MT. Kim has traveled to Alaska, South America, and South Africa to understand how people in different regions coexist with carnivores. Born in Whitefish, MT, Kim earned a B.S. from Montana State University in Wildlife Management.

 

Rosie Costain

PROGRAM AND COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE

Rosie has a background in journalism and environmental studies, with an M.S. in Conservation Leadership from Colorado State University. While winding through the communications and conservation fields, she worked for Montana Public Radio and NGOs focused on watersheds and collaboration. To stay connected with her passion for wildlife, she spent time volunteering at a wildlife rehab center in Montana. It propelled her to work at another in Bulgaria as a part of her graduate studies, helping reintroduce endangered raptors to the landscape. Rosie lives in Helena, MT.

 

Sarah DeOpsomer

DEVELOPMENT AND OFFICE MANAGER

Having worked summers in Yellowstone during her college years, Sarah's interest and fascination with national parks, wildlife, conservation and environmental protection started. A graduate of MSU, she has lived in Bozeman for over 30 years. She feels fortunate to have done her admin work in the conservation world, supporting at various times the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Yellowstone Park Foundation, Bozeman Public Library Foundation, and most recently Mountain Journal. When not at work, she is coordinating the local PechaKucha events at the Ellen Theatre, painting, kayaking, or bike riding.