Montana State University Extension announces members of seventh class of REAL Montana program
Tuesday Jul. 14th, 2026
BOZEMAN — Twenty current and emerging leaders from Montana’s agriculture and natural resource industries have been selected to take part in the seventh class of a Montana State University Extension program offering in-depth education and training. The program is called REAL Montana; REAL stands for Resource Education and Agriculture Leadership.
REAL Montana is a comprehensive two-year program that aims to build a network of informed and engaged leaders to advance the agriculture and natural resource industries in Montana. It features eight in-state seminars, a weeklong national study tour in Washington, D.C., and a 12-day international experience. Seminar themes include leadership development and urban/rural issues; media and communications; state government; livestock production; hard rock mining; energy production; and crop production. Each seminar also includes leadership training, professional skill-building and networking opportunities.
The new class members will begin on Sept. 17 with their first seminar in Bozeman.
“The individuals selected for Class VII are a diverse group of leaders from across the state who bring a wide range of experiences,” said Nick Miller, chair of the REAL Montana Advisory Board and a graduate of its second class. “We look forward to seeing their growth and contributions over the next two years.”
Members of the new class were competitively selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates representing a variety of agriculture and natural resource industries, Miller said.
The REAL Montana program is funded through a partnership between MSU and several private industry donors. Complete program information is available at www.montana.edu/realmontana.
The class participants, including their home cities, positions and companies, are:
- Stan Alles, Roundup. Manager of railroad operations, Signal Peak Energy, LLC.
- Kenadee Chartier, Sand Coulee. Relationship/branch manager, AgWest Farm Credit.
- Buddy Cheff, Ronan. Owner, Mountain Shadow Cattle, LLC.
- Julie Darling, Helena. Government affairs specialist, NorthWestern Energy.
- Jodie Drange, Laurel. Vice president/secretary, Drange Apiary, Inc.
- Krista Lee Evans, Helena. Vice president of government and community relations, Sentinel Metals.
- Megan Irion, Roundup. Executive director, Montana FFA Foundation.
- Dana Jansen, Lavina. Director of ag safety, Montana Farm Bureau Federation.
- Dani Jones, East Helena. Program officer, Montana Department of Agriculture.
- Tryg Koch, Kalispell. Owner, Heritage Custom Farming.
- Stephen McLaughlin, Victor. President and co-founder, Remsight.
- Ian Moore, Ennis. Director of forestry and ag, BurnBot.
- Caitlin Morrison, Billings. Environmental adviser, Par Montana.
- Scott Morrison, Great Falls. Lab manager, Calumet Refining Montana.
- JM Peck, Melrose. President, Trapper Creek Ranch.
- Rachel Prevost, Great Falls. Executive director, Montana Farmers Union.
- Mariah Shammel, Hilger. Co-owner, Shammel Ranch and Montana RanchHERS Beef Co.
- Cody Shick, Choteau. Regional manager, barley program, Molson-Coors.
- Lacey Sutherlin, Stevensville. Territory manager, ABS Global; Co-owner, 3C Cattle.
- Katharine Taylor, Jefferson City. Special assistant for communications, Montana governor’s office.
| Tweet |
