About Flathead Rivers Alliance

In 2023, Sheena was named Flathead Rivers Alliance’s first Executive Director. She began her service to FRA as a contracted Watershed Coordinator in 2021 jumpstarting flagship River Ambassador Program. She looks forward to continuing to support the organization’s robust portfolio of projects and programs with partners to advance stewardship of this river system.

Sheena is a river enthusiast who floated rivers long before she could walk and worked her first job at a whitewater company. Over 20 years she has served as a hydrologist, communication specialist and project coordinator in the watershed science field, in Montana and Colorado. She strongly believes that awareness is an essential stepping stone towards the realization and protection of our natural resources for future generations. Sheena holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from University of Montana and B.S. in Watershed Science from Colorado State University. You’ll often find her on the river taking turns with her son and daughter on the oars and faithful Bridger searching for the best fetch stick.

Geoffrey is a lifelong river rat, originally calling the winding whitewater of Virginia’s James River home. More recently, he has migrated with the salmon runs up the Columbia River and its tributaries, cobbling together careers as a fisheries scientist, snowboard instructor, and river ranger. After the past four years of splitting summer seasons caring for central Idaho’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and winter seasons training up the next generation of Big Mountain riders, he is excited to take root in the Flathead year-round and to continue crafting new river tales for a living in a more local drainage. His focus in river advocacy is making sure outdoor dirtbags, local citizens, outfitters, and administrators all have exposure to each other’s perspectives, lingo, and priorities — sometimes we need a good translator to line up all of our different love languages with the river! When he isn’t pushing a boat, you can find him whipping up overly complicated dinners for friends and family, plunking along at a neighborhood jam, or ribbon-dancing a fly to figure out where the fishies are hiding today.

In 1996, Brenda started working for Wild River Adventures guiding raft trips on the North and Middle Forks of the Flathead Rivers. She has been the mastermind behind the River Weed Pull Rodeo on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River since 2003. By 2017 she had expanded the event to cover almost 40 river miles on the Middle Fork from Essex to Blankenship Bridge. In 2021, Flathead Rivers Alliance brought Brenda under their organization to continue organizing the annual River Weed Pull Rodeo and boost biocontrol of noxious weeds along the river corridors.

Whitney is joining the 2026 summer season as the Hungry Horse – Glacier View District River Conservation Fellow. She grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and moved to the coastal region for college at UNC Wilmington. She gained a B.S. in Environmental Science, Conservation Concentration and a minor in Geospatial Technologies and is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in GIS online at NC State University.

Whitney’s passion for river sciences began in her youth, exploring the streams and marshes of NC, gaining a curiosity that has translated into her career. Her interest was solidified through an internship with Cape Fear River Watch and was further guided through her role in the Office of Sustainability at UNCW. She transitioned most recently from the Glacier National Park Citizen Science Team, working as a GIS Assistant through AmeriCorps.

She aims to enhance the meaningful work of the FRA and continue to expand the reach, stewardship, and love for the Flathead River and beyond. Outside of work, Whitney is a jack of all trades, master of just a few… she most enjoys sewing, watercolors, baking, live music, and all of the wonderful recreation activities that the Flathead provides!!

Abigail Mish is originally from Maryland and graduated from Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, where she discovered her interest in environmental science and fieldwork. She spent a semester in Alaska, which deepened her appreciation for diverse ecosystems and sparked a love for exploring new places. She enjoys traveling across the United States and internationally, especially to mountain environments. She is excited to be based along the Flathead River in Montana, where she will continue learning from and working within a dynamic river system.

Abigail is an avid runner who enjoys the challenge of half marathons. Outside of running, she loves backpacking, drawing, and painting, including scientific drawing as a way to slow down and better understand the natural world. She thrives in social, active settings and values connecting with others just as much as time spent outdoors. Her experience spans fieldwork, data collection and analysis, and laboratory work. She is especially interested in bridging the gap between scientific research and the everyday person. She looks forward to continuing to learn, explore new environments, and share that curiosity with others on the Flathead River.

Sam’s love for water started with a paddle in his hand at an early age in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. During his tenure at Montana State, Sam worked as a whitewater guide, a profession which ignited a passion not only for technical rivers, but for the landscapes they inhabit. His passion for this river system now focuses on keeping it clean and wild for his son and future generations. Sam hopes to use his expertise in finance to help propel the Flathead Rivers Alliance downstream and ensure cold clean water for us all.

Rachel is a lifelong Montana resident; her two boys are the fourth generation of kiddos to be raised running around the streets of her hometown. After graduating from the University of Montana in resource conservation, she entered a career in sales and marketing for the outdoor adventure and equipment manufacturing industries, and conservation. In 2017, she was chosen by the Governor of Montana to create and direct the MT Governor’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, striving to build a thriving and sustainable outdoor recreation economy for our state. Currently she owns her own consulting business with work primarily focused in conservation and outdoor recreation economy. You can find her with people she loves rafting local rivers, camping, chasing my bird dog, hunting and fishing, surfing on Whitefish Lake, skiing, and traveling.

Jedd is a lover of the wild rivers and river valleys of northwest Montana. Whether car camping along the North Fork or hiking in to float the Middle Fork around Schafer Meadows, he can’t get enough of the living waters of the Flathead river system. Jedd has worked for Montana Conservation Corps and, now, Whitefish Legacy Partners for the past 10+ years and is dedicated to the local conservation and outdoor recreation community. Jedd ascended to peak-nerdiness when he wrote a master’s thesis at the University of Montana on the fight over coal mining in the North Fork river basin. Requests to recount stories about the 1988 International Joint Commission referral process on the North Fork are much appreciated.

Lisa is a whitewater kayaker, packrafter, and longtime advocate for wild rivers and wild places in Montana and beyond. A native of southern Idaho, she graduated from the University of Montana and has called Missoula home ever since. She joined the staff at American Rivers in 2022 leading river protection work across Western Montana after nearly 20 years working at the University of Montana’s Wilderness Institute. She led broad-scale celebrations for the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 2018. She helped found and continues to coordinate the Wild and Scenic Rivers Coalition, a national alliance of more than 60 river groups, of which Flathead Rivers Alliance is a member.

Pat grew up as a cheesehead in Wisconsin fishing lakes and streams, chasing frogs and snapping turtles and transformed his love of water into a 32-year career as a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Forest Service. Pat spent 30 years working on the Flathead National Forest exploring the Middle, North and South forks of the Flathead River while working closely with Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to protect native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. He worked on the Flathead Forest Plan and Wild and Scenic River management throughout his career. Free time was river time from Alaska to eastern Montana but his favorite is the South Fork Flathead. It’s only natural to follow a river thalweg from a career of protecting rivers to joining a river community such as FRA and taking a peak around the next river bend to have a dialogue about where do we go from here as a community.

Bio coming soon!

Bob has a passion for moving waters and has been running the Middle, North and South Forks of the Flathead for nearly 50 years. He is currently retired after spending a wonderful career as a river outfitter and mental health counselor. He is honored to be a founding board member of the Flathead Rivers Alliance and looks forward to working with our communities & local management agencies to protect the Flathead.

Hazel Beltz grew up on the Flathead River, where she spends her time rafting, kayaking, and has a strong passion for river stewardship. She graduated from Whitefish High School and is attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks where she is studying Climate and Environmental Change.

In addition to her interest in environmental stewardship, Hazel is actively involved in her school and community. She served as captain of her swim team, has participated in varsity cheerleading and theater, and lived abroad in Argentina. Hazel is committed to education, community outreach, and inspiring young people to care for the Three Forks of the Flathead. Her goal in life is to allow for everyone to experience the outdoors like she has.

Tara grew up in Idaho with a deep connection to rivers and public lands, spending time fishing, hiking, skiing, and exploring waterways across the West. For over a decade, she has worked in nonprofit communications, fundraising, and community engagement, supporting River access and conservation through the Utah Stream Access Coalition and now the Flathead Rivers Alliance. Tara and her husband, Kris, can often be found outside with their two young boys, building a family connection to rivers and wild places while supporting efforts to protect them for generations to come.

Jesse Johnson is a longtime educator, outdoor advocate, and dedicated member of the Flathead Valley community with a deep appreciation for Montana’s rivers, public lands, and outdoor recreation. Based in Kalispell, Jesse has spent nearly a decade working in K–12 education, helping students build confidence, resilience, and lifelong connections to healthy, active living through physical education and outdoor recreation.

An avid river runner, and backcountry enthusiast, Jesse is passionate about protecting clean water, preserving public access, and promoting responsible stewardship of the Flathead watershed. His love for rivers began on the Missouri River of North Dakota, since then he has lived and worked on rivers in Idaho, Alaska, Hawai’i, New Zealand & Australia.

Jesse values community involvement and believes organizations like the Flathead Rivers Alliance play an essential role in conservation, education, and advocacy throughout the region. Whether spending time on the river with family and friends, exploring the ‘Bob’, or supporting local initiatives that protect Montana’s natural resources, he remains committed to strengthening the connection between people, recreation, and the rivers that define life in the Flathead Valley.

Smith Works came north to attend the University of Montana and never looked back. Her background spans public service, healthcare philanthropy, and community engagement, with a longtime focus on bringing people, ideas, and resources together to strengthen Montana communities.

She believes the Flathead rivers system is what connects and defines life in our valley. Outside of work, Smith enjoys floating rivers, a good game of river bocce, road-tripping across Montana, and spending time with family and friends.