Caspen Black 2022 - Present
Program Coordinator info@montanahphc.org Caspen was born and raised on a family farm in Montana. Before becoming Program Coordinator, they served as an AmeriCorps VISTA for a Montana healthcare nonprofit where they coordinated new programs and events, and as a social science researcher for the Forest Service, where they studied community-based participatory research methods. They believe that when patients and providers work together as equals, we can build a more just, effective, and adaptable health system. They are also a figure skater, weaver, and aquarium hobbyist. |

Julia Ryder 2023 - Present
MPH Candidate, U.M.
Bozeman, Montana |Juliamryder@gmail.com
Julia is creating educational materials, Montana-specific of healthcare workers. She is an RN at Bozeman Health, mom to a toddler, and an MPH Candidate at UM. Her passion for Mother Nature developed in her twenties living outdoors as a back- country guide in Moab, Utah. This experienced taught her first hand that people become healthier when they have a connection to nature. For the past decade she has worked in the local Emergency Department as a registered nurse. She earned my Bachelors of Science from Southern Utah University, and in 2015, a received my Certificate in Emergency Medicine.
She is currently in a graduate program through Montana State University studying what she am most passionate about: Bridging the gap between human health and our natural environment.
MPH Candidate, U.M.
Bozeman, Montana |Juliamryder@gmail.com
Julia is creating educational materials, Montana-specific of healthcare workers. She is an RN at Bozeman Health, mom to a toddler, and an MPH Candidate at UM. Her passion for Mother Nature developed in her twenties living outdoors as a back- country guide in Moab, Utah. This experienced taught her first hand that people become healthier when they have a connection to nature. For the past decade she has worked in the local Emergency Department as a registered nurse. She earned my Bachelors of Science from Southern Utah University, and in 2015, a received my Certificate in Emergency Medicine.
She is currently in a graduate program through Montana State University studying what she am most passionate about: Bridging the gap between human health and our natural environment.
Shannon James 2022 - 2023
Project Manager, Air Quality Flag Program Summer 2022 Missoula, Montana | shannon.james@montanahphc.org Shannon is a graduate student at the University of Montana, working towards her Master’s in Environmental Studies. She has spent the past five years working in education in an indoor and outdoor setting, including teaching at the ISF Academy in Hong Kong. Prior to teaching, Shannon performed field research on endangered species in the Northwest U.S. She holds a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation and a minor in Climate Change Studies from the University of Montana. In her free time, Shannon enjoys skiing, climbing, and spending as much time outside as possible. |
Taylor Stewart 2022 - 2023
Climate and Health Education Campaign Developer Missoula, Montana | Taylor.stewart@montanahphc.org Taylor Stewart is a second year Master of Public Health student with a concentration in Community Health and Prevention Sciences. Her interests have always aligned at the intersection of human health and the environment, which naturally led to her current work as a research assistant for two projects evaluating associations between air pollution and health outcomes at the University of Montana. She has professional experience in nonprofit and community-based organizations related to food systems and environmental sustainability spanning from Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and abroad, but has quickly found herself at home in Montana. Taylor is passionate about approaching complex issues including how climate change will impact public health and what mitigation strategies communities can take to adapt and become more resilient. She spends as much of her free time as possible in the mountains, looking for year round snow to ski. |