Executive Director

Kevin Sylvester

Originally from Connecticut, Kevin led recreation and conservation programs throughout the U.S. When he moved to Montana over a decade ago, he became a ski volunteer at Eagle Mount Billings, and pursued his passion for helping nonprofits to thrive. He has served as Program Manager at Montana Conservation Corps and Executive Director of Family Promise of Gallatin Valley. Kevin holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut and a MA in Public Administration from MSU. He enjoys all kinds of outdoor recreation with his wife Carolynn.

ksylvester@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 103

Director of Development

Kirk Utzinger

Kirk returned home to Big Sky Country in late 2019 reuniting with family and friends after 30 years serving a wide variety of non-profit organizations across the county. The opportunity to encourage others-centered individuals, companies, and foundations to invest generously in “the joy of adventure” is the perfect-fit capstone appointment. Kirk enjoys traveling, outdoor adventure, all the arts and helping others advance their careers. When not on the clock, you may cross paths with Kirk exploring Montana with his wife Kellie and their two sons, Kole and Karson, and their lab Kenzo.

kutzinger@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 104

Director of Operations

Trevor Olson

Born and raised in Bozeman, Trevor learned about Eagle Mount while obtaining his degrees in Physics and Mathematics at Montana State University. After college, Trevor spent several years fixing wind turbines by rappelling off of them and spending his winters as an adaptive snow sports assistant for Eagle Mount. During that time he obtained his Level 1 Alpine and Level 2 Adaptive PSIA certifications, and helped lead the Eagle Mount Bridger and Big Sky programs. The love of Eagle Mount kept pulling at Trevor and in the winter of 2020 he accepted the position of Director of Operations. In his free time, Trevor enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, and spending time in the outdoors, be it rock climbing, skiing, camping, or any of the other plethora of outdoor opportunities that we get to enjoy by living in the treasure state.

tolson@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 109

Director of Finance

Pearl Nixon

Eagle Mount has been a part of Pearl’s life since she started volunteering with the Horsemanship Program as a teenager, where she discovered that helping others enjoy something you love is truly rewarding. However, her passion for supporting friends and neighbors with disabilities started when she was lucky enough to have inclusive classrooms in the Bozeman schools. Pearl joined the staff in 2013, and has a special place in her heart for activities that offer adults with developmental disabilities lifelong recreation.

pnixon@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 121

Associate Director of Development

Anna Smoot

After growing up in Colorado, Anna earned BAs in English and Secondary Education from the University of Wyoming in 2006 and completed her Certified Fundraising Executive, CFRE, in 2017. Anna has spent her career raising support for causes from education to mental health and substance abuse, spending eight years in healthcare philanthropy at UCHealth in northern Colorado and Bozeman Health Foundation prior to joining the Eagle Mount team. Anna, her husband Doug, and their two young sons live in south Bozeman with their energetic lab mix, Ginger, and spend their free time hiking, skiing, camping, grilling in the back yard, gardening, and enjoying all that Montana has to offer.

asmoot@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 101

Marketing and Outreach Coordinator

Luke Gladis

Luke comes from southeast Wisconsin with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Multimedia Communications and Social Justice from University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. As a camp counselor in 2014, he discovered a passion for facilitating opportunities and adventure in the outdoors. In 2019, Luke hiked the Appalachian Trail, where he fell in love with mountains and devoted his life to connecting with others through creativity, humor, love for the planet, and enthusiasm. Luke came on board at Eagle Mount Bozeman in 2021 in order to promote adventure and accessibility through compelling storytelling. Out of the office, you can find Luke climbing, backpacking, trail running, or playing guitar.

lgladis@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 114

Adaptive Horsemanship Director

Claire Brunner

Claire, a Midwesterner, moved to Livingston, MT with her husband in 2013. Being a PATH International Certified Horsemanship Instructor, she was immediately welcomed by Eagle Mount and started as a volunteer instructor. In 2019 her dream job was realized and she became a full time staff member. She loves making Adaptive riding fun and spending time with her favorite horse, Wilbur.

cbrunner@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 116

Adaptive Horsemanship Barn Manager

Joanna Rodgers-Liston

Joanna grew up in central Connecticut but quickly fell in love with the mountains after moving to Montana for college in 2011. While gaining a BS in Animal Science with an equine emphasis at MSU, Joanna was a part of the IHSA team and horse driving club, in addition to volunteering and interning at Eagle Mount in the adaptive horsemanship program. After graduating, Joanna gained valuable horse experience at various barns in the valley before returning to Eagle Mount to join the horsemanship staff in November 2019. She is currently on track to be a PATH instructor and enjoys spending time with her cats, llamas, and her own retired Eagle Mount horse, Harley.

jrodgers-liston@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 116

Adaptive Horsemanship Program Assistant

Dawn Zurlo-Havey

Dawn grew up in New Jersey and just recently moved across the country. She has been working and volunteering in the Therapeutic riding community for the last ten years. Dawn graduated from Centenary University with a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Equine studies. She always wanted to become an instructor of therapeutic riding since she started volunteering and working with the special needs community. Dawn enjoys working in a community environment, with the focus on the care of the horses and the students. She is very excited to be working at Eagle Mount and to be living in Montana.

dhavey@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 116

Adaptive Aquatics Director

Jen Wendel

Jen’s journey to aquatics began when her grandfather taught her how to swim during summer visits during her childhood. She continued the journey by joining her high school swim team in Salt Lake City and, two kids and a lifetime later, she began coaching high school swim teams in Portland, Oregon. Jen and her husband settled in Bozeman just a few years ago where she coached for the Barracudas Swim Team and worked as a para in special education at the high school before joining Eagle Mount. She has a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and feels most at home in the water. When she’s not in the water, Jen enjoys everything except vegetables, traffic, and natural disasters. She is passionate about finding greatness in others and providing a safe and healthy aquatic experience for everyone at Eagle Mount.

jwendel@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 120

Adaptive Arts and Family Engagement Assistant, Aquatics Assistant

Jess Lee

Growing up in Montana for Jess has encouraged a love of all things that are adventures. As a teenager, she started volunteering at Eagle Mount with the Horsemanship Program for several years. From a young age, she was an avid dancer and musician, and enjoyed making connections through the performing arts. After high school, Jess took a deep dive into the world of theater and found a home with several theaters in town. This passion was what ultimately brought her back to Eagle Mount as a volunteer instructor for the arts, giving back in a creative and adaptive way to an amazing community. Since accepting a position as a staff member in May 2021, she has been excited to keep exploring possibilities on this journey. When not knee deep in cool art projects, you can catch Jess out camping, on the ski hill, or taking in live theater.

jlee@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 106

Young at Heart Aquatics Instructor

Pat Whitlock

Pat Whitlock was born in Montana, grew up in the midwest, and received degrees in Phys. Ed in Iowa and later a Masters in Health and Human Development here at MSU. Pat was teaching at MSU when she fortuitously met Greta Mathis in a water aerobics class in Romney Pool. Her relationship with Greta and Bob Mathis, Eagle Mount founders, developed into a 25+ year friendship. When the Bob and Greta traveled during their retirement from military service, Pat would regularly dog sit for Tuffy and Trooper. Eagle Mount’s early aquatics programming rotated locations across Bozeman, including hotel pools and even the Mathis’ pool at their home. As Eagle Mount’s aquatics programming developed, Greta brought her friend Pat along. Pat still jokes that Greta wanted the Barnard Pool for Pat to share her talents and loving approach with our many participants. Pat served as the Aquatics Program Director until semi-retiring in 2014. Now, 30 years after diving in with Eagle Mount, Pat still teaches Young at Heart water aerobics five days a week.

pwhitlock@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781

Adaptive Fitness Instructor

Liz Ann Kudrna

Liz Ann was originally introduced to Eagle Mount in 2008 after she sustained a spinal cord injury. She participated in the Swim Program, with the Horses, Skiing, and Cycling programs. Liz Ann started working for Eagle Mount 2012-2017 as an Assistant in the Nordic Program and developed and set up the wheelchair accessible gym. She is excited to be back working in the gym and helping people be as functional as possible in their body. Liz Ann has taught Pilates, breathwork and movement out of her own studio in Bozeman since she moved here in 1999. Previous to that she worked as a Physical Therapist Assistant using Pilates as a modality. After her injury she became even more passionate about human movement and working with those with disability or mobility issues. She is thrilled to reinvigorate the gym at Eagle Mount! She looks forward to meeting you!

lkudrna@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781

Adaptive Recreation Director

Patrick Quinn

Patrick was introduced to adaptive recreation in 2004 as a volunteer for a snow sports program in Massachusetts. Since then, he has worked as a summer camp recreation director, river guide, challenge course manager, ski instructor, and snow sports supervisor. Eagle Mount became a large part of his life as a volunteer for the Adaptive Snow Sports, Adventure Days, and Family Support programs. In his current title as CEO “Chief Enthusiasm Officer”, Patrick hopes to create recreation opportunities that empower, educate, and support the Bozeman Community.

pquinn@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 118

Adaptive Recreation Coordinator

Colleen Smith

Colleen is a licensed Occupational Therapist whose heart is in community-based programming and outdoor recreation. Before joining Eagle Mount, Colleen spent her time balancing her educational pursuits and her love of adventure. Her excursions include cross-country road trips, long distance backpacking, bike touring, and spending time hiking and organic farming in the mountains of Argentina. Colleen has volunteered and worked in several adaptive sports programs and camps across the US, serving a wide variety of participants, which has prepared her for her journey with Eagle Mount. Colleen is excited to be in a position to create year-round opportunities for people to have access to the outdoors and enjoy the place she loves the most, Montana.

csmith@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 115

Big Sky Adaptive Program Director

Sarah Wolf

After growing up in Washington, where skiing was an integral part of her life, Sarah traveled across the African, Asian, European, and South American continents. There, she honed her skills as an expedition guide, wilderness EMT, diesel mechanic, dive instructor, explorer, leader, and survivor. She has a BA in Communications and Business. Sarah was an Eagle Mount volunteer for five years and also served as our Assistant Director for three. She’s passionate about helping people of all ages, abilities, and temperaments navigate unique challenges and fun adventures.

swolf@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 105

Big Sky Adaptive Snowsports assistant

Beth Wilson

Beth is originally from Michigan, but lived in Colorado for 11 years before coming to Montana in 2016. Her teaching background is working with children with autism in both public schools, and in an Autism Center. While earning her BA degree in Special Education, she volunteered for the STARS adaptive ski program in Steamboat Springs, CO. In the summer of 2010, she was a backcountry/wilderness therapy guide in Utah where she discovered her passion for teaching outdoors. Since Beth’s arrival in Big Sky, she has supervised the locals Skiwees program at Big Sky Resort, but has spent most of her time raising her two boys. Beth is grateful for the opportunity to combine her passion for outdoors and her passion for supporting those with special needs at Eagle Mount. Beth has a husband (Chad) and two boys (TJ and Levon), and a German Shorthaired Pointer (Emerald). They can be found doing a variety of outdoor activities including skiing in the winter, and mountain biking or rafting in the summer.

bwilson@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 106

Family Engagement & Adaptive Arts Director

Maggie Lowry

Maggie has been with Eagle Mount since 2013, first as Assistant Aquatic Director and then hosting Saturday Night Out, Kids’ Night Out and Sibling Night Out, and founded the Parent Support Group with SEPTA in 2015. Maggie has enjoyed growing the family support offerings into a full-fledged program, and feels the future holds endless opportunities! In her free time, Maggie is an artist creating sculptural paintings, enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, and is an enthusiastic cyclist.

mlowry@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 102

Big Sky Kids Director

Lauren Grover

Lauren’s passion for camp started when she was 17 as a camp counselor, when she realized you can have a career in “playing outside.” She grew up in Wisconsin, where she obtained a BS in Kinesiology & Health Promotion. During this time, she founded her campus’ Dance Marathon program and completed her first summer with Eagle Mount as the Big Sky Kids Intern. Following this, she traveled and pursued her studies abroad, finishing a MSc in Counselling & Psychotherapy in the United Kingdom. She made the move to Bozeman and started as Big Sky Kids Director in 2021. In her free time, she loves to make music, craft, get outside, and play with her dog, Juniper.

lgrover@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 107

Administrative Assistant

Andrew Flakker

Andrew is a native of Glendive, Montana and attended several universities throughout state before coming to work at Eagle Mount in January of 2020. As a child, Andrew was treated by the Shriners Hospital for Children in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is overjoyed to add his experience of disability self-advocacy and disability community support to Eagle Mount’s already decades long commitment to adaptive recreation.

aflakker@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781

Facilities Manager

Sven Wigert

An all around handyman, Sven can be found anywhere on Eagle Mount’s campus keeping our grounds beautiful and safe, fixing things, keeping vehicles running, and helping every program with material and facility needs!

swigert@eaglemount.org | (406) 586-1781 ext. 111