Who We Are

Montana Trout Unlimited consists of an all-volunteer State Council made up of representatives of TU’s 13 local Montana chapters. In addition, MTU employs a staff of 6 full-time employees to further our mission. Learn more about our staff members’ commitment to clean, cold, complex, and connected watersheds here.

State Council Staff

David Brooks

Executive Director

he/him

(406) 543-0054

[email protected]

David Brooks most recently served Montana TU as Conservation Director and became Executive Director in May 2017. He is a trained environmental historian who studied Superfund sites and watershed issues. As part of earning his PhD in history at the University of Montana, David wrote the book on Superfund cleanup of the Milltown Dam site on the Clark Fork. Since moving to Missoula in 2000, he has walked, jogged, pedaled, paddled, rowed, hunted, skied and ogled as many wild places and open spaces in the state as possible, most enjoyably when he’s in the company of his wife, daughter, dog, and friends.

Kelley Willett

Development Director

she/her

(406) 543-0054

[email protected]

Kelley joined Montana TU’s team in February 2014. She has raised money for nonprofits she cares about for more than 25 years, including two years of service in the Peace Corps in Bulgaria. Kelley has a BA from Wellesley College. Her absolute favorite pastime is sharing the outdoors with her nieces. When their dance card is full, you can find Kelley knee deep in a stream, running the trails, playing her banjo or reading a book.

Clayton Elliott

Conservation and Government Affairs Director

he/him

(406) 543-0054

[email protected]

Clayton joined the MTU staff in October of 2018. After growing up rambling the hills and rivers of the eastern edges of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Clayton attended the University of Wyoming majoring in Economics and Environmental Studies. Following the completion of his graduate degree in Natural Resource Policy at the University of Michigan, he moved back to his native home in the American West. During his professional career in Montana, he has worked for a number of  conservation and non-profit organizations in Montana focusing on public lands and clean water advocacy in the state and federal government. When he isn’t in the halls of the Capitol, you can find him on the oars of his drift boat casting to wild trout in western Montana or chasing birds with his German Shorthair Pointers, Ann Richards and Apollo.

Chris Edgington

Jefferson Watershed Project Manager

he/him

(406) 543-0054

[email protected]

Chris Edgington grew up in the flatlands of Nebraska, where his pursuit for fish started at a young age, eventually chasing bass and bluegill with a fly rod. He found his way to Missoula, Montana in 2002 after pursuing a degree in Wildlife Biology-Fisheries Management at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. While at UNL, Chris began cooking to put himself through school, developing a deep passion for local food and community built around the dinner table. He spent several years as a chef bouncing around Montana, learning the rivers of Western and Southwest Montana. Chris reignited his passion for conservation at The University of Montana Western, graduating with a degree in Environmental Science-Wetlands Management. Most recently he worked as a seasonal fisheries tech with Chris Clancy at Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and a hydro-tech with the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. He was a board member of the George Grant Chapter Trout Unlimited, as well as being involved with the Chuck Robbins Chapter in Dillon. He will continue to serve these two chapters in his new role at Jefferson Watershed Project Manager. Chris brings a breadth of experience and knowledge to Montana Trout Unlimited and a passion for the rivers and trout of Montana.

Maggie Althaus

Administrative Assistant/Office Manager

she/her

(406) 543-0054

[email protected]

Maggie joined us in November 2020 and keeps the inner workings of MTU and all our programs running smoothly. Maggie was born and raised in Philipsburg, Montana before completing a BA in Biology with a certificate in GIS from Carroll College in Helena in the spring of 2020. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Land Resource and Environmental Science with hopes to use her education to help mitigate the effects of climate change. When she’s not at work or school, Maggie is a member of the National Ski Patrol and patrols at Lost Trail Ski Area during the winters. In the summers you can find her hiking with her dad or running rivers with her mom in the outdoors they all love. 

Bill Pfeiffer

Outreach Coordinator

he/him

(406) 543-0054

[email protected]

Bill Pfeiffer joined Montana TU in January 2020 as our new Outreach Coordinator, communications specialist, and youth education coordinator. Bill grew up chasing wild brook and brown trout in central Pennsylvania before packing up his car and blindly moving to Missoula in 2001 to fully embrace his passion for fly fishing. A graduate of Bucknell University with a degree in English literature and philosophy, Bill returned to school in 2003 at the University of Montana, earning a B.S. in Aquatic Wildlife Biology with Honors in 2006 and his J.D. from the Blewett School of Law in 2011, with a focus on Natural Resources and Environmental Law. In addition to his work in conservation and communications as both a volunteer and professional, Bill has been a licensed professional fly-fishing guide and instructor since 2006 and continues to lead trips and teach new anglers when he can find the time. When he’s not working at his desk, in the field, or on the river, you can usually find him enjoying his current obsession: swinging flies on a two-handed fly rod for trout and steelhead. And occasionally doing some bass fishing!

Learn more about National Trout Unlimited staff.

Executive Committee

Brian Neilsen

Chair

Brian Neilsen

Chairman

Missouri River Flyfishers

Great Falls

Lyle Courtnage

Vice Chair

Lyle Courtnage

Vice Chairman

Magic City Flyers

Great Falls

Mark Peterson

Secretary

Mark Peterson

Secretary

Madison Gallatin Chapter

Bozeman

Will Trimbath

Treasurer

Will Trimbath

Treasurer

Pat Barnes Chapter

Helena

Sharon Sweeney Fee

Past Chair

Sharon Sweeney Fee

Past Chairwoman

Joe Brooks Chapter

Livingston

Harry Murphy

TU National Leadership Council

Harry Murphy

TU National Leadership Council

Madison Gallatin Chapter

Bozeman

Stewardship Directors

Dr. Marshall Bloom

Hamilton, MT

Monte Dolack

Missoula, MT

Paul Moseley

Missoula, MT

Roy O’Connor

Clinton, MT

Dr. Robert Ratcheson

Hamilton, MT

Paul Stanley

Bozeman,MT/Piedmont, CA

Dr. Irving Weissman

Hamilton, MT/Redwood City, CA

Trout UNLIMITED NATIONAL STAFF IN MONTANA

Warren Colyer

Director Western Water Habitat Program

Brian Neilsen

Chairman

CONTACT

Missoula

Patrick Byorth

Montana Water Director

Lyle Courtnage

Vice Chairman

CONTACT

Bozeman

Christine Brissette

Special Projects Manager

Mark Peterson

Secretary

CONTACT

Missoula

Morgan Case

Instream Flow Specialist

Will Trimbath

Treasurer

CONTACT

Butte

Paul Parson

Montana Restoration Director

Sharon Sweeney Fee

Past Chairwoman

CONTACT

Missoula

Teresa Scanlon

Rock Creek Project Coordinator

Harry Murphy

TU National Leadership Council

CONTACT

Missoula

Harry Murphy

TU National Leadership Council

Casey Hackathorn

Director of Montana Programs

Sharon Sweeney Fee

Past Chairwoman

CONTACT

Missoula

Rob Roberts

Senior Restoration Specialist

Sharon Sweeney Fee

Past Chairwoman

CONTACT

Missoula

Zoe Bommerito

Mountain West Communications Director

Sharon Sweeney Fee

Past Chairwoman

CONTACT

Missoula

Nick Halle

Volunteer Operations Coordinator

Sharon Sweeney Fee

Past Chairwoman

CONTACT

Missoula

Colin Cooney

Montana Policy and Advocacy Director

Sharon Sweeney Fee

Past Chairwoman

CONTACT

Helena

Land Acknowledgement

Montana Trout Unlimited acknowledges that the watersheds we work within are the ancestral home of the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Sioux, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Chippewa, Cree, Blackfeet, Salish, Kootenai, Pend d’Oreille, and Little Shell Chippewa peoples, among others who regularly traveled through Montana lands on the “Road to the Buffalo.” We’re proud to work with Montana’s tribes whenever possible to conserve, protect, and restore these vital and important aquatic resources that have been essential to their nations for countless generations.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Access to clean water and pristine outdoor spaces is disproportionately more difficult for minority communities. We believe that the right to clean, cold, complex, and connected watersheds not only benefits trout populations, but is essential to all humankind. These resources are held in trust by and for all people. Further, everyone deserves to feel welcome and safe in our sacred natural spaces, whether they are anglers, outdoor enthusiasts, concerned citizens, or first-time visitors. MTU is committed to actively eliminate discrimination by learning from and listening to others’ unique experiences. We continue to look for new ways to expand our reach beyond the traditional fly fishing community and partner with diverse groups of stakeholders whenever possible. It is only by pushing ourselves that we can hope to achieve the collective vision of making Montana’s wild places and resources available and accessible to all.

Contact Us

We’re happy to answer your questions about our work or anything else trout related.
Drop us a line here!