MDA Staff

Linda McCarthy

Linda McCarthy is in her tenth year as the Executive Director of the MDA. She also serves on the Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors.

Prior to her appointment with the MDA, McCarthy was a Sports Information Director for UM Grizzly Athletics from 1989-99. She served as media director for a number of events and staffed several USA Track & Field National Championships, including the 1996 Olympic Trials in Atlanta.

McCarthy is a double graduate of The University of Montana, receiving her B.A. in Communication Studies in 1991 and her M.A. in Public Administration in 1999.

Originally from Dupuyer, Mont., Linda is married to Tom Gallagher. They have one daughter, Madelyn and a son, Samuel.

Julie Weaver

Julie Weaver is the Assistant Director for the MDA and has been on staff since September 2004. A graduate (2000) of the UM Business Administration program, Julie was a sales manager at Mountain CAD and a marketing representative at ALPS (Attorney Liability Protection Society) prior to coming on board at the MDA.

A native of Rochester, MN, Julie has been a Missoula resident for twelve years. Julie and her husband Jeff enjoy summers on their boat, Grizzly football and basketball and spending time with their two fabulous dogs, Murray and Maggie.

Jessica Daniels

Jessica joined the MDA as the new Program Director in January 2010. Returning to Missoula from the California Bay Area, Jess most recently worked as Planner and Marketing Manager for Design, Community & Environment in Berkeley. Previously she was a Research Associate for Solimar Research Group, where she conducted economic and land use analyses for communities with an emphasis on Smart Growth.

Jess graduated from Cornell University in 2007 with a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning where she won the Peter B. Andrews Memorial Thesis Prize for her Economic Impact Analysis of Ithaca’s Light in Winter Festival. Prior to her graduate studies, she attended the University of Montana and earned her B.A. in Economics in 2003 with a focus on the Intermountain West.

An Atlanta native, Jess lives with her boyfriend, Krisztian, and her Siberian Husky, Kolo. While not devoting her time to Downtown Missoula, Jess likes to take turns at Snowbowl and hike in the Bitterroots.

Susie Boelman

Susie Boelman joined the MDA in October 2007 and provides office and event support. She graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., with a major in English Writing and minors in Business and History.

Susie grew up in Billings, Mont., and moved to Missoula in the fall of 2006 with her husband, Steve and dog, Chief – a chocolate lab. She enjoys all of the outdoor activities Missoula offers and escaping for weekends in Cooke City as often as she can.

Jennifer Williamson