Missoula Downtown Association Board

Mimi Hall Gustafson is in her second stint as Director of Sales & Marketing at the Holiday Inn Downtown. She moved to Missoula for the same position in 2013 with Sage Hospitality and served in that role for four years. She worked for Destination Missoula and the Tourism BID as the Director of Sales and Services from 2017-19. Prior to her arrival in Missoula, Hall Gustafson was on the leadership team at Northern Quest Resort in Spokane for four years. She has spent the majority of her adult life in sales and marketing, specializing in destination resorts. With a breadth of sales and marketing experience in the hospitality and destination resort industry, Hall Gustafson has served in leadership roles with world-class destination resorts, an innovative full-service marketing firm, a successful destination marketing organization, and a unique, luxury resort representation firm. Hall Gustafson has a B.A. in Advertising & PR from the University of Idaho. Originally from Cincinnati and Washington, D.C., she and her husband, Frank, enjoy hiking, skiing and boating, as well as spend time exploring Montana with their three dogs.

Ellen Buchanan has served on the MDA Board of Directors since 2003 and stepped into leadership as a vice president in 2017. She chairs several committees and was the visionary behind the creation of River City Roots Festival. She came to Missoula in 2003 from Johnson City, Tenn., to oversee Missoula’s tax increment financing program. Under her direction, the Missoula Redevelopment Agency created several urban renewal districts and leveraged significant investments all across Missoula. Her priorities are community sustainability, Downtown vitality, and residential development in the heart of city. Buchanan chairs the Downtown Master Plan Implementation Team, as well as the committees that plan and produce Winter BrewFest, Garden City BrewFest, and River City Roots Festival. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Downtown Business Improvement District and the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. She has B.S. in Architecture from the Pratt Institute in New York City. She has worked in redevelopment in New York, California, Florida and Tennessee. Ellen is married to Michael Hornick. She has two grown children, Jason and Keenan, and a granddaughter, Tess. When not working, you will find her at live music events and festivals.

A native of Livingston, Montana, Bob Burns has served as the Missoula Market President for Stockman Bank since October of 2014. He earned his degree in Business Administration & Finance from The University of Montana in 1996 and has worked in finance for over 25 years.  Since its start in Missoula, Burns has grown the staff to 78 employees in the Missoula market, offering full service banking along with Stockman Wealth Management and Stockman Insurance. Under his leadership, Stockman Bank has opened three full service Missoula branches since 2014. Burns is active in the Missoula community, serving as Chair of The Missoula Fairgrounds Foundation Board, and the University of Montana College of Business Management & Marketing Advisory Board. He is also a past State Board member of Make-A-Wish Montana.  Bob is married to Katrina and they have one daughter, Maeve.

Bailey Durnell has been a Downtown business owner since 2021, opening the Missoula Makers Collective, alongside her business partner Rachel Cowan, at 420 North Higgins. They represent more than 80 makers who sell their artwork year- round. Bailey is a maker herself, creating jewelry under the name Warm House Designs. She has been an artist at River City Roots Festival for three years and played a significant role in coordinating the new Missoula Makers Market at the Downtown ToNight Summer Series. She also brought the Missoula Makers Market to the Holidays on Higgins event the last two years. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Bailey served as a student resource coordinator, event planner, and teaching assistant at the University of Montana. She has a BA and an MA in Political Science and Gender Studies from UM. She has volunteered for Planned Parenthood and the Missoula Promise Initiative, as well as numerous ballot initiatives. Bailey grew up in Great Falls and is interested in how local businesses can help mobilize citizens to be stewards of their community, the way in which a strong community ethic can affect development, and the impact that women's financial autonomy through entrepreneurship translates to community benefits.

A native of Billings, Mont., Ashley Larkin started working at First Montana Bank in 2011 and is currently AVP Commercial Loan Officer. She earned a B.S. in Business Finance from the University of Montana and more recently completed the Pacific Coast Banking School program.

Larkin joined the board in 2018 and served as board president in 2021 and has served as a volunteer for Downtown event and committees for several years.  In addition to the MDA, Larkin serves on the Jadyn Fred Foundation and Missoula Chamber Red Coats.

Kia Liszak has been the Executive Director of the Zootown Arts Community Center (ZACC) for ten years. She spearheaded and led the visionary process and multimillion-dollar campaign efforts to bring the ZACC downtown and triple its size and ability to build community through accessible arts experiences for all. She was recognized by the Missoulian in 2013 as one of Western Montana's top 20 business leaders under 40 years old to have made a positive impact through exceptional entrepreneurship, leadership, creative vision, innovation and dedication to the community, and recognized by the Missoula Downtown Association in 2019 as the Downtowner of the Year. She has served as a volunteer on many committees including The Missoula Public Art Committee and on Missoula's Community Arts Team to implement the Kennedy Center’s support of the SPARK arts program. She was able to travel to Thailand and Laos to enrich her work through the YSEALI professional fellows program in 2017 and subsequently invited to participate in the US State Department’s seminar, “Art, Culture, and Transforming Conflict" in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is extremely passionate about empowering people of all ages through the arts and creative community building.

Heidi Starrett is an Advertising Executive at Missoula Broadcasting Company, a locally-owned and operated radio company. Prior to that she was the advertising sales manager at the Missoula Independent from 2014-2016, and she owned her own business, Computer Central, from 2005-2014.

Starrett has been a board member since 2011 and has served as chair on the Out Lunch Committee since that time. She was the Board President in 2015 and has held three vice president positions: VP of Marketing in 2013, VP of Membership in 2014, and VP of Advocacy in the latter half of 2017.

Since getting involved with the MDA in 2006, Starrett has served a role on nearly every committee, plus she volunteers for almost every MDA event.

Originally from Massachusetts, Starrett has a B.A. in Interior Design from Endicott College. She moved to Missoula in 2004 after falling in love with the Garden City.

In addition to MDA, Starrett serves on the Arts Missoula and City Club Missoula boards. In her free time, she helps with the Milltown Garden Patch and enjoys hiking, biking, cross country skiing and attending a plethora of Downtown events.

Scott Whittenburg is the Vice President for Research and Creative Scholarship at UM, a position he has held since coming to Missoula in 2013.  He is also the President of MonTEC, as business incubator located adjacent to Missoula College.  Prior to coming to UM, he held similar roles at the University of New Orleans.  In these roles Scott leads the university’s efforts in research, creative activities and economic development.  Scott has a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Oregon State University and a doctoral degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of Utah.  Whittenburg and his two kids moved to Missoula to be closer to his mother.  They have lived downtown on the Hip Strip, in the Wilma, and on North Higgins before moving to the Ranch Club. Scott loves North Higgins and would love to see it become a destination for residences and multi-use buildings.

Born and raised in Missoula, Jodi Pilgrim has worked for the Missoula Parking Commission since 2016. She started as a frontline administrative assistant, then moved into the position of Business Services Manager in 2018. In December 2023, she was promoted to the Parking Services Director, where she is responsible for all operations and staffing for the Commission. Pilgrim is fascinated by the parking industry and the role it plays in supporting thriving Downtowns. Prior to her arrival at the MPC, Pilgrim worked at a local health club. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Clark Fork River Market. As a native Missoulian, she attended Hellgate High School and studied physics at the University of Montana. Jodi is married to Dan Brooks, and they have one son, Anthony. She is an avid fan of Downtown shopping and dining and loves to help Downtown employees find parking options and alternatives. In her free time, she enjoys working out, reading, cooking, and walking with her dog, Crackers.

Joan Redeen is a long-standing Downtown advocate and is delighted to serve as an ex-officio member of the MDA Board of Directors. She currently serves as the Executive Assistant - Communications for the Montana Department of Transportation’s Western District. She was the Community Director for the Great Falls Business Improvement District (BID) from 2009-2022, where she was responsible for revitalizing Downtown Great Falls. She renewed the BID twice and created and implemented the citywide wayfinding plan. She was responsible for the creation of the Pedlet program and the mural festival, ArtsFest MONTANA. She was also instrumental in the creation and implementation of the Downtown Master Plan, and led implementation of the organizational workplan. Joan is married to Jeff, and they have two sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandsons. The daughter of a Navy Commander, she was raised moving frequently from east coast to west coast. She has an AA degree from the College of Great Falls and is also actively involved with Special Olympics Montana and the Montana Down Syndrome Association. Joan is a Griz Football fan – alongside her husband Jeff and sons – and she loves the walkability, shopping and dining options in Downtown Missoula. She is most excited about bringing more public art to the Heart of Missoula.