MDA Board - Downtown Missoula Partnership

Ashley Larkin

President

A native of Billings, Mont., Ashley Larkin has been with First Montana Bank since 2012 and has been promoted twice, most recently to Commercial Loan Officer. She earned a B.S. in Business Finance from the University of Montana and has served as a volunteer for Downtown event and committees for several years.

Bob McGowan

Past President

Bob Burns

Vice President: Advocacy

A native of Livingston, Mont., 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 20 years. Since its start in Missoula, Burns has grown the staff to 38 employees in the Missoula market, offering full service banking along with Stockman Wealth Management and Stockman Insurance. Burns is active in the Missoula community, serving as a State board officer for Make-A-Wish Montana as well as other various non-profit boards and committees and he served as a basketball referee for the Montana Officials’ Association for 20 years. Under his leadership, Stockman Bank just completed a $35 million dollar branch location at the corner of West Broadway and Orange Street. He and his team will begin construction on Stockman Bank’s second permanent location at the corner of Brooks and Dore in 2018.

Josh Eder

Vice President: Membership

A native of Missoula, Josh Eder has worked in financial advising since 2006 and has been with S.G. Long and Company since 2009. He earned a B.S. in Business Finance from the University of Montana in 2005 and has earned multiple licenses, including Series 7, 65 and 63, and health and disability insurance. Eder has served on the Board of Directors for the Missoula Downtown Foundation since 2015 and has also served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, Pheasants Forever, and the Clark Fork Coalition. He is married to Chanda, and they have one daughter, Ellery.

Jed Liston

Vice President: Marketing & Events

Jed Liston is the newly-appointed Director of Alumni Relations at the University of Montana. He is a lifelong Grizzly, having spent 30 years in Admissions, overseeing many years of record enrollments. He served as the Director of Marketing in Integrated Communications from 2014-2016. Liston, a fifth-generation Montanan, originally from Helena, has two degrees from UM, a BA in Communications Sciences & Disorders and a Master’s in Educational Leadership. Jed is married to Jorrun Liston, and they have three kids who all attend UM.

Ellen Buchanan

MDA Vice President: Master Plan; City of Missoula BID Representative

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.

Conor Newman

Treasurer

Conor Newman was born and raised in Missoula and graduated from the University of Montana with a BS in Accounting in 2010 and a Masters of Accountancy in 2011. He started working at Boyle, Deveny & Meyer, PC as a tax season intern in 2008, was hired on full time in 2011, and became a shareholder in 2016. Newman’s practice centers around individual and business tax return preparation and planning. He is a Downtown resident and previously served on the Habitat for Humanity Board. He enjoys camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and snowboarding/skiing in the great Montana outdoors with his wife, Rose, and two daughters, Eva and Hadley.

Tom Snyder

Member

Tom Snyder opened his first restaurant Five on Black at 325 N. Higgins in 2013, and since then he has grown the business to six locations, including his second at 3850 S. Reserve in Missoula and restaurants in Bozeman, Denver, and Boulder, Colo. A native Missoulian, he holds a B.S. in Business Finance from UM and won the UM Business Plan Competition in 2011. He also serves on the Providence St. Patrick Hospital Foundation Board. Tom is married to Lauren, and they have one daughter, Clarke.

Aimee McQuilkin

Member

Aimee McQuilkin is the creative entrepreneur behind the beloved Betty’s Divine on the Hip Strip. Originally from Portland, Ore., McQuilkin graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Psychology and a Minor in Women’s Studies in 2000. She started her retail career as a manager for Rainbow’s End and then took the leap to business owner when she opened Betty’s Divine in 2005. She then leaped again into property owner when she purchased the building next door to her original location and moved. Aimee is married to Matthew McQuilkin, co-owner of Black Coffee Roasting Company, and they have two daughters: Quinn and Macy. In her free time, she likes to watch birds, bake bread, fly down mountains on bikes and skis, camp in the woods, read voraciously, garden-eat-read about food, play kickball, and comb garage sales and junk stores for treasures.

Matt Ellis

Member

Matt Ellis is the Executive Vice-President for the Missoula Osprey Professional Baseball team and has served on the MDA Board of Directors since 2001. He has been a partner of the Osprey in Missoula since the team relocated to Missoula in 1999, and he has owned the Uptown Diner since 2006. Additionally, Ellis was the vision behind the MSO Hub, a one-stop shop for visitor information services, tickets, logo wear and Montana gifts. Ellis is member of the board of directors for Destination Missoula, as well as the Missoula Parking Commission and Glacier Ice Rink. Originally from California, Ellis has a B.A. in Marketing from Arizona State and previously worked for Disneyland. In his spare time, Ellis is an avid ice hockey player, curler and bowler.

Katie Ghen Simpson

Member

Katie Ghen Simpson is the owner of Bathing Beauties Beads at 501 S. Higgins. With a lifelong passion for beading, she bought the store in 2014 after working there for 17 years. Originally from Philadelphia, she followed her high school sweetheart to Montana and earned her B.A. in in business administration and marketing from UM. She serves on the MDA’s Membership and Parade of Lights committees, and she also serves as Vice President of the Hip Strip Society. Katie is married to Neil Simpson.

Kim Klages-Johns

Member

Kim Klages-Johns is a lifelong retailer in Downtown Missoula and has served on the MDA Board since 2002. She owned and operated J. Elaine’s Boutique from 1997-2011. She has been the merchandise manager of MSO Hub since 2011 while also working in the front office of the Missoula Osprey baseball team. A native of Pittsburgh, she earned a B.S. in Marketing from Texas A&M in 1987. She worked in national retail in Florida before moving to Missoula in 1994. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her five children, cooking, and camping.

Paige Livingston

Member

Paige Livingston is the owner of One Eleven Boutique at 111 N. Higgins. She bought the store in 2010 after managing the business for nearly a year. A native of Missoula, Livingston managed a fine dining restaurant in Portland before returning home. She previously served on the Mayor’s Downtown Advisory Commission in 2015-16 and will serve on the MDA’s Retail and Festival of Trees committees. Paige married Randolph Chitwood in 2017.

Matt Mellott

Member

Matt Mellott is the owner and lead commercial real estate advisor with the Sterling Group, which includes Sterling Commercial Real Estate Advisors, Sterling Commercial Management Group and Sterling Capital Investment Group. He is also a partner with Renewal Real Estate Services which builds modern, sustainable and affordable homes inside the city limits of Missoula. Mellott specializes in commercial realty and affordable housing development.

Originally from Lancaster, Penn., Mellott has a B.A. in Real Estate from Penn State University. After starting a career in commercial real estate in Atlanta, GA and Harrisburg, PA, he served with the United States Marine Corps. He spent twelve years on active duty flying F/A-18 Hornets and then moved with his family to Missoula where he returned to the world of commercial real estate.

Matt and his wife have five children. Together they have a deep appreciation for the Missoula lifestyle.

Zachary Millar

Member

Zach Millar and his wife, Sarah, founded The Dram Shop – Montana’s first-ever, stand-alone growler fill station - in 2015. Prior to that, Millar was a member of the staff at Big Sky Brewing Company for 11 years, working his way up from tap room manager to distribution manager.

A native of Andover, New Hampshire, Millar earned his B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana in 1999. As a talented musician, he also played music professionally for 15 years.

Zach and his wife, Sarah - who works at the Montana Natural History Center - have two daughters.

Heidi Starrett

Member

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 Solutions, 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.

Jeff Smith

Member

Jeff Smith has been an attorney with Garlington, Lohn & Robinson since 2009 and became a partner in the firm in 2017. He specializes in general litigation, employment law, and workers’ compensation. A native of Lewistown, MT, Smith earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Hawaii, then earned his JD at the University of Montana School of Law. He is a former Board Member for the Western Montana Bar, the Grizzly Scholarship Association and the Missoula Manor Homes. Jeff and his wife, Jenna, opened Cloth & Crown women’s clothing boutique in 2011. They have three daughters: ages 6, 4 and 2.

Mimi Hall Gustafson

Member

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.

Tiffany Brander

Ex-Officio Representative

Jacquelyn Smith

Ex-Officio Member

Jacquelyn Smith has worked for the Montana Department of Transportation for 16 years and was promoted to Pre-Construction Engineer in the Missoula office in January 2020. A native of Missoula, Smith has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Montana State University. This is her first time serving on a non-profit board, and she is looking to help improve the road systems in Downtown. Jacquelyn is married to Orwan Smith, and they have two children. In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, crafting and engaging with her children’s activities.

Corey Aldridge

Ex-Officio Representative

Corey Aldridge has been the General Manager of Mountain Line since February 2015. Prior to that he ran the River Cities Transit System in Longview, Wash., for four years and served as the Operations Manager for Link Public Transit in The Dalles, Ore., for four years.

Aldridge earned a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2003.

He is married to Brooke Cox, and they have seven children.

Grant Kier

Ex-Officio Representative