Staff

Linda McCarthy

Executive Director
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Linda McCarthy began her tenure with Downtown Missoula in 1999 as the Executive Director of the Missoula Downtown Association (MDA). Under her leadership, the MDA created the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) in 2005 and the Missoula Downtown Foundation in 2010. Under the guidance of the BID and the MDA, McCarthy helped to guide the creation of the Downtown Master Plan in 2008-09. In 2014, he MDA, BID and MDF formalized their collaboration with the creation of the Downtown Missoula Partnership. As the Executive Director of the Downtown Missoula Partnership, McCarthy is responsible for ensuring the DMP is executing its work plan across all spectrums. She works more specifically strategic planning, board development, communications and public relations, advocacy and implementation of the Downtown Master Plan. McCarthy served on the Board of Directors of Destination Missoula from 1999-2016, serving as President in 2011-12, and she was the recipient of the 2016 Jay Award for the Missoula Tourism Person of the Year. She also served on the First Night Missoula Board of Directors from 1999-2001, and the Mountain West Track Club Board of Directors from 1994-2004. McCarthy currently serves on the Hall of Fame Committee for Grizzly Athletics. She is a double graduate of The University of Montana, earning a B.A. in Communication Studies in 1991 and an M.A. in Public Administration in 1999. She was named the Montana Alumni of the Year in 2008. McCarthy previously served as a Sports Information Director for the University of Montana from 1989-99. Originally from Dupuyer, Mont., she is married to Tom Gallagher, and their daughter, Madelyn, is a student at Hellgate High School. In her free time, McCarthy enjoys volleyball, hiking, cross-country skiing, boating and watching her daughter play ice hockey.

Robert Giblin

Director of Finance & Administration
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Robert Giblin has been with the Downtown Missoula Partnership since February 2011. He is responsible for all fiscal matters, administrative contracts, human resource management, strategic planning and more. A native of Boston, MA., Giblin moved to Missoula in 2001, leading the migration of his father and five siblings (including twin sister Amy) to the Garden City. Giblin holds a B.A. in Accountancy and Finance from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH and an MBA from the University of Montana. In his volunteer time, Giblin serves on the Board of Directors of City Club Missoula and currently holds the position of Treasurer. Before joining the DMP, Giblin did bookkeeping for his brother’s company, JPR Roofing, served as a Registered Financial Representative/Market Analyst at McLaughlin, Piven & Vogel Securities. He has also worked as a high school Calculus and Trigonometry teacher in Massachusetts and as a dog musher/tour guide in Alaska. Robert enjoys golfing, biking and playing hockey. He is an avid New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox fan and loves being an uncle to his nieces Emily and Teagan.

Mirtha Becerra

Director of Giving
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Mirtha Becerra joined the Downtown Missoula Partnership in October 2018 as its new Director of Giving. She will be responsible for grant writing and donor development for the Missoula Downtown Foundation, the 501c3 non-profit with the mission to support and promote the spirit and heritage of Missoula through cultural, historical and economic enhancement of Downtown, now and for future generations.

Becerra currently serves as a Ward 2 Representative on the Missoula City Council. She previously worked for the City-County Office of Planning & Grants, serving as a land-use planner from 2003-2008 and a transportation planner from 2008-2013.

She has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and a master’s degree in Urban Planning, both from the State University of New York in Buffalo. She is married to Adam, and they have two children.

Chelsee Kucera

Membership & Events Director
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Kucera is responsible for all the membership initiatives, events and programs for the Missoula Downtown Association, as well as the Out to Lunch Summer Series, the Festival of Trees, and assisting with River City Roots Festival. Originally from Riverton, Wyo., Kucera has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boise State University and an MPA degree from the University of Idaho. She has previously worked for the Latah Trail Foundation, the City of Pullman, the City of Moscow, the Idaho Botanical Garden, the Capital City Development Corporation, and the Ada County Highway District.

John Corwin

Business Development Director
406-543-4238
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Long-time Missoulian John Corwin is the new Business Development Director for the Downtown Missoula Partnership.  He will be responsible for the business development initiatives for Downtown Missoula and will assist with the update of the Downtown Master Plan and the renewal of the Downtown Business Improvement District.

Corwin was a commercial and consumer loan officer for the Missoula Federal Credit Union for 14 years, where he advised business clients, including start-ups, and provided financial consulting services. Corwin holds a BA in English from the University of Montana and was a teacher prior to his career in banking.

A Montana native, Corwin and his wife, Vicki, raised three children in Missoula, and he has served on several non-profit boards, including the Five Valleys Land Trust, Partners in Home Care and Trout Unlimited.

Kalina Wickham

Program Director
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Wickham has served as a member of the DMP staff since April 2017 and previously served as a student intern in 2015. A native of Puyallup, Wash., she earned a BA in Liberal Studies from the University of Montana in 2015 with a certificate in Entertainment Management. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Administration from UM. Wickham helped establish the Unseen Missoula Guided Walking Tours and will continue to develop that program in the coming years along with implementing the newly created Heritage Interpretive Plan for Downtown Missoula. She will also be responsible for management of Missoula’s Town Square: Caras Park, as well as communications, volunteer management, and support services. Wickham lives with her boyfriend Charlie and enjoys music, concerts, and spending time with her dog in her free time.

Lincoln Mansch

Marketing and Events Director
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Lincoln Mansch joined the Downtown Missoula Partnership in May of 2018. He will be directly responsible for all broad-based marketing of Downtown Missoula; event planning, production and marketing; gift card marketing; and social media outreach. His primary events include the Downtown ToNight Summer Series, River City Roots Festival, Small Business Saturday, Winter BrewFest, and Garden City BrewFest.

A 2008 graduate of Loyola Sacred Heart High School, Mansch attended Peru State College in Peru, Neb., where he earned a B.S. in Communications, Sports Management and Exercise Science and played baseball for the Bobcats. Mansch earned an M.S. in Tourism Administration, Sports Management & Hospitality from the George Washington University in 2016.

Mansch served as the assistant director of media and public relations for the athletic department at the University of Wyoming, where he handled all sports information responsibilities for volleyball, wrestling, swimming & diving, and golf from 2015-2018. He also worked in medical records at Partnership Health Center in Missoula for several years and worked at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. and Tandem Sports & Entertainment in Arlington, Va.

Bram Moore

Operations Coordinator
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Moore began his service to the DMP as a volunteer on the River City Roots Festival Committee in 2015 and most recently served as facilities staff for the organization. He previously served as Director of Development for the Boys & Girls Club and was the 2017 Professional of the Year for the organization. Originally from Livingston, Mont., Moore studied Cultural Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Montana. He will manage all frontline duties for the DMP and assist with communications, marketing, management of Downtown Street Decor, membership and operations.