Diane Olsen - Executive Director
diane.olsen@bearmt.org
Diane knows BEAR well, serving on the Board of Directors for 8 years before becoming part of the staff. She also taught environmental education in Redwood National Park, led backpacking trips for 3 years at a therapeutic wilderness program and spent 4 years as the Youth Services Coordinator at a program serving survivors of domestic violence. She loves the work of connecting resources to BEAR's programs so that youth can meet their potential and experience the clarity and solace that can come with being in the outdoors.
diane.olsen@bearmt.org
Diane knows BEAR well, serving on the Board of Directors for 8 years before becoming part of the staff. She also taught environmental education in Redwood National Park, led backpacking trips for 3 years at a therapeutic wilderness program and spent 4 years as the Youth Services Coordinator at a program serving survivors of domestic violence. She loves the work of connecting resources to BEAR's programs so that youth can meet their potential and experience the clarity and solace that can come with being in the outdoors.
Caity Johnson - Venture OUT Coordinator
caity.johnson@bearmt.org
Caity was born and raised in the beautiful Blue Ridge of Virginia! She began her work in youth programs while studying childhood development and working in a Montessori classroom. Inspired by her love for the outdoors, she graduated from Ferrum College with a BA in Environmental Studies. During this time, she worked with her college outdoor recreation program and as a park ranger. Caity and her husband have been living/working in Idaho and Montana for several years and love to get out and explore as much as possible. They are happy to now be “settling down” in the Bitterroots with their pups!
caity.johnson@bearmt.org
Caity was born and raised in the beautiful Blue Ridge of Virginia! She began her work in youth programs while studying childhood development and working in a Montessori classroom. Inspired by her love for the outdoors, she graduated from Ferrum College with a BA in Environmental Studies. During this time, she worked with her college outdoor recreation program and as a park ranger. Caity and her husband have been living/working in Idaho and Montana for several years and love to get out and explore as much as possible. They are happy to now be “settling down” in the Bitterroots with their pups!
Amanda MacArthur - Program Assistant
amanda.macarthur@bearmt.org
Amanda has a degree in Outdoor Leadership, is a certified Leave No Trace educator, and has experience working as a wilderness guide and counselor for the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and in the tourism industry. She's guided in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, around the glaciers in Alaska, and as a kayak guide in the New Orleans swamps. Outside of her professional life she's spent a month backpacking alone in Iceland, participated in a 2 month field studies program in Tasmania, and completed a month long survival challenge in the Sonora desert. The last few years she's worked as an EMT and Wildland Firefighter, allowing her to experience our natural places in a new light.
amanda.macarthur@bearmt.org
Amanda has a degree in Outdoor Leadership, is a certified Leave No Trace educator, and has experience working as a wilderness guide and counselor for the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and in the tourism industry. She's guided in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, around the glaciers in Alaska, and as a kayak guide in the New Orleans swamps. Outside of her professional life she's spent a month backpacking alone in Iceland, participated in a 2 month field studies program in Tasmania, and completed a month long survival challenge in the Sonora desert. The last few years she's worked as an EMT and Wildland Firefighter, allowing her to experience our natural places in a new light.
Katie DeFelice - Training and Outreach Coordinator
k.defelice@bearmt.org
Over her 20 year career, Katie has served many communities, including adults with developmental disabilities, migrant farmworkers and families, adults with mental illness and addiction, and youth in foster care. Katie earned a bachelor's degree in social work from SUNY Brockport in 2005 and a master's degree in clinical social work from St. Catherine University in 2014. Her love of the outdoors has taken Katie all over the country and deep into Central and South America. By 2016, her travels brought her to explore Montana, and like so many outdoor enthusiasts, she decided to stay and call the beautiful Bitterroot Valley home. Since then she's developed a youth in farming internship program, served homeless youth at the Linda Massa Youth Home, and co-facilitated the Bitterroot Youth Crisis Diversion project. Since joining BEAR in 2018, Katie has mentored middle and high school youth, managed the construction and facilitation of the Ropes Challenge Course, and facilitated teambuilding, leadership, and environmental education programs.
k.defelice@bearmt.org
Over her 20 year career, Katie has served many communities, including adults with developmental disabilities, migrant farmworkers and families, adults with mental illness and addiction, and youth in foster care. Katie earned a bachelor's degree in social work from SUNY Brockport in 2005 and a master's degree in clinical social work from St. Catherine University in 2014. Her love of the outdoors has taken Katie all over the country and deep into Central and South America. By 2016, her travels brought her to explore Montana, and like so many outdoor enthusiasts, she decided to stay and call the beautiful Bitterroot Valley home. Since then she's developed a youth in farming internship program, served homeless youth at the Linda Massa Youth Home, and co-facilitated the Bitterroot Youth Crisis Diversion project. Since joining BEAR in 2018, Katie has mentored middle and high school youth, managed the construction and facilitation of the Ropes Challenge Course, and facilitated teambuilding, leadership, and environmental education programs.