Brian Holland is an attorney heading up the Butte office of the Crowley Fleck law firm, which is the largest firm in Montana, with regional offices in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. His work focuses on large energy-related projects and transactions. He joined the Crowley firm in 2004 after serving as Senior Counsel with the Montana Power Company Legal Department, where he began work in 1992. Prior to that position, he was in private practice in Seattle for four years and was with the Butte-Silver Bow County Attorney’s Office for four years. Brian is a Butte native who graduated from the University of Montana Law School in 1982, with his undergraduate degree in Economics from Carroll College in 1978.

Laurel Egan is a native of Butte and a professional artist and member of the Main Stope Gallery in Butte, Montana. Formerly, she was a medical librarian at St. James Healthcare for more than 25 years. She received her Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Alabama, and her B.A. from the University of Montana, Missoula. She continues to be involved in community efforts through the arts, as well as advocating for children and family wellness and mental health programs.

Marissa Newman is a native Montanan and is retired as a realtor with McLeod Realtors in Butte. Marissa is a founding member of the Friends of the Butte Archives. She has been active as a community volunteer, involved with the Public Radio Transmission Project, Butte Junior League, and the University of Montana Grizzly Scholarship Association.

Sara Sparks was born and educated in Butte. She is a graduate of Butte Central High School and Montana Tech, where she earned a degree in Occupational Safety and Health. She was a Remedial Project Manager for the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency for more than 31 until her retirement in 2018. During her time at the EPA, she worked on addressing human health and environmental issues at sites throughout Montana. Sara has served on the Archives board for a number of years. She also is involved with the Board of Directors for the Granite Mountain Memorial and Our Lady of the Rockies.

Bill McKenzie joined the Archives board in October of 2013. He retired from Northwestern Energy in 2014 after being their Accounting Manager for 10 years. Prior to joining Northwestern, Bill spent 26 years in various financial and accounting management positions with the former Montana Power Company. Bill is a Butte native and a graduate of the University of Montana with a B.S. degree in Financial Management.

Lee Whitney grew up in the Dublin Gulch on Butte’s northside. Her fondness for the Gulch led her to co-author a book entitled Butte’s Irish Heart to honor her family and express admiration for her neighbors who grew up in the shadow of the Kelley Mine. Following the book’s publication, Lee secured funding for an interpretive signage project that memorialized the Gulch and three other neighborhoods in the predominately Irish area surrounding St. Mary’s Church. Throughout her professional career, Lee has held administrative and technical writing positions and has written numerous successful grant proposals. She is now providing administrative and public relations services to Butte CPR (Citizens for Preservation & Revitalization). Lee retired from the Archives as Assistant Director after being closely involved in the renovation and construction project that made the Archives a quintessential archival facility in the Northwest. She has maintained a connection with the organization through volunteer work on the Smithers’ photograph collection and is honored to serve on the Board.

Abby Peltomaa is the Field Coordinator for CFWEP, the Clark Fork Watershed Education Program, where she gets to work in the schools of various communities and with the public talking about the Butte, Anaconda, and Clark Fork River Superfund Sites. She is also an adjunct professor at Montana Tech in the Biology Department. Prior to these positions, she worked for Montana FWP and Montana State University. Abby was born and raised in Butte where she attended Butte High School, and then went on to earn her Bachelors of Science in biological sciences at Montana Tech. Abby then earned her Masters of Science degree in wildlife disease ecology from the University of Montana. Being raised in Butte, Abby has a love for Butte’s rich history. She enjoys talking about Butte’s history to her family, students, and little ones.