STAFF
Program Manager
Julia Ryder 2023 – Present
B.A, RN, BSN, MPH
Bozeman, Montana |Julia.ryder@montanahphc.org
Julia is our Program Manager, having previously created educational materials
tailored for healthcare workers in Montana, and interning under us as part of her MPH from the University of Montana. She brings over 14 years of experience as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the Emergency Department at Bozeman Health. A happy mother to a young daughter, and an enthusiastic lover of horses and spending time in the mountains. She completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) at the
University of Montana, with a focus on integrating human health with the natural
environment. Julia also holds a Bachelor of Science from Southern Utah University and earned a certificate in Emergency Medicine and Environmental Health in 2015.
Social Media
Livia Cole 2025-Present
BSN
Billings, Montana
Livia is the new Social Media Coordinator, with a background in nursing, environmental advocacy, and outdoor education. She grew up near Boston, where she observed climate change through rising tides, frequent coastal flooding, wildfire smoke on the East Coast, and trash on local beaches. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Montana State University. She holds positions as President of the Student Forum and Treasurer of the Montana Student Nurses Association. In the winter, she works as a ski instructor and participates in mountain biking and running during warmer months. Outside of her hospital work, she spends time in the mountains. Her professional interests include wilderness medicine, and she plans to incorporate it into her nursing career and environmental protection efforts.
Writing Intern
Haley Yarborough 2025-Present
B.A. Journalism, B.A. Biology, Environmental Studies Graduate Candidate,
Society of Professional Journalism
Missoula, Montana
Haley Yarborough is an environmental writer, journalist, and instructor based in Missoula, Montana. She is a graduate student in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana, where she also teaches College Writing. Her work focuses on the intersections of ecology, public health, climate, and storytelling, with an emphasis on making complex environmental issues accessible to broad audiences. Haley has reported on climate and health issues across Montana and brings a background in journalism and biology to her writing and research. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and baking cookies.
School Outreach
Madisan Chavez 2026- Present
B.S., M.S.
Box Elder, Montana
Madisan Chavez grew up on the Crow reservation. She is Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Oglala Lakota Sioux, and Mexican. She earned her bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from MSU-Billings with a minor in Earth Science. And recently got her Master of Science at MSU-Bozeman. Her master’s research focused on a culturally significant spring and its quality. She is committed to giving back to her community. Her interest is in water quality, and she looks forward to sharing information on the changing climate. She also competes collegiately in triathlons for the MSU-Bozeman triathlon club.
She works with teachers to accept our free book/curriculum program: Environmental Health in a Box.
BOARD
Chair
Lori G Byron 2019- Present
MD, MS, FAAP
Red Lodge, Montana l lori.byron@montanahphc.org
Lori G. Byron, MD, practiced pediatrics for 27 years on the Crow Indian Reservation. Now retired from the Indian Health Service, she continues to work as a Pediatric Hospitalist in a private hospital and works largely on environmental issues. She and her husband, Robert Byron, work through several organizations to advocate for climate action. She co-leads the Citizens’ Climate Lobby Health Team with Robert. She recently served on the EPA’s Children’s Health Advisory Committee and the Executive Committee of the Environmental Health Council at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). She organizes a group of pediatrician climate advocates representing every AAP Chapter. She is an instructor on Climate and Health at Johns Hopkins. She earned an MS in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins in 2020. She is an avid bicyclist, gardener, and cook.
Vice-Chair
Elizabeth Schenk 2019 – Present
PhD, MHI, RN-BC, FAAN
Missoula, Montana, l elizabeth.schenk@montanahphc.org
Beth Schenk serves as the Chief Environmental Stewardship Officer for Providence, one of the nation’s largest non-profit health systems. Providence is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution, building resiliency in its facilities and the communities they serve, and using its voice in leadership, advocacy, and education to support efforts in the seven states Providence serves and across the nation. Beth is an assistant research professor at Washington State University College of Nursing. She led the development of CHANT: Climate and Health Tool, which measures health professionals’ awareness and engagement with climate change and health, now translated into a dozen languages and used in over 50 nations. She is active at national, state, and local levels, serving on the American Academy of Nursing’s Expert Panel on Public and Environmental Health, the boards of Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, and Climate Smart Missoula. She hosts the Nurses for Healthy Environments Podcast, now in its eighth season.
She is driven by her personal passion to conserve our natural world while building better health. She celebrates the joy of living in Montana with her family, friends, and pets – hiking, gardening, knitting, and playing music.
Vice Chair
Treasurer
Robert Byron 2019 – Present
MD, MPH, FACP.
Hardin, Montana l robert.byron@montanahphc.org
Dr. Robert Byron is an internist who has practiced for over two decades on the Crow Indian Reservation. A founding member of the Bighorn Valley Health Center, a federally qualified health center in eastern Montana, he is also a former governor for the Montana Chapter of the American College of Physicians. Rob co-chairs the Citizens Climate Lobby Health Team and is on the executive committee of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. He is an instructor on Climate and Health at Johns Hopkins. He is a strong advocate for addressing climate change, with an emphasis on public health and environmental justice.
| Jennifer Robohm 2021 – Present PhD Missoula, Montana | Jen Robohm is a licensed clinical psychologist with an interest in promoting climate resilience at the individual and community levels. She is trained as a climate-aware psychotherapist and is a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America (CPA-NA). Jen is also a Clinical Professor of Behavioral Medicine at the University of Montana Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana (FMRWM), where she prepares family physicians to practice in rural and underserved communities in Montana. Jen has helped to coordinate climate and health-related training projects for health care trainees and practicing health professionals in Montana. She also speaks about climate change and mental health to a wide variety of audiences, including medical and mental health professionals, undergraduates, and members of the broader community. Jen received her BA from Yale University, her MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and her PhD from the University of Michigan. |
Anita Lowe Taylor 2022 – Present
MD
Helena, Montana | anita.taylor@montanahphc.org
Anita Lowe Taylor, MD, is a dedicated full-time physician specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation based in Helena, MT. She actively contributes to the Public Policy Committee of the Association of Academic Physiatrists, where she focuses on integrating climate change considerations into policy advocacy for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, she is a member of the communications committee for the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. In her leisure time, Dr. Taylor enjoys hiking, backpacking, skiing, painting, and caring for her three rescue cats.
Allison Young 2022 – Present
MD, FAAP
Missoula, Montana | allison.young@montanahphc.org
Allison Young, MD, is a primary care pediatrician with the Western Montana Clinic in Missoula, MT. She has been active in the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics since moving to Montana in 2010 and currently serves on the Executive Committee as a Member At Large and the Climate Subcommittee. She was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar from 2018 to 2021, focusing on collaborative uses of telemedicine to improve access to pediatric care in rural Montana. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a degree in Medical Anthropology in 2000, then returned to Harvard for medical school before moving West to complete her residency at Seattle Children’s Hospital. She is passionate about health equity and is shifting her focus toward understanding and addressing the health impacts of climate change. In her free time, she enjoys playing in the mountains with her husband and daughter – on foot, by bike, or on skis.
Hayley Blackburn 2021 – Present
PharmD, BCACP, BC-ADM
Missoula, Montana | hayley.blackburn@montanahphc.org
Dr. Hayley Blackburn is a clinical pharmacist and Assistant Professor at the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy within the University of Montana College of Health. She instructs students in pharmacy and other health professions through interprofessional didactic coursework and experiential learning, including global health and planetary health experiences. She also directs a postgraduate fellowship program that trains early-career pharmacists in providing pharmacy care in rural Montana. Dr. Blackburn focuses on health professions education and multidisciplinary approaches to training and healthcare innovation, particularly at the intersection of climate change and human health in Montana. Additionally, she is a co-founder of Rx for Climate, an international web-based network that promotes climate-smart pharmacy practices. She contributes to international efforts to promote sustainability in pharmacy, collaborating with the International Pharmaceutical Federation and the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education.
Nyla Chandler, 2025 – Present
MSN, FNP, APRN
Bozeman, ,Montana l
Nyla Chandler is working in Bozeman, Montana, as a nurse practitioner. She has provided health care since 1986. Initially serving as an RN at St Patrick’s hospital, then Bozeman Deaconess hospital in acute care, then as a women’s health nurse practitioner for 22 years at a family planning clinic, she has been aware that climate issues affect vulnerable populations- and then all populations. Since 2014, after she became certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner, she has mostly been working in primary care and urgent care in the Gallatin Valley.
Nyla was born and raised in Bozeman and grew up skiing and hiking. She, her husband, and her dog enjoy the mountains and trails in the western United States and Canada. She is passionate about environmental health and the preservation of wildlife and human habitats. She also enjoys cooking, playing music, and reading.
Nick Silverman 2019 – present
PhD, PE. Science Advisor
Missoula, Montana | nick.silverman@montanahphc.org
Nick Silverman is a Faculty Affiliate and Adjunct Professor at the University of Montana in Geosciences and the College of Forestry. His academic research focuses on identifying hydroclimatic trends in mountainous landscapes and the interactions between water, climate, and vegetation. Nick has a background in Physics and Engineering and is a licensed Civil and Water Resources Engineer in the State of Montana. He received a PhD in Hydroclimatology from the University of Montana in 2014 and led the climate analysis for the 2017 Montana State Climate Assessment. Currently, Nick works around Montana and the greater Pacific Northwest on projects that help land managers build adaptive capacity to solve food, water, and energy challenges related to climate change.
Committee Lead
Hillery Daily, N.D., L. Ac., Hamilton
Hillery Daily is a Naturopathic Doctor and Acupuncturist who has lived in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley for over three decades. After practicing for over twenty years in Hamilton, she worked in an integrative medicine setting with Medical Doctors and other health care providers in Montana and at a tribal clinic in Alaska. After retiring, she helped found the Bitterroot Climate Action Group and served as a board member and chair. Currently, she is co-chair of the MTHPHC Communication Committee. Along with her husband, family, and friends, she enjoys hiking, backpacking, bicycling, and all forms of skiing.
Past Employees and Board Members
Caspen Black, Program Manager 2022 – 2025
Caspen was born and raised on a family farm in Montana. Before becoming Program Coordinator, they served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with a Montana healthcare nonprofit, coordinating new programs and events, and as a social science researcher with the Forest Service, studying community-based participatory research methods. They believe that when patients and providers work together as equals, we can build a more just, effective, and adaptable health system. They are also a figure skater, weaver, and aquarium hobbyist.
Paul Smith, DO, Pediatric Pulmonologist, Missoula, 2010-2019
Before moving to Montana in 2010, Dr. Smith trained and lived in the Midwest. He earned his undergraduate degree from Anderson University in Indiana, his medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, and completed a pediatric residency in Ohio. His four-year dual fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care and Pulmonology was through Case Western Reserve University and Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. He stayed there over 20 years, conducting asthma research funded by NIH, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the American Lung Association. After his two children graduated from college, he moved to Montana to enjoy its scenery and outdoor sports. His practice now focuses on Pediatric lung diseases, including bronchoscopy and ICU care. He continues research on the impact of environmental smoke on children’s health at the University of Montana and is the Director of the Montana Pediatric Clinical Trials Network under the NIH-funded ECHO program.
Tom Roberts, MD, FACP, Missoula, 2019-2020
Dr. Tom Roberts practiced general Internal Medicine with subspecialties in geriatrics and HIV from 1980 to 2013. He was President and Medical Director of the Western Montana Clinic for 15 years, ending in October 2014. He helped found the Montana Health CO-OP, serving as its first Board Chair and Medical Director. He has been on the Missoula City-County Health Department board and the Montana Medical Association’s Executive Committee. Now retired, he travels, skis, mountain bikes, and raft. He participates in the Missoula Air Quality Advisory Council and is a board member of Blue Mountain Clinic.
Julia Ryder, BSN, RN, CEN 2019-2020
Julia’s passion for Mother Nature developed in her twenties while she lived outdoors as a backcountry guide in Moab, Utah. She learned firsthand that people become healthier when they have a connection to nature. Julia earned her Bachelor of Nursing from Southern Utah University and, in 2015, received her Certificate in Emergency Medicine.
She works with Health Care Without Harm, an organization that offers the Nurses Climate Challenge. 2019 was a year of environmental success. Julia and a colleague wrote a proposal to Bozeman Health Deaconess, asking it to establish a Green Team, and it was accepted.
Ronni Flannery, JD 2019-2021
As the American Lung Association’s Healthy Air Campaign Director in Montana, Ronni directs clean air and climate change work in the state with an emphasis on Clean Air Act defense and advancing clean energy policies at the state and federal levels. Ronni graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School, Cum Laude, and has provided legal services to organizational and tribal clients on a wide range of issues, including air quality regulation. She presently serves on the Missoula City-County Air Quality Advisory Council and the Montana Public Health Association’s Advocacy and Policy Committee.
Sarah Lorch, EMT, CNA 2019-2021
Sarah is a senior nursing student at MSU Bozeman, a Breckenridge, Colorado, native who chose Montana State for its academics, the engaging, down-to-earth community of Bozeman, and the incredible access to outdoor activities such as skiing, climbing, running, and backpacking. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau Nurses Honor Society and the Sunrise Movement, and hopes to connect her passion for public narrative storytelling and leadership development with her commitment to integrating environmental and human health. Sarah realizes the value of her position as a student in healthcare in inspiring other young adults to engage in climate activism and environmental justice. Her plan involves acting as a bridge between healthcare
Mari Eggers, MA, MS, PhD. 2019-2022
Mari Eggers is an environmental health research assistant professor at Montana State University, Bozeman (MSU). She previously lived on the Crow Reservation, where she taught science at the Tribal College for a decade. Since 2005, Eggers has worked with Crow colleagues and others to conduct community-engaged research and mitigation to reduce exposure to waterborne contaminants across diverse water sources, improve access to safe drinking water, and understand the impacts of climate change on local water resources and, in turn, on health. Eggers teaches in and coordinates the environmental health (EH) degree program at MSU, advising and mentoring students in diverse EH research projects. She also teaches the Introduction to Global Health course at MSU, serves on the Gallatin City-County Board of Health and its Environmental Health Committee, and is working with the Montana Institute on Ecosystems on its Climate Change and Human Health assessment for our state. Eggers holds an interdisciplinary BA and an MA from Stanford University, an MS in Ecology (MSU), and a PhD and postdoctoral training in environmental health from MSU.
Marian Kummer, MD, FAAP. 2021 – 2024
Marian has had the privilege of practicing primary care pediatrics in Billings for 36 years. Her area of interest was children with special health care needs. She served on numerous community and state boards and was president of the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Since retiring, her interests have shifted toward the environment. She has taken the Climate Reality Course, participated in the University of Montana health/climate course, and become active in Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL). Another focus has been advocating for pediatric, public health, and climate change interests during the 2021 Montana legislative session.
Chelsea Kuiper MA, 2022 – 2024, Student Representative
Chelsea is a PhD student in Public Health at the University of Montana, where she conducts mixed-methods research to advance global health equity. She is a co-founder of Montana Student Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, UM’s student chapter of Montana HPHC. She is passionate about collaborating with University of Montana students and community members to raise awareness of the health effects of climate change. Before graduate school, Chelsea worked as a seasonal ranger for the National Park Service, leading educational programs that explored the complex interactions among social, cultural, and natural systems. She holds a BA in Anthropology from Colorado College and an MA in Applied Sociocultural Anthropology from Northern Arizona University.
Rebecca Elderkin, MPH, CHES 2022 – 2024
Rebecca serves as the Emergency Preparedness and Resilience Coordinator at All Nations Health Center in Missoula, Montana. She earned her MPH with a concentration in Community Health and Prevention Sciences from the University of Montana. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist. Rebecca co-founded Mazí Health Consultants to promote community health among special populations through health needs assessments, program development, and evaluation. She is passionate about health equity and justice centered on individual experiences and community relationships. She received her BA from the University of Dayton, where her studies in Political Science and Russian History focused on global human rights.
Lynne Foss, PNP 2024
As a pediatric nurse practitioner, Lynne proudly works in the communities of Belgrade and Bozeman Montana. Twenty-three years of her 35-year career were spent serving in the United States Air Force, working with military children and their families. One of her military assignments was in Great Falls, Montana, and she was fortunate to return to Montana permanently in 2010. Lynne’s commitment to working with climate issues started over 30 years ago on a personal level. Lynne has been more active in voicing her concerns and educating families about the impact of a warming climate on children’s health, especially regarding air quality affected by the increasing frequency of wildfires.
Rebecca Pejak 2024-2025
Rebecca is a PhD student in Public Health at the University of Montana, where she collaborates with faculty on indoor air quality research. She is passionate about climate-related health impacts and summer heat-related changes. Rebecca also holds an MPH from the University of Montana and a B.S. in Public Health from Northern Arizona University. Before graduate school, she worked as a COVID-19 Health Educator for the CDC Foundation and as an Opioid Use Disorder Counselor. Rebecca enjoys camping, pool, pickleball, and spending time outdoors with her friends.