Cabinet

Janet Kelly Administration Director -- Janet Kelly
Kelly previously served as a County Commissioner in Custer County. Prior to that she worked as a Business Instructor at Miles Community College, and an Administrative Assistant at the Montana State Department of Social & Rehabilitation Services in Miles City; and as a Business Manager for Virginia Energy & Land Company, Moss, Frink & Franklin, McCollister Belcher, and The Delta Group - all in Washington D.C. Kelly graduated from John R. Buchtel High School in Akron, Ohio. She received her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin and her master's degree in business administration from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. She is married to Patrick J. Kelly.

Ron de Yong Agriculture Director -- Ron de Yong
Ron de Yong was appointed as the new Director of the Department of Agriculture. He replaces Nancy K. Peterson who passed away last month. de Yong owns and operates a 320 acre family farm in Kalispell and teaches agriculture policy and economics at Cal Poly State University. He has been an economist for National Farmers Union, served as a Montana State Committee Member for the USDA Farm Service Agency and has been a State Director for Montana Farmers Union. de Yong has a bachelors degree in agricultural science and philosophy from Montana State University and a masters degree in economics from the University of Montana. He is married with three children.

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David Ewer Budget Director -- David Ewer
Ewer previously served as a researcher for the board of investments and former state legislator. Ewer also served as the Deputy Director of the Montana Board of Investments and as a senior bond program officer. Prior to working for the Montana Board of Investments, Ewer worked as the Assistant Vice President and as an Investment Officer for InterFirst Bank in Dallas, Texas. Ewer served in the Montana House of Representatives for eight years and was candidate for State Auditor in 2000. He received his Bachelor of Arts with high honor from Northeastern University in Boston and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Evan Barrett Chief Business Development Officer -- Evan Barrett
Barrett previously served as Executive Director of the Butte Local Development Corporation, a successful economic development organization that has the largest revolving loan fund program in the state. He helped create and retain thousands of jobs and participated in some of Montana's largest industrial recruitment efforts. His activities as Legislative and Public Policy Chair for the Montana Economic Developers Association put him in the forefront of economic development policy in Montana over the last 11 years. Barrett is a graduate of Red Lodge High School. He attended Montana State University, St. John's University where he received his bachelor's degree in government and the University of Montana Graduate School in political science. Barrett and his wife Gail live on the Butte hill with their two children. His two older daughters and two grandchildren live in Las Vegas.

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Anthony Preite Commerce Director -- Anthony Preite
Preite previously served as Director of the Office of Space Commercialization and Economic Development Outreach at the University of Montana. Preite was Executive Director of the Havre based multi-county Bear Paw Development Corporation for twenty years. Subsequent to that he was appointed by the Clinton Administration in 1993 to serve as Montana Director of USDA Rural Development. In 1999 Preite was selected in a nation-wide non-political competition as the EDA, Denver Regional Office Director. Preite graduated from Havre Central High School. He received his bachelor's degree from Northern Montana College. Preite is married to Betty; they have two children and four grandchildren.

Mike Ferriter Corrections Director -- Mike Ferriter
A 29-year veteran of the corrections profession, Ferriter became director for the Montana Department of Corrections in July 2006. The Butte native oversees an agency with 1,200 employees, an annual budget of about $136 million and responsibility for more than 12,000 offenders. Ferriter had been administrator of the Adult Community Corrections Division since 1995. He began his corrections career as a Youth Court officer in 1977 and later was parole officer, director of the Missoula Prerelease Center, probation and parole chief, and chief of the Community Corrections Bureau in the department. Ferriter graduated from Butte Central High School and earned a bachelor's degree in vocational rehabilitation from Eastern Montana College – now Montana State University-Billings – in 1977. He also has completed all the course work for a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Montana. He is a member of the national Interstate Compact Commission, a member of the National Institute of Corrections-sponsored Community Corrections Executive Network, past member of the American Probation and Parole Officers Association, a regional field training coordinator for the NIC, a member of the Governor’s Homeless Council, and an ethics instructor for probation and parole officers and boot camp drill instructors at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy. Ferriter and his wife, Betty, have five children: Erin, Mark, Colleen, Mike and Kevin.

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Richard Opper Environmental Quality Director -- Richard Opper
Opper previously served as Executive Director of the Missouri River Basin Association, a commission comprised of governor-appointed representatives of eight states and the Indian tribes in the Missouri River Basin. The commission is based in Lewistown, Montana. Prior to that he worked as the Executive Director for the Missoula-based Northern Lights Institute. Opper received his bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences from Oklahoma State University and his master's degree in soil science in 1979 from Montana State University. His research emphasis was in mine reclamation. He is married to Sally Mueller; they have one son, Isaac.

Jeff Hagener Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director -- Jeff Hagener
Hagener was appointed in 2001 by Governor Judy Martz. Prior to becoming the Director of FWP, Hagener worked as an Abandoned Mine Reclamation Specialist, the Resource Program Manager for the State of Montana, and was the Division Administrator for the Montana Department of State Lands. He graduated from Havre High School, received a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana and a bachelor's degree in agriculture from Montana State University. He is married to Debbie; they have two children.

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Jennifer Perez Cole Indian Affairs State Coordinator -- Jennifer Perez Cole
Jennifer Perez Cole was appointed by Governor Schweitzer to serve on his cabinet as the new Indian Affairs Coordinator effective November 1, 2007. Cole, 30, is the former editor of Fort Belknap News, a tribally-operated newspaper of the Assiniboine & Gros Ventre tribes of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Jennifer received her Bachelor of Arts degree in print journalism from the University of Montana in 2001. She then worked as a reporter with the Great Falls Tribune until the fall of 2003 covering beats with the city desk, judicial court systems and north central Montana, a region encompassing four of the state's seven Indian reservations. Jennifer was a 2001 Chips Quinn Journalism Scholar and graduated from the Freedom Forum's two-year Associated Press Managing Editors/American Society of Newspaper Editors Fellowship Program in fall of 2003. She and her husband, Skip, have a 3-year-old daughter, Emma, and a newborn son, Frank. Jennifer was born and raised on the Fort Belknap Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Belknap Indian Community and a descendant of the Fort Peck Assiniboine Tribe.

Keith Kelly Labor and Industry Commissioner -- Keith Kelly
Kelly previously served as a Division Administrator at the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. Kelly was appointed by President Clinton as Administrator of the Farm Service Agency in Washington D.C. He was the Director of the Montana Department of Agriculture under former Governor Ted Schwinden, served as the Deputy Secretary of State under former Secretary Mike Cooney and was the Director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture for 7 years under a Republican Governor. Kelly served with the Army 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star. He graduated from Red Lodge High School, and received his bachelor's degree in Ag Business and his master's degree in Economics both at Montana State University. Kelly is married with 4 children and 4 grandchildren.

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Randall Mosley Military Affairs Adjutant General -- Major General Randall Mosley
General Mosley was appointed to the position by Governor Judy Martz in September of 2004. Prior to his service as the Adjutant General, Mosley was the Assistant Adjutant General for the Montana Army National Guard and the Deputy Director of the Department of Military Affairs. Mosley has also worked as Deputy Director at the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and as Administrator of Field Operations for the Department of State Lands. He received his bachelor's degree in forestry and a bachelor's degree in Administration from the University of Montana, where he was an ROTC graduate.† Mosley received his master's degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He served on active duty for 2 years including a tour in Vietnam as a combat helicopter pilot.

George Parisot Montana Lottery -- George Parisot
Parisot is a Great Falls native and worked as a Field Representative for former Congressman Pat Williams, as an Aide to Senate Minority Leader Mike Halligan, and served at the Deputy Secretary of State under Secretary of State Mike Cooney. Most recently he had been working as the Information Technology Administrator for Attorney General Mike McGrath, as well as running his own website design business, BigSkyWeb.com. Parisot attended Great Falls area schools and graduated from Hahn American High School in Germany. He received a bachelor's in communications/public relations from the University of Idaho, a bachelor's in biology and a secondary education certification from the University of Montana, and a Master's of Education in Learning and Technology from Western Governors University. A former military intelligence officer, Parisot served in the Washington Army National Guard. He is married to Tawna Parisot; they have three children.

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Mary Sexton Natural Resources and Conservation Director -- Mary Sexton
Sexton has a long history of public service, she has most recently been a County Commissioner in Teton County. Additionally, she is involved with her family's farm/ranch operation and the Stage Stop Inn in Choteau. Sexton worked as the Administrator and Education Director for the Nature Conservancy's Pine Butte Preserve and spent over ten years teaching high school English and German in Hamilton. She has been a member of the Choteau Chamber of Commerce, Governor's Council on Public Wildlife/Private Lands, BLM Resource Advisory Council and State of Montana Shared Leadership Committee. Sexton attended CM Russell High School in Great Falls, received her bachelor's degree from Stanford University and her master's degree from the University of Montana. She is married to Rich Clough and has one daughter, Maggie.

Rhonda Whiting Northwest Power and Conservation Council Member -- Rhonda Whiting
Whiting is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. She previously served as Vice President of Communications for S&K Technologies Inc. Prior to that she was appointed by President Clinton to work as the National Outreach Coordinator for Native American Economic Development at the Small Business Administration. Additionally she owned her own communications consulting business; and worked in the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Legal Department. She has also worked in education as the Assistant Director and Instructor for Native American Studies at the University of Montana. Her political experience includes Political Director of Native American Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, and various positions within the Montana and local Democratic Party. Whiting attended Hellgate High School, and has a Masters Degree in Education, and a Juris Doctorate, both from the University of Montana. She has three daughters, and five grandchildren.

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Bruce Measure Northwest Power and Conservation Council Member -- Bruce Measure
Measure previously served as President of Measure & Wilson, P.C., in Kalispell. Prior to that he served as a Forester for Plum Creek Timber Co., and spent ten years as a Partner in the law offices of Ambrose G. Measure. He attended Flathead High School. Measure received his associate of arts degree in forestry at the Flathead Valley Community College, his bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Montana, and his juris doctor at the University of Montana School of Law. He has one son, Buck.

Joan Miles Public Health and Human Services Director -- Joan Miles
Prior to her appointment, Miles served for 18 years in the Lewis and Clark City-County Health Department in Helena, the last 11 as director of the department.
Earlier in her career, she worked as a law clerk for the Montana Supreme Court and served two terms (1984-88) in the Montana Legislature as a representative of central Helena. Miles has a bachelor's degree in medical technology from State University of New York at Albany, a master's degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana in Missoula, and a law degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. She is licensed to practice law in Montana and California.

Dan Bucks Revenue Director -- Dan Bucks
Bucks previously served as Executive Director of the Multistate Tax Commission. He served as the Deputy Director of the Department of Revenue from 1981-1988. He also worked as the Chief Tax Policy Advisor to the Governor of South Dakota. Bucks graduated from Doland High School, Doland, SD. He received his bachelor's degree from Grinnell College and his master's degree from the University of Montana. He is married to Jane Bucks, and they have six children and one grandchild.

Jim Lynch Transportation Director -- Jim Lynch
Lynch was previously the Public Policy Advisor for Oldcastle Materials NW Group in Kalispell. He worked as the President and CEO for Pack and Company in Kalispell for fifteen years, and spent eight years as the General Manager of Highway Maintenance for Johanson Construction in Spokane, Washington. Lynch is a pilot, with airplane single engine land, multi-engine, instrument and helicopter ratings. He graduated from Gonzaga Prep in Spokane and received his bachelor's of science degree from Kean University in Union, New Jersey. He is married to Pam. They have two sons and one daughter.

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