BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEETINGS
Board meetings take place the first Tuesday of every even month from 11 a.m.-1 p.m and are often held virtually. Contact Homeword to register for a board meeting.
APPLICATION
Homeword has a maximum of 13 board members and maintains a rolling application process. Applications can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed in the spring.
Please see the open board application process if you would like to apply.
Jason currently works as a commercial lending officer at First Security Bank of Missoula and has over 22 years of banking experience in Missoula. He is a lifelong Montanan who was born and raised in Glasgow before moving to Missoula in 1998. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Montana. A strong believer that stable housing and financial education are building blocks necessary for community members to reach their full potential, he is thrilled to serve on the board of an organization like Homeword that addresses these issues every day. When not working or volunteering, Jason enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife, Amanda, and two kiddos, Ella and Hunter.
DeAnna Felix works as a real estate loan officer for Clearwater Credit Union, and she has worked in mortgage lending for nine out of her 10 years there. Early in her career with Clearwater, DeAnna attended Homeword’s first-time homebuyer class. Homeownership for herself seemed nearly impossible, but the lessons learned about budgeting and planning for the future stuck. After becoming a mortgage loan officer, she began volunteering with Homeword, teaching the lender’s portion of the homebuyer class. DeAnna gives back to Homeword—paying it forward—so those like her can realize their dreams of homeownership and financial independence. She considers herself extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to live in Missoula, a community where kindness and humility shines.
She earned a B.S. in environmental planning from Salisbury University on Maryland’s eastern shore, then moved west to Seattle before settling in Missoula in 2012. In her free time, DeAnna enjoys spending time on our local rivers and ski trails, always with her dog, Rollo, leading the way.
Meg Haenn is the senior director of program operations with the National Wildlife Federation.
Since 2011 Meg has had the privilege of including Missoula as part of her home base. “Homeword was one of the first nonprofits I was introduced to in Montana, as both a donor and an advocate. It is an organization that embraces the need for second chances and amplifies this by building up people’s skills so that they can take better care of their own needs and give back to their communities. I have a real respect for the approach the organization has taken in becoming a resource for people and families as they develop their financial health and its understanding of the value of homeownership for both the person and the community at large.”
Meg has decades of experience in election, environmental, social justice and labor program management in the nonprofit sector. She received a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Trinity University in Washington D.C. When not working, volunteering or traveling, Meg shares her time with her husband, son two step-daughters, dogs, cats and llamas.
Beth Hayes works as a Staff Attorney and Team Leader for Advocacy at Montana Legal Services Association.
She received her J.D. from the University of Montana School of Law in 2009. Beth has previously worked at the Missoula Housing Authority, and with the Foreclosure Assistance Program, as a Triage Staff Attorney and an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Fellow at MLSA. She also serves on the State Bar of Montana Board of Trustees. She enjoys playing hockey and spending time with her husband Charlie and their kids, Silas and Frankie.
Bruce recently retired after 24 years working as a structural engineer and project manager for Beaudette Consulting Engineers (now known as DCI Engineers). For the last 13 years, he specialized in historic renovation of buildings throughout the region, particularly in Yellowstone National Park.
Originally from Minnesota, Bruce moved to the Missoula area after graduating in 1976 with a B.A., initially working for the U.S. Forest Service and attending graduate school at the University of Montana. After a few seasons with the Forest Service, he started working all types of construction and worked as a design build contractor before being hired by Beaudette Consulting Engineers. In addition to serving on Homeword’s board, Bruce has also been a member of the Missoula Historic Preservation Commission Board.
“I have been aware of Homeword since they originated out of WORD, and I had minor involvement with their homes at Orchard Gardens and Equinox in Missoula. I’m excited to be participating in the Project Committee and hope to use my construction and renovation experience as Homeword creates more homes Montanans can afford.”
Gretchen was raised in Bozeman, Montana, although she left the state for college and her early adult life. She completed her undergraduate education at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and earned a master’s in industrial design at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2009 she returned to Montana and relocated to Missoula in 2012 to work for the Biomimicry Institute.
Gretchen’s relationship with Homeword began when she and her partner, Derek, participated in a homebuyer course and succeeded in purchasing their home on Missoula’s Westside in 2019. Gretchen feels extremely fortunate to have achieved the dream of homeownership and is passionate about keeping Missoula and Montana a welcoming, affordable and sustainable place to live. In addition to supporting Homeword, she also advocates for neighbors’ needs and liaises with the City as a leadership team member of the Northside/Westside Neighborhood Council. When not working, Gretchen enjoys gardening and spending time outdoors on foot and skis.
PELAH HOYT
Board Member
Pelah grew up on the Flathead Reservation, where she learned about caring for the land and people from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Her work focuses on improving our relationships with each other and the natural world.
As the Compact Implementation Program Manager for the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Pelah works with tribes, federal agencies and stakeholders across the state on water resources. She previously directed Five Valleys Land Trust’s land conservation program. With that organization, she led a team that created new trailheads, improved access to nature for people of all abilities, and protected 37,000 acres of priority lands and streams corridors.
Montana’s Governor Steve Bullock twice appointed Pelah to the Flathead Reservation Fish and Wildlife Board. Dedicated to public service, Pelah mentored emerging Southeast Asian professionals as a Fellow with the U.S. State Department and the Mansfield Center and was a founding board member of Hellgate Hunters and Anglers. She earned a master’s in resource conservation from the University of Montana and worked with communities in Ecuador on cloud forest conservation as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Pelah is based in Missoula with her husband and twin teenage sons.
ALICE JONES
Board Member
Alice was born in Missoula and grew up in Portland, Oregon. Alice returned to Missoula to attend the University of Montana and received a B.A. in English and Spanish in 2007. After graduating from UM, Alice received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English for a year in Spain. Alice earned her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle in 2013. While in law school, Alice focused on environmental and public interest law. Alice was previously the Staff Attorney for Five Valleys Land Trust, and she is now in solo practice at her own firm, Open Land Law, PLLC. Alice’s practice focuses on land conservation law. Alice enjoys spending her free time with family and friends in the Pacific Northwest and in Montana’s incredible open spaces.
Adrienne is thrilled to be a member of Homeword’s board. Adrienne is an attorney with Buckley Maxwell Dixon Dolezal PC, where her practice focuses on employee benefits. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, skiing and biking with her husband and two small kids as well as enjoying Missoula’s excellent live music scene. Adrienne grew up in Somers, Montana, and graduated from Flathead High School. She attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she majored in philosophy and earned her J.D. from Columbia University in New York City in 2010. After beginning her career in New York, she returned to Montana in 2012 and moved to Missoula in 2015.
Drue is a project engineer specializing in site and civil land development and utility infrastructure design for WGM Group, Inc. Passionate about innovative multifamily-commercial development and designs in downtown corridors, she has over six years of experience in civil engineering design. Drue is experienced in detailed engineering design and is developing skills in project management and is known for effective communication and working collaboratively across design teams.
Maureen Rude retired as the Executive Director of the Montana Homeownership Network, dba NeighborWorks Montana in December 2019. She led a team that works with partnerships delivering homebuyer education and counseling services, Resident Owned Communities and supervised the lending operations in Great Falls. Prior to becoming the Executive Director Maureen was the Statewide Operations Director for 8 years. Maureen worked for Fannie Mae for nearly eight years prior to joining NeighborWorks Montana, first as Director of the Montana Partnership Office and then as Director of Housing Finance Agency business development. Prior to her work at Fannie Mae, Maureen was the Executive Director of the Montana Board of Housing and Administrator of the Housing Division for over five years. Maureen has significant housing finance experience, and enjoys working with all aspects of the housing industry including homebuyer education, counseling, finance and development. Maureen has served on numerous boards and planning committees over the years. She currently serves on the Board of Opportunity Bank of MT and is the Audit Committee Chair. Maureen is a graduate of the first ever class of Leadership Montana as well as Achieving Excellence in Community Development through Harvard and NeighborWorks America, and is a Certified Housing Development Professional.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Jessica has called Montana home since 2006. She is the founder and principal creative at Cou Cou Studio, providing writing, photography and communications consulting to organizations nationally. She earned a degree in Journalism and Telecommunications from the University of Georgia and studied literature at Jesus College at The University of Oxford. Jessica gained extensive experience in marketing and public relations first in the art and design field as a gallery director and then in public health communications as a director of marketing and communications at the University of Montana health center. She also contributes time as a volunteer coordinator for pledge drives at Montana Public Radio.
When not working Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She loves cooking, gardening and spending time outdoors year-round.
“I am thrilled to serve on the Homeword board and contribute to making Montana a place everyone can call home. I am passionate about connecting people with the information and resources they need to succeed and thrive.”
Jessica works at the University of Montana in the Office of Legal Counsel and Compliance as UM’s Director of Institutional Compliance and ADA Coordinator. Jessica provides strategic direction and oversight for regulatory compliance efforts and leads a team to ensure that all aspects of campus programming – learning, living, working, visiting, and engaging – are accessible. In these roles, she draws upon over 20 years of legal experience, nearly half of which have been in higher education. In her roles, she has worked to increase equity and reduce barriers by providing extensive training, conducting civil rights investigations, bringing together stakeholders to build accessible policies and processes, and engaging with local, state and federal agencies. Prior to pivoting to higher education, Jessica led the appellate practice for the Federal Defenders of Montana, where she now serves on their board of directors. Since moving to Missoula in 2004, Jessica has been involved in the community as a mediator, volunteer with local nonprofits, as a member of Missoula’s Just Response team and as part of Missoula County Public Schools I-Value team. “I am completely floored by the amazing work Homeword does for Montana communities and I am honored to play a small part.”