Board

Barbara Frank has over 20 years experience in public education and is currently the Principal of Lowell Elementary on Missoula's Westside.

Frank has devoted her career to underserved populations in both Special Education and Title I schools. She has recently been working to build innovative partnerships between public schools and community agencies to create equitable opportunities for students and families living in low income communities. Through her work at Lowell Elementary, Missoula County Public Schools formed an initial partnership with the City of Missoula to become Missoula's first Community School. This collaborative model has led to additional community partnerships with Missoula agencies including the Missoula Foodbank and Community Center, Missoula United Way, Partnership Health Center, Headwaters Foundation, Dan Fox Youth Homes and now Friends of the Children- Montana.

Frank earned her Bachelor Degrees in Elementary and Special Education from Montana State University- Billings, a Masters in School Counseling from MSU-B, and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Montana State University-Bozeman.

Upon graduation from Montana State University in 2013, Frank was selected by the College of Education as the Top Ranked Graduate. She also contributed to a 2014 MSU research study published in The Researcher, titled Trust and Maintaining Academic Optimism.

Frank has served her community as the Vice Chair of the Lockwood SD #26 School Board, a board member for Billings CASA and Montana Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (MT-ASCD), and is a founding board member for the Friends of the Children-Montana chapter.

Frank is a third generation Montanan who hails from Billings. Frank enjoys spending her free time with her husband Casey and their 4 children exploring Montana's amazing mountains, lakes, and rivers.

Angela Groves joined the National Team as the Director of Strategic Impact and Grants. Given her previous success as Executive Director of the Klamath Basin chapter from 2013–2017, Angela’s work with National will focus on grants for new chapters. As the first Executive Director of the Klamath Basin chapter, Angela grew her position into a full-time role, increased revenues by 100%, led development of the first multi-year strategic plan for the chapter, expanded the number of youth served by over 70%, and raised capital funds to renovate the Kids’ Clubhouse, managing the project from conceptualization through completion. She also served on the executive committee of Klamath Promise, was Chair of the Community Police Advisory Team, and coordinated the Youth Development Network of over 100 Klamath Basin community members working in youth-service organizations. Prior to her role as Executive Director, Angela served as a Friends of the Children board member. She graduated from Portland State University and is a Leadership Klamath and Ford Institute Leadership alumnus. Angela currently resides in La Pine, Oregon.

DJ Wilson is the founder of DJ Wilson Consulting specializing in executive and life coaching, strategic communications and leadership training.

Wilson is a veteran media professional with four decades of media experience including nearly two decades in general management of publicly traded broadcast stations in multiple markets. Most recently, Wilson was the president and general manager of the TEGNA owned media operating unit in Portland, Oregon; the KGW Media Group, a position she held from 2007–2018.

Wilson started in the industry holding various sales and sales management roles at KIRO TV in Seattle. Wilson was also the VP assistant GM/station manager at KING TV in Seattle and the president and general manager of KREM TV and KSKN TV in Spokane. Wilson has also been a VP of Sales in the FOX owned and operated station group working at FOX stations in the Atlanta, Detroit, and Birmingham markets.

Skye (she/her) is an enrolled member of the Little Shell Chippewa tribe. She is a three-time graduate from the University of Montana with her Bachelor and Master of Art degrees in Sociology with an emphasis in Inequality and Social Justice, and a Master of Business Administration degree.

Skye has dedicated her academic and career pursuits to examining and addressing the unique unmet needs of underserved communities. Skye wrote her master’s thesis on low-income and first-generation college students’ experiences in higher education and how campus programs aimed at assisting vulnerable students can improve. As an AmeriCorps Vista, Skye examined the impacts of poverty on rural youth. She also wrote the Project Beacon grant, an initiative geared towards providing comprehensive care to Indigenous sex trafficking survivors.

Originally from the flatlands of Northeastern Montana, Skye enjoys exploring Missoula’s excellent hiking trails and public lands with her dog, Huckleberry, in her spare time.

Heidi Starrett is an Advertising Executive at Missoula Broadcasting Company, a locally-owned and operated radio company. Through her work she continuously pursues her passion of building community through partnerships with individuals and organizations throughout Missoula.

With a strong connection to community, Starrett supports numerous nonprofit organizations in her personal time, volunteering for numerous community events each year. Additionally, Starrett has served on other nonprofit board including City Club Missoula (2016-2022), Arts Missoula (2016-2023) and the Missoula Downtown Association (2011 to present)

Originally from Massachusetts, Starrett has a B.A. in Interior Design from Endicott College. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cross country skiing, baking and attending a plethora of community events

Bob Gomes is the CEO of Community Medical Center in Missoula Montana. He has been a healthcare administrator for over 33 years and holds a bachelor’s of science degree from Wayland Baptist University, a master’s of business administration and a master’s of science in health administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Gomes spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, and has been married to his wife, Lisa, for 39 years. He enjoys road and mountain biking and together, they enjoy hiking, traveling and spending time with their 10 grandchildren.