Our Team

Jill Alban is a 20-year resident of Montana, an endurance athlete, and a small business owner with 15+ years experience working with outdoors, fitness, and wellness founders. Jill moved from Washington D.C. to Missoula in 2004. She earned her M.A. in Literature and M.F.A. in Creative Writing from The University of Montana in 2006. Jill cut her teeth professionally in a six-year stint with the Clark Fork Coalition, a regional conservation nonprofit dedicated to restoration and protection of the Clark Fork watershed, the largest drainage by volume in the state of Montana. In her work, Jill focused on communications, marketing, and climate-change outreach and program development.In 2014, Jill took a position as Director for a private foundation based in Missoula, The Namchak Foundation, dedicated to creating a global movement for meditation and mindfulness based out of Montana. In this role, Jill led brand development, social media outreach, and online course creation. After three years at Namchak, Jill was offered a remote position as Marketing Director for Handel Group (HG), an international executive leadership coaching and consulting firm based in New York City. She spent five years at HG and during that time moved into the CMO role, where she supervised a team of seven. Jill also completed an executive coaching certification which continues to permeate her approach today. In December of 2020, Jill left her full-time CMO position to pursue her dream: to become a small business owner in Montana. Today, she is Founder and CEO of Ahead by 11, a paid marketing studio specializing in paid search and paid social marketing. Jill focuses on supporting Montana-based and values-driven brands in her work. Her goal in this phase of her professional life is to make a positive difference by leveraging a deep skillset. In 2022 Jill graduated from the Leadership Montana Flagship program and she also serves on the board of local Missoula nonprofit Home Resource.

Cassie was born and raised in Montana, following in the footsteps of a lineage of women entrepreneurs. A proud recipient of the Bair Scholarship and graduate of White Sulphur Springs High School, she then went on to graduate magna cum laude from Carroll College in Helena in 2020 with a BA in Business Administration, concentrating in Management. Today, she co-owns a fine-dining restaurant with her twin sister, blending her passion for service with entrepreneurial spirit. As an action-oriented resident of White Sulphur Springs, she is excited to contribute to the town's growth and development.

Rachel Evans is a co-founder of the Missoula Makers Collective and Vice-President of Making Missoula. She was born and raised in Missoula, where she attended the University of Montana and achieved her bachelor's degree in Neuroscience. She has witnessed the arts community transform here over the last 25 years and joined it with her own handmade business, Blue Hour Metalworks in 2020. Rachel understands the importance of community while building your handmade business and strives to create spaces in which makers feel comfortable and confident during that process. She and her husband live in Missoula with their two dogs, Seeley and Bella, and their cat, Pearl.

Cailyn is a private practice registered dietitian and university instructor with a background in nutrition and exercise science. She is very passionate about supporting her fellow Montana's enjoy an active and healthy life. Cailyn enjoys the sense of community and family that living in rural Montana provides. In her free time she can be found outside hunting, fishing, hiking, or on the trail with she and her husband's pack llamas.

Over 30 years of experience as a Leading Subject Matter Expert in Human Intelligence and Certified Interrogator with the US Department of Defense (DOD), Meegan Kriley-Mackay is changing the Approach to People Skills training in today’s augmented workforce. She believes in humanity and is at the forefront of rebooting Human Resources (HR) into Human Intelligence (HI) by helping teams start, grow, scale, and transition their business. In a world that is moving quickly toward Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human Intelligence (HI) is crucial in matters that involve humans, who make up 100% of any business. Meegan believes life is about giving back and empowering all with the knowledge, tools, resources, and networks such as SBA WBC to provide free, low-cost counseling and training focused on women who want to start, grow, and expand their small business.

Mary brings over three decades of executive experience to Bright Path clients. She has held multiple executive leadership positions focused on organizational effectiveness and end-to-end talent development in public and privately held organizations ranging from high tech to healthcare and financial institutions. Her expertise includes executive coaching, strategy setting, executive & talent succession planning, workforce engineering, as well as deep practitioner expertise in every aspect of leadership & organizational effectiveness. In addition to Mary’s client work, she is very passionate about developing our leaders of tomorrow. She taught 300 level classes at Central Washington University focused on contemporary business issues, professional development, and leadership development. She was also an advisor and designer for the University of Washington’s Learning & Professional Development certificate program.http://bpleader.net

Avery Patrick is an Owner, Vice President & the Marketing Director at Showdown Montana. Avery received her degree from Carroll College in 2012 in History & Political Science for Secondary Education, and hit the ground running at Showdown upon graduation. Avery effectively utilizes an authentic, grounded branding strategy including tech and social media to drive consistent increases in revenue and skier visits year after year. Avery played a key role in Showdown’s acquisition of the Edith Hotel in WSS in 2022. And her influence expands beyond Showdown as she serves on both the Board of the Intermountain Ski Area Association(ISAA) and the National Ski Area Association(NSAA) Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Avery volunteers with the Meagher County Rodeo Club and assists on putting on the Labor Day Rodeo every year. Yeehaw! Avery manages to integrate work, family and fun into one big ball known as her life and can often be found chasing her kids, dogs, cows, elk, trout and her handsome husband, Shawn around the beautiful places she calls home.

As a dynamic client success manager, I am passionate about turning ideas into reality. With experience managing a variety of projects and a passion for digital initiatives, I enjoy leading teams to achieve results and crafting digital strategies that make a meaningful impact on businesses, both big and small. My unique blend of project management expertise and digital background helps me balance timelines, expectations, and execution. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, baking, and spending time with my family and friends.

Stephanie Wiley has over 20 years of experience as a freelance photographer specializing in interiors, portraiture, and family photography. She is also an accomplished writer and storyteller. Her personal narratives have been featured in several episodes of Expressing Motherhood as well as on her personal blog.In 2017, she co-founded Gather, a platform to support women business owners with a focus on community. To host Gather events, she designed and managed Little Space, a collaborative workspace that became a hub for connection before it closed due to COVID-19. In August 2020, Stephanie relocated to Montana to be with her partner, where she has continued her entrepreneurial journey.In 2022, Stephanie founded Fat Kid Cookie Company, a Montana-based business known for its irresistible and unique cookies, They are available in retail locations across Montana, Wyoming, and California, and online. Her commitment to use simple ingredients and creative flavors has made Fat Kid Cookie Co. a beloved brand.Stephanie’s work is deeply influenced by the death of her 18 year old son, Tommy, to fentanyl poisoning in June 2020. In his memory, she is dedicated to donating a portion of all cookie sales to fentanyl awareness organizations and to using her platform to make a positive impact.