Staff

Grant Kier, Executive Director – Grant took over the helm of Five Valleys at the close of 2007, after serving for two productive and successful years as Executive Director of the growing Bitter Root Land Trust, located in Hamilton, Montana. During his tenure at the Bitter Root Land Trust, Grant was instrumental in advancing the organization’s conservation work and establishing key partnerships that led to the passage of a $10 million Open Space Bond in Ravalli County. Grant is a graduate of the University of Colorado, and holds an MS degree in geology. He has parlayed that degree and a lifelong devotion to the outdoors and the natural world into a career in research, scientific consulting, outdoor education, and, of course, plenty of hell-bent-for-leather outdoor recreation. Whether you are out on the river or biking, hiking, or skiing on some of our wonderful open lands around Missoula, don’t be surprised if you run into Grant, his wife Bex, their 2 year old daughter Fiona, and their two  Siberian huskies, Kenai and Kanchi.

Beth Cogswell, Director of Operations – A fourth generation Montanan, Beth spent her childhood in Great Falls and teenage years in Boise, Idaho.  She earned a degree in English Literature from the College of Idaho and moved to Missoula to accept an internship at Northern Lights Magazine. She went on to earn a degree in journalism from the University of Montana.  Prior to joining Five Valleys, Beth spent over 12 years as Director of Communications for Planned Parenthood of Montana where she was in charge of fundraising, marketing and public relations.  She and her husband Rick have two young sons, Finn and Sam.  She is a pretty good cook and an avid gardener.  In her free time she loves to hike in the mountains and canyons surrounding Missoula while listening to her ipod.

Glenn Marangelo, Development Director – Glenn joined the Five Valleys staff in May of 2005. No stranger to conservation work, Glenn came to us after seven years as the Development Director for Wilderness Watch. Among other positions, Glenn's resume includes a 5 year stint as Grant Administrator for the Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee in Missoula as well as volunteer work with several local organizations. He received a Master of Science degree in Resource Management and Administration from Antioch University New England in Keene, NH and a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Business and Economics from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. He currently serves as the board Secretary for the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium. In his spare time, Glenn enjoys backpacking, fly-fishing, hunting, cross-country skiing, and birding with his wife Jenny and dog Mono.

Holly Biehl, Development and Outreach Coordinator – Holly grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, but her love of the West and the great outdoors was fueled by annual visits to the Wyoming ranch where her parents met, as well as countless road trips to visit her family in Colorado. Holly returned to Colorado to earn Bachelor of Arts degrees in Art History and Modern Dance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After graduation, Holly moved to San Francisco to take a position with Dance Magazine that led to a four-year tenure at Lonely Planet Publications in sales and marketing. Fed up with city life and missing the mountains, Holly jumped at the chance to work for American Prairie Foundation in Bozeman. Realizing that her passion was in the business of non-profits, Holly enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Montana. Her experiences in the MBA program included an internship with Five Valleys Land Trust where she fell in love with the organization and its mission.

Ryan Chapin, Stewardship Manager – Ryan joined Five Valleys in March 2008 after demonstrating how invaluable his skills were as a volunteer and working for two months on contract. Ryan holds an undergraduate degree in Business from Montana State University as well as a Master’s Degree in Geography and Planning from the University of Toledo. He brings a wealth of GIS software and mapping skills to Five Valleys. His background includes co-ownership in a local construction company, guiding pack trips in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and is the Vice President of Hellgate Hunters and Anglers. In his spare time Ryan enjoys adventuring in the outdoors with his wife Kate and children, Quinn and Ella Maren.

Pelah Hoyt, Conservation Project Manager – A native of Montana, Pelah came to Five Valleys in the fall of 2005 as an intern assisting with the Missoula County Open Lands Initiative. Quickly proving herself invaluable, Five Valleys hired her as our Land Steward in the fall of 2006. She holds a Master’s Degree in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana. Pelah’s background includes work as a public radio reporter and producer, a research assistant for the Bolle Center on collaborative resource management, and a two and a half year stint working with conservation-minded landowners in the Peace Corps in Ecuador. She is a founding member of Hellgate Hunters and Anglers and loves exploring the outdoors with her husband Mark and young twins Fenn and Grey.

Lewis Kogan, Conservation Project Manager – A Missoula native, Lewis joined Five Valleys in September 2010. Lewis earned a Bachelors degree from the University of Montana in Microbiology, and completed a Master’s degree in Geology at the UM in the spring of 2010. His previous work experience includes six years with the National Park Service and the US Forest Service in California and Montana. Lewis’s work at Five Valleys is primarily focused on conservation projects in the Blackfoot Watershed, which has become one of the most striking examples of successful private-land conservation in the country. A three-time president of the UM Outdoors Club and member of the Rocky Mountaineers, Lewis’s favorite pastimes include climbing, bicycling, skiing and boating with his lovely wife Halle.

Ana Pederson, Office Manager – Born and raised in Montana, Ana has lived worthwhile stints all over the West and is happy to call Montana home. Along with formal studies in Soil Science & Hydrology, Ana completed her Master’s in Range Science and Natural Resource Policy at University of Montana in 2009. She has worked on projects with The Nature Conservancy, US Forest Service, and Alaska Department of Fish and Game.  Ana joined the Five Valleys team most recently after working with the Prickly Pear Land Trust in Helena. Ana spends much of her time in her garden operating Ingrid’s Herbs & Greens, a fresh-cut culinary herb and pesto company, but prefers any river or trail.

Jenny Tollefson, Land Steward – Jenny has worked as an ecologist and technical writer for various conservation groups and agencies in western Montana. She serves on the Missoula Open Space Advisory Committee and the Montana Native Plant Society Board of Directors. Jenny has taught environmental education in the Pacific Northwest, directed the Glacier Institute’s field science program in Glacier National Park, and served on the state board of the Montana Environmental Education Association. She conducted research on riparian fire regimes in the western Cascade Mountains and obtained her MS in botany through the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program. After working as a contractor with FVLT for five years, Jenny joined the FVLT stewardship staff in spring 2011. She is delighted for the chance to work closely with FVLT conservation easement landowners whose commitment and connection to the land are an inspiration.