Staff

Lee Spangler, Director: Lee Spangler is the Director of the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership and Director of the Zero Emissions Research and Technology (ZERT) Center, a collaborative involving DOE labs (NETL, PNNL, LANL, LBNL, LLNL) and academic institutions (Montana State University and West Virginia University) focused on the basic science issues behind geologic carbon sequestration. In addition to directing the effort, Dr. Spangler is coordinating the development of a unique facility to test CO2 soil and surface detection technologies and is also involved in development of remote sensing technologies (LIDAR) for CO2. He also serves on the FutureGen Technical Experts Group, an advisory group to the FutureGen Alliance, a $1 billion public-private partnership to design, build, and operate the world's first commercial-scale, coal-fueled, "zero emissions" power plant targeted at producing low-cost electricity and hydrogen from coal while capturing and permanently storing carbon dioxide.

John Talbott, Project Manager:Before assuming duties at the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership in 2006, John was the Director of the Institute for Policy Outreach (IPO) at Virginia Tech, a sponsored research center that specialized in public policy development, implementation and evaluation. In addition, John spent 14 years as a state agency administrator and 4 years as a cabinet level agency director in Wyoming before moving to Virginia to work at IPO and to complete a PhD program in public administration and policy at Virginia Tech. Since coming to BSCSP, he has initiated exploratory research that will utilize gap analysis to describe a pragmatic approach to development of a regulatory framework for CCS within the region. When John is not working, he can be found fishing the many streams and rivers in the surrounding area. He also enjoys hunting, photography, and cooking.

Linda Everhard, Fiscal Manager:
Linda Everhard returned to Bozeman in June 2008 and joined the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership as their Fiscal Manager. Linda administers one of the largest federally funded grants at MSU, interacting with various university departments as well as other universities throughout the United States as well as corporate partners. Prior to joining BSCSP, she worked in Nevada as an Auditor and Trainer for the Departments of Education, Public Safety and Taxation. She was also an Audit Compliance Investigator for the State of Nevada focusing on Tobacco and Liquor enforcement. She has a great deal of experience administering grants for various federal agencies including the Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, NHTSA, Department of Environmental Quality, and currently Department of Energy. A graduate of Montana State University with a BS degree in Business Administration, Linda owned her own motorcycle dealership for several years. She also served as Gallatin County’s first Delinquent Tax Collector. In her spare time, Linda enjoys traveling, hiking, gardening, reading and spending time with her daughter.

Stacey Fairweather, GIS Analyst: Stacey Fairweather joined the partnership in October 2009, and as GIS Analyst, works to distill scientific data generated by researchers within the partnership into maps easily interpreted by the general public. She has a background in geology, remote sensing, and environmental science. Stacey’s interest in CO2 began as an undergraduate when she worked for several seasons at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. After completing a Masters Degree at the University of Oregon estimating CO2 emissions from Kilauea Volcano, she spent several years in Bozeman working at the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center and HyPerspectives applying remote sensing and GIS techniques to quantify forest structure, wildfire fuels, rangeland habitat, and terrain characteristics for ecological applications. When she is not making maps, Stacey takes advantage Bozeman’s natural surroundings by hiking, snowboarding, and rafting in the nearby rivers and mountains. She enjoys the challenge of gardening in Montana and likes to travel.

Jennifer Kelley, Program Manager: Jennifer Kelley has a BA in humanities from the University of Colorado and a MA in English from the University of Vermont. She does not need spell check, though it is handy. Before coming to MSU and the partnership, she worked at an engineering firm, a law firm and other institutions of higher education. Jennifer lives with her husband, daughter and dog. She likes hiking, shellfish, and the bright glare of the sun off of fresh snow.

Lindsey Tollefson, Regional Outreach Coordinator: Lindsey Tollefson is the Outreach Coordinator for the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership. Her work focuses on providing information on carbon sequestration and the partnership’s projects to the public through a variety of outlets. Since carbon sequestration can be a mouthful in itself, Lindsey tries to simplify the some of the complexities for people. Prior to joining the partnership in January 2007, she worked as an environmental consultant on water quality at PBS&J and as a research associate at the Big Sky Institute. Lindsey holds a B.S. in biology from Montana State University and a M.S. in environmental science from Florida International University. When she is not working, Lindsey loves to spend time recreating outdoors on the rivers or in the mountains with her husband and dog.

Kimi Nygaard, Media/Information Specialist: Kimi Nygaard has been involved with the Partnership since August 2008. She recently completed her M.S. in Earth Sciences from Montana State University where she focused on land use and landownership changes in the mountainous West. Kimi loves to travel and interact with different cultures, people and environments. She currently lives in the Shields Valley where she enjoys hiking, skiing, biking, camping and the other splendors of rural Montana. Kimi also enjoys picking huckleberries, reading maps, and baking.