TRAVEL COMMUNICATION UPDATES: Check out the latest Western Montana's Glacier Country travel information.

Team

Western Montana's Glacier Country’s professional, dedicated and enthusiastic staff loves working to ensure economic sustainability for the region while preserving the quality of life for residents and quality of place for visitors. We understand how important the travel economy is to not only the state of Montana but to every charming community and the businesses and people who call it home.

Western Montana's Glacier Country Staff


Racene Friede

Racene Friede, President CEO

Racene's unwavering commitment to her work stems from her personal connection to the land she calls home. Growing up on a cattle ranch in the breathtaking Blackfoot Valley, she developed an inherent love for Big Sky Country and a deep-rooted desire to cultivate a diverse and thriving economy that benefits the entire state. Racene holds a Bachelor of Arts from Montana State University, where she specialized in speech communication, equipping her with the skills to articulate her vision and advocate for the needs of the state. She has since dedicated more than two decades to promoting travel and tourism to Montana. Her leadership and dedication have contributed to the travel industry’s growth, ranking among the top two industries in the state. Her commitment is not just professional but deeply personal, as she strives to showcase all the beauty and opportunities our cherished state has to offer.

racene@glaciermt.com


Debbie Picard

Debbie Picard, Director of Sales

Debbie has called Montana home for the past decade. She was born and raised just north of Seattle in the scenic town of Edmonds, Washington. Her love of travel was firmly established at a young age as an exchange student to Germany. After completing her Bachelor of Science in visual communications from Western Washington University, she began promoting Washington State as a travel destination and later as a meetings destination at a regional convention & visitors bureau. While working in Washington she would vacation with her family in Montana, and Debbie soon fell in love with Montana’s way of life along with its natural beauty, outdoor activities and people. She brings more than 25 years of experience in the travel industry to Western Montana's Glacier Country, in a role that seamlessly blends her communications and sales experience with her love of Western Montana, as she promotes its destination offerings to different markets all over the world.

debbie@glaciermt.com


Lucy Beighle

Lucy Guthrie Beighle, Director of Communications

Lucy has called Missoula home for more than three decades, and she likes nothing better than sharing her love of the area with other people. When she’s not out running on trails with her dog, Frances, she’s enjoying the area’s many arts, cultural and culinary experiences. She brings more than 20 years of public relations experience to Western Montana's Glacier Country. In her role as Director of Communications, she combines that with her passion for Western Montana and shares it with the travel media industry whenever she can. Lucy has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a master’s degree in communication from the University of Montana. 

lucy@glaciermt.com


Aerionna Hardesty

Aerionna Skrutvold, Marketing Project Manager

A Montana native, Aerionna spends much of her free time outdoors with her family hiking mountains and fishing lakes. Aerionna is a graduate of the University of Montana College of Business, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She thrives in an environment of change, problem solving and creativity, and enjoys interpreting data, creating surveys and reports, and working with information management platforms. Personally, her passion for travel has taken her worldwide and creates harmony as she works in her favorite industry.

aerionna@glaciermt.com


Kristi McNeal

Kristi McNeal, Director of Operations & Accounting

A western girl at heart, Kristi has spent most of her adult life in Montana’s Missoula Valley. Equipped with more than 25 years of experience in financial management and accounting, Kristi merges her keen eye for detail with her passion for travel. Kristi is responsible for keeping Western Montana's Glacier Country’s private and public budgets and financials up to date. She also a key person in Western Montana's Glacier Country's partnership program and works with our 300+ partners.

kristi@glaciermt.com


Tia Metzger

Tia Metzger, Client Services Director, Windfall

Contract Agent of Western Montana's Glacier Country

Born and raised in Conrad, Montana, western hospitality is in Tia’s blood. She has 15 years of industry experience in the tourism sector. For Western Montana's Glacier Country’s agency of record, Windfall, Tia’s marketing efforts include strategic planning, media strategy, buying and negotiation, and reporting. Tia also places all paid media and advertising on Western Montana's Glacier Country’s behalf.

tia@windfallstudio.com


Annie Mead

Annie Mead, Partnership Sales, Windfall

Contract Agent of Western Montana's Glacier Country

Annie brings a smart approach to sales, driven by her natural relationship-building skills and personable communication style. Her upbeat attitude and great sense of humor help, too. She has championed clients for 10+ years, including the largest daily newspaper in Montana, where she managed more than 400 accounts. For Western Montana's Glacier Country’s agency of record, Windfall, Annie focuses on partnership sales, connecting Western Montana businesses with valuable tools and resources to reach visitors. She also oversees travel guide and digital advertising sales.

annie@windfallstudio.com


Jessie Yeager

Jessie Yeager, Senior Account Manager, Windfall

Contract Agent of Western Montana's Glacier Country

For the past 10 years, Jessie has proudly called Montana home. She loves spending time outdoors, wanting to make the most of her Montana adventure and be involved in the community. As an energetic and resourceful marketing account manager with proven administrative skills, she has spent the past seven years providing a high level of support to various businesses to achieve their goals. For Western Montana's Glacier Country’s agency of record, Windfall, Jessie serves as the main point of contact, and her responsibilities include account management and project management.

jessie@windfallstudio.com


Alex Wardwell

Alex Hanich, Social and Video Specialist, Windfall

Contract Agent of Western Montana's Glacier Country

At Windfall, Glacier Country’s Tourism’s agency of record, Alex Wardwell manages Western Montana's Glacier Country’s social channels and develops branded content including photo and video assets. As a photographer and videographer, Alex has a gift for compelling visual storytelling, and she stays engaged in the community by volunteering for social and environmental groups. She is also a board member of the Western Montana Climbing Coalition.

alex@windfallstudio.com


Holly Kuehlwein

Holly Kuehlwein, Partnership Specialist, Windfall

Contract Agent of Western Montana's Glacier Country

Of her almost two decades in Missoula, Holly spent 17 years at the Missoulian coordinating specialty publications like Montana's Cultural Treasures, Montana Magazine, Montana 55, and the Missoula Public Art Guide. As a coordinator for Missoula.com, she also gained valuable knowledge about Missoula's entertainment and outdoor recreation scenes. For Western Montana's Glacier Country’s agency of record, Windfall, Holly assists in project management for marketing efforts, as well as in partnership fulfillment and support.

holly@windfallstudio.com

Western Montana's Glacier Country is the advocate, partners and marketing arm for all communities and member businesses throughout Western Montana. As a member of Glacier Country Tourism, there are several ways to leverage their marketing to reach potential visitors interested in Montana.

- Diane Medler, Discover Kalispell/CVB/TBID