heathero@explorationworks.org

Heather has a varied background that makes her a great fit for her role at ExplorationWorks. She has completed three bachelor's degrees in Business, Art, and Education from Queen's University, including a year abroad studying International Business at IESEG in France. Passionate about experiential learning, Heather taught middle school Math and Science for many years. Most recently, she has spent the past decade running a non-profit outdoor education center in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Heather is looking forward to getting to know the Helena community and exploring new opportunities to provide an even bigger impact. Heather loves to spend time outside with her husband and three children.

Kaylee recently graduated from Capital High School. In her free time she loves to swim, go paddling boarding, and do anything artistic. With her energetic and caring personality she is able to connect with many kids! She has a passion to help kids learn and grow. Teaching swim lessons taught her that she loves to work with kids.

meganc@explorationworks.org

Megan was born and raised in the great state of Montana, where a love for nature and the outdoors developed early on. She is married to her husband, Ryan, and together, they share the joy of raising their daughter, Rowan. Their home is filled with energy, thanks to their two dogs and two cats. Above all, Megan cherishes spending time with her family—whether it's cheering on the Griz and the Tennessee Titans, traveling, or simply enjoying peaceful moments together in the beauty of Montana.

lilye@explorationworks.org

Lily grew up in Eugene, Oregon where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon. Since then she has had a wide variety of adventures; from working with monkeys in Belize to teaching preschoolers in Missoula (more similar than one might expect). She has collected scientific data on the prairies of Eastern Montana, taught marine science on the coast of Washington State, and interpreted nature for families in both Glacier National Park and the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. These experiences have given her a passion for sharing her excitement and curiosity about science and the natural world and makes ExplorationWorks a perfect fit. In her free time Lily loves baking, reading, and exploring all the magic of Montana’s wilderness!

karig@explorationworks.org

Kari Gagner is the Deputy Director at ExplorationWorks, where she oversees all things marketing, communications, human resources, and organizational leadership. Kari joined the ExWorks team in 2016 as the Marketing & Events Manager. Before that, Kari served as the Digital Communications and Events Manager for the Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in Marketing & Communications.

When Kari isn’t at work, you can find her trying out new recipes, indulging in reality TV, or spending quality time with her husband, two very active sons, and their dog, Edie. Fun fact: Kari and her mom teamed up to paint the giant periodic table mural in our upstairs classroom!

Dr Liz Gundersen has had 2 careers in Helena. She was one of the founders of the Helena Pediatric Clinic, and on retirement, she volunteered her help to the small group of community members who developed ExplorationWorks. She has been a Board member since 2003, but the most enjoyable part of her involvement has been taking kids to local streams and lakes in the Water Wonders program, and establishing a robotics program that has grown to involve kids from grade 2 up into middle school. There is always something new happening at ExWorks - and trading ideas with the staff on a dozen different projects keeps her young!

Taylor was raised in Helena and graduated from Helena High School in 2022. She is currently working towards her bachelor’s in elementary education while gaining experience in the classroom setting! She has worked with children all throughout her life and has been in the classroom since graduating high school. When she’s not studying she loves spending time with her loved ones. Along with this she loves to read and create things such as sewing, crocheting, and embroidery.

mattj@explorationworks.org

Matt Jetty hails from Rhode Island where he grew up on baseball, rock n’ roll, and Dunkin Donuts He graduated from the US Merchant Marine Academy in New York with a degree in marine engineering and marine transportation and spent many years working in the maritime industry, in shipyards and out at sea. He has worked on tug boats, ferries, ocean crossing container ships, sailboats and yachts. He moved out West in 2005 and spent six years working for the island of Alcatraz taking care of its fleet of boats and facilities. In California he met his bride - and Helena native - Meghan. In 2012 he became an official landlubber when his family relocated to Helena. He soon fell in love with ExplorationWorks and their mission. Matt worked as a volunteer for several years before taking the position of Exhibits and Facilities Manager in May 2018. His two young boys are big fans of ExplorationWorks and he hopes to inspire science induced awe in all the kids who visit.

Linda has always loved being a part of children's learning! All of her job experience is working with children, she has worked in preschool , elementary school and even middle school.  

She grew up in Southern California where she met her Great Falls, MT native husband, Chris. They moved to Helena MT in 2001 with their one year old son, Blake. We knew Helena, MT was where we wanted to raise our family and later welcomed our daughter, Rachel.

When Linda is not at work she loves hanging out with her family and friends and exploring new places. She also loves being creative and making crafts with her daughter Rachel.

haleym@explorationworks.org

Haley Manska was born and raised in Helena, MT. She graduated from Helena High School in 2018, and immediately began working with children as a nanny. In her years after graduating she has traveled to Belgium, Italy and Norway to visit her family there. She had worked at Bloom Montessori since 2019, and continues to enjoy spending her time in the classroom setting. Haley now lives in Clancy, MT with her partner and step daughter. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and going camping. She has learned much over her years working with children and is very excited to be a part of the WonderLab team!

saraf@explorationworks.org

Sara joined the ExplorationWorks team in the fall of 2016. She has been passionate about science for as long as she can remember, always asking how and why. Then taking apart anything she could get her hands on to see how it worked from the inside out (although, she wasn’t as keen on putting them all back together properly). Sara grew up in Missoula, MT where she attended the University of Montana, graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry in 2015. Throughout her college career, Sara spent her days exploding things with liquid nitrogen, building robots, and studying C. elegans (aka nematodes). Since moving to Helena, not many things have changed. Sara is still exploding things, building robots and getting Montanans excited about science! In her spare time, Sara loves to play and hike with her pups Macklin and Hallie, explore new places, and design things to be printed on ExplorationWorks’ 3D printer!

laurenr@explorationworks.org

Lauren first came to Montana in 2009, searching for something to feed her soul. After teaching outdoor programs for several years, she discovered a parallel passion for informal science education. She joined the ExplorationWorks team in 2015, where she has piloted outdoor science programs, taught robotics classes, and started a club to empower girls to succeed in STEM fields.

Lauren recently spent a year as a forest preschool teacher, where she recognized a deep community need for STEM-focused early childhood education. She was thrilled to return to her ExplorationWorks family in 2024 to help launch the new WonderLab preschool.

When not flipping rocks in search of bugs or playing with messy science, Lauren can be found biking, camping or geocaching with her husband Andrew, their twin boys Ansel and Everett, and Seeley the adventure dog. She heartily dislikes celery and considers kite-flying to be a transcendent experience.

whitneys@explorationworks.org

Whitney grew up on a patch of heaven in Wyoming and has always had an affinity for all things earthy. As a child she was happiest digging in the dirt, going to museums and learning about the world around her. She was encouraged to always ask questions and due to that has an immense love of learning. Her hobbies include hiking, foraging, cooking, and creating various visual arts. She studied multiple art forms such as ceramics, digital art, and art history. When she isn’t collecting rocks, bones or snake shed skins, she’s in her garden tending to her herbs or painting among her chickens.

shannont@explorationworks.org

Shannon is a native of Helena and has always loved it here. She graduated in 2007 from Carroll College with a degree in Elementary and Special Education. After graduation, Shannon worked for several years both in public school and private pre-school before stepping away from teaching. She is very excited to return to an educational environment! 

Shannon loves to spend time reading, being in the sunshine and cheering for the Red Sox & Boston Bruins. She lives with her husband James, son Jackson and their cats, dogs and goldfish.

Music Director, Wolf Creek School (Lewis & Clark County School District)

Nicole has a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Montana. In addition to teaching music, she has taught various after school programs for more than 10 years. This is her first summer teaching at ExplorationWorks.

Senior, Capital High School

Braden has been involved with ExplorationWorks since childhood—first as a camper for 10 years, then as an assistant for 3 years. This summer marks his debut as a lead camp instructor.

Paraeducator, Helena School District; Visitor Services, ExplorationWorks

Kristie holds a Bachelor's degree in Education and has worked with HSD for four years. She’s been part of the ExplorationWorks team since 2018, and this is her first summer leading camps.

4th Grade Teacher, East Helena Public Schools

Ashley holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Montana and a Master's in Learning and Technology from WGU. With 12 years of teaching experience, this is her first summer at ExplorationWorks.

4th/5th Grade Montessori Teacher, Central Elementary School

Tony has a Master's in Education from the University of Montana and is a certified Montessori teacher and Master Naturalist. He has taught outdoor-focused summer camps with ExplorationWorks for the past 10 years.

Recent Carroll College Graduate

Vicente earned a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in History. He has worked with ExplorationWorks as an after-school assistant for two years, and this is his first summer as a lead camp instructor. Last year, Vicente was selected for a prestigious marine biology research internship at Harvard.

Junior at Montana State University, studying Computer Science

Derek is a true ExplorationWorks success story—after attending camps as a child for 7 years, he became an assistant for 3 years and is now in his third year as a lead instructor.

Outdoor Educator

Madi graduated from Northland College with a Bachelor's in Outdoor Education – Natural History. She previously worked as an outdoor lead teacher with Wilderness Inquiry. This is her first year at ExplorationWorks.

Teacher at STARBASE Academy, Robotics Coach with Main Sequence Robotics

Kinsey has both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Mathematics Education from Montana State University. She has been teaching at ExplorationWorks for 12 years and brings a love of STEM and robotics to every camp she leads.