Our Team.

It takes a village. Let us be part of yours.

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Heather O’Neill

Executive Director
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.

A smiling young woman with long dark hair, wearing a green Carhartt beanie and a black puffer vest, outdoors in a park with trees and a wooden fence in the background.

Megan Cutter

Office Administrator
meganc@explorationworks.org

Megan is a Montana native who supports educational and family-focused programs. She is passionate about creating engaging, organized, and welcoming environments—especially those that encourage curiosity, problem-solving, and hands-on STEM learning. Outside of work, Megan enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and their very lively household of pets. She’s a lifelong Griz fan, cheers for the Tennessee Titans, and appreciates any chance to explore Montana and beyond.

A woman smiling while standing on a mountain trail with green mountainous landscape and a river in the background, under a partly cloudy sky. 
Outreach & Education Manager
lilye@explorationworks.org

Lily Evanston

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!

A classroom wall display of the periodic table of elements with colorful labels and two students pointing and smiling at it.

Kari Gagner

Deputy Director
karig@explorationworks.og

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!

A young woman with blonde hair tied in a bun smiling and hugging a black dog on a couch.

Taylor Hayes

Early Childhood Assistant Teacher

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.

A man with short brown hair and a beard, wearing a gray button-up shirt, standing indoors with a blurred background and some greenery or flowers.

Matt Jetty

Exhibits & Facilities Director
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.

A group of four smiling people taking a selfie in front of a large sculpture of a whale's tail and body outdoors on a partly cloudy day.

Linda Kuntz

Early Childhood Assistant Teacher

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.

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Haley Manska

Early Childhood Lead Teacher
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!

A woman at summer camp summer camp smiling and holding a slice of watermelon outside near a wooden fence and brick building.

Sara O’Reilly

Program Director
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!

Woman with a bandana taking a selfie next to a wooden sign for Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness in Gallatin National Forest, surrounded by trees.

Lauren Rivers

Early Childhood Lead Teacher
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.

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Whitney Summers

Early Explorers Instructor

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.

Three people outdoors in a landscape with trees, wearing winter clothing and smiling at the camera. There is a man with glasses and a cap, a woman with a beanie, and a young boy with a knit hat.

Shannon Thomas

WonderLab Director & Fundraising Specialist
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.

2025 Summer Staff

  • A person with black hair, glasses, and a black polka-dot shirt standing outdoors a garden or backyard with greenery and flowers.

    Nicole Austin

    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.

  • A teenage boy with light brown hair and a slight smile, wearing a black graphic T-shirt featuring dinosaurs and space themes, standing outside in a backyard with a chain-link fence, trees, a small playhouse, and a basketball hoop in the background.

    Braden Basten

    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.

  • A smiling woman wearing a Santa hat and glasses, holding a colorful drawing of an ugly Christmas sweater with a red stocking. She is in a room with holiday decorations and books, standing near a window.

    Kristie Klein

    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.

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with long, wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a teal jacket in a parking lot with several cars and trees in the background.

    Ashley Linder

    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.

  • A man with a beard and mustache, wearing a brown cap and sunglasses on top, pink t-shirt, and a backpack, standing against a blue wall.

    Tony Napoletano

    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.

  • Smiling man wearing glasses and a plaid jacket giving a thumbs-up in front of a grocery store at a parking lot on a sunny day.

    Vicente Ortega

    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.

  • A young man with glasses smiling at a restaurant, with other patrons seated at tables and wall decorations including paintings and a mountain scenery in the background.

    Derek Price

    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.

  • A young woman with long blonde hair smiling outdoors in front of a wooden fence and leafy tree, wearing a gray hoodie with white text and a small waist pack.

    Madi Ritenour

    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.

  • A young man with brown hair, smiling, wearing a red shirt and a lanyard, standing in front of a chalkboard with drawings and equations.

    Kinsey Vavruska

    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.