NameBiography
Emy Amy Emy Amy enriches her students with history, shared stories and life experiences in her hands-on classes. She practices a self-sufficient and sustainable life style and passes along the how-to-skills to anyone who wants to have fun while learning. Her teaching stems from how to provide high quality and flavor while being resourceful and practicing economics. While in Golden, Colorado, Emy ran a living history farm that serviced school kids from all over the state. She now lives in Montana and still practices the "living history motto."
Cathy Barbouletos Cathy Barbouletos has a Masters in Forestry and Hydrology. She was the Forest Supervisor for the Flathead National Forest from 1998-2010. Cathy has been teaching bridge through FVCC's Continuing Education department for five years.
Byron Beers
Giovanni Bevacqua Giovanni Bevacqua has a Bachelor's Degree in Plant Science from The State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill. His work experience includes over 5 years in sustainable agriculture.
Griffin Browne Griffin Browne lives and works in the Flathead Valley as principal cellist and personnel manager in the Glacier Symphony, private cello instructor, and free-lance musician. Dr. Browne has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Montana, Tennessee, and Mississippi. He received his Doctoral (2013) and Master's (2008) degrees in cello performance from the University of Memphis, and his Bachelor of Music (2006) degree from Stetson University. When not engaged in musical endeavors, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.
Donna Bryant
Morgan Burkholder
Elizabeth Busch Letourneau
Leo Chen Leo Chen, Violinist Fang-Liu Chen holds the Bachelor of Psychology from Fu-Jen Catholic University, Master of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music where he was a student of Lucie Robert. Mr. Chen is a founding member of the Ars Trio Taipei, he played over 360 concerts with the trio, gave performances in Taiwan, United States, Canada, Costa Rica and Israel.
Ashleigh Clark
Leigh Clausen Leigh has been practicing yoga since 2006 in a variety of studio and outdoor locations in California, Utah, Maryland, Florida and Montana. Leigh works as an Interpretive Park Ranger with the National Park Service, and as a result of living in beautiful but often remote areas, she did not have the luxury of taking a regular group class with a single teacher in the early years of her practice. Instead she often used online resources and practiced outdoors in some of nature's best classrooms, which forced her to take ownership of her practice, and to truly find how each asana expressed itself in her body. By 2016, after 11 years of solo practice and the occasional group class, she was ready to take her practice to the next level. She received her initial 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Certification through Yoga Hive and Figure Yoga. She specializes in very detailed verbal instruction, allowing students to often take an entire class with their eyes closed following her clear supportive verbal guidance.
Dawn Curtis
Jane Dalton Jane brings with her many years of experience baking at some of your favorite bakeries here in the Flathead Valley; Ceres Bakery, Fleur Bake Shop, Uptown Hearth. She provides fun and approachable, hands-on instruction for building confidence while learning. Her goal is for you to discover the culinary magician that lives within you, who is able to create beautiful and delicious treats for you to show off and share.
Raymond Dickinson Raymond Dickinson is an established wine professional and owner of Brix Bottleshop. Twenty seven years in the industry, his experience includes sales, product management, regional management and education.
Kathleen Dunnehoff Kathy Dunnehoff is a national bestselling and Zola award winning novelist and screenwriter. A "hybrid" author, she's both independently published through her business, Blue House Publishing, and traditionally published. She's taught writing and creativity courses at FVCC for 30 years and presents writing workshops for both creative writers and those wishing to become more effective in their daily business communication.
Katie Eberhardy
Staff Flathead City-County Health
Dee (Deborah) Fleming About the instructor....Dee Fleming is a music educator, vocalist, pianist and guitarist. An award winning composer and songwriter, she has produced six albums of music as a performing and recording artist, and currently performs region-wide. She taught Middle and High School music for public schools in Montana and Arizona for 28 years before retiring in 2014. She taught credit and non-credit classes at University of Montana-Western in Dillon for 10 years and has been teaching at FVCC's Continuing Education department for seven years. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Montana State University and is currently completing a Master's Degree from Grand Canyon University.
Sean Flynn
Dana Fraley Dana Fraley is a retired elementary teacher and loves to teach art. Her passion is watercolor painting; she took her first watercolor class at FVCC from Karen Leigh. Dana received a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Montana.
Mary Fusaro
Alexis Gilbert
Emily Goodrich
Ashley Gramlich
Lindsey Groves
Claire Gutschenritter
Shannon Hanson Shannon Hanson has been playing with computers since the early eighties. A lot has changed - In the early days much of his computer time was spent programming his TRS-80 CoCo computer to play Judas Priest songs. Since then, Shannon has followed and tried to stay ahead of the rapid changes in technology. Shannon still enjoys programming but has moved on from guitar solos.
He wrote his first invoice in 1993, transforming himself from Computer Junky to Professional Computer Junky - As the owner/operator of The Computer Doctor, he repairs computers, consults on all sorts of technology matters, facilitates seminars on the importance of Social Media, and teaches technology classes at FVCC.
Rosalie Harris Rosalie is a health coach, personal trainer, and personal chef. And also a professional baker for over 15 years. She attended Seattle Centeral Community College to study Specialty Desserts and Breads and worked at Ceres Bakery for over seven years. Rosalie learned from how to bake delicious German breads and cakes from her grandma. She has been a vegetarian for over 23 years and grew up on a small farm where her my mom taught her how to grow and preserve fruits and vegetables. Rosalie also learned about the health benefits of eating whole foods. She has been cultivating and growing her passion for food and creating farm-to-table meals ever since.
Christiane Hinterman Christiane Hinterman has been working as a nature guide in various realms for over 20 years. She has a Masters Degree in Environmental Education and countless years running summer camps and educational programs for children of all ages. She is also a yoga instructor, singer songwriter, artist, and mother. She loves to bring all of these passions together to teach and inspire others to be creative, connect with nature, and become the best versions of themselves. She has lived in the Flathead Valley for 14 years and is excited to craft a brand-new offering for kids at FVCC.
Amanda Horelick Amanda Pettinato-Dudis grew up in the Flathead Valley. She graduated from the University of Idaho in 2010 with degrees in Flute Performance and Microbiology. During her time in Moscow, she taught flute lessons to students in the community as well as freshman in the flute studio. Previously, she has played with the Glacier Symphony and sang first soprano with the Valley Voices Choir. She also plays in the valley for events and holds an active flute studio teaching out of her home. Currently, Amanda is building a studio and teaches flute ensemble at FVCC. She also holds a master's degree in Elementary Education and Microbiology
Ellen Horowitz An outdoor educator whose career spans more than four decades, Ellen Horowitz teaches preschoolers to adults about the wildflowers and wildlife of the Rocky Mountains. She is a writer, adjunct botany professor at Flathead Valley Community College and a long-time natural history instructor with the Glacier Institute and Road Scholar/Elderhostel. As a Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, she connects people and nature for health and wellbeing. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors including Montana Audubon's Educator of the Year Award, and magazine writing awards from Outdoors Writers Association of America and National Wildlife Federation. She is author of the award-winning children's book, What I Saw in Glacier.
Sheena Istre
Anu Jakkam
Jill Kanewischer
Miriam Katz
Montana Kayak Academy
Hannah Kimmel
Kelly Kissane Kelly Kissane is a passionate entomologist who specializes in aquatic spiders and insects.  She loves teaching fellow nature lovers about insects and spiders and how they interact with each other and with humans.  Kelly is an assistant professor of biology at FVCC, teaching general biology, genetics, and a new entomology course this fall.
Kyle Krebs
Brien Kreps Brien Kreps is a local CPA who spent 20 years working in private businesses before becoming a CPA. He has spent the last 18 years as a CPA helping small businesses improve their profitability.
Allison McCarthy Allison McCarthy brings to her instruction a powerful combination of high energy and practical tools, with overwhelmingly rave reviews, both through her business and as an adjunct faculty instructor for the FVCC Continuing Education Center. Allison began her career working for several large corporations in a variety of leadership positions. Since 1995, she has been running her own Flathead Valley management and computer training business, having effectively instructed thousands of people on technical computer, interpersonal and management skills.
George Michels
Steven Miller Steve has 40 years of teaching and professional fashion illustration experience. He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at The School of Art Institute of Chicago and has been teaching there since 1991. Primarily working for major retailers such as Nordstrom, Bullocks, and Dillard's department store, his work has been represented by various galleries and is in numerous private and corporate collections. He has maintained a fashion studio in Chicago working for designers, retailers and manufacturers. Steve works in all major mediums and has been published by Laurence King Publishing, London UK. His book "Drawing Fashion Accessories" is available in six languages, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Korean, and Traditional Chinese.
Wai Mizutani A child prodigy in his homeland China, renowned violinist Wai Mizutani has performed worldwide with distinguished orchestras, at famed venues and shared the stage with a myriad of luminaries. He has played with the Juilliard Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra and symphony orchestras throughout Europe and Asia. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl. He’s shared the stage with Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney and Elton John, and performed in front of Queen Elizabeth and several sitting presidents. In his lifetime he has garnered numerous prestigious music awards.
Arthur Morken
James O'Connor
Hillary Parker
Steve Phillips
Ally (Olga) Pike
Kenadie Pisk
J. Elise Poston
Kathy Prim Kathy is a certified Square Foot Gardening instructor and has taught the SFG method for the last 20+ years. She turns her sewing room into a sowing room each spring in order to bring Seed Starting: Growing for Your Garden to FVCC Continuing Education. Her goal is to bring skills to her students that will provide food for the family in the longrun with organic and frugal gardening concepts.
Linda Puchta
Phil Quigley Phil Quigley honed his talent development, coaching, and cross cultural communications skills in the emerging markets of Hong Kong, Korea, China, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan and India, where he spent most of his 14 year career with Yahoo
Phil cut his entrepreneurial teeth as Vice President Sales for Axlon, a startup toy venture comprised of veteran Atari engineers and marketers. At the expense of heavily entrenched competitors, he drove sales to the 10 million dollar level before helping to sell the company to Hasbro.
In 2011 Phil joined Talentron, a Scott's Valley, California talent development consultancy focusing on building leadership capabilities of frontline managers, using performance support apps to reinforce key learning points and boost productivity.
Dane Regan Dane Regan manages the FVCC Campus Farm and has several years of vegetable growing experience in the Flathead Valley. He is a young and enthusiastic grower with a passion for food, cooking, and sustainable systems.
Melanie Ruonavaara
Karla Ryan
Emmy Sauer
Greg Schatz Greg Schatz learned to pack stock in New Mexico. Thirty years ago he moved to Montana where he started packing in earnest, logging a thousand miles a summer in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Greg spends his summers offering pack stock support to non-profit trail maintenance organizations as well as packing for outfitters.
Jan Shanahan Jan Shanahan owns Wild Sky Industries, which serves the business needs of both technical companies and artists who are focused on developing their art business. She served as General Manager /Senior Marketing Manager for Microsoft Corporation for more than a decade. Prior to Microsoft, Jan's education at UCLA and Stanford readied her for work in energy research and the IT industry in the Bay Area for 20+ years. This experience was very helpful in establishing licensing and marketing arrangements for new products-both art-focused and computer applications-that allow her to assist people in doing the same. Jan lends entrepreneurial expertise in business and organizational development, project management, and publishing to courses focused on business creation or improvement. As an artist, she works mostly with fibers/textiles-having done work for Sunset Magazine, Family Circle, and other companies that offer creative kits for sale. Being home in her native Montana, Jan appreciates the opportunity to coach artists as they begin or grow their business career. She is pleased to offer both creative workshops and business workshops where she meets so many new friends and colleagues!
Michael Shelton
Sheila Siegel
Jerry Smalley Jerry Smalley is a retired teacher from School District 6 in Columbia Falls. He has taught fishing-related classes at FVCC for 50 years and enjoys working with students. A significant part of Jerry's free time is spent fishing and tying flies.
Chelsea Speer
Chris Tempel Chris runs a video production company based out of Bigfork called Pyro Studios.  He's produced four independent feature films and loves all things cinema.  When not making movies, Chris enjoy practicing Kenpo, parkour, backpacking and jumping from perfectly good airplanes.  
Angela Tollerson
Rebecca Tseng Music had always been a meaningful part of Rebecca’s young adulthood and participated in every part of her high school music program. After stepping away to develop a career as a Medical Laboratory Scientist, she kindled her passion for music. Rebecca actively participates and performs in the FVCC community orchestra as well as founding and performing in the quartet RMJ². She enjoys both learning and sharing her love of science and music to students of all ages.
Valerie Vadala Homer Valerie Vadala Homer is an artist, poet, and curator. For twenty-five years, Valerie worked as the founding director of the award-winning Scottsdale Public Art Program as well as the museum director and curator for the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). She holds an MA in English Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing: Poetry. She taught writing at Arizona State University (ASU), has served as a poet-in-residence, and published numerous art essays and catalogs including Robert Indiana: The Story of Love and Path to the Innocent Eye: The Skyspaces of James Turrell. Currently, she works as an independent curator and art consultant. Valerie lives in Bigfork where she is at work on her first novel.
Beth Vallieres
Racheal Vargas Racheal Vargas, is the co-owner of Montana K9 Safety. She has over 25 years of experience in Healthcare and has been an active instructor of various emergency and healthcare programs for the past 15 years. She is a current Instructor teaching programs under American Heart Association and Emergency Care and Safety Institute.
Susan Wagner Susan Wagner is currently an art educator at Heritage Academy teaching 6th through 12th graders. She loves teaching and encouraging people of all ages to express themselves creatively through various art mediums. She got her degree from the University of Montana in Education with a focus on Clothing and Textile Design and a minor in Art. She personally enjoys working with watercolor, batik, oils, acrylics, and pine needle basketry.
Amelia Ward Amelia is a full time employee at FVCC in our IT Department coming from a 20 years career in the Air Force. She has over 30 years' experience in Information Systems and Technology and brings many practical life-experiences to her classes.
Silvi Winthrop Silvi Winthrop is a certified Meditation and Mindfulness Instructor who has been helping her clients alleviate stress, depression and anxiety since 2014. Silvi has received her master's degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy from Pepperdine University and has her own counseling and holistic coaching practice. Silvi finds immense fulfillment in the privilege of walking alongside individuals through their challenges, providing a safe space for them to explore their emotions and work towards positive change.
Ruth Wrightsman Dr. Ruth Wrightsman - Bio-Rad Explorer Fellow and former FVCC professor of biology and biotechnology.
Yoshimi Yamamoto-Derks Yoshimi Yamamoto-Derks was born, raised, and lived in Japan until 2014. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Bunkyo University in Japan and a certification of Japanese Language Teacher in Japan. She has taught English for 30 years and Japanese for 9 years as a private tutor, an instructor at schools in Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan as well as to Korean businessmen at one of Korea's top companies. She has taught students from elementary, junior and high school age as well as adults. She has also introduced traditional Japanese cuisine classes at FVCC. She has a certification of Flower Essence Counselor & Therapist from International Flower Essence College in Japan as well as certifications from several well-known flower essence brands from all over the world.
Megan Zumstein