Gubernatorial Appointment

I’m proud to accept an appointment from Governor Schweitzer to the Montana Board of Labor Appeals!

The board hears appeals of worker and employer disputes and hearings examiners’ decisions, and is administered by the Department of Labor and Industry’s Employment Relations Division.

Upon Senate confirmation of my nomination, I’ll immediately begin my service. The appointment is for a four-year term, and the board is just three members who act in a quasi-judicial fashion: decisions by the board are, for most intents and purposes, final. They can be appealed only to District Court.

The board is incredibly busy. Some of its agendas have 35-40 cases, and the board meets monthly.

I’m happy to bring my experience from serving on another quasi-judicial body, the Bozeman Board of Adjustment, to this role. The Bozeman BofA is one of just two decision-making bodies at the city level; the other is the city commission. I’ve served on city advisory boards (Bozeman Planning Board, Bozeman Zoning Commission), county task forces (Gallatin County Transfer of Development Rights), and the Board of Adjustment, as well as in other organizations. I serve on the board of directors of the Montana Business and Professional Women Foundation, Art Mobile of Montana, Greater Gallatin Watershed Council, and the Bozeman Cultural Council. I served two terms in our state legislature, too, in the Montana House of Representatives, 2006-2010.

In all these groups, I serve with talented, dedicated people. I’m increasingly convinced that the effort of everyone doing all that he or she can is the reason that our democracy not only succeeds, but thrives. For the opportunity to participate and to contribute, I am truly honored to serve on the Montana Board of Labor Appeals.