Board of Directors

                      Amy Moore, President

 

Amy Moore has been on the board since 2020. Amy is a software engineer at Apex Fintech Solutions.  She graduated from Montana State University with a Computer Science degree.

                   Ben Thiem, Vice President

Ben is the Membership Director at Montana West Economic Development, an organization dedicated to supporting economic development and promoting business growth in Northwest Montana. He has Midwestern roots, growing up in the Red River Valley of northern Minnesota. Ben graduated from DePaul University in Chicago and has more than 20 years of experience working with and for non-profits as the Director of Member Services at the League of Chicago Theatres. He was also a co-founder of the Chicago Green Theatre Alliance, a coalition of theatre-makers dedicated to environmental sustainability, and has experience as a director, dramaturg, and a Company Member at TimeLine Theatre. Ben lives in Kalispell and is a board member of the Rotary Club of Kalispell Daybreak.

                   Kary Meschke, Treasurer

Kary is a CFP and CDFA for Stockman Wealth Management in Kalispell. She was born and raised in Miles City, Montana, but has a heart for the mountains and has found her forever home in Flathead County. When Kary is not working, she is adventuring with her husband Reed and their three dogs in the wilderness and enjoying the beautiful National Parks our great state has to offer. 

                Elizabeth Bernau, Secretary

 

Elizabeth has been on the board since the board was formed in 2018. Liz Bernau is a Montana Native and teacher at Russell Elementary in Kalispell. Liz has been teaching for 17 years which includes first and third grade and currently teaches technology to early kindergarten to fifth grade students. She has a Masters of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology and Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education. Liz is a founding member of Code Girls United and is passionate about the vision of girls being exposed to the computer science field

                      Cassie monaco, Director           

 

Cassie Monaco is a proud fourth-generation Montanan born and raised in Missoula, Montana, and is co-founder of Sókn Engineering, a woman-owned tech company located in Whitefish, Montana.
After a 25+ year career in Executive Management and Business Development with a solid and successful track record for identifying and capitalizing on opportunities in the finance industry, Cassie seized the unprecedented opportunity she saw in creating Sókn Engineering.
Sókn Engineering has a far more reaching vision than its disruptive technology. Sókn Engineering has a mission of fostering innovation & creating opportunities for women in STEM.
Cassie is committed & dedicated to being of value to her community. As a company, Sókn Engineering has a motto of “Know Tomorrow…Today.” But personally, Cassie’s Motto is “It Is Never The Wrong Time To Do What is Right.” It is a testament to Sókn’s commitment to giving back to their community.

                       Rebecca Smith, Director        

 

Rebecca has 7 years of experience in the architecture field and currently works for LPW Architecture with the majority of her work involving education, multi-family residential, and commercial projects. She relocated to the Flathead Valley from the Vail Valley in Colorado in January of 2021. As a navy brat, she moved all over the United States before earning Bachelors and Masters of Architecture degrees at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Rebecca is excited to be a part of and contribute to the mission of Code Girls United.

                        Kate Mayer, Director        

 

Kate is a Sr. leader for go-to-market strategy and revenue marketing with Insight Enterprises. She graduated from Gonzaga University and has more than 16 years of experience in the B2B technology solutions industry, with expertise in building and executing go-to-market strategies that deliver results. Kate has a passion for volunteering, building strong partnerships, exemplifying daring leadership and supporting efforts to drive technology equity. She is a troop leader with Girl Scouts of America and a member of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance and has previously served as a C.A.S.A. (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for children in foster care, as well as a business skills educator for incarcerated females. She lives in Whitefish with her husband and two daughters, where you can find them on a ski run, bike trail, boat dock or around a fire pit in the backyard.

                    Laura garbacz, Director        

 

 Laura recently retired from a 36-year career in technology. Most recently she led Deloitte Consulting’s Technology Alliance Relationship teams and led IT-enabled business transformations for large global companies. With a degree in Management Information Systems from Simmons College in 1986, she was one of few women studying computer science at that time.
Laura and her family have called Montana’s Flathead Valley home for the past 16 years. Her son said “the best decision the family ever made was moving to Montana” as he enjoyed all that Montana outdoors and schools have to offer as a skier, athlete, and debater.