Board of Directors
Kate Wehr - President
Kate Wehr is a small-business partner, work-from-home expert, and a mother of five. She is the former editor of the Silver State Post, and her publication credits include New West, Bitterroot Mag, Good Housekeeping, USA Today’s Reviewed, and The New York Times.
Melissa Gallagher - Vice-President
Melissa is an active member of the Deer Lodge Community. During the day, you will find her serving her community as the City Judge and Justice of the Peace for Powell County and serving our nation as an NCO in the Air Guard. When she isn’t at work or at Guards, you can find her crafting in her shop with her own business and serving on the Board of Directors for the Rialto Theater. It is not uncommon to see her at the Rialto on Wednesday nights selling popcorn.
She is married with two grown children and one grandson.
Meegan Savalla - Treasurer
Meegan is married to an amazing husband, Anthony, who owns his own business (New Finish Carpentry) and is part of city council. She has three kids, Louis, Izzy, and a step-daughter, Yvette. She works full-time and is currently in school earning a Bachelors in Health Information Management. She received her GED through the help of the Literacy program in 2011, so she is very passionate about this program and the help it offers the community. In her not so spare time she loves to bake, be outdoors, spend time with her dogs and family, and volunteer at Cutler Bros. Theatre where her kids are often very involved with their plays.
Laura Swant - Secretary
Laura Lee Swant has deep roots in the Deer Lodge Valley. After growing up on a ranch near Avon, MT and graduating from Powell County High School, she married her high school sweetheart. He taught biology at PCHS for 25 years, after which they founded an educational non-profit and did school assemblies for fifteen years. Laura is passionate about passing down a legacy of enjoying what one can make with their own hands, which has morphed into her retirement business of sewing/cooking/
gardening for others. This legacy is evident in the lives of her three children, nine grandchildren and great-grandson.
Pat Liedes - Board Member
Pat teaches the physical sciences at Powell County High School in Deer Lodge, Montana. She has a B.S. in chemistry from the University of West Georgia and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Montana. Pat values time with her family. She enjoys spending time in the outdoors, cooking, reading, and playing cribbage.
Sean McConnoha - Board Member
Sean is from Corvallis, Montana. He started an education program at the University of Montana after volunteering as a coach for Speech and Debate. Working with those high school students made Sean realize that he wanted to teach. After a few years of teaching in Montana, he decided to continue his own education. Sean moved back to Missoula for an M.A.-English Teaching program at UM. After graduating, he moved to Powell County. One of the reasons Sean chose PCHS was Mr. Duncan's outstanding advocacy for Powell County, PCHS, and Deer Lodge. Sean currently teaches English II, English IV, and Speech.