Chuck Manning- Chair

Chuck Manning grew up in the Flathead Valley, where he and his wife, Nancy, now live. He earned a BFA from the University of Montana and an M.Ed. from Lesley University, subsequently teaching art and aviation at Flathead High School in Kalispell.

His civic leadership includes service on the Kalispell City Council, Hockaday Center for the Arts Board, and Montana Aeronautics Board, alongside presidencies of the Kalispell City-County Planning Board, Montana Alliance for Arts Education, and Montana Pilots’ Association.

A lifelong fire lookout enthusiast—starting with a summer staffing Thoma Lookout out of high school—he reconnected with the peaks when Flathead National Forest launched its volunteer lookout program in 2013. That revival sparked his role as a founding member of the Northwest Montana Lookout Association.

In retirement, he spends his time skiing, hiking, and living on Flathead Lake.

Deb Starling- Vice Chair

Deb grew up in Colorado. Her family explored lookouts while hiking, jeeping and camping. She has great memories of visiting lookouts and while most were not staffed, there would be the occasional person at the top of the mountain. With her Forest Service career, the first lookout she visited was Mt. Marston. It was before the road was passable, so hiking up through the snow and getting the see the view was outstanding. She then had the opportunity to be the back-up lookout on Marston in the mid 1980’s. Being there during the thunderstorms and lightning makes one appreciate that lookouts and the value they bring.

She continues to try to visit any lookout that she can in northwest Montana. She worked for the Forest Service for thirty-seven years. One trip meant visiting the old Bungalow lookout site. This trip in particular lead her to really support the Northwest Montana Lookout Association. She assisted NMLA to help the agencies with needed restoration and maintenance as a technical advisor. Following her retirement, she became a board member. It is important to give the agencies resources to help them maintain such a critical resource.

Joe Schmidt- Treasurer

Joe grew up and spent a large part of his life in the great plain states between the Mississippi river and the front range of the Rocky Mountains. He has always been drawn to the mountains and throughout his life he took every opportunity to experience extended kayak, canoe, bicycling, and backpacking adventures into the least populated areas of North America. When he took time away from exploring the great outdoors, he spent 30+ years in a variety of roles, in the finance industry. Joe has always tried to give back to his community and he has volunteered in a number of organizations over the years including: Boy Scouts of America, Des Moines Bicycle Collective, the National Park Service, various finance industry organizations and his church. Joe and his wife Joann moved to the Flathead area after retirement and he quickly recognized the opportunity to put his career skills, his carpentry skills and his love of the outdoors to use as a board member and Treasurer of NMLA. Joe continues to seek adventure and thrills through playing with his grandchild, river rafting, downhill and cross country skiing, backpacking, kayaking, bikepacking and losing himself in the wilderness environment as much as possible.

Nancy Manning- Secretary

Nancy’s connection to Forest fire lookouts spans over 6 decades, beginning in 1963 with a visit to Thoma LO where her then-boyfriend Chuck Manning, was staffing the station. That early spark grew into a lifelong partnership and shared passion. Flash forward to 2013, celebrating 44 years of marriage – she and Chuck were volunteering together to staff Firefighter LO. That was also the year the NMLA was formed. She brings professional and community leadership experience to the Board. She enjoyed a 50-year career as a pharmacist working in both retail and home IV pharmacy settings.

She is a member of the Kalispell Rotary Club; in 2008 she helped establish the Rotary Miracle Field, a specialized baseball field that ensures children and adults of all abilities have the opportunity to play.

She is thrilled to bring organizational experience, community spirit, and decades-long love for lookouts to the Board.

Marli Davis- Correspondence Secretary

Marli was born and raised in the Flathead Valley. She enjoys camping, hiking and spending time outdoors with family and friends. Marli graduated from the University of Montana with a BA in Elementary Education and went on to teach for 56 years. She has been involved with several nonprofit organizations, including CASA for Kids.

Marli’s connection to fire lookouts began in the 1970’s when she and her husband, Rick, spent four summers working for the Forest Service staffing Cyclone Lookout. In 2013 Flathead National Forest established a Volunteer Lookout program. Marli and Rick became fire lookouts once again and have volunteered every summer since. As a board member of NMLA, Marli helps ensure that lookouts and public lands continue to be available for everyone to enjoy.

Beth Hodder- Archivist

A native of Ohio, Beth Hodder moved to Montana in 1978. She worked two years seasonally in Glacier National Park and spent the next 26+ years with the U.S. Forest Service, mainly in silviculture and native plants. Retiring in 2004 allowed her to follow her passions of hiking with her dogs and husband, Al Koss, and camping with friends to explore new places. She became a volunteer lookout with the Flathead National Forest in 2013. She is privileged to head the archives and oral history program for the Northwest Montana Lookout Association Board.

Troy Denman- Construction Manager

Troy Denman grew up in the Flathead Valley for almost his entire life. He has over 30+ years construction experience and is one of the owner operaiors of Denman Construction. He is a proud parent of 2 wonderful kids, Turner and Lincoln. His wife, Libby, grew up in Dillon. They are a classic Montana family who loves being outside and doing a large variety of outdoor activities. Troy is passionate about preserving lookout towers for all families to be able to enjoy for generations! He has grown up with both the Manning’s and the Davis’s and hopes to help carry their lifetime of experiences living and working on lookout towers.

Rick Davis- Community Engagement

Rick grew up and graduated high school in Great Falls, Montana. He earned a BA in history and political science and an MA in elementary education with an administrative endorsement from the University of Montana. He taught elementary students in Missoula and in Kalispell before transitioning to an elementary school principal. During summer months he worked on the railroad, in saw mills and for the USFS, assigned to Cyclone Lookout for four fire seasons.

Upon Rick’s retirement he became involved in public service. He served on the school board for Kalispell Public Schools and volunteered to staff and help renovate Baptiste Lookout on FNF. It was this experience that led to being a founder of the Northwest Montana Lookout Association. In addition to their involvement with the NMLA, Rick and his wife Marli have continued to serve in the volunteer lookout program since 2013.

Cathy Calloway- Grants & Newsletter Coordinator

Cathy Calloway retired from a 30+ year career with the Forest Service in 2006. She held a variety of positions in timber management, silviculture and fire management . As a member of a National Incident Management Team, she was involved in the protection of many lookout towers from wildfire. After retiring, Cathy became an avid quilter and flower gardener, enjoying the chance to express her creative side. Cathy is a past Treasurer for NMLA, and successfully obtained several grants to support NMLA activities. She continues to edit the annual newsletter.

Morgan Ray- Webmaster & Information Technology Coordinator

Morgan Ray, MSLS, RP is the Director of Library Services at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, MT.  She moved to Montana in 2014 with the AmeriCorps VISTA program and has called the Flathead Valley home ever since. She is actively involved with Montana libraries, the National Association of Parliamentarians, and serves as a board member for the Northwest Montana Lookout Association and the Montana Library Association.

She is one of two Registered Parliamentarians in the state, and is passionate about libraries, lookouts, and connecting people with the services they need.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, making stained glass, hiking, and telling her dog Eddie that he’s the best boy ever.

Kira Powell- Events Coordinator

Kira Powell currently works in public relations in the natural resources field. She spends her free time outdoors and aspires to hike every trail on the Flathead National Forest. She also has a keen interest in the history of fire management, which makes fire lookouts a delightful blend of two passions. In 2022, Kira traded the Cabinet Mountains for the Swan Range and now calls the Flathead Valley home. She had such a blast on a trip up to Stahl Peak lookout with a volunteer crew in 2024, she joined the Northwest Montana Lookout Association board.

Patty Sommerfield Brennan- Director of Development

Patty built her career in corporate governance and sales management, serving as a National Sales Manager and Board Liaison for major technology firms. 

Inspired by her friendship with NMLA founders Chuck and Nancy Manning, and her brother Dale’s volunteer staffing at Cyclone Lookout, she channels her background into spearheading strategic fundraising initiatives to ensure the long-term preservation of historic treasures like McGuire Mountain and Stahl Peak. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Patty loves skiing, mountain biking, hiking, playing Mahjongg, and walking her two dogs, Thor and Loki, with her husband, Chris. She recently checked off a major Montana bucket list trip by flying into Schafer Meadows to raft the Upper Middle Fork of the Flathead River for four days with Chris and her nephew Dean Lihou as oarsman—a true testament to her love for sharing Montana’s wild places with her three grandchildren and extended family.

Kjell Petersen- Director Emeritus

Kjell Petersen grew up on a diary farm in Iowa and moved out west after high school.  A 30 year career with the US Forest Service was centered around various fire management positions.  He served as a lookout, supervised lookouts, and generally depended on lookouts to support his various positions.

He moved to Montana when he retired from the adult world in 1996 and focused on 35 years teaching skiing and snowboarding with 3 summers as a zipline guide.  A dozen summers as a hiking guiding in Glacier National Park and 12 seasons volunteer lookout staffing on Flathead NF.  Kjell has served on the board of directors of the Northwest Montana Lookout Association since it was formed in 2013.  The lookout world is deeply rooted in Kjell’s DNA.