Council Members

Molly Collins was born and raised in Whitefish, Montana. She holds a BS in Psychology from Rocky Mountain College in Billings and an MPA from the University of Montana in Missoula.  She has an extensive background serving in various roles in working in higher education and non-profit organizations.  She has skills in leadership development, project management, consulting, grant writing--and everything in between. 

Molly and her family recently relocated back to Billings from Bartlesville Oklahoma.  She is excited to explore new professional opportunities in her home state.  Her passion is to make non-profit organizations better and to tackle issues head on. Molly has been married to her husband, Raj Kailasam, for 14 years and they have one son, Arjun. 

​

Molly is an AmeriCorps*VISTA Alum.  She served two terms of service with The Montana Campus Compact VISTA project – one with the United Way in Kalispell and the other at the headquarter office in Missoula.  In addition, she served as the program manager for Montana Campus Corps from 2002-2006.

Callye, originally from Tampa, Florida, served two consecutive AmeriCorps terms in Helena from 2015 to 2017 as the SMART Schools Coordinator at the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Before moving to Montana, Callye attended the University of Central Florida in Orlando where she received a B.S. in Environmental Studies. There she developed skills in community organizing, leadership, and a deep love for civic engagement as she found herself in multiple roles within a local nonprofit's leadership crew and organizing dozens of community events focused on advocacy, education, and policy changes or updates. 

​

After AmeriCorps service Callye worked for Montana Campus Compact for 6.5 years leading AmeriCorps programs, engaging members in meaningful service, and supporting them through their service experiences. Currently, she works for Missoula County's Department of Ecology & Extension as the Climate Resiliency Educator, where she is charged with creating a centralized community resource called the Home Upgrade Hub. She hopes to support and guide county residents in their efforts to decarbonize and improve their home's health and efficiency with an emphasis on indigenous, rural, and low-income households. In her free time, Callye enjoys exploring thrift stores, getting outside with her partner Sam, and volunteering with a handful of local organizations across Missoula.

Though she didn’t know it then, Rebecca began a career in public service in 2008 when she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Helena, MT. She has spent the years since working and volunteering in state and local government – for multiple state agencies, boards, and cities. During that time, Rebecca continued to support service as a member of the Montana Commission on Community Service. As a commissioner, she got to know the many ways AmeriCorps members give their time to communities and causes across the state. She also learned about the challenges members can face during and after their service as they move to new places, build community, and seek to make positive change. Fortunately, Montana has an incredible network of AmeriCorps alums. Rebecca is excited to join the Council to continue engaging with and supporting AmeriCorps members and alums and bringing people together around service.

​

Originally from rural Maine, Rebecca got hooked on the West and has now called Montana home for just shy of two decades. In 2025, she wrapped up twelve years at the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, most recently in the role of Public Policy Director, and headed to Bozeman. She currently serves as Deputy Director of the city’s Community Development Department. Rebecca holds a B.A. in History from Barnard College and a Master of Community and Regional Planning degree from the University of Oregon.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Denison University, and casting about for a couple years in search of a meaningful career pathway, Clifford discovered AmeriCorps in 2002 and completed two life-changing 1700-hour terms of service with the Montana Conservation Corps in Great Falls, MT. Since then, Cliff has gained a deep appreciation for the capacity of youth and volunteers to complete meaningful public lands and community service work. He’s also witnessed the impact of this work on those youth and volunteers who develop a sense of their own capacity, and strong attachments to the landscape and the communities in which they serve.

Clifford joined the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation as Executive Director in May of 2023 after 20 years with Montana Conservation Corps as the Senior Regional Director for the Northern Rockies region in Kalispell. He has served on numerous community trails and natural resource related boards, including Foy’s to Blacktail, Flathead Trails Association, MT FWP Citizens' Advisory Committee, and the BMWF board from 2005-2010. He is a graduate of the Leadership Flathead and Leadership Montana programs, and is currently a commissioner for the Governor’s Office of Community Service representing the Volunteer Sector.

Caleb began his love for the outdoors at a young age in his home state of Tennessee canoeing and camping. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in History in 2008 and immediately left for the Big Sky Country to serve as a crew member with the Montana Conservation Corps on a field crew in the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho. He returned to lead a crew in the Bob Marshall Wilderness of northwest Montana in 2009. It's here where Caleb fell in love with wilderness and developed a passion for public lands. He spent the next five years working for the Forest Service in the Bob Marshall at a backcountry ranger station called Big Prairie, where he served as a trail crew leader and a liaison to MCC crews. After working with the MCC crews for several years, Caleb decided he wanted to return to the MCC and help foster a similar passion and experience for other young people. Caleb is currently the Recruitment and Admissions Manager for the Montana Conservation Corps in Bozeman. He serves on the Board of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation and is a SHRM-CP.

With a background grounded in public service, programming, and leadership, Shannon brings two decades of experience in delivering high-impact training, group facilitation, and organizational development. Her efforts with Jump Start have earned her several accolades, including being named as one of Bozeman’s Top 20 Under 40, an award reserved for southwest Montana’s top young business professionals.

Prior to launching Jump Start, Shannon completed two terms of service as an AmeriCorps *VISTA and went on to serve as the Statewide Training Officer for the Montana Governor’s Office of Community Service. From there, she served as a Program Manager for Montana Campus Compact and invested eight years working with Montana Conservation Corps, earning the title of Director of Programs.

Megan started her National Service journey in 2007 working with the Student Conservation Association in the Washington, DC metro area. She soon found herself in Austin working for the Texas Conservation Corps, where she served for 2 years as a crew leader, not only doing trail work, but learning the power of AmeriCorps during disaster. She then started a disaster response program for TxCC and managed that program for 6 years, deploying to more than 15 federally declared disasters. She was on the forefront of building the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team network nationwide, and had the great privilege of working across state programs toward common goals and training objectives. Tired of the heat, she moved to Montana, where she joined the Montana Conservation Corps for the 2016 service year.

Megan and her husband are now deep into small business ownership, running and operating Stonetree Climbing Center in Helena, MT. She uses her diverse AmeriCorps skills every day, whether that is by building community, providing young people with their first job experience, or listening empathetically to the lives that arrive at the gym. She takes some contract work on the side too, helping organizations run strategically and smoothly. Megan loves adventures in all forms, her dog, her horse, and dystopian novels. She is thrilled to connect with other Alumni and to advocate for National Service in Montana.