Missoulian's 20 Under 40

Thirteen of the Missoulian’s 2017 “20 Under 40” list of the top professionals in western Montana are UM alumni.

  • Chad Dundas ’02, M.F.A. ’06, Missoula, is a writer and journalist who recently published his debut novel, “Champion of the World,” a work of historical fiction about wrestling set in the 1920s.
  • Pedro Marques M.S. ’04, Missoula, is the staff restoration project manager for the Big Hole Watershed Committee, which explores ways to repair ecological damage caused by decades of smelter smoke blowing in Anaconda’s copper mining operations.
  • Apryle Pickering M.A. ’05, Missoula, is director of Community Medical Center’s Population Health and Government Programs, which focus on looking at hospital populations in a holistic way to ensure healthy patients.
  • Kate Skinner ’05, Missoula, is a physical therapist who owns and operates Great Divide Physical Therapy, which concentrates on treating patients with specialty issues and chronic pain.
  • Nate Souther ’05, Missoula, is vice president and manager of Farmers State Bank’s Lolo branch. In that capacity, he also serves as the bank’s facilities manager, security officer, in-house appraiser and manager of real estate properties.
  • Hank Green M.S. ’06, Missoula, is an online video guru who oversees the empire of channels, platforms, conventions and other activities connected to HankGreen.com.
  • Peter Kern ’09, Missoula, owns the Bicycle Hangar, which he leverages to help local organizations. He served on the leadership team of the Montana Special Olympics State Summer Games for the three years they took place in Missoula and led organization of the cycling events.
  • Laura Olsonoski ’09, Missoula, is an occupational therapist who founded Eat.Move.Grow, a company dedicated to helping people with disabilities, especially children, gain the physical and social skills they need to become successful and happy.
  • Holly Biehl M.B.A. ’11, Missoula, is the outreach and marketing director for the Clark Fork Coalition. In her role, she oversees the coalition’s communications strategy and ensures consistent messaging across social media platforms.
  • Caitlin Hofmeister ’12, Missoula, is the senior producer for “SciShow,” a series of YouTube channels that present accessible, informative videos on scientific concepts. The channel won the 2017 People’s Choice Webby award.
  • Stephanie Land ’14, Missoula, is a writer focusing on social and economic justice whose work offers perspective on the struggles faced by those in poverty. Her memoir, “Maid: A Single Mother’s Journey from Cleaning House to Finding Home,” is scheduled for release in fall 2018.
  • Ryan Torres ’15 is a top executive at Logjam Presents, a prominent Missoula entertainment company. He’s also manager and promoter for three of the city’s largest music venues with hundreds of musical artists and performers during the year.
  • Brendan Work M.Ed. ’15 teachesArabic language and culture for Missoula County Public Schools. He also assists refugees and works to reduce Islamophobia through Soft Landing Missoula.