Our Staff
Cliff Montagne, Director
Provides overall direction for BioRegions International
Mugi (Munkhtsetseg Dorjjantsan), Mongolian Director of Programs, Projects and Trips
Lora Soderquist, Home Bioregion Coordinator
Office organization, legal updates/filings, financial accounting, communications on website, blogs
Loren Barber Franklin, Communications Coordinator
Website, liaison for student projects, social media
Sunjee (Sunjidmaa Tsagaan), Ulaan Baatar Coordinator, Mongolian Health Program Director
Help organize trip and project logistics, provide communication between project areas and BioRegions, manage finances in Mongolia, liaison with Mongolian National University of Medical Science
Mishig (Mishig Jigjidsuren), Darhad Valley Coordinator
Help organize trip and project logistics, provide communication between project areas and BioRegions, oversee projects on-site and at field stations
Turbat (Turbat Gochoo), Transportation and Logistics Coordinator
Help organize trip and project logistics, provide communication between project areas and BioRegions, oversee projects on-site and at field stations, oversee BioRegions equipment
Board of Directors
Joan Montagne
As a founding board member of BioRegions International, Joan has traveled to Mongolia since 1998. She serves as the secretary/treasurer of the board. Joan is an environmental, community and social justice activist.
Cliff Montagne, Ph.D
Cliff is a Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Instructor for the Land Resources and Environmental Science Department at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. As a Holistic Management Certified Associate Educator, Director and co-founder of the BioRegions Programs, and emeritus professor, Dr. Montagne works to actualize the application of systems thinking and holistic management in various settings with emphasis on Mongolia, Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Erich Pessl, M.D.
Erich is a family physician who lives in Bozeman, Montana. He has worked on international health projects throughout his career, including working with BioRegions in Mongolia since 2013. His work has included a vaccination project in Paraguay, research on traditional medicine in the Peruvian Andes, an eye health project in Kenya with Engineers without Borders, and more recently work with a mobile surgical vehicle project in Ecuador. He is drawn to the traditional, mountain culture of the Mongolian people and their interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preserving their breath-taking natural environment.
William Harjo, Ph.D.
William is the President American Native Services, and a member of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation. William consults with First Nation non profits throughout the USA to ensure that grants are culturally appropriate.
Mark Johnstad, JD
Mark has over 30 years of experience supporting a variety of conservation and development activities across Mongolia including establishment of Mongolia’s modern system of protected areas. Mark is an international environmental consultant, and founder of Mongolia River Outfitters.
Deborah Hines
Deborah is a specialist in natural resource management and adaptation to climate change (MF; PhD level work, Natural Resource Economics, Duke University) with over thirty years of experience in policy and strategy development as well as project design, implementation, and evaluation. She has had the opportunity to work with the WFP, World Bank (Adaptation Fund and the Global Environment Facility), Canadian Government, USAID, and assignments with FAO and other bilateral and nongovernmental institutions in Africa, Latin American, the Middle East, and Asia. Working with civil society, host governments and the United Nations she has highlighted the importance of addressing climate change, sharing technical expertise on climate risks, and calling attention to those whose food security and livelihoods are increasingly being undermined by extreme weather events. Deborah has worked extensively to promote climate-smart agriculture solutions, combining sustainable resource management with gender empowerment and social justice and is the co-founder and co-executive director of South North Nexus.