Board Spotlight: Beth Schenk, Chair

Welcome to our series celebrating our fantastic board members! Their bios are here, but there's so much more to know about their service, skills and passion below.

Beth is the Chief Environmental Stewardship Officer for Providence and was a founding member of the Climate Smart Missoula board, which officially gained 501 c 3 status in 2019 (though she was involved with our work well before that!). Her job keeps her extremely busy, but she made time to answer a few questions about her service:

How would you like to introduce yourself to folks, when it comes to serving on the Climate Smart Missoula board?
I have been concerned about the natural world since childhood. In my career as a nurse, I learned about the many ways pollution harms health, and how planetary health, including the functions of Earth’s systems, is crucial for human health and that of other species. I’ve been chipping away at trying to improve this for 3 decades.

Why did you decide to serve?
When Climate Smart Missoula was forming, it was clear that it was a vibrant, evidence-based, action-oriented approach to knitting together community partners to help ensure a healthy Missoula in the face of climate change.  I wanted to be a part of that.

What skills / perspectives are you proud to bring to the board?
Content knowledge, organizational experience, leadership skills, strong work ethic.

What is your favorite part about serving? And / or what program at Climate Smart Missoula gets you most excited?
I like supporting the fabulous staff, and helping make sure the organizational pieces are in order. I like all of the programs – the staff respond to what is needed in the community, often setting the tone and pace for Missoula’s progress. I’m excited about the effectiveness of Climate Smart Missoula.

What is your hope for our community, related to your goals and our work?
That as a community, we continue to anticipate solutions that address health and safety related to climate change, and insight on equity and justice. Climate Smart Missoula has demonstrated its commitment to this progress again and again. We will need to keep going in this direction for decades to come as the impacts of climate change proceed. I hope that Missoula continues to be a creative, vibrant community of solutions, support, and safety in the face of climate change.

Thank you for your service, Beth!