board
Executive committee
PRESIDENT: Amy Duerk
After growing up in southern California and going to school in Minnesota and Michigan, Amy moved to Missoula in 2000 to continue her litigation career. After working with a local law firm for over 15 years, she hung a shingle. In addition to practicing law, Amy has loved raising her twin boys. She enjoys all that Missoula has to offer, from a supportive community to outdoor recreation. Amy is honored to serve Garden City Harvest and the many ways it feeds Missoula.
SECRETARY: Marcia Hogan
Marcia Hogan, the daughter of an Army sergeant-major, grew up in Alaska, North Carolina, Virginia, Arizona, and Missoula. She graduated from Sentinel High School and the University of Montana with a liberal arts degree. She then went to work on the Lolo National Forest supervising a Young Adult Conservation Corps crew. Loving work in the woods, Marcia returned to UM for a forestry degree and continued with a career on the Lolo as a human resource director, forester, deputy district ranger, and public affairs officer. After retiring, Marcia co-produced two documentaries now on Youtube: The World of K.D. Swan, which uses early-day photographs to explain how national forests came to exist; and Pines of Primm Meadow about a fire-sustained, old-growth forest up the Blackfoot River. Marcia believes Missoula’s many nonprofits make our community special and strong. She has served on the boards of the Five Valleys Land Trust, the Blue Mountain Clinic, the Montana Natural History Center and the Good Food Store. An avid hiker, Marcia recently completed the 220-mile Snowman Trek in Bhutan’s Himalayan Mountains with three Missoula women.
Board Members
Steve Hiro
After arriving in Missoula over 30 years ago, Steve was able to further his career as a cardio-thoracic and vascular surgeon and to help create the International Heart Institute of Montana at Providence St. Patrick's Hospital. Following his retirement from that endeavor, he devoted more of his time volunteering with the Owl Research Institute in Charlo, Mt., which still occupies much of his time today. He was proud to have already served one stint on the Garden City Harvest board, and after several years off, is excited about rejoining the board and continuing to work on issues related to food insecurity in the Missoula community.
David Tyson
Since joining the Missoula community in 2011, David Tyson became married, a UM graduate, a father of two sublimely entertaining children, and among other things, the co-founder of Tandem Bakery. He has successfully grown kale, collards, tomatoes, the three sisters (corn, beans, and squash), lavender, garlic, onions, beets, turnips, various herbs, established currant and serviceberry bushes, arugula, nasturtium, salsify, Malabar spinach, Fort Laramie strawberries, cared for plum and apricot trees, and various herbs in his various backyard, curbside and window based gardens. David believes farming and gardening is a force for change and is deeply honored to be a part Garden City Harvest.
Jim Jourdonnais
Jim has lived in Montana all his life, born in Great Falls. He spent his grade school years through high school in Missoula. During these early years, Jim spent his summers involved in the Missoula County and later Western Montana Fair, following in the footsteps of his mother, who managed the fair for over 25 years. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1966, got his MBA in International Finance, and an MS in taxation. After 2 years in the Army Infantry and a tour in Vietnam, he got his MBA and joined the corporate world, first as a grain trader and later in finance. He started his own company providing tax and financial services to small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2012, Jim sold his company in San Francisco and moved permanently to Missoula. Jim and his wife, Barbara, are now retired and live in Missoula and love to travel.
Allison Lawrence
Allison and her family have been so grateful to call Missoula home for the past 12 years. Allison is currently in her dream job: head volleyball coach at the University of Montana. One of the many things that drew Allison to coaching at UM is the commitment to the community within Missoula. In living, working with college students and raising a family here in Missoula, Allison continues to be both impressed and humbled by Missoula’s commitment to collaboration, resiliency, curiosity and compassion. Allison sees Garden City Harvest as an essential part of the heartbeat of this vibrant place.
Cho Cho Lwin
Originally from Burma (Myanmar), already passionate gardener, Cho Cho moved to Missoula, Montana in 2006 together with her husband and two daughters, so that both of their daughters could receive a better education. She is working towards her associate degree in accounting and plans to get a master’s in public administration. She is a Co-founder of a Hong Kong-based non-profit organization called Studer Trust, which aims to promote quality education for disadvantaged communities in Myanmar. She loves the wonderful services that Garden City Harvest has provided to Missoulians since 1996. She is delighted to serve Garden City Harvest and support its important work and dedicated staff.
Linda Sliter Yearous
Linda has lived and worked in Missoula, MT for 20 years and received her MSW from the University of Montana in 2018. Linda is currently a clinician at the Montana Center for Somatic Psychotherapy primarily working with adults who have experienced trauma. Linda has a long-standing love for Garden City Harvest and brings a unique perspective to the board, having previously worked for Garden City Harvest in the Neighborhood Farm and Community Garden programs.
Nat Sturgis
Nat drove to Missoula to vacation and help his brother build a house. 43 years later, he’s still here! Not being particularly career oriented, he has been fortunate to be serially employed in the ski industry, art gallery and framing, oil well fracking, historic home restoration, theater production, industry safety management and training, farming, ranching and estate management. A lifelong outdoors, skiing, gardening and wilderness enthusiast, he served on the Ravalli County Open Lands Advisory Board for five years prior to returning to Missoula to be closer to his children and grandchildren. He is delighted to bring his passion for healthy food, soil and community diversification to Garden City Harvest!