2012 Board Members

President
Rosemary Gilbert
Although she has a love of all outdoor activities, Rosemary especially enjoys skiing, hiking and gardening. She was raised in the Flathead Valley and lives in Columbia Falls with her husband Jim. She has two daughters, Katie and Lexi. Rosemary gives much of her time to worthwhile community organizations and has been involved with DREAM for approximately 5 years.

Vice President
Richard Cohen
A consummate ski bum, Richard has used his interest and experience as an expert skier to help DREAM participants on the slopes for many years. He has enjoyed his years as a volunteer and is helping shape the future of DREAM Adaptive as a board member. Richard lives in Whitefish and is a master electrician with a passion for energy efficiency.

Treasurer
Jeff Carlson
Having had the fortune of living the majority of his life in or near the mountains of Colorado and the Flathead Valley, Jeff enjoys all the outdoor possibilities the areas have provided. To support his skiing, hiking and climbing habits, Jeff works as a Real Estate Lender at Three Rivers Bank of Montana on Meridian Road in Kalispell.

Since he was a young child, Jeff has been exposed to community involvement by parents who throughout life have made it a priority. He has met so many sincere, hardworking, energetic and generous people because of his involvement in several organizations and have benefitted from their experience, attitude and genuine interest in others. Jeff currently serves as President of the Samaritan House Board and continues to volunteer for DREAM.

Secretary
Shari Neubauer
As the mother of a special needs child who is DREAM participant, Shari has been part of the DREAM family since the 2006-2007 winter season. She has been on the board since 2010 and has been a volunteer and coach for the Montana Special Olympics since 2007. Shari is the assistant store manager for Pier 1 Imports in Kalispell and has a BS Degree in Business Administration and a minor in Communications from San Jose State University.

Board Members

Jerry Mahugh
DREAM has been one of the most rewarding things Jerry has done and seeing the positive growth in participants keeps him coming back. For close to 20 years, he has served DREAM as a volunteer, board member, board president and program director. Jerry grew up in Kalispell and is a retired math teacher from Columbia Falls High School. He is currently a realtor based in Kalispell.

Urban "Bain" Bear Don't Walk
Bain is a former consultant for Indian Tribal Nations in the field of finance, business and economics. He moved back to Montana to help raise his niece and spend as much time in nature as possible. He previously wasn't able to volunteer or give back to good causes as he wanted, but through DREAM, Bain has been able to do this and spend time in nature sucking up as much "universe juice" as possible and sharing that with others.

Lynette Jarvis
Moving to the Flathead Valley has been a dream for Lynette and her family. It has allowed her to share her love of the mountains and water with her family. As the mother of a disabled child who participates in DREAM, Lynette is an active volunteer in both the summer and winter programs. Her oldest daughter is also a DREAM volunteer.

Judy Hessellund
After moving to Montana, Judy discovered DREAM and the chance to work with kids. She has been a volunteer for four years and enjoys her time on the board. Judy has a daughter with a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy who works with children with autism and Down's Syndrome. She is passionate about fundraising for the kids and enjoys time away from her real estate career when it is slow in the winter to head to the mountain and see the participants get excited about what they can accomplish.

Tim Tepas
Living in the West his whole life, Tim enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife Mary and their two sons, Ian and Adam. For the past five years, Adam has flourished in the DREAM program and Tim naturally progressed from volunteering to serving on the board. He is a supervisor at the Flathead 911 Center and works as a photojournalist around Northwest Montana. Tim currently is a board member of Human Therapy on Horseback, Autism Society of America - Northwest Montana Chapter, Flathead 911 For Kids and is the Montana Coordinator for Your Day Away.

Lexi Gilbert
As an avid skier and volunteer, the DREAM Program allows Lexi to flex her athletic side as well as her passion for community involvement.  As a ski partner to the athletes for the past two years, Lexi has enjoyed the relationships and experiences she has gained with these amazing individuals.  Her favorite as well as the favorite of many of her skiers is the Special Olympics, where athletes from all over Montana spend a raucous week competing to win some GOLD. 

Bob Donahue
After seeing the Rocky Mountains when he was twenty years old, Bob dreamed of living in the mountain west. That dream became a reality fifteen years ago when his wife Ann and their son Mike moved to Whitefish from Naperville, Illinois. Since moving here,
Bob has enjoyed just about everything outdoors including skiing and snow shoeing in the winter and hiking with the Over the Hill Gang, rock climbing, and fly fishing in the summer.

His family consists of the three in the valley and daughter Susan, who remained in Chicago. Mike, who lives in Kalispell, was taught to ski by DREAM volunteers.

Over the years, Bob has been involved with the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, served on the Northwoods 2 Homeowners Association Board, and has just completed a six-year term with the Samaritan House Homeless Shelter. He is currently the Chairman of the St. Charles Borromeo Finance Council.

Executive Director
Bruce Gibson
Raised in Kalispell, Bruce went to college in Oregon, worked in a photo lab and was an instructor for Outward Bound for several years. After leaving Oregon, he was a teacher in the bush villages of Western Alaska for 11 years. While on a leave of absence from teaching in 2000, Bruce volunteered for DREAM and eventually moved back to the Flathead in 2003. He became the Executive Director

Summer Director
Steve Pate
Living in Kalispell with his wife Jill and three children, Steve's first experience with DREAM was as a participant skiing in the winter program. He has been a volunteer and board member for several years. In 2011, Steve was appointed to head up the DREAM summer program which has become a great success under his leadership.

Dream Adaptive is always interested in persons that would like to serve on the board of this dynamic organization where great things are happening. If you are interested in attending one of our board meetings, please contact us at DreamAdaptive@yahoo.com. The Board of Directors meets monthly on the first Monday of the month.