Meet Our Staff

Kailyn is a Montana State University alumna, earning both a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Performance and a Master of Health Administration. Kailyn serves on Montana’s statewide Nursing Action Coalition, is the Immediate Past President of the Montana American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Chapter, and is a National Rural Health Association Rural Health Fellow.  In her free time, Kailyn enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and golden retriever, traveling our beautiful state, and watching college football!

Kristin worked as the Director the Montana AHEC and Office of Rural Health from 2007 to 2021. She has just recently retired and staying on in a part-time capacity for a short period of time.Previously,shewas the Director of Minnesota’s Healthcare Education - Industry Partnershipand served asExecutive Director of the Region Nine Development Commission, a rural development agency serving southern Minnesota. Kristin is on the Executive Committee of the National Rural Health Resource Center,the Advisory Committee for the Association for Community Health Improvement, and is active on boards and committees of the National AHEC Organization, National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health and the National Rural Health Association.  She serves on several state boards and committees including the State Health Improvement Plan, Montana University System Healthcare Workforce Advisory Committee, the Montana Graduate Medical Education Council, WWAMI Advisory Committee, and the Coalition to Advance Health through Nursing.She has an MA in Urban and Regional Studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato.Kristin enjoys spending time in outdoors with her dog Meahri and working with the small communities across Montana.

Natalie, as the Assistant Director of the Montana Office of Rural Health, brings nearly 15 years’ experience and working knowledge of rural health issues and has worked closely with rural communities and facilities to make a positive impact on rural health delivery. She provides overall grant management for the Montana Office of Rural Health and oversees implementation of hospital and clinic-based technical assistance programs and population health efforts. Natalie currently serves as President-Elect for the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), was a National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Rural Health Fellow, and received the NOSORH Emerging Leader Award in 2011. Natalie earned her Bachelors of Science in Community Health Education from Montana State University and her Masters of Public Health from Oregon State University.

Cindra works extensively on Healthcare Workforce issues, serving as facilitator for the Montana Healthcare Workforce Advisory Committee. She is also focused on educating, recruiting and retaining the HIT workforce in Montana, assisting rural and frontier facilities to meet meaningful use requirements. Previously, Cindra was Hospital Services Manager and Data Analyst at New Mexico Donor Services, the organ procurement organization for the state. She has also worked in health policy at the New Mexico Health Policy Commission, and as a legislative analyst for the New Mexico Senate. Cindra has an MBA and MS in Audiology from the University of New Mexico. She enjoys travelling the state of Montana with her husband. They intend to visit every microbrewery at least once; then start all over again.

Rachel grew up in a rural community in Washington State. She moved to Bozeman to attend Montana State University. In May of 2013, she received a Bachelor of Science in Business, Accounting. Her main interest is in governmental and non-profit accounting.  At AHEC and ORH, Rachel’s role is to manage the numerous grants and contracts that flow through the office. Rachel loves living in Bozeman with her husband and 2 dogs, and spends as much time as she can in the outdoors. Some of her favorite activities include backpacking, mountain biking, and hunting.

Beth Ann is the Assistant Director for the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grant. She previously was the Project Coordinator for the Montana Rural Allied Health Professions Training Program, which focused on the training and then the recruitment and retention of a quality allied health workforce within the state.  She also worked as the Allied Health and Dental Recruitment Coordinator for the South Central Montana AHEC for four years prior to that. As a rural Montana native, she understands the struggles that many small communities face with access to quality healthcare. Beth Ann holds a BA from California State University, Sacramento in Education with a minor in Human Development. She enjoys fishing, hiking and traveling with her family.

Cheryl joined the staff of MT AHEC/Office of Rural Health as an Accounting Analyst in April 2015. She received her B.S. in Education from the University of Nebraska in 1993. Cheryl has many years’ experience in bookkeeping, and originally started working on campus in 2006.  Her responsibilities include reconciling multiple accounts and performing various administrative duties. A native of rural Nebraska; her hobbies include skiing, hiking, biking, golf and music.

Kayla is an alumna of Carroll College in Helena, earning her Bachelor’s in Communications and Public Relations with a minor in English Writing in 2006. She has a multi-sector background, working in higher education development and for both federal and state governments before entering the field of rural health. In 2018, Kayla was hired by Granite County Medical Center in Philipsburg to be the Project Director for a HRSA Network Planning Grant. She has been instrumental in creating the network, soliciting local input to ascertain the health disparities of Granite County, and creating a realistic plan of action to bridge these rural healthcare gaps. Through this process, the Healthy Granite County Network was created of which Kayla remains the volunteer Network Director. Currently, Kayla works for the Montana AHEC and Office of Rural Health assisting with their behavioral health initiatives. Kayla lives and works on a ranch with her husband and two small children outside of Philipsburg, MT. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading and photography.

Jake Kaminetzky grew up in Shoreline, WA and attended Montana State University, graduating with Full Honors in Political Science, Economics, and Liberal Studies with Minors in Mathematics and Statistics. He currently works as a data analyst and researcher for the office and enjoys hiking, reading, and making music.

Sara grew up in rural Montana and graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences in 2012. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, she took a brief hiatus from school and worked for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. It was here that she was immersed and fell in love with public health practice. In 2020, Sara completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Montana. Sara assists with the Office of Rural Health’s Community Health Service Development, which compliments her passion for improving access to quality health care in rural and frontier populations. Sara enjoys running, skiing, hiking, reading, and cooking with her family.

Grace grew up in Utah and graduated from Carroll College with a Bachelor’s in Public Health and Sociology. After graduating, Grace worked in disability advocacy throughout Southwestern Montana and grant evaluation in Colorado. She received a Master of Public Health – Health Systems, Management, and Policy from the Colorado School of Public Health with a focus on rural health and health equity. In her free time, you can find her hiking, fly fishing, or listening to a podcast.