Kathleen Dent was born at a family owned ski area in southeastern Idaho. She grew up tromping through the woods, following critters, and just generally being curious. She has always lived in the intermountain West, including the Snake River Valley of Idaho, the high desert of Utah and now in Missoula, Montana. She loves to learn about this beautiful part of the world and encourage the little people in her life to be curious and explore.

Professionally, Kathleen has been a public school educator for the past 30+ years. She brings classroom teaching, gifted and talented programming, curriculum development and administration to the virtual world. Her in-depth experiences translate to the classroom --whether student or corporate focused. In 2015, she and co-owner Alli DePuy purchased Inspired Classroom, an educational technology company delivering in-depth virtual learning experiences and projects with a real world focus to teachers and students.

Kathleen is a world traveler. She especially enjoys visiting her kids and granddaughter! She and husband Larry cherish their time with family and friends and time in the beautiful Montana landscape.

Alli DePuy spent many days during her childhood skittering and scattering, baking mud pies, and building forts in the forests. When she was not outside, Alli could be found painting images of her experiences in nature. Raised in the Inland Northwest, Alli grew up with a love of the outdoors and art. Moving to Missoula, MT to attend the University of Montana and receiving a degree in art and education was the perfect fit.

Today, Alli still lives in Missoula with her husband, children and two dogs. She is a co-owner of an education technology start-up, Inspired Classroom, that connects students to real world experiences and experts. On most afternoons, you can find her hiking in the hills, skiing in the mountains or cooling off on a hot summer day in the neighborhood swimming hole. Her sketchbook and paints are always close at hand.

Dr. Michael Sawaya spent much of his childhood exploring the outdoors of Pennsylvania and the intermountain West. Mike was very curious about nature and often wondered why animals did what they did. This curiosity and a deep passion for living organisms led him to pursue degrees in the biological sciences; he earned a B.S. in Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana and a Ph.D. in Fish and Wildlife Management at Montana State University.

Mike has been studying wildlife in the Rocky Mountains since 1995 and is currently a carnivore ecologist with Sinopah Wildlife Research Associates in Missoula, Montana. Through his research, he seeks to understand how wildlife populations respond to environmental changes and to apply that information for more effective conservation. When Mike is not investigating bear bathtubs, tracking cougars or wrangling wolverine hair, he enjoys camping, hiking, gardening, and adventuring with his wife and two sons.