Tourism Advisory Council

Joan E. Kronebusch, vice-CHAIR(conrad)

406-565-0489

background of life and work in Montana:

My autobiography could be entitled “From Carhop to the Corporate Office.” Since my short-lived career at the Conrad, Montana Tastee Freeze in 1977, every job I have had has been in the tourism industry – one aspect or another. At 15, I enjoyed telling people where to go and how to get there, and I still do. I have held tourism sales and marketing positions in Great Falls, West Yellowstone, Butte, Billings and back home in Conrad, where I reside today. I am currently in sales and marketing for Town Pump Hotel Group. Being named Sales and Marketing Person of the Year by the Montana Lodging and Hospitality Association in 2016 is just slightly above being selected Miss Congeniality at the Pondera County Junior Miss Pageant in 1979 – both awards are on display in the office. I love the Montana State Bobcats, the NY Mets and traveling the red roads!

Favorite Montana place or activity you would recommend to someone visiting Montana:

Open the map and take a "red road" to any small town in Montana. Have lunch on main street where the muddy pickups are parked, and save room for pie. Stay for the parade where the horses outnumber the politicians, where everyone salutes the flag and knows to the Grand Marshall. Catch the rodeo, whether it be stick horse or rough stock, and be sure to cheer for the mutton busters. Peruse the shops, donate to the local fundraiser, admire the tractors, visit the museum and make plans to return next year.

What was your most incredible Montana experience and why:

Other than growing up on a farm and learning how to work hard and play hard, I’d say the Third of July Fireworks display in Butte! Spectacular!

BROOKE ERB (DILLON)

406-925-9991

Background of life and work in Montana:

I have called Southwest Montana home for over 55 years. I have been actively involved in production agriculture, healthcare and education throughout my career. My experience working for the three largest economic drivers in this area gives me a broad perspective. 

I have worked in healthcare philanthropy as the Executive Director of Barrett Hospital Foundation in Dillon, Montana for the past eight years.   

My husband, Cal, and I own and operate E Bar Cattle Co, a cow/calf and yearling operation located in Beaverhead County. Since 2006, we have been voluntary landowner participants in the Big Hole Arctic Grayling Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances to save the last native population of Arctic Grayling in the Lower 48. We have collaborated with Fish, Wildlife & Parks on the protection of sage grouse habitat. For enjoyment, we raise quarter horses and partner with the University of Montana Western’s Natural Horsemanship Program.

 ERIN KENNEDY (BILLINGS)

 406-208-3620

Background of life and work in Montana:

Erin Kennedy returned to the west as soon as she could, joining her sisters already there. Her hospitality journey began at Baskin Robbins Ice Cream in high school, and over the years, she gained experience as a desk clerk, event planner, food and beverage director, catering manager, sales manager and regional sales director for several hotel chains including Holiday Inn, Hilton brands and Marriott brands. As the CEO of Yellowstone Hot Springs Resort, Erin oversees an award-winning destination just north of Yellowstone Park. The property features natural mineral hot springs open year-round, along with a cafe, lodging, seasonal RV and camping sites and more development in the works.

Favorite Montana place or activity you would recommend to someone visiting Montana:

Where my sisters and nieces are — the perfect place to connect and relax, usually with good music. If I had to choose then it is around food, with the Pray Café for breakfast and the Livery Stable in Emigrant for one of the best cheeseburgers, and don’t get me started on the brussels sprouts!

LAILANI UPHAM (BROWNING)

406-209-9891

BACKGROUND OF LIFE AND WORK IN MONTANA:

I was born in Browning and spent a lot of time outdoors on the Blackfeet reservation and in Glacier National Park with my grandma and family. I’ve been coined an adventurer, writer, content creator, photojournalist, filmmaker and entrepreneur, roles that are wrapped around Indigenous ways of knowing & storytelling, wildlife love, and land and water conservation.

I received a B.A. in entrepreneur business from Salish Kootenai college, and studied photojournalism at the University of Montana, and later in Environmental Science Journalism graduate program at UM. Go Griz! I’ve worked as journalist for 25 + years; and teach indigenous story-based video, photojournalism, writing, and podcast.

From my lifetime experience in journalism and business, I made the leap to start Iron Shield Creative, a consultancy tour service that ushers’ visitors into a meaningful outdoor personal experience through cultural wellness workshop hikes, near Glacier National Park and public lands in Montana, where guests learn GNP history from our Blackfeet stories & ways of knowing, with a touch of creative workshopping in photo, video, writing and/or drawing as a gift of place of where each person connected to place in Montana. The hikes engage folks in an experience and an appreciation for biodiversity, interconnectedness of all living things, and a personal fresh sense of environmental stewardship.

I served as the Blackfeet Tribal Tourism Administrator from 2022-2024, and as the Native Conservation Fellow at Wild Montana from 2018-2019, amongst a variety of other positions in the things I love in Montana.

I volunteer time on the boards of the Montana Wildlife Federation, Western Montana Glacier Country, Montana Indigenous Tourism Alliance and the Blackfoot (U.S. & Canada) Tourism Alliance.

But above all these roles, I love being a grandmother, mother, sister, daughter, auntie and friend, and I take these roles very seriously. I am a U.S. Army veteran and elevate our indigenous cultural values every day by living my best, strongest, fearless, and hilarious life.

FAVORITE MONTANA PLACE OR ACTIVITY YOU WOULD RECOMMEND TO SOMEONE VISITING MONTANA.

Come to the Blackfeet Nation and see all the beauty of our community and the breathtaking views that surround us.  Stop in Browning and eat a hearty breakfast or lunch at Glacier Peaks Restaurant then take a scenic drive on Looking Glass Road from East Glacier, where you might spot Bigfoot, and then stop at the Kyi-Yo Mercantile for a huckleberry bear claw danish, or book a shuttle with Backpacker’s Ferry to your favorite trailhead, then take off to St. Mary to have a homestyle cooked meal at Johnson’s Café, or get the best pizza at Rising Sun. Or book an Indigenous cooking class experience with IndigiKitchen! Go take a dip or kayak in St. Mary Lake or go flyfish at Duck Lake and stay at one of our Blackfeet campgrounds for an immersion of local outdoor fun. Come say “Oki” (hello) at any local shop on the Blackfeet Nation home.

LISA KOSKI (GLASGOW)

406-263-1250

BACKGROUND OF LIFE AND WORK IN MONTANA:

 I have proudly served as the Executive Director of the Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce since 2009, where she leads with a passion for business development, community engagement, and economic growth. I am a native of Glasgow, where I graduated from Glasgow High School and earned my degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Montana. I am also a 2019 graduate of Leadership Montana and 2024 master’s graduate of Leadership Montana.

Deeply committed to the community, I own a tax and accounting business and co-own Scottie Express Wash with my husband, Paul. I have served on numerous local boards and am a passionate advocate for tourism in Northeastern Montana—proudly promoting the region’s wide-open spaces, small-town charm, and incredible recreational opportunities.

My husband Paul and I are the proud parents of five grown children and grandparents to nine grandchildren. My favorite place to be in Montana is on Fort Peck Lake, where I enjoy boating and making memories with my family and friends. In my free time, I also loves working in my yard, planting flowers, cheering on the Vegas Golden Knights, following the kids’ sports, and traveling wherever I can get away.

 SHELLI MANN (SOUTHEAST MONTANA)

406-670-8499

BACKGROUND OF LIFE AND WORK IN MONTANA:

My husband and I moved to Montana more than 40 years ago, looking for a better place to raise our children, and we found it right here in Billings. We are Montanans and love nothing more than exploring this beautiful state.

For the past 25 years, I have worked as the general manager of the Boothill Inn. Our independent hotel has consistently been recognized for excellence in service and the amenities we offer our guests. Owned by a local family, we have embraced our Montana heritage and even display an antique buggy and a real Triceratops frill in our lobby. Our guests love it.

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of serving on nonprofit boards, most recently ZooMontana, Special Olympics State Games in Billings, and several tourism-related boards.

FAVORITE MONTANA PLACE OR ACTIVITY YOU WOULD RECOMMEND TO SOMEONE VISITING MONTANA.

How does one pick a favorite place in this diverse state? We love to camp, we love our national parks and our state parks, and we love the rich history. But one of my favorite spots is the badlands of southeast Montana. We once had the thrill of walking across a friend’s ranchland and literally picking up a 60-million-year-old dinosaur bone. How many people on this planet can say they’ve done that? What a thrill.