Meet GFEA's Executive Board 

   The Great Falls Education Association, GFEA, is a union governed by its members and affiliated with the Montana Federation of Public Employees, MFPE. Listed and pictured below are GFEA's local Executive Board members. All of these leaders work for the members of GFEA and they are, themselves, members in good standing.

OFFICERS

​​GFEA president, Tom Cubbage
​(Term:  2021-2023) 

Picture
    Tom Cubbage had been GFEA's 2nd Vice President since 2016. A 27 year GFPS educator, Tom is past President of the Montana Science Teachers' Association and the Montana Forensic Educators' Association.
   In addition to biology, Tom has taught speech and debate classes and was the longtime head coach of the C.M. Russell High Speech and Debate team.
   Prior to becoming GFEA's president, Tom served GFEA  not only as the second VP but also as a GFEA  High School representative. He has been a longtime Faculty Representative for CMR.
   Tom is the 2018 recipient of the GFEA Golden Key of Professionalism, and he has been one of three finalists for Montana's selection for the Presidential Science Teaching Award.
​   In his spare time Tom enjoys applying science to cooking and spending time with his family.
  Tom can be found each day representing the interests of GFEA members.
Contact Information:  
O:  406.727.4233
C:  406.799.1096
F:  406.727.5052
E:  cubbage.gfea@gmail.com  OR  gfea.union@bresnan.net 

Lance "Buck" Olson
- First Vice President
​(Term:  2022-2024)

Picture
   Returning to the Executive Board in 2019, Lance "Buck" Olson begins his second tour as First Vice President of GFEA.
​   Buck teaches at East Middle School and has been a part of the GFEA bargaining team for several years.

Stephanie Olson
​- Secretary-Treasurer
(Term:  2022-2024)

Picture
   A 23-year veteran of GFPS. Stephanie Olson is GFEA's Secretary-Treasurer, a position she has held for 19 years.
    She teaches third grade students at Chief Joseph Elementary, and previously, she taught at West Elementary.
​   Stephanie is passionate about serving our members.  

Cherie Stordahl
- Second Vice President
​(Term:  2021-2023)

Picture
   A 2018 addition to the Executive Board, Cherie Stordahl has distinguished herself as a delegate to NEA-RA, a part of Leaders for Just Schools, a graduate of the Teacher Leadership Institute, and a Jim McGarvey Scholar, as well as her work on many GFEA committees. 
   Cherie is currently the co-chair of the 2021 MFPE Educator Conference to be held in Great Falls. She is also a facilitator for MFPE Leaders for Just Society.  
    She has the most adorable granddaughter with amazing red hair and all the personality that goes along with it. Maeve is a future GFEA member as her daddy, Opa, and Grandma are members.  
   Cherie is also an avid baker who is happiest creating (and making a mess) in her kitchen. 
   The love of her life is her miniature dachshund, Baxter. He is very naughty and vocal during Zoom meetings, although he can be quite entertaining. 
   Cherie is the 2019 recipient of the GFEA Silver Key of Service. 
Cherie will serve as the 2nd Vice President of GFEA's Executive Board beginning in the fall of 2021. 

REPRESENTATIVES

Dawn O'Leary
​- High School Representative
   (Term:  2022-2024)

Picture
   Dawn O'Leary taught for five years in Cut Bank prior to being an intervention and benchmark English teacher for the last 16 years at Great Falls High School.
        Dawn received her undergraduate degree in English from U of M, and later, she attained a Masters in School Counseling from MSU-Billings.
   She volunteers with the children's bereavement program at Benefis Peace Hospice and with the Cascade County CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) team.
   Dawn is a board member for the Darcy Lynn Dengel Foundation, a foundation that provides nursing scholarships to college students.
   She is married to John O'Leary, and they have three children aged 17, 13, and 4 years old.
   Dawn looks forward to spending time with the family on RZR adventures and finishing their vacation rental in Virginia City. 

Amy Sterling
- Middle School Representative
​(Term:  2020-2022)

Picture
   Amy Sterling has been a Middle School Executive Board representative since 2018.
    A 24-year GFPS educator, Amy started her GFPS career as a Library-Media Specialist, serving at C.M. Russell High School, before transferring to East Middle School to teach literacy and tiered English. From there she taught a year of Family and Consumer Sciences, and was then asked to be part of the Remote Learning Center's Middle School 7th grade Core Team. In this position, she has worked as a science teacher and team leader.
   For the 2021-22 school year Sterling will be at EMS heading up the middle school intervention program that has transpired due to Covid-19. She will help struggling students transition back to face-to-face learning.
   Sterling is a proud graduate of Montana State University in Bozeman, and she holds a Master's Degree from Boise State University. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Delta Kappa Gamma, and she has been a Jim McGarvey Scholar.
​   She serves on the GFEA's Executive Board and as a faculty rep for EMS. She was selected to the Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grant Committee for the biennium ending this year; she is a Janette Rankin Foundation scholarship grader, and she is the founder and leader of the first LGBTQ gay/straight alliance at EMS. Amy also serves as the DKG Secretary, and she is the teacher representative for the GFPS Indian Parent Advisory Council.
   In her spare time, Amy enjoys shopping at Target, reading, traveling and spending time with her family. 

Eric Bush
- Elementary Representative
​(Term:  2022-2024)

Picture
   An 11-year GFPS educator, Eric Bush has been a part of the Executive Board since 2014.
  Eric teaches fourth grade at Whittier Elementary.   
  He is a proud graduate of Montana State University in Bozeman.
   When he's not teaching, Eric enjoys time with his family, playing golf and camping.

Amy Hollenback
- Elementary Representative
​  (Term:  2021-2023)

Picture
   Amy Hollenback was elected to the GFEA Executive Board in 2021 to fill the position of Elementary Representative.
   A 21-year veteran of GFPS, she currently teaches kindergarten at Meadowlark Elementary.
​   In her free time, Amy enjoys reading, camping, traveling and spending time with her family.  

Jolyn Johnson
​- High School Representative
   (Term:  2021-2023)

Picture
   Jolyn Johnson was elected to the GFEA Executive Board in 2021 to fill the position of High School Representative.
    She teaches history and criminal justice at CMR High School and coaches cross-country and track for the Rustlers. 
   Prior to this position, Jolyn worked for one year at Great Falls Central Catholic. 
    In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her son Joc, friends, family, and her dogs.  

Kristen Jacobsen
- Middle School Representative
(Term:  2021-2023)

Picture
   Kristen Jacobsen won election to the GFEA Executive Board for her second term in 2021.
   Kristen teaches French to students at all of the GFPS Middle Schools.

Nick Herd
- Middle School Representative
​(Term:  2022-2024)

Picture
   Nick Herd was elected to the GFEA Executive Board for his first term as Middle School Representative in 2022. He has been a GFPS educator for the past 16 years, and currently, he teaches Computer Applications at East Middle School. 

Kari Rosenleaf
- Elementary Representative
​(Term:  2022-2024)

Picture
​   Elected to the Executive Board in 2020, Kari Rosenleaf has begun her term with this school year.
   Kari has been a GFPS Special Education teacher for six years, beginning at the GFPS Pre-School, and then, joining the faculty at West Elementary. She has a passion for helping her students succeed and representing her colleagues.
   Kari has a BA and M.Ed from Western Governors' University. She has been a Montana delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly and a GFEA delegate to the MFPE Annual Conference.
   Prior to becoming a teacher, she was an EMT for Great Falls Emergency Services and Yellow Ambulance of Louisville, KY. Kari enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

Arienne Konesky
- Member- at- Large
(Term:  2022-2024)

     Arienne Konesky has been teaching for almost 18 years.  She spent five of those years in Vaughn, Montana, and the rest of that time teaching in Great Falls.  
     She has taught Kindergarten, First grade, Second grade and Title I.  She said, "My heart lives in second grade, and I've taught second graders for 15 of my 18 years.  I have been an active member of our state union since my first year of teaching, and in Vaughn, I spent a year as secretary and a year as our local president." 
      Arienne said, "I'm proud to be trained in the Leaders For Just Schools curriculum, where I have spent two 
 
years providing PIR classes to local teachers. I look forward to working on the GFEA  Board and helping our union grow and improve." ​