MONTANAPBS - Key Persons


Aaron Pruitt

Job Titles:
  • Director and General Manager, MSU - Bozeman
BIO For 27 years, Aaron has provided leadership in programming, production, fundraising and management at Montana PBS. He served as Executive Producer for many award-winning productions including 11th & Grant with Eric Funk, Class C: The Only Game in Town, Fort Peck Dam, Finding Traction, Keeping the Barn and Charlie Russell's Old West. Pruitt collaborates with independent filmmakers distributing programs to national public television, such as The Last Artifact (APT), Before There Were Parks: Yellowstone and Glacier Through Native Eyes (PBS NPS) and two PBS INDEPENDENT LENS documentaries, Butte America and Indian Relay. With recent service as chair of Humanities Montana, Aaron currently is a board member of Montanans for 4-H, the Friends of Montana PBS and the Montana Broadcasters Association.

Ailsa Gilbert

Job Titles:
  • Educational Media Specialist, Graduate Assistant, UM - Missoula

Anna Rau

Job Titles:
  • Public Affairs Producer

Anne Hosler

Job Titles:
  • Interim Director, Broadcast Media Center, UM - Missoula

Audrey Schied

Job Titles:
  • Production Services Live Producer, MSU - Bozeman

Breanna McCabe

Job Titles:
  • Producer, UM - Missoula

Coy Wickens

Job Titles:
  • Broadcast Operations Specialist

Cyrus Smith

Job Titles:
  • Chief Engineer, MSU - Bozeman

Erika Matsuda

Job Titles:
  • Membership and Events Manager, MSU - Bozeman

Erika Share

Job Titles:
  • Senior Producer

Eva Ticknor

Job Titles:
  • Educational Media Specialist, Graduate Assistant, MSU - Bozeman

Ivy Wells

Job Titles:
  • Systems Administrator, UM - Missoula

Jacqueline Centofanti

Job Titles:
  • Membership and Database Coordinator

Jayne Robidou

Job Titles:
  • Executive Administrative Manager, MSU - Bozeman

Jeannie Gracey

Job Titles:
  • Development Officer, MSU - Bozeman

Jennifer Moffet

Job Titles:
  • Accountant

Joe Lesar

Job Titles:
  • News & Public Affairs Producer, MSU - Bozeman

John Peterson

Job Titles:
  • Director of Technology, MSU - Bozeman

John Twiggs

Job Titles:
  • Public Affairs Director, UM - Missoula

Kristen Fedro

Job Titles:
  • Office and Customer Service Coordinator, MSU - Bozeman

Kristina Martin

Job Titles:
  • Director of Development, MSU - Bozeman

Kyle Sorenson

Job Titles:
  • Content & Brand Producer, MSU - Bozeman

Lex Harold

Job Titles:
  • Educational Media Producer, Graduate Assistant, MSU - Bozeman

Long-Form Multimedia

Job Titles:
  • Journalist

Lynn Sloan-Harris

Job Titles:
  • Production Manager

Marit Ehmke

Job Titles:
  • Educational Media Producer, Graduate Assistant, MSU - Bozeman

Martha Cabell

Job Titles:
  • Director of Finance, MSU - Bozeman

Megan Shaw

Job Titles:
  • Broadcast Operations Specialist, MSU - Bozeman

Michelle Schultz

Job Titles:
  • Accounting Technician, MSU - Bozeman

Nikki Vradenburg

Job Titles:
  • Director of Education, MSU - Bozeman
BIO Nikki Vradenburg is from Bozeman, Montana and joined Montana PBS in 2017 to implement the Teacher Community Program grant -- an initiative to support teachers in rural Montana schools and build capacity in the Education work of rural PBS stations. Nikki brings 16 years of K-5 classroom teaching experience to her role as Director of Education at Montana PBS in which she serves K-12 educators in Montana. Nikki is proud to provide professional development for rural Montana teachers interested in technology integration and media literacy. She also leads the production of digital learning resources contributed to PBS LearningMedia by Montana PBS and is overseeing the station's efforts to support early childhood educators and the families of preschool children in Montana. Nikki holds an Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, is a National Board Certified teacher and is honored to have been a finalist for Montana Teacher of the Year in 2017.

Paul Heitt-Rennie

Job Titles:
  • Director of Content & Chief Operator, MSU - Bozeman
Paul Heitt-Rennie, Director of Content and Chief Operator for Montana PBS, has worked in both commercial and non-commercial, broadcast and production, radio and television for the last several decades. Paul's professional responsibilities include all content acquisition and program scheduling on all five program streams that comprise Montana PBS. Other responsibilities include supervision of all operational aspects of acquiring, storing, scheduling, and broadcasting programs on Montana PBS, plus supervising a remote programming & production facility, the Montana Public Affairs Network, in Helena. He works extensively with a variety of in-house and independent producers to develop local broadcast projects. Paul is also responsible for insuring Montana PBS compliance with all Federal broadcast regulations. In addition to these duties, Paul also serves as Producer, Director, or other line staff positions for a variety of live and post-produced productions. These include sports, music, and public affairs programming. Besides programming and producing for Montana PBS, for a number of years, Paul has also taught television studio production, as a non-tenure track faculty, in the School of Film and Photography at Montana State University.

Paul Simms

Job Titles:
  • Engineer, MSU - Bozeman

Samantha Bury

Job Titles:
  • MPAN Assistant Production Manager, Helena

Saul Mastandrea

Job Titles:
  • Director of Digital Engagement, MSU - Bozeman

Saxon Holbrook

Job Titles:
  • Technical Director, UM - Missoula

Scott Sterling

Job Titles:
  • Director of Production, MSU - Bozeman
BIO Scott hails from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where exposure to the outdoors, technology, and culture inspired a passion for visual art and storytelling. Sterling is the director of production for Montana PBS, bringing award-winning films to the people of Montana and beyond. His role as producer and director includes documentary features The Violin Alone, Fort Peck Dam, and Without Words, and the signature series 11th & Grant with Eric Funk, now in its 14th season. Scott also works as a freelance colorist, with recent work airing on The National Geographic Channel, The History Channel, Smithsonian Earth and Independent Lens on PBS. Scott has earned eleven Emmy® Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences - Northwest Chapter, and revels in the juxtaposition of art and technology that is contemporary filmmaking.

Shawn Smith

Job Titles:
  • Broadcast Operations Specialist, MSU - Bozeman

Stan Parker

Job Titles:
  • News & Public Affairs Producer, MSU - Bozeman

Sue Ginn

Job Titles:
  • Program Assistant, UM - Missoula

TK West

Job Titles:
  • Engineer, MSU - Bozeman

Tom McGinley

Job Titles:
  • Chief Engineer, UM - Missoula

Zara Mannion

Job Titles:
  • Broadcast Operations Manager, MSU - Bozeman