Kathryn A. Foat
Director of Stewardship Strategies
Kathryn Foat provides leadership and oversight in developing programs that emphasize audience participation and stewardship. She has extensive experience with outreach in informal learning environments as well as strategic planning. She helped developed PBI fall leadership camps for students, zoo keepers, and communicators to motivate action on climate change. She also serves as our stewardship liaison with zoos and other like-minded organizations. Foat previously held positions with the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore; the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History; and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, among others. She earned a B.S. in Biology and Teacher’s Certificate 7-12 in Natural Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, an M.A.T. in Museum Education at The George Washington University, and certification in Instructional Systems Design and Distance Education at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Frances Graham
Director of Development
Frances Graham joined the PBI team in the fall of 2009. She has worked with nonprofits for more than a decade, specializing in corporate sponsorships and member relations. Prior to that, she managed client relations for a Seattle advertising firm and led environmental education programs. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 1997 with a degree in Advertising and Antioch University Seattle in 2004 with a Masters of Arts in the Environment and Community. She currently lives in Bozeman, Montana.
Marcie Hahn-Knoff
Operations Manager
Marcie Hahn-Knoff packed up from coastal New Hampshire in 1994 and headed west to pursue her education at the University of Utah. She has worked extensively within the outdoor and business worlds and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others. Polar bears and the Arctic have intrigued her since she was a young girl (perhaps due to a healthy childhood obsession with National Geographic magazines) and she is thrilled to be working with PBI. Hahn-Knoff joined the PBI team in the spring of 2010. When not in the office, she can usually be found skiing, climbing, hiking, mountain biking, playing in her whitewater kayak, or hula-hooping in the backyard.
BJ Kirschhoffer
Director of Field Operations
BJ Kirschhoffer began working with our remote broadcasting needs in Churchill in the fall of 2007 and quickly proved himself an invaluable member of the team, able to trouble-shoot technical problems in extreme conditions with no corner hardware store. He now ensures the smooth working of our field operations, from our Maternal Den Study on Alaska's North Slope, to our Sound Harvesting Study along western Hudson Bay, and our Tundra Connections webcasts and video conferences. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.
Kathy Myers
Director of Programs
Kathy Myers is a graduate student working on her Master's Degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management at the University of San Diego. She became involved with PBI in 2004 at the selection level for PBI Teen Leadership Camp and was named camp coordinator in 2006. Formerly with the San Diego Zoo Education Department, she oversees community action and media initiatives for PBI, including the Project Polar Bear Contest, which challenges teens across the U.S. and Canada to involve their communities in reducing carbon emissions, and the Arctic Ambassador Center program, a network of zoos committed to inspiring the public to take action on polar bears and climate change. She lives in sunny San Diego, California.
Barbara Nielsen
Director of Communications
Barbara Nielsen is a professional writer whose articles on nature, wildlife, travel, and gardening have appeared in a number of national magazines. She is the author of Hummingbird Gardens, Night Creatures, and Great Barrier Reef. Nielsen saw her first polar bear while on assignment in Churchill in 1983. Her article for Modern Maturity on the polar bear migration there, with photos by PBI founder, Dan Guravich, helped jump-start the town's tourism industry. Nielsen has remained passionate about the bears ever since. She lives in hot, humid Louisiana and has been involved with PBI since the organization was founded in 1992.
Krista Wright
Vice President, Chief of Operations
Krista Wright has worked with nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years, after graduating from the University of Kansas in 1991 with a degree in Outdoor Education. These include six years as director of education with the Montana Outdoor Science School and eight years with Sanborn Western Camps, where she taught wilderness survival skills. She joined the PBI team in March 2009 and hit the ground running. Wright is a passionate conservationist who is deeply concerned about the effects of global warming on polar bears, the Arctic, and the planet. She lives in Bozeman, Montana.
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