History
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The Senior Center’s solar panels - a work of art!
Founded in 1968, and established as a Public Charity in 1970 when it received its 501 (c) (3) from the IRS, Park County Senior Citizens Corporation is located in the old Yellowstone Hotel on Main Street, in the heart of Livingston’s historic district, in Montana. Since the aging population of Park County makes up almost 25% of its total population and many of them live in rural environments, providing them with a variety of services, programs, and amenities to meet their physical, intellectual, and social needs is crucial, and we thrive to make it our mission.
Planters in front of the Center, a community project donated by Girl Scout Troop #2033.
Staff
Becky Bird
Executive Director
I am an OHIO Buckeye by birth and moved to Thermopolis, Wyoming, Home of the World’s Largest Mineral Hot Spring when I was in the 6th grade. After High School I bounced around the country, had a gazillion jobs, had one husband, two kids and decided to go back to school when I was 25. I moved to Bozeman in 1988, the year of the great Yellowstone fires, to attend Montana State University. I have an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from Central Wyoming College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from MSU. I served the State of Montana for 25 years working at the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education with the Montana University System, the Montana Office of Public Instruction, and with the 13th Judicial District Court of the Montana Judicial Branch. I have lived in Glendive, Bozeman, Helena, Billings and proudly call Livingston home! I have three sons, two daughters-in-law named Shannon, and four grandkids! Hot Springs are supreme, yoga rocks, and you can’t drink too much coffee or Kombucha.
It is a joy and an honor to serve at the Park County Senior Center. My goal is to see that the PCSCC is the lead on Aging Issues in Park County, and that we use our resources to assure that Park County aging adults and their families have the best services, resources, information and support that we can provide. Because we live in such a gracious and generous community, I believe that we will most certainly succeed! Thank you Park County!!!
Kateri Nelson
Business Manager
Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, I fell in love with the West when I married a fourth-generation Montanan descendant of homesteaders, with deep roots in Richland County. We moved to Colorado in 1994, and left in 2017 when my husband received a job offer that would finally bring us back to Big Sky Country. We chose Livingston for three main reasons: the reputation of Park High (we had a teenage son), the proximity of Yellowstone National Park, and the vibrant artistic community since I’m also a painter and a sculptor. My undergraduate and graduate degrees are both in Linguistics so for several years I ran a translation business in Montreal, and taught French as a second language. Over the past two decades, I dedicated my career to the nonprofit sector and wore many hats, from grants administrator, to executive director, to board member, to volunteer of several organizations. We live just outside of town in a former parsonage full of quirks and mysteries, with our horses, dog, and other critters, and in 2020 became the proud parents of a soldier when our son enlisted in the U.S. Army as a Blackhawk mechanic.
Ralph Harper
Facilities Manager
Originally from Seattle, Ralph was hired as the Facilities Manager in September 2019. He is retired from the US Navy having served on our behalf for 22 years. After retiring, Ralph entered the world of Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning, eventually owning his own business, Paradise Valley HVAC for 19 years. He was involved with Livingston Troop 516 as Troop Leader for 15 years, served as a firefighter volunteer with Park County Rural Station #1 for 5 years, and is active with the American Legion Post 23 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Ralph and his wife, Jo Ann, have been married for 38 years and they have three sons, one daughter, and seven grandkids.
Ralph came to the Senior Center looking for work after retiring from his HVAC business. We will forever be thankful to Jo Ann for insisting that he should find something to do, and basically telling him to go get a job! Ralph is the kind of guy you want on your team. We are very lucky that he chose the Senior Center as the place to be.
Board of Directors
Emily Post
Chair
Emily grew up in northern Idaho but has been in Montana for twenty years now where it feels like home. She studied biology and economics in college and now likes to write and collaborate on community projects that make life better for people here.
She has two sons, Henry and Ernest and is married to her dream guy DeWitt Dominick. As a family they like to read and cook and play in the rivers and camp and bike and garden.
The Park County Senior Center matters to Emily because she believes we should all have community, learn new things, share ideas, and have a wonderful and dynamic quality of life at every age.
Lisa Herrald
Secretary
Bio coming soon!
Johnathan Hettinger
Treasurer
Johnathan moved to Livingston to work for the Livingston Enterprise and learned all about Park County through his daily newspaper reporting for a year. Raised in Central Illinois and a graduate of the University of Illinois, Johnathan has quickly made a home in Livingston. Johnathan is a freelance journalist who is frequently published by Montana Free Press and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and does work for other local nonprofits in Park County.
Tanya Calhoon
Director
Tanya Calhoon, a native of Livingston, Montana has lived here most of her life and has raised her children in Livingston as well. She is involved with community agencies and is currently a board member for Park County Senior Citizens Center and for the Livingston Community Choir. She has a degree in business management.
Tanya’s nine years of experience with the Mental Health Center, including case management, have prepared her well for providing the variety of services needed by clients of Sapphire Assistance.
Her personal interests are reading, baking, hiking, camping, traveling and spending time with friends and family.
BOARD OPENINGS
The Park County Senior Center Board is actively recruiting to fill 4 vacancies.
If you are interested in serving on our Board please download our Board Member Application here.