Staff

A fourth-generation Montanan, Faye has over 25 years of nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and strategic management experience. She has worked in the arts, higher education, conservation, and social services. Prior to CfR, Faye worked with Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation (WQW) as Executive Director. In her position at WQW, she led a team to serve post-9/11 combat veterans and their families through the experience of fly fishing. She witnessed the healing power of nature and fly fishing first hand, as well as the critical role volunteers play, in her role at WQW.

Faye and her husband live in Bozeman, MT. She holds an A.A. from Cottey College (an all-women’s college), a B.A. in Communication Theory and English Literature from University of Puget Sound and a Non-Profit Administration and Fundraising Certificate from the University of Washington. Faye is a mother of three rambunctious humans, one snuggly dog, and one lazy lizard. Her family enjoys tennis, skiing, camping and, of course, learning to fish.

Susan spent over 20 years as a professional photographer, working for magazines, newspapers and wire services. Her credits include the National Geographic Society, the Ford Foundation, and the American Medical Association. She published her first photography book, “Mennonites in Texas: The Quiet in the Land,” in 2006. Susan received degrees from Vanderbilt University and The University of Texas, where she later taught photojournalism to undergraduate and graduate students.

Susan began volunteering for CfR in 1999 after producing a photo essay on CfR’s Vermont program for a medical journal. In 2005, she launched the Texas program and five years later, joined the national staff. Susan and her husband Steven live in Austin, TX with their daughter Sofia.

Carolyn is an Idahoan by birth who has chosen to live, work and play under the Big Sky for life! Though it was not her original plan, Carolyn likes to think philanthropy chose her nearly two decades ago. While attending Carroll College in Helena, Montana, she was fortunate to work with a great mentor at a political consulting firm. It was there she realized her passion for connecting people who wanted to make a difference with causes and candidates who aligned with their values. Since then, she has traveled an exciting road supporting Benedictine nuns, ballet dancers, women and families in crisis, farmers and myriad additional projects. Most recently, Carolyn engaged in exciting work with a nonprofit tech start-up that is revolutionizing the way healthcare data is shared across Montana, potentially improving the patient care landscape for decades to come.

A novice angler, Carolyn can be found most weekends with her fly rod in hand exploring the endless adventure for which Montana is known. She and her partner, Andrew, call Helena, Montana home with their two wild dogs Rocket and Fancy and a rambunctious, jet black kitten named Mo.

Tiffany is a graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Prior to joining Casting for Recovery, she served as an AmeriCorps member for the American Red Cross providing disaster relief instructional and hospitality services.

Tiffany has an eye for design, which comes in handy with all the graphic works she does for CfR. In her spare time, she enjoys attempting to perfect her cast, digging around in her gardens, playing fetch with her Australian Cattle Dog, Aggie Blue, and sipping on the occasional tequila and club soda with a fresh lime!

Born and raised in the midwest, Chelsey grew up hunting, fishing, and camping since she can remember. Now residing in Great Falls, Montana, she spends most of her spare time outdoors in big sky country she now calls home with her partner Chris and their two pups, Martha and Caroline.

Prior to CfR, Chelsey has worked with a number of nonprofit organizations serving in a variety of ways including development, marketing, communications, and event planning. She holds a B.A. in Interpersonal Communication and a M.A. in Public Relations, and she currently serves on the board of the Great Falls Children’s Receiving Home. Chelsey has a passion for people and is honored to be a part of the CfR team!

Blake grew up in Oregon, spending time each summer visiting family in Montana, where he learned to fish, hike, and love being in nature. He earned a B.S. from the University of Oregon in political science and business administration and has spent several years working for nonprofits in outdoor education and conservation.

Susan grew up in Kentucky, where she spent time with her family camping and crappie fishing on Kentucky & Barkley Lakes. She has a B.S. degree from Murray State University (KY) in Biology with an area in Wildlife Management, a M.S. in History and graduate certificate in Gender Studies from Mississippi State University, and a certificate in College Business Management from the University of Kentucky.  A published author, Susan loves to spend time in library archives and when she isn’t buried in a book, she loves to spend her time enjoying the outdoors.

Susan worked in higher education for 22 years and throughout that time was heavily involved in volunteer work for several non-profit organizations. She serves on the advisory board for the Starkville Oktibbeha County Humane Society and Camp Kesem at Mississippi State and has been involved with Casting for Recovery since 2018 when she attended the Southeast Regional retreat as a participant. At the retreat, she fell in love with fly tying and turned that passion into a business, Damselflies, where she sells hand-tied flies. Susan began volunteering with CfR the following year as hospitality and fly tying instructor and joined the national staff in January 2023. She and her husband, Christopher, their four sons, two daughters-in-law, five grandchildren, and four furbabies (Steinbeck, Grizzly, Frogbert, & Toast) live in Starkville, Mississippi.

Erika has been involved with Casting for Recovery since August 2013 when she was a retreat participant at the Western Pennsylvania program held at HomeWaters. So moved by her retreat experience, the following year, she began volunteering as a Co-Program Coordinator and Co-Retreat Leader.

With great enthusiasm and passion for the program, Erika joined the CfR National staff in June 2016. Erika has 20 years of experience working in the non-profit and social services field. She became ‘hooked’ on fly fishing while out on Spruce Creek at her 2013 retreat. Erika enjoys her family, friends and felines, as well as fly fishing whenever she can!

Wendy has been with Casting for Recovery since April 2012.  She first started as the Program Department Assistant then Executive Assistant and is now a Regional Program Manager. Outside of work Wendy is the chair of the Alumni Recognition Awards Committee for her alma mater – Burr and Burton Academy. She is married to Joe and they are the parents of Jack, their feline child.

Wendy was fortunate enough to be selected as a participant to attend the Vermont/New Hampshire retreat in 2014. This was the start of her love of fly fishing and spends fishing season working on her casts on the Battenkill River with Joe. Wooly Bugger is her favorite fly even though she hasn’t caught any fish with it.

Jen grew up in Colorado and has been lucky enough to fish and explore throughout the mountain west. Prior to joining the Casting for Recovery National Staff, she worked for The Orvis Company, managing their retail store in Denver, Colorado. She is a former fly fishing guide and instructor, and loves sharing her passion for fly fishing and the outdoors with others.

Jen started volunteering with Casting for Recovery in May of 2012. Over the years, her commitment to CfR has led her to serve as lead fly fishing instructor, guide wrangler, river guide, and casting instructor during the multiple retreats held in Colorado each year. Jen feels honored to share her enthusiasm for fly fishing and her experiences with the positive impact to participants of CfR retreats, and she looks forward to building CfR’s program throughout the west.

Martha is the founder and president of Ski for Heat, a small nonprofit organization that raises money to provide heating fuel assistance for low-income individuals and families in Vermont, and was a recent recipient of the national eTown award, given to individuals making a difference in their communities and beyond, and voted as Money Magazine’s Vermont hero in its 2014 50 States, 50 Heroes issue.

As an avid biker with an inclination toward going up hills, she has competed in many of the northeast mountain climb road races including Mt. Washington, NH, (known as “the toughest mountain in the world”) a number of times where in 2008 she set the record time for women for her age group. Martha and her husband Peter live in Peru, VT, and she is honored to be part of the CfR team!

Candida love for the mountains and nature stemmed from growing up and playing in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, on the border of Wyoming and Idaho. Returning to her home town after 25 years, she now enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, snowmobiling, and motorcycling in those same mountains with her husband, grown children and grandchildren.

Throughout the years, she evolved from a local program manager to a statewide mission’s specialist. Candi has been selected as a national presenter in her field and has facilitated local, statewide, and national coalitions. Her specialties include: grant writing, grant making, community profiles, coalition building, program oversight, systems development, and all missions related work.

Candi quickly became ‘hooked’ CfR and is excited to be part of the team, as she has witnessed first-hand the impact that the program makes on the lives of survivors.

Melissa is a native from beautiful Leland, Michigan where she spent her youth on the Great Lakes, fishing with sinkers and spinners. She headed west in 1998 to finish her fine art and k-12 education degrees at Montana State University and has since started fishing with flies and nymphs! Bozeman is the long term homebase for Melissa and her family, but she still likes to dip her toes in Lake Michigan each summer.  

Melissa has worked in the non profit sector for over 8 years and feels fortunate to be joining the CfR team! Her favorite place to be is with her husband Dennis, her three “adulting” children and a dog by the name of Idaho Potato, seriously doing anything but would prefer it be near a water source. The only problem? They don’t all fit in one drift boat anymore. Melissa has been fly fishing for over 20 years but still remains in the category of beginner / intermediate, it’s more about the experience she says.