Belief
We believe that everyone, regardless of where they live, deserves access to quality behavior and mental health services. Our goal is to improve access for those living in rural areas across the state of Montana.
Rural Resilience Board of Directors
​
Maggie Stein; President
Katlyn Gotschall; Board Member
Theresa Watts; Board Member
​
​
​
Rural Resilience Team
Rural Resilience Founder
Jenny Malloy
Jenny is a dedicated leader in Montana’s education landscape, balancing her professional and community commitments with family life alongside her husband, three children, and their furry pets, Griz and Pete. A longtime resident of Livingston, she currently serves as the Director of the Park County Special Education Cooperative and is the Founder of Rural Resilience.
​
With more than twenty years of experience in education—primarily in special education and administrative leadership—Jenny has built a distinguished reputation for integrity, collaboration, and innovative problem-solving. In 2018, she received the Montana Early Career Special Education Administrator Award in recognition of her exemplary leadership, creativity, and commitment to advancing best practices. She was further honored in 2019 as an Outstanding Leader by the Montana Council for Exceptional Children.
​
Jenny also serves as the Region IV Representative and past Secretary for the Montana Council of Administrators for Special Education. She values these roles for the opportunities they provide to engage with colleagues statewide and to bring enhanced knowledge and resources back to Park County.
​
Her professional priorities include advocating for the county’s most vulnerable youth, fostering collaborative and innovative approaches to complex challenges, and recruiting and retaining qualified educators while ensuring they feel supported and valued within their school communities.
In 2019, after identifying significant gaps in behavioral and mental health supports for rural students and families, Jenny and Billi initiated the development of Rural Resilience. Their vision and steadfast commitment have positioned the organization as a vital resource in strengthening community capacity and improving outcomes for youth.
​
Grounded in her small town roots, Jenny is known for making friends anywhere she goes through easy conversation and a bit of laughter. She remains guided by the belief that “Together we are better.”
Rural Resilience Founder
Billi Taylor
Billi Taylor is a product of our rural Montana schools and is raising her three children in the same way in the Shields Valley. She grew up in Pony, Montana, attended her K-12 education at Harrison School, and received her K-8 Elementary Education degree and K-12 Reading Minor from UM Western. She started her teaching career in Alaska where she also received her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from UA Fairbanks. She came home to Montana to be closer to family and teach, while also earning her Master’s in Educational Leadership and her Superintendent’s Certificate from MSU. Billi is the Program Supervisor of Rural Resilience leading our Program’s fiscal management, coordination with collaborating organizations, planning for sustainability, designing therapeutic integration models for rural schools, connections through social media, and programmatic offerings through Rural Resilience for our rural students, families, and community members. In early 2020, while Billi was the Shields Valley School District Superintendent, she and Jenny Malloy made a commitment to apply for grant funding through AMB West to help provide more accessibility and availability of behavioral and mental health support to our rural schools and communities. With 13 years of teaching experience and 5 years in school administration, Billi brings depth of knowledge in varying aspects of education. Her passion remains in finding and implementing creative, innovative, and effective ways to assist rural educators and schools to ultimately improve the social, emotional, academic, and personalized learning experiences for students.
Rural Resilience Executive Director
Lauren Smith, DNP, FNP-C
Lauren Smith is the Executive Director of Rural Resilience, bringing a unique blend of nonprofit leadership, clinical expertise, and deep commitment to the well-being of rural families. A Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, Lauren earned her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Palm Beach Atlantic University, where she strengthened her passion for integrating evidence-based practice with compassionate, community-focused care.
During her graduate studies, Lauren served as a charge nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, an experience that shaped the foundation of her career. Children and families have always been at the center of her work. After completing her Master’s degree in Leadership and Administration she directed Women and Infant Services at Baptist Health in Boynton Beach, Florida, where she supported teams caring for mothers, infants, and growing families.
Upon passing her national boards as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Lauren relocated to Bozeman, where she played a key role in building the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit from the ground up. Her work ensured that rural communities throughout southwest Montana would finally have access to the specialized, high-quality care their newborns needed close to home.
Lauren later expanded her leadership into the nonprofit sector, serving as Executive Director of Stafford Animal Shelter in Livingston. She guided the organization through the aftermath of the historic Yellowstone River flood, strengthening operations and supporting both staff and community members during a critical time. Her ability to build resilient teams, stabilize systems, and advocate for vulnerable populations naturally led her to Rural Resilience, where she now blends her healthcare background with mental and behavioral health leadership to support families.
Lauren is happily married and the proud mother of two children. Her vibrant home includes four dogs, three cats, and a flock of ducks—an energetic mix that reflects her lifelong love of caregiving. Children have always been the root and inspiration of her career, and she continues to champion their well-being through her leadership at Rural Resilience.
Rural Resilience Therapist
Sarah Skoglund
Sarah is a contracted therapist with Rural Resilience. She lives with her husband, Matt, and their two kids, Otto and Greta, on their family’s bison ranch west of Wilsall. Otto and Greta both attend Shields Valley Elementary.
Sarah began working with children and families in 2011 at the Cancer Support Community
(CSC) in Bozeman, where she started – and then subsequently grew – their youth and
family programs. During her time at CSC, Sarah worked with families from all over rural
Montana, helping create community and provide resources as they navigated some of life’s biggest challenges.
After several years of working with social workers and therapists to create programs at
CSC, Sarah realized that she wanted to do more clinical work, so she began pursuing her
Masters in Social Work. During graduate school, Sarah did a clinical internship at the White Sulphur Springs High School, and she fell in love with the “360 wraparound approach” to working with kids and families – using the school environment as the hub.
In addition to working with kids, Sarah is passionate about supporting the prosperity of
rural communities in Montana. She and her husband are part of the agricultural community
in Montana, and they care a great deal about supporting working ranches. When she isn’t
working with kids, you can find Sarah creating artwork with her own kids, doing yoga,
skiing, duck-hunting, traveling, baking, or spending time with her family.
Rural Resilience Therapist
Laramie Roberts
Laramie is a contracted therapist with Rural Resilience. She grew up in Paradise Valley, Montana and is grateful to once again call Livingston home. Rural Montana is very near and dear to her heart. After completing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in North Carolina and spending several years away, returning to the community that raised her has been deeply meaningful. She is committed to giving back to the place that shaped her and feels fortunate to support the well-being of local individuals and families.
For the past four years, Laramie has worked in private practice as a mental health therapist, supporting clients with a wide range of emotional and mental health needs. Her work includes helping people navigate anxiety, trauma, stress, identity development, relationship challenges, and life transitions. She has always had a passion for helping others, and she feels honored to provide a warm, grounded space where clients can feel seen, supported, and understood.
Outside of her therapy practice, Laramie is an avid potter and finds creative expression to be an essential part of her life. She spends much of her time in the studio and teaches ceramics at the Teslow Art Center in Livingston, where she enjoys sharing her love of clay with the community. When she’s not creating or teaching, she can often be found crafting, spending time outdoors, or with her beloved black lab, Bowie, who is never far from her side.
Laramie feels grateful to be rooted in Montana and is excited to continue contributing to the community she has always considered home.
Rural Resilience Lead Behavior Analyst
Bridget Kelly
Bridget has spent nearly three decades teaching students across Park County in multiple capacities. Her four years leading the Learning Center, an alternative education program in the Livingston School District, sparked her passion for supporting students with behavioral needs. While teaching there, she was honored with the 2017 Educator of the Year Award from the Montana Council for Exceptional Children.
​
Bridget went on to work in the Belgrade School District as a multi-school Behavior Analyst before returning home in 2020 to continue supporting students and families in Park County. In 2025, she received a GRIT Award from the Montana Healthcare Foundation and the School-Based Health Alliance for her “genuine, resilient, and tenacious” efforts to strengthen school-based health care across the region.
​
As a longtime resident, Bridget raised her children in Livingston alongside a constant, and still evolving crew of canine companions. She is deeply committed to the healthy growth and development of all children, and is currently celebrating her fourteenth year as the assistant coach for the Park High Cross Country team. Bridget is an intricate part of the Rural Resilience team.