Board of Directors


Christiane
Rudmann, Board Chair
Chris was born and raised in Germany and moved to Montana in 2014. Her grandparents and parents have gardened for as long as she can remember and passed the love for growing flowers, fruit & veggies onto her. Chris started gardening with HCG in 2021 and joined the Board in early 2022. She is looking forward to working with the Board on moving HCG into its next decade and to keep ensuring that all Helena families have access to garden plots and with that to fresh food.


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Whitney Bausch, Board Vice Chair
Whitney was born in Butte, and spent many years in western Washington and Missoula before moving to Helena in 2016. She started gardening at the Sixth Ward Garden in 2018 due to a lack of gardening space in her own yard. Whitney is a first-year board member and co-manager of the Sixth Ward  Garden. She is excited to join the HCG board, and believes that HCG can, and should, be a part of ensuring that all community members have access to nutritious food.



Trish Ackart, Treasurer
Trish was born and raised in Cut Bank Montana. She moved to Helena after graduating in 2001. Even though Trish has been away for a bit she still takes pride in being a Hi Line girl! Her love of gardening came from also being a farm child growing up. In early 2022 she and her husband were able to join the Waukesha garden community, and Trish joined the board in late 2022. They enjoy getting down to the garden with their 2 young boys, playing in the dirt and watching their garden grow.
Trish takes great pride in being a part of the HCG, always looking to help our community provide for their families. 


Vacant, Secretary


Les Clark

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Les Clark, Board Member & Head Garden Manager
Les has worked with non-profit organizations for nearly forty years, including Growing Friends of Helena, Montana Independent Living Project, RMDC, and the Center for Mental Health. He is a founding board member of Helena Community Gardens. He is particularly drawn to the vision of having a community garden within walking distance of every neighborhood in Helena so that people can learn to grow their own healthy food. He also enjoys connecting children with gardens. Fascinated by the miracle of life he sees in plants, Les has been a Master Gardener for six years and gardened for more than fifty.


Amie Butler


Amie Butler, Board Member & Head Garden Manager

Master Gardener, Amie was raised on a ranch in Northwest Colorado. Animals became her first love, and she followed her dream of becoming a veterinarian, graduating from Veterinary School at Colorado State University in 1977. As she puts it, “she did large animal veterinary stuff for 20 plus years, before accepting a job with U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/Veterinary Services.” Now retired, Amie lends her expertise to garden management and is an excellent resource on pest management.


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.Jake Mohrmann, Board Member
Born and raised in Helena, Jake and his family have recently settled back in Helena after living and gardening at 10,000 feet elevation in Colorado. Jake is a Master Gardener and co-garden manager at the Covenant Community Garden where he enjoys gardening with his family.