Staff

• Terence Munson

  Terence Munson

  Terry comes to Opportunity Link after eighteen and a half years of teaching business courses at Montana State University-Northern. In addition to teaching, Terry has been involved in entrepreneurialism and economic development in the Havre area. He initiated the Small Business Institute at Northern which allowed faculty and student teams to work in conjunction with Bear Paw Development Corporation and the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and assist local companies in need of marketing plan or business plan assistance. He developed business experience in the retail arena as an assistant manager and manager of farm cooperatives in Montana and Wisconsin. Larger business experience was gained through a series of positions with Mack Trucks, Inc. (A billion- dollar heavy-duty truck company). International marketing and customer service were two of his responsibilities in the truck industry. Terry and his wife Kathy have four children.
  
  To contact Terry, please call the Havre office (406-265-3699) or email him at tmunson@havremt.net.
  

• Leah Noel

  Leah Noel

  Leah was one of the original staff hired in November of 2004, and has lived in Havre since 1993. She attended college at Montana State University-Bozeman and Montana State University-Northern. Prior to joining Opportunity Link, Inc., Leah was the executive assistant with the North American Rural Futures Institute (http://www.narfi.org), an applied futures institute designed to connect rural citizens, community leaders, researchers and futurists throughout Montana, North America and around the world who are working on innovative visions to enhance the sustainability of rural regions.
  
  Leah works out of our Great Falls satellite office as of July 15, 2008. To contact Leah you can call her directly at (406) 454-5705 or by email at lnoel@havremt.net

• Rebecca Bishop-Koncilya

  Rebecca Bishop-Koncilya

  Rebecca joined Opportunity Link as the Office Administrator on June 30, 2006. She holds an Associates degree in Architectural Technology from the Spokane Community College and is a 2006 graduate of Montana State University-Northern with a Bachelors in Communication and a minor in Community Service.
  
  An enrolled member of the Gros Ventre tribe, Becki has lived in Havre since the mid 1990's. She served in the U.S. Army stationed in Korea as a photojournalist and administrative assistant from 1980-1983.
  
  Becki has a daughter, Renata, who is currently serving in the U.S. Army, and a son, Jake, a 2006 graduate of Havre High School.
  
  To contact Becki call the main office at (406)265-3699 or by email at bkoncilya@havremt.net

• Barbara Stiffarm

  Barbara Stiffarm

  Barbara Stiffarm joined Opportunity Link, Inc., as the Development Director, on August 15, 2006. Barbara has an extensive background in providing community and economic development services. For the past five years, Barbara served as a senior staff writer for RJS & Associates, Inc. (RJS), an American Indian-Owned Consulting Firm located on the Rocky Boys Indian Reservation in Montana. Barb’s major responsibilities included researching, identifying, and securing sources of funding for public schools, tribal governments, tribal colleges, Indian Housing Authorities, economic enterprises, and private businesses. In addition, she conducted external evaluations, feasibility studies, needs assessments, and market studies. Direct client services included management training, strategic planning, preparing development plans, and providing project management services. She was previously employed by the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council as the Tribal Planner/Community Development Block Grant Coordinator. In her position, she served as the research and development manager for established and non-established Tribal services. The position required the continual collection and analysis of data relating to local manpower, social, economic, and environmental factors to conduct the planning, obtain the funding, and implement tribal projects to support the community development needs of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Projects included housing rehabilitation, building construction, sanitary facility construction, public services, and numerous economic development ventures.
  
  Barbara is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe and has resided in Harlem, Montana since 1982. She is married with three children.
  
  To contact Barbara call the main office at 265-3699 or by email at bstiffarm@havremt.net

• Starlaen Perkins

  Starlaen Perkins

  Starlaen Perkins joined Opportunity Link Inc., as the Community Development Coordinator Assistant on November 1, 2007. She graduated from MSU-Northern in Havre with a BA in Community Service, with a minor in Communications in May of 2007.
  Starlaen is mother of seven children, a native of Montana growing up as a born and bred country girl, working and raising her children on the family ranch/farm in Broadus, MT. She is actively involved in advocating for families with special needs children. She is taking time off from her studies, but is interested in pursuing a Masters Degree in Community Development. This will continue to help her reach out to her community and develop a better repertoire with the people.
  

• Cristina Day Soriano

  Cristina Day Soriano

  Cristina Day Soriano joined Opportunity Link in November 15, 2007. Day worked as a Programme Assistant in CITYNET, an international organization based in Japan that addresses urban development issues in the Asia Pacific region through technical cooperation programs. Some of her projects at CITYNET included poverty reduction and waste management programs for Asian cities and a regional training center for urban managers in Kuala Lumpur.
  
  Day has an MA in Policy Management from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, an MS in Environmental Science and a BS in Statistics from the University of the Philippines. She is originally from the Philippines and has lived in Japan and in Raleigh, North Carolina. She moved to Havre with her husband and 2 daughters, Hana and Anya, last July 2007.