About FFRG MT
We are a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization comprised of a diverse group of residents who are passionately driven to foster responsible growth in the Flathead Valley.
Our Vision
We strive to maintain and enhance our region’s unique character by collaborating with local stakeholders, influencing policy decisions that prioritize the well-being of our community, providing resources to educate and inform the public, and promoting sustainable practices.
Meet Our Staff
Alyssum Ahler
Executive Director
Alyssum Ahler was born and raised in Montana and moved to Whitefish with her family when she was in grade school. Her passion for conservation started at a young age while exploring the mountains we are so lucky to call our backyard. Alyssum received her BS in Ecosystem Science and Restoration from the University of Montana. She has worked in natural resource management positions with the Montana DNRC, University of Montana Spatial Analysis Lab, Missoula County, Montana Biocontrol Project, as well as volunteered with Trout Unlimited and Five Valleys Land Trust. She enjoys working with diverse groups of individuals and bringing together stakeholders to tackle big projects. Alyssum and her husband recently moved back to Whitefish to raise their daughter and are committed to help preserve the character and community that makes Whitefish so special for generations to come.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Flathead Families for Responsible Growth is governed by a board of directors whose members dedicate countless hours of their time toward the organization’s mission to help guide responsible growth throughout the Flathead Valley.
Our board members contribute a broad perspective of interpersonal and professional experience to every facet of the organization in their dedication to honor safety, quality of resources, and retention of community and character.
Thanks to our board members for making FFRG MT such a vital resource to our community.
Jeffry Allen
Jeffry Allen and his wife Teri first came to the Flathead valley in the late 90’s. They built their home here in Whitefish in 2003 and became Montana residents over a decade ago. Jeff is a retired technology industry executive and currently sits on the board of the Whitefish Community Foundation. He previously served on the Habitat for Humanity Flathead board of directors and was involved in several housing projects in Columbia Falls and Kalispell. The Allens have also been involved in several community projects over the years and are proud to call Whitefish home.
Carol Balliet Atkinson
After moving to Whitefish in 1986, Carol has spent over thirty years involved with fundraising and philanthropic endeavors in this community, to include both ice rinks, the WAVE, the North Valley Food Bank and the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. Carol has served as a fundraising consultant for many local and regional nonprofits. Previous board appointments include the Flathead Festival, Glacier Symphony and Chorale, Glacier National Park Fund, Flathead Beacon Advisory Board and the Whitefish Lake Institute. Carol currently serves on the Whitefish Arts Council Board, Flathead Families for Responsible Growth, Logan Health Whitefish Foundation Board and the Whitefish Community Foundation Board, where she serve on the Grants and Scholarship Committees.
Brad Bulkley
Brad Bulkley and his family have been landowners in Whitefish for over thirty years. Brad’s parents discovered Whitefish, his mother being from Spokane, after leaving Diamond Lake, Washington after it became over-crowded. Brad is an entrepreneur, founding his own financial services business and still managing it for the past thirty-seven years. He currently sits on two corporate boards and one non-profit board. Whitefish is a special place to the Bulkley family, where now the third generation comes to enjoy it. Brad and his family enjoy skiing, hiking, fishing, golfing, biking, and the warm and welcoming small-town culture of this very special place called Whitefish.
John Collins
John Collins was raised in Whitefish and returned with his wife, Anne, and children, Stephanie and Ian, to live here full-time in 1985. After working in the reinsurance industry in New York and Minnesota, Collins retired in 2009 and has since served on the boards of Whitefish Community Foundation, Whitefish Lake Institute, Flathead Families for Responsible Growth and also is a past president of the Flathead Valley Ski Foundation.
Murray Craven
Murray Craven has been a resident of Whitefish for over 30 years. A former professional hockey player, Murray retired from the NHL to move to Whitefish full-time to raise his three children, all of whom attended Whitefish schools and are proud Bulldog alumni. Passionate about the Whitefish community and contributing to local charities, Murray was a key player in raising the money necessary to build the Stumptown Ice Den. Helping to create a place for the community to recreate and build a thriving youth hockey program, the Glacier Avalanche. Murray is an avid fly-fisherman, skier, and golfer. He is passionate about the Whitefish community and preserving everything that it has to offer for generations to come.
Richard Hildner
Richard Hildner is a long-time Whitefish resident and former high school history and government teacher. Hildner also spent seventeen years in wildfire management with the USFS. He has served on numerous community boards including Children’s House Montessori School, the Nurturing Center, and Whitefish Theatre Company. Richard was twice elected to the Whitefish City Council and currently serves on the Whitefish Community Library Board of Directors, Flathead Families for Responsible Growth Board, and is the president of the North Fork Landowners’ Association.
Carolyn Pitman
Carolyn Pitman has been a Whitefish resident since 1977. She was a founding member of Whitefish Theatre Company and served as Executive Director for 35 years. Pitman’s involvement in community activities includes two terms on the Whitefish School Board and board positions with the Whitefish Community Center Company (oversight board for the fundraising and construction of the O’Shaughnessy Center and Whitefish Library), Whitefish Winter Carnival, North Valley Music School Advisory Board, Whitefish Arts Council, and Flathead Families for Responsible Growth.
Cameron Blake
Cameron Blake and her husband, Sandy Gray moved to Whitefish in 2000 from Los Angeles, looking to raise their family with a healthy pace of life. Their three children all graduated from Whitefish High School. Cameron has served on numerous non-profit boards in the community and was the Executive Director for North Valley Music School and Glacier Nordic Club. Both organizations tripled in numbers served and funds raised during her tenure. Prior to moving to Whitefish, she was in the real estate finance industry and has a graduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Real Estate. She is an avid Nordic skier and has taught for Glacier Nordic Club for the past 20 plus years.
