Board Member Highlight – Hannah Leonard
By Laurie Lane
Meet one of our newest board members, Hannah Leonard.
Hannah got her feet wet early on. She was born in Missoula to a family that enjoyed recreating on Montana's rivers and lakes. Hannah is comfortable getting on and in the water. She has a thirst for learning and, she does it well. No wonder why Missoula Fly Gal leader Kate Hasterlik took Hannah on to help grow our social media presence.
I know I’m not alone when l say how fortunate our chapter is to have Hannah helping plan our "UnBanquet" this year. As one of the larger chapters in Montana, we have a great fundraiser full of awesome trips and items to bid on. People have a lot of fun at our annual banquet. However, due to the pandemic, we have been forced to take a new approach with an online auction taking place next month.
Hannah has taken on helping with this task with vim and vigor. She also has taken over the position of running MFG’s social media growing it exponentially. It’s a great fit because Hannah says she admires all the women who paved the way to make space for the new generation of female fly fishers. She is now playing that forward.
Hannah started fly fishing in 2010 with her babysitter turned best friend. She took Hannah fly fishing for her high school graduation.
Photo of Hannah and Katie during her high school graduation present fishing trip!
Talk about great graduation gifts! Hannah went on to take a fly fishing course with Stacey Jennings and the Kingfisher Fly Shop and she hasn’t stopped since.
Her favorite fish is the brook trout and grayling with dreams of someday catching a palomino and rooster fish. I have no doubt she will one day hook those fish as she continues to master knots, tie flies, read water, and catch fish.
Hannah is a big supporter of equal rights for everyone on the water! No discrimination here! And that goes for her fish too. She happens to be fond of catching a nice whitefish now and again.
Hannah wants to make sure we preserve clean water and land for future generations which is why she agreed to come on board to help WSCTU continue to make that happen. We are in good hands knowing that Hannah recently received her Masters in Resource Conservation with a focus on Human Dimensions of Resource Conservation. Wow, it feels so reassuring to see that the future is in good hands. Thank you Hannah for your unbridled enthusiasm, hard work, and a great smile! You make us proud. And hopeful.
Hannah has taken the job as Sporting Lead-free educator and outreach coordinator at the Teton Raptor Center. Congratulations Hannah!
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