​​Keynote: 

Logan Davis - “Navigating the Shark-Infested Information Ocean - How to identify and counter disinformation and misinformation”.

Democracy depends on a knowledgeable citizenry capable of distinguishing fact from fiction.  At the Gathering Wisdom Building Power event in Billings in March, our crowd could not get enough of independent journalist Logan Davis’s sharp, lively, timely, and grounded briefing on how to manage the fire hydrant of information coming at us and at the same time contend with the loss of local news sources we have relied on for generations. We are happy to bring him, in person, to Missoula as our keynote speaker. You will be too!

 

Logan Davis is an investigative journalist based in Denver, specializing in the threat posed by right-wing extremism. He is also a political communications consultant. He is a proud member of the Denver News Guild and co-founder of the Political Workers Guild of Colorado. 

 

Featured Speaker:

Jeff Kallay - Intergenerational Jeopardy - Understanding and Building Bridges

Montana faces big challenges in 2027! All too often, we see lawmakers and partisan players dividing us and pitting us against each other. Is there a path to build cross generational coalitions and alliances that strengthen our communities and make life better for everyone? Please join us as we delve into where the common ground and winning strategies can lead us in 2027.

 

We are excited to bring a nationally recognized speaker, Jeff Kallay, whose expertise can help us piece it together by better understanding the different perspectives each generation brings to the discussion. Over the course of his career, Jeff Kallay has worked with more than 300 college and university campuses across the country to create compelling visit experiences for both students and their families.. He serves as an on-campus advisor and training facilitator, providing analysis, insights, and generational research.

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Panel: Intergenerational Jeopardy - United We Stand, Divided We Lose!

We are thrilled with the knowledge, perspectives and expertise of our distinguished panelists who work in the arena of Montana’s most pressing challenges:

• Dr. Atty Moriarty, MD, FAAP, President, the Montana Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics. Young families with children, Medicaid impacts post- HR 1 and MT work requirements, Health Care challenges for all ages

• Alice Boyer, Executive Director, Forward Montana - Zoomers issues and priorities (Housing, Health Care, Job market, AI)

• Bill Bronson, Great Falls Public Schools Trustee and Big Sky 55+ Board member - Montana Public Education Funding, Montana School Funding Commission once-in-a-decade school funding review and recommendations  

• Jeff Kallay - 

• Moderator Sanna Porte  

 

Panel: Making Montana Taxes More Fair - Do we really need another massive tax cut for  Montana’s richest residents? And if so, who pays?

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• Rose Bender - Director of Research, Montana Budget and Policy Center

• Rep. James Reavis - Billings Lawmaker and member of the Revenue Interim Committee and 2025 House Tax Committee

• Moderator Jon Ellingson

 

Panel: Data Centers: Coming to a Place Near You - What do we need to know?

We have invited two of the most knowledgeable people in the state to help us piece together the right questions and the best policy handles to address impacts. What are the energy requirements, land use, water use, pollution, noise and other nuisances? Is it a speculative bubble or are there long term jobs? How do various data center proposals differ from each other? Did the 2025 Montana “Right to Compute Act” tie the hands of state and local regulators? What should the 2027 legislature look to? Who pays if a data center fails? 

• Anne Hedges - Executive Director, Montana Environmental Information Center - Energy requirements, rates, climate, water, noise and air quality impacts of data centers

• Svein Newman - Energy Policy adviser, Missoula County -  Local and state government regulatory oversight questions, capacity, and needs

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