Helena Event Highlights: Governor Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte Host 100 Guests for Tech Reception at Historic Hauser Mansion
February 26, 2025
Montana High Tech Business Alliance members and guests gathered inside the Helena residence of Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte, the historic Hauser Mansion, for a tech networking reception on February 11, 2025. Photo courtesy of Jason Yager, Executive Director, MPQA.
February 11, 2025, Hosted by Governor Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte
Celebrating Economic and Technological Growth in Montana
On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Governor Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte hosted around 100 Montana High Tech Business Alliance (MHTBA) members and guests at their Helena residence, the historic Hauser Mansion, for a reception including hors d'oeuvres and refreshments. Designed to connect Montana's government leaders to the statewide tech community, the invitation-only event brought together a cross-section of Montana’s most innovative minds, industry leaders, policymakers, and emerging voices. Some highlights:
Elected Leaders: 10 Montana state legislators from both sides of the aisle attended, including members of the House and Senate Energy, Technology, and Federal Relations Committees. Districts represented included Belgrade, Bozeman, Colstrip, Eureka, Glasgow, Kalispell, Marion, Miles City, and Missoula. Chairman Gerald Gray of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana also attended.
Governor's Cabinet: Joining Governor Gianforte at the reception were department directors including Chris Dorrington, Director of the Department of Transportation, Misty Ann Giles, COO/Director of the Department of Administration, Paul Green, former Director of the Department of Commerce, Misty Kuhl, Director of the Office of Indian Affairs, and Sarah Swanson, Commissioner of the Department of Labor.
University Leaders: Key partners in higher education attending included Seth Bodnar, President of the University of Montana, Fran Albrecht, President and CEO of the Montana State University Alumni Foundation, John Paxton, Professor and Director of the Gianforte School of Computing at MSU, and Shaun Scott, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Carroll College.
Diverse Geography: Guests traveled to Helena from Montana’s major cities—Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Kalispell, and Missoula—as well as rural areas like Chinook, Dillon, Lewistown, and Wolf Point.
Diverse Sub-sectors: Tech leaders present included a broad range of sub-industries helping to drive innovation, job creation, and economic prosperity in Montana including:
Aerospace
Advanced Manufacturing Bioscience
Broadband and Telecommunications
Business and IT Consulting
Cybersecurity
Education Technology
Engineering
Government
Healthcare Technology
Media Arts and Film
Photonics and Quantum
Software
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Montana High Tech Business Alliance and Montana Jobs Network Executive Director Christina Henderson kick off the MHTBA Helena Tech Reception inside the iconic Hauser Mansion.
The Alliance extends a special thank you to the Montana Chamber of Commerce and the Montana Photonics and Quantum Alliance (MPQA) for their help coordinating the guest list.
The Alliance Reflects on 10 Years of Tech Innovation in Montana
Kelly Schwager, MHTBA Board Chair and VP of Global Communications for Oracle with Melissa Paulsen, MHTBA Communications Coordinator, outside the beautiful Hauser Mansion in Helena. The building was constructed in 1885 and the Gianfortes are the third first-family of Montana to reside there.
The Hauser Mansion, built in 1885, served as a beautiful and historic setting for Alliance members to gather and reflect on the past decade of tech innovation in Montana. The Governor and First Lady are the third first family of Montana to live in the home and are preserving Montana’s history—curating period furnishings, historic artifacts, and artwork to eventually give to the state.
More than a decade ago, the Gianfortes helped launch the Montana High Tech Business Alliance and hosted the first member reception in 2014. Their continued leadership has played a key role in shaping the thriving tech community Montana enjoys today.
From left to right: Christina Henderson, Executive Director, Montana High Tech Business Alliance (MHTBA) and Montana Jobs Network (MJN); Tom Stergios, Founder, Craton Consulting; Kelly Schwager, MHTBA Board Chair and VP of Global Communications, Oracle; Kate Pace, MJN Board Chair and COO, Craton Consulting; Chris Omland, VP of Product Management, Workiva; Devin Gray, Director of Engineering, Figure; and Cynthia Bradford-Lencioni, Founder and CEO, Minerva Growth Group. Not pictured: Paddy Flemming, Director, Montana Manufacturing Extension Center.
Several Montana High Tech Business Alliance (MHTBA) and Montana Jobs Network (MJN) board members attended the reception including:
Kelly Schwager, MHTBA Board Chair, VP of Global Communications, Oracle, Columbia Falls
Kate Pace, MJN Board Chair, COO, Craton Consulting, Missoula
Devin Gray, Director of Engineering, Figure, Great Falls
Paddy Flemming, Director, Montana Manufacturing Extension Center, Bozeman
Cynthia Bradford-Lencioni, Founder and CEO, Minerva Growth Group, Bozeman
Chris Omland, VP of Product Management, Workiva, Bozeman
Tom Stergios, Founder, Craton Consulting, Missoula
As the Alliance looks ahead to 2025 and beyond, it will continue to focus on:
Expanding Montana’s tech workforce
Growing our industry partnerships
Ensuring that innovation thrives in every corner of our state
Companies Across Montana Convene to Support Montana’s High-Tech Future
In addition to state legislators and leaders from established technology companies, the reception included some of Montana’s next-generation entrepreneurs.
From left to right: Charles Werk, Founder, Innonative Solutions, Greg Gianforte, Montana Governor, and Terrell Young, Executive Assistant, Innonative Solutions. Tech companies across the state representing a variety of sub-industries attended the MHTBA Helena Tech Reception on February 11, 2025.
Former MHTBA intern Charles Werk and his colleague Terrell Young, computer science graduates of the University of Montana and Montana State University respectively as well as Aaniiih Nakoda College, represented their startup web services company Innonative Solutions. Werk and Young have returned home to launch their company near their tribal community at Fort Belknap.
Stay tuned for upcoming events, new reports, and more ways to connect and support Montana’s future.
About the Publisher: Launched in 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit association of more than 200 high tech and manufacturing companies and affiliates creating high-paying jobs in Montana. For more information, visit MTHighTech.org or subscribe to our biweekly newsletter.
About the Authors:
Christina Henderson has served as executive director of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance since its launch in April 2014. She holds an English/Education degree from the University of Iowa and an MBA from the University of Montana.
Melissa Paulsen is the communications coordinator for the Montana High Tech Business Alliance. She graduated from the University of Montana in 2022 with a BFA in creative writing and a minor in history.
