Meet the Board

Laura Straus                President                Professor at UMW
   Laura Straus taught English and history at the middle school level for many years, winning several regional and state awards for her work as an educator. Now she teaches literacy education courses for pre-service teachers at Montana Western and serves as a member of several state-level organizations related to educator preparation.
   Laura has been on the Southwest Montana Arts Council Board of Directors since May of 2009. She has been involved in music, theater, and art for most of her life. Her goal as a SMAC member is to join with the community to support and celebrate the arts in as many ways as possible.

Marybeth Wilson            VP/Dinner in the Park Chair            Physical Therapist
   Marybeth was born and raised in Missouri where she earned her Doctorate of physical therapy at the University of Missouri. In 2012, she and her partner Ben moved to Montana in order to better enjoy the great outdoors. In her free time she enjoys backpacking, skiing, rafting, and attending concerts.
   Marybeth has been a member of the Southwest Montana Arts Council since 2013.

​Estee Aiken          Reporter/Canvas ELC Chair            Professor at UMW
   Estee Aiken works and plays in Dillon with her husband and two young daughters.She has been involved with the arts for as long as she can remember.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in music and tries to sing as often as possible for whomever will listen. Estee teaches in the education department at UMW, specializing in Early Childhood Education. She also serves on the School District #10 school board.

Neal Straus          Treasurer          City of Dillon Treasurer
   Neal has been a life-long supporter and participant of the arts. From elementary school trips to museums and performances in St. Paul, Minnesota, to playing the clarinet in the school band to enjoying Chicago’s South Side blues clubs during his college years, Neal has been enriched by the role arts have played in his life. He holds a particular fondness for Topeka Civic Theatre, where his wife Laura was in many high quality productions as an actress and singer. Neal enjoys supporting and encouraging her to share her many artistic talents.
   Neal has been a volunteer with SMAC events since he arrived in Dillon in 2009 and a board member since 2014.  His own art has included refinishing furniture and designing and building a few houses.  His current art project is the last best house, which he and his wife designed built south of Dillon.

Karlee Shank          Showcase Chair          Gallery framer/makeup artist/costumer
   Originally from Augusta, Montana, but now calls Dillon home. Karlee does custom framing at The Gallery.
She holds a bachelors degree in Design/Visual & Performing Arts and has been involved in theater for over sixteen years. She loves all aspects of the arts and has recently started working in film. She loves sunshine and monster makeup and gets overly excited about fake blood and sparkly things. Karlee did the artwork for SMAC's 2016 Dinner in the Park poster and does amazing 5-minute portraits at our Art Walks. She attends many SMAC events with her two children, who are burgeoning artists themselves.

Heidi Hengler          Special Events Chair          CEO of Hengler Household
   Heidi Fisch Hengler received a BS from the University of Pittsburgh and went on to practice dental hygiene in various states for 15 years.  Heidi retired from her career to become a mother and to pursue other interests, such as Iyengar yoga teacher certification, traveling and writing. Heidi is drawn to SMAC because she is captivated by the arts, engages in her own practice of watercolor and is compelled to help enrich the community of Dillon artistically.

Colleen Howe Cheney          Visual Arts Chair          Visual artist
   Originally from the Big Hole Valley, Colleen spent much of her adult life living and working in the Salt Lake City area. She recently returned to Southwest Montana where she creates art and teaches art classes. She teaches many of SMAC's adult Canvas & Coffee/Cocktail events and is in the process of opening an artists' co-op in downtown Dillon.

Erin Hughes        Development Chair        Dance Instructor
Erin Hughes moved to Dillon in 2016 with her husband and two sons. She has a degree in Dance Education from Bringham Young University and teaches dance at Shine Studio. She is enthusiastic about bringing professional dance companies to Dillon and engaging the community in participating in the arts. She is also working to create improved playgrounds in Dillon's city parks.

​Mandy Maass          Executive Director 
   Mandy moved to Dillon after traveling to every state but Maine and every continent but Antarctica. She earned degrees in English and journalism from The University of Iowa and a Certificate in Secondary English Education from the University of Montana Western. She has had a wide variety of jobs, including sports reporter for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, chicken farm manager in New Zealand, English teacher in South Korea and mental health caseworker in Iowa. Mandy takes pleasure in creating and enjoying arts of all kinds as well as playing and exploring with her husband, daughter and dogs. She is active with Beaverhead Recycling and the Walking School Bus, is a City Councilperson representing Ward 4 and was on the steering committee for Hometown Humanities.
   Mandy became the executive director of SMAC in June 2013 after serving as the council’s reporter for one year. Her favorite thing about SMAC is creating opportunities for members of her community to make and engage with art.
​